The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-16
YOUNGEST DOCTOR IN THE WORLD.
3-Year Old Boy Puzzles Physicians
With His Knowledge of Anatomy.
From the Chicago mn

From the Chicago Tribune.
Little Willie Gwin Of Chicago is the only
child who holds a certificate of prof.
cheney in anatomy from professors of rec
ognized medical colleges. Though scarce
ly years of age and no taller than
table, this little tot is perfectly familiar
with the human skeleton and the work of
the dissectng room. In fact, he has wit
messed nearly every capital operation
known to surgery in the New York, Louis
vile, New Orleans and Chicago hospi-
tails
The youngster is a marvel of precocity
and knows every bone in the human body,
as well as does a medical student at his
final examination. That is not all. He
can tell you with equal ease and accuracy
everything that is to be known about the
heart structure and its complex func-
tions.
Little Willie Gwin has been in Chicago
about a year. His father Howell b..
Gwin, M. D., is physician, who about
that time located here. To his profess
sional brethren in Chicago he introduced
The tot and surprised them on several oc-
casions by asking them TO question the
child about anatomy of the human body.
1t was then that the little fellow became
a pronounced sensation, for he made his
eyes and marvel that so small a head
could carrysand accurately tell all about
osteology, and, in fact, about the various
systems of the human body. He is al
ready the talk of medical circles.
Shortly after coming to Chicago the lit
tie fellow went to the operating room of
the Rush Medical College with his father.
There Willie saw Surgeon General Ham
ilton perform a difficult operation. He
stood by the patient with the wisdom and
indifference of the operator himself and
saw everything. Ii was an operation for
sarcoma of the breast, and the child can
now describe it as well as any surgeon,
using the surgical acknowledgement az
long as an arm. He revels in a dissect-
ing ROOM and will go among a body OF
students or surgeons and manifest the
liveliest interest in all that is going on.
As an evidence Of the little fellows self
possession in dissecting room and the
interest ne manifests I'm a Subject" DR..
Gwin took him 10 the morgue in New
Orleans. dead man had just been
brought in, having been killed by a troll
ley car. The body was mangled badly
The frontal bone had been crushed In ds
well as the superior fnaxi1lary and molar.
the nasal bone being broken and twisted
awry. The depression was large enough
TO lay the hand IN. Willie was taken 10
the table on which the stripped body
lay, and became at once absorbed In ex-
amining the face wound. Like a surgeon
of years experience he leaned over the
body and examined the injuries, lifting up
a bone here and pressing the frontal and
maxllary there. Completing the diagno-
sis this tot of then years was asked
by the father the extent OF the injuries
To this he readily replied, explaining each
bone crushed and its location. The faith
er then. with a scalpel, made an incision
behind the leg and demonstrated, by ex-
posing the main artery, nerve and vein
the functions of the same The child
saw and TO this day can tell all about IL.
augmenting II, however with other knowl-
edge in connection learned since by prac-
teal demonstration
Willie Gwin has two certificates Of pro-
iiciency In anatomy. One was given him
by Prof Edmond Souchon of the char
of anatomy, Tulane University, New Or
leans. Prof Souchon examined the child
and certified that he found him the most
thorough anatomist OF his age in osteology
and conformation Of the heart
Another certificate was given him by p
Richard Taylor NJ. D., dean of the Hos
pital College Of Louisville, after a careful
examination upon the osseous system ana
heart. He certihes that he found Willie
the most thoroughly posted child he ever
saw or read Of and believes him to be
the youngest anatomist In the world. be
ing only 51z years old.
The father, DR.. Gwin, told how the lad
came to know so much about. anatomy
and II appears that interest In and acquisl-