Page:American Medical Biographies - Kelly, Burrage.djvu/1186

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TUCKER 1164 TUFTS during an epidemic of yellow fever, and after- wards was on special duty in New York city. He was on the Board of Examiners in 1888-9. In 1884 he was a delegate to the International Medical Congress at Copenhagen. Later he served for a while at Montevideo, Uruguay and Laguayra, Venezuela, where, because of service rendered to the Venezuelans, he was decorated with the order of El Busto del Liberator. In 1898 he was a delegate to the Congress of Hygiene and Demography at Ma- drid, Spain. From March 26, 1895, until his retirement from active service, September 24, 1899, by operation of law, he was actively en- gaged in the inspection, modernization, enlarge- ment and equipment of the Naval hospitals at Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Chelsea, Massa- chusetts; Newport, Rhode Island; New York City, Philadelphia, and Norfolk, Virginia. His early work in this connection and in other ways for a year or more before the Spanish-Ameri- can war was responsible in a great measure for the preparedness of the Naval medical de- partment in that conflict. As Surgeon Gen- eral he instituted a Department of Instruction which was the first medical school of the Navy. He was also a member of the committee of the American Public Health Association, in July, 1896. When he was placed on the retired list, he was given charge of the Sailor's Snug Harbor, Staten Island, where he remained six years and rebuilt and reorganized the institu- tion. He never married. He died March 20, 1912, at the Naval Hospital, Brooklyn. Danif-l Smith Lamb. Tucker, David Hunter (1815-1871). Professor of theory and practice of medicine in the Medical College of Richmond, David H. Tucker was born at Westover, Virginia, June 18, 1815. He was the eldest son of St. George Tucker, professor of law at the University of Virginia, graduated in medi- cine from that University in 1836, and in the following year from the University of Pennsylvania. The next two years he spent in Paris, perfecting himself in medicine. Re- turning to the United States he began to practise in Philadelphia. A few years later he married Elizabeth, daughter of George M. Dallas, who was subsequently vice-president of the United States. With a number of friends. Tucker founded the Franklin Medical College, in which he took the chair of obstetrics, to which branch he had devoted particular atten- tion during his studies in Paris. A few years later Tucker accepted the chair of theory and practice of medicine in the Medical College of Richmond. In this city he soon acquired a name as one of its most distinguished practi- tioners. In his later life he suffered from ill health and his vision became seriously impaired. He died March 17, 1871. Tucker possessed a brillianl mind and pro- found learning. He was sincere and true in his friendship, and singularly frank and candid in his manners. Albert Allemann. Trans, .^mer. Med. Assoc, Philadelphia, 1872, vol. x.xxiii. pp. 601-603. Incidents of my Life. T. A. Emmet. N. Y., 1911. Tufts, Cotton (1731-1815). Cotton Tufts was the youngest son and fourth child of Dr. Simon Tufts, Senior (q. v.) of Medford and Abigail Smith Tufts, and a brother of Dr. Simon Tufts, Junior, of Med- ford. He was born in Medford, May 31, 1731. His given name. Cotton, came from his graiid- molhcr, Mary, daughter of the Reverend Sea- born Cotton, second wife of Peter Tufts, Junior. The Tufts genealogy was : Peter, Senior, the immigrant, who settled in Charles- town about the year 1650; Peter, Jimior; Dr. Simon of Medford and Dr. Cotton of Wey- mouth. Early in life. Cotton evinced a studious dis- position and was admitted to Harvard College when fourteen years of age. Here he took the degree of A. M. in 1749, and in 1785 the college conferred on him the honorary degree of M. D. After leaving college he taught school and then studied medicine with his older brother, Simon in Medford, and finally fixed his residence in Weymouth. According to a letter of Dr. Tufts, in the Fifield collection in the Boston Medical Library, this was April 8, 1752. In 1749 he was in Weymouth, for we find these entries in the diary of the Rev- erend William Smith, for that year. "Books lent, 1749. To Cotton Tufts, several books." "October 15, I preached. Mr. Thaxter and Cotton Tufts here." During the year 1751, the "Throat Distemper or Putrid Sore Throat" (diphtheria) was very prevalent and fatal among the inhabitants of Weymouth. The Reverend Mr. Smith records the death of nine- teen children and four adults from this disease, between July 12 and November 15. October 5, he enters : "11 died this week, 6 in our parish, 5 in Mr. Bayley's," and November 21, "Fast Day at Mr. (James) Bayley's Parish on ac- count of the throat distempers prevailing there. Mr. Cotton preached from 2 Jer. 30. 'In vain have r smitten yr children ; ye rec'd no Cor- rection,' and Mr. (Samuel) Porter P. M. fm. 2 Cor. 12, 8 and part of the 9, 'For ys thing I besought the Ld thrice that it might depart