related by one who knew him well that after his return to California, which was in 1869, he was once called back to Portland to perform an operation for ovarian cyst.[1] Some of the Portland surgeons were not pleased with this aspersion on their professional skill. This is believed to be the first operation of its kind to be performed in Portland, and took place about 1870.
In 1869, as indicated, he was transferred from the Taylor Street Church to California, where he preached in Sacramento, Santa Clara, and in his former pastorate in San Francisco. Sometime between 1872 and 1875 he was invited to join the faculty of the Medical Department of the University of the Pacific, which afterwards became the Cooper Medical College, and is now the Medical School of Stanford University. For a time he was also lecturer in biology in the college of this university, located then at San Jose, now at Stockton. As a member of the medical faculty, he organized the department of microscopy and histology, of which subjects he was made professor. He continued this service for twenty-five years, when he was made professor emeritus. For several semesters he also filled the chair of the practice of medicine, in the absence of the regular incumbent of this position.
During the early part of this period in California Wythe preached and taught, practicing medicine only more or less incidentally, apparently, but in 1881, on the death of his oldest son, he withdrew from the Methodist Conference to give his time entirely to medicine. It seems that he was led to do this through the necessity of providing for his grandchildren, the children of W. T. Wythe. This son had been a surgeon in the navy, and dying suddenly, left a widow and five children practically penniless. These grandchildren of our subject came to occupy positions of trust and honor in their respective
- ↑ Personal communication from Mr. J. K. Gill
