Evening star., 1953-03-29
PhiI0teIic News
Stamp Series Proposed
To Honor Medical Men
By JONES Waldo Fowcett

A series Of stamps in homage
to great physicians is being
considered by Post ONCE De-
partment- officers. The idea Of
such q set has developed from
discussions dating back nearly
q year. It would supplement
the Heroes Of Peace series Of
1910. which honored prose
writer's. poets, educators, sci-
entists, composers. artists and
Inventors.
When the suggestion for the
doctors group first was
brought to the attention Of
postal officials, they asked for
specific nominations, and Brig.
Gen. Ebert DeCoursey, M. c.,
u. s. A., director Of the Armed
Forces Institute Of Pathology,
was requested to submit q list.
The physicians now named
to the Post Office Department
by Gen. DeCourSey for pos
sible inclusion In the Nations
philatelic gallery are:
william Paul Barton (1786-
1866, naval surgeon and bot
aniSt; first chief Of the Nays
Bureau Of Medicine and Sur
gerry. He established physical
standards for recruits, intro
duced medical and surgical
Journals, urged constructive
changes in arrangements Of
hospitals at sea and on shore,
envisioned schools Of naval
surgery" and advocated courses
Of instruction relating to
problems Of medicine and
surgery incident to seafaring
life.
william Beaumont (l785-
1859, Army surgeon and ply
sician. In 1922 he was called
to treat Alexis st. Martin, a
youth whose stomach had been
torn open by an accidental
shot. This assignment gave
him opportunities to investi-
gate processes Of digestion
which led to the publication Of
his book, Experiments and
Observations on the Gastric
Juice and the Physiology Of
Digestion"-called Americas
1irst great contribution to ex-
perimental physiology"
John Shaw Billings (1838-
1919, Army surgeon and IL
brarian; medical inspector Of
the Army Of the Potomac dur
ing the Civil War. AS librarian
Of the Surgeon Generals liz
brary, currently the Armed
Forces Medical Library, he In
creased catalog listings from
900 to $4,000, began the Index
Catalog and initiated the Index
Medicus. Johns Hopkins Hos
pital, Baltimore, was designed
by him.. and he also helped
with the early organization Of
the Johns Hopkins Medical
School. Reorganization Of the
old United States Marine Hos
pital Service into q foundation
for the modern United States
Public Health Service likewise
was his work.
Carl r. Darnau (1867-194D,
Army surgeon. He invented
the Darnan filter for purif1ca-
tion Of water In the field and
pioneered use Of liquid chic
rine, the method Of water puri-
1lcation still employed. Served
as professor Of chemistry and
also as commandant Of the
Army Medical School.
Joseph Goldberger 1874
1920 surgeon In United States
Public Health Service and
medical research worker. A
specialist In preventive medi-
cine, infectious diseases and
nutrition, he discovered that
pellagra is caused by q nutri-
tional deficiency. now recog-
nized as vitamin B-2, niacin
or NICOTINE acid.
William Stewart Halsted
(l852-1922), surgeon and first
professor Of surgery at Johns
Hopkins Medical School. His
surgical contributions include
operative techniqueS based on
minimum injury to tissues,
anesthesia by injection OF
cocaine into nerves, methods
of operating for cancer Of the
breast and for hernia, expert
mental work on the thyroid
and introduction Of use OF
rubber gloves.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
(1S09-1894), physician, poet,