The Palatka news and advertiser., 1915-07-23
PALATAA MOURNS
DEATH OF DR.. CYRUS
Dean of Local Medical Fra
ternity--A Physician
of the Old School.

thirty years a prominent physician of
this city, though for the past six
years retired from active practice,
died on Monday morning at $3.50 af-
ter confinement to his bed for two
weeks. Death was due to heart
trouble.
DR.. Cyrus was attended in his last
illness by his old professional part
ner, DR.. Geo. E. Welch, who tells The
News that the last days Of this good
man, despite his physical weakness
and his unquestioned knowledge of
the near approach of death, were un-
clouded by the approaching shadow.
| He was conscious and cheerful to the
end.
The funeral occurred at his late
residence at 1880 Wednesday morning
and was attended by vast concourse
of people. Rev. DR.. Afford of the
Presbyterian church had charge and
was assisted by Rev. P. Q. Cason of
the First Baptist church The flo
raj offerings were many and beautiful.
1.-THE intermen twas in West View Gem
etery.
Dr.. Cyrus came to Florida in 1884
from Indiana, settling at Peniel where
he lived year before coming to Pa
latka. He was native of Illinois,
was a graduate of the University of
Iowa, and served as surgeon in the
| IU. S. Army. He came to Florida be-
cause of ill-health and against the
warnings of his neighboring physi-
clans in Indiana, who felt that the
! hn +pn
| his physical strength. His first year
was spent in the open and doing mild
work in grove and garden, and his
Improvement was so marked that In
year he came to Palatka to prac-
tice his profession. His practice
grew rapidly and after few years
he associated himself with DR.. Geo.
E. Welch, who came from Welaka for
the purpose. This association was
continued until some eight years ago.
For the past six years DR.. Cyrus has
been prevented from practice owing
to a bodily affiiction which deprived
him of the power of walking. Dur
Ii ing all this time, however, he has
made frequent trips to the business
section in a wheeled chair, and always
had a cheerful greeting for his old
friends. His cheerfulness was pro-
verbal.
Perhaps his most valuable service
to this city as whole was during the
yellow fever epidemic Of 1888, when
by act of the city council and board of
county commissioners he was placed
in military charge of quarantine IN
this district, a position he filled with
firmness and successfully. He was
always a leader in efforts for public
relief, and at the time of the Jackson
vile fire led the work of relief in this
city.
We have spoken of him as a ply
sician of the old school; the idea was
suggested by thoughts of that old
Scotch physician whom Ian McLar-
en-" tells about in his Beside the
Bonny Briar Bush" and who, when a
suitable memorial was asked for his
tomb, had this one selected by the
Lord of the Manor:
"Then shall the King say unto them
on his right hand, Come, ye blessed
of my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation
of the world: For / was an hungred,
ana We gave NE HledI' was CiiAi S'J
and We gave me drink: / was stran-
ger, and ye took me in: naked, and
We clothed me: was sick, and ye
visited me: Inasmuch as we
have done it unto one of the least OF
these my brethren, ye have done 1t
unto me-"
DR.. Cyrus gave of his skill, his mon.
ey and his time freely for the relief
Of the poor, the sick, the hungry and
distressed. He gave without ostenta-
ton; his left hand never knew what
his right was doing in the matter of
relief. This was particularly true IN
his medical practice. He never re-
fused when he had the strength to go,
calls from the poor. Famllles VINO
we're especially afflicted with sickness
and had other struggles to contend
with rarely found any charge for pro
fessional service entered on his books.
DR.. Cyrus was II years of age. He
was a member of the Masonic, the
Odd Fellows and the Pytnian frater-
mites, and these bodies were present
at his funeral. E,
DR.. CYRUS is survived by his wife,
and two brothers who reside in dis
tant state.
C,rd of Thanks