The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-04-12
MEDICAL MEN Of
OLD VIRGINIA.
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DR.. George Ben Johnston Tells
81 This States Many
Contributions.
WENT TO PHILADELPHIA
In That City D Distinguished Sons
81 Old Dominion Naturally
Settled.

The Richmond Academy OF Medicine and
Surgery held an exceedingly Interesting
meeting last night the feature Of which
was an able and carefully prepared I'D
dress on Some OF the Medical Men of
Distinction Virginia Has Supplied to the
Outside World" by Dr.. George Ben john
ston.
The speaker was given the closest at
tcntion as.he spoke of the great contrbu-,
ton this State has made to the medical
and surgical profession of the world.
DR.. johnson said in part:
V 1T would far transcend any reasonable
allowance of time We're to attempt to
sketch the conditions which existed in
Virginia in Colonial and Post-Colonial
days, and describe the typical character
much Of valuable example and .inspira-
ton might be extracted from the tale.
lt9would, likewise, be beyond the bounds
Of a singles paperi to involve the sketching
OF men like Clayton and Craik and Iony-
man, who came into Virginia MS settlers:
and much more il would be impossible to
inelude notice Of such men as Mattauer
e man and MCGUIRE who spent useful and
honored lives In the service of their
own people. II is my purpose, then, to
the most distinguished OF Virginia's med-
cal sons. who have gone out from home.
and by their accomplishments have con-
and shed lasting honor on themselves
and on their native State.
temptation TO INCLUDE some .2 gem E
Emmet, Howard and Ferbes.sare still at
the zenith of their usefulness. has been
q strong one: but + have deemed It bet
ter to confnes our notice to those whose
rf h1S fOi1y ia tl11ras trilrI1nh
no more; who rest. Il heirslabors DER for
ever, at the Great PHYSICIANS feet.
As all roads ere said to lead 70
sclosed. toity Of Philadelphia was. in
"a noticeable degree, the centre of medi-.
scal Thought and 5medical culture in the
433ed !. with students who surrounded lee
ss3slr ers. Of the highest emir,ence in their
3soecial lines; she offered advantages in
inc which IL We're j &. nowhere else. "a. be-
ssSs9und; and I'm that g1;ea t and impalpable
2i4s3sence whichi%has made many Of the
aries. in atmosphere. an atmosphere of
ss$ edical interest, she stood unique. ii III
'' Crowdng to the portals Of her schools
large nroporton OF the brghtesf
1 he age. and, CARRYING with them at their
4graduation all but the physical bricks
and mortal Of their nourishing mothers
these men went out to fight the battles Of
their science panoplied In all the spirit,
as well as in the learning OF their schools.
1T Is not quite possible for us now to
in the name OF Philadelphia, nor what
spell 1t was to conjure with. Possibly
people We're more enthusiastic less blase.
Philadelphia and her schools were held
is probably accounted for by the fact
at.E5through more than three genera
ons. she had no formidable rival in The
ambition of the student, nor in the es-.
Stimatioa Of the general world. ,
We Brought Light.
Nathaniel Chapman Is commonly re-
8garded to have been the brightest light in
this old-tinle Vrginian galaxy of Phia-
county of Fairfax. IS rich in tradition as
any county Of the land. and in the good
&old town of Alexandria he spent the
Perod Of his 15adent e While
d highly respected physician Of George
town and shortly after he became pr-
vate pupil OF Dick in Alexandria. In
the University Of Pennsylvania and SO
impressed Rush with the promise that
was in him that this facile prnceps of
private pupil. Graduating in 1900 Chap
s man went abroad and In London and
Edinburgh employed his remarkable. ac-
inr a What a''i re Y to make him one Of
the most perfectly equipped physicians
Of his time. Soon after his return to
vate class, which hat aBandoned on his
appointment to the professor of Obste-
tries in the University Of Pennsylvania.
This post he held until he was made
professor of Materia Medica in 1913 and
Z this latter chair he vacated in lSl6 TO ac-
cept the professorship in which he shone
as few have ever shone, the chair OF
Theory and Practice Of Medicine
Great as was Chapman's work among
his students and his 5colaborers. his in
fuence in the medical world at large eex-
erted through his journal and through his
Y books. was tenfold greater. He estab-
lished In 1870 the Philadelphia Journal of
Medical and Physical Science. which, in
+ 1927 became the American Journal of
Medical Science and which still survives