The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1906-12-14
PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY RECORDS.
l8OglS75.

large that of Dr. John Peter Met
tauer Dr. Mettauer spent his life in
Prince Edward and his career is evil
deuce. ifany was needed, that the city
is not indispensable IN the develop
ment of technical genius. The young
extra-uroan practitioner of today may
take heart from such an example, but
let him first be sure what he is and
what Doe wants Nothing can be uu-
safer than the usual argument from
parallels, and il is curious how the
small man insists ON the citation Of
big comparisons. Probably in every
crisis three fourths Of the people en-
gagged are thinking about other tight
,queezes while the man who comes
out winner is analyzying that pariicu-
lar situation a programme for the
techniciau would seem to be TO act by
intuition made keeuer by unceasing
study.
Dr. Mettaucr came Of Alsatian
stock. In 1880 his father, then resi-
dent in Prince Edward, went TO Eu-
rope TO close out what business inter
ests were still retained in France by
The brothers Metiauer, who had de-
clded To- make America their home.
Thi, is proved by power Of attorney
given in 1890 TO Francis Joseph Met
tauer by John Peter Mettauer, "of
Sulzbach. France" Sulzbach lies in
Upper Alsace. between the Norges and
the Rhine. switzerland is just to the
South. I'm the Transactions Of the
Medical Society Of Virginia for 1905,
Dr. George Ben Johnston, Of Rich
moud, ha, a sketch Of the life of Dr..
Neuauer. The following is taken
bodily from that very interesting
article.
After the battle Of Yorktown the
French army was quartered at differ
emit points in Virginia. 4 regiment
was sent % Prince Edward county,
ani attached 90 this were two broth
ers. surgeons, John Peter Mettauer and
Francis Joseph Mettauer. When tho
soldiers set ou: for home, Francis
Joseph Mettauer by the persuasion Of
General Lawson Robert LAWSON,
the Randolphs, and the Henrys, re-
NAMED in Prince Edward county and
later married there. 4 son. John Peter
Mettauer, was born 10 him and Eliza
Gaulditg iu 1897. Young Mettauer
was sent 90 Hampden-Sidney for his
literary studio, and graduated there
with ,he degree of Bachelor Of Arts IN
1906. tie Immediately entered on the
study of medicine, aud received tine de
gree OF ". ID. from the University of
PENNSYLVANIA iu 1909. Mettauers
medical education was carried on un-
der The most favorable conditions OBJ
tlinable in America at that time. lie
was a student under Physick and
Rush. Along with Rush, Meltauer
pinned undyng faith TO calomel and
bleeding
Beginning bis practice in much the
same circumstances as most young
men of hi, time. he was az first diff
ferentiated mainly by the two out
ward marks that he went his rounds
i'm a carriage instead of ON horseback,
and that he wore, certainly at his
meals and even 20 bed for aught that
is known % the contrary, an enor-
mously tall oyepipe hat. Gradually
Dr. Mettauer's preference for surgical
work. and his skill-maryellous for
his dav and wcll-nigh marvellous for
any dav-be. an To- bring him cases
from a distance. These cases became
80 numerous as TO occupy him most Of
his tirhe and to enable him to follow
the bent of his genius and lent him
self almost exclusively TO surgical
work. Patients came TO him from an
area that ever increased; from the
most distant parts Of the United states
and I'm some instances from abroad.
Step after step thequiet country home
took ON the aspect Of the hospital and
the whole neighborhoOd became per-
mcated with interest that grew out OF
the accOmpli shments Of single man.
Persons now living who remember
the circumstances have stated that for
period Of about forty years the num-
Der of surgical patients who gathered
To Nettauer for treatment was suili-
cient TO keep him constantly with
from A. to go cases under his care. Of
Ten it was true that about every good
house i'm the community sheltered
some per-on who was convalescing OF
awaiting his turn foroperation. From
the necessity Of the case, the greater
part of those who came from Assistance
were people Of consequence and III
many instances they travelled In their
own carriages and with their own re-
unue of personal attendants, and
/ formed az times "a crowd sufficient to
try 10 the utmostsuch modest accomo-
dations as were afforded by the Doc
tors private hospital, and by the tive
house. of entertainment at kingsville
and Worsham, referred TO in the
phrase Of that day as commodiou'
tayerns.
Mettauer appears TO have placed no
value on money. except as means Of
CARRYING ou his work, and an exterior
IaHtue repellaut concealed a heart a
great and warm as ever throbbed iu
human breast. a vast deal Of hi'
time was given TO practice whence he
could hope for neither fortune mol
fame. and Obi. not spasmodically but
...r.