Untitled - citizen hylbom blog

ness. Meantime he had become greatly interested
in the practice of medicine and after his
SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS 983
his very prime, he had followed the calling of
his choice but a few years at the time of his
decease, yet in that brief period he had so
demonstrated his fitness for its pursuit that
patients and fellow practitioners alike mourned
his death as a loss to the profession. Though
his long experience in the drug business in
Fall Eiver before he entered upon the practice
of medicine had undoubtedly given him some
advantage of reputation and personal popularity,
there are few men who could have succeeded,
in so short a time, in building up the
large practice Dr. White enjoyed. All his
life he had been remarkable for ambition and
his happy disposition was never subdued by
the obstacles he had to overcome in his path
to success.
Dr. White was born in Fall Eiver, June 17,
1843, son of Peter and Susan S. White, the
father a native of Pomfret, Conn., the mother
of Tiverton, R. I. He received his early education
in the public schools and from his early
boyhood helped to support himself as a newsboy.
At the age of sixteen he entered the witness their Joy were enough to offset aiiy
hardships or trials his work entailed. His kind
heart and sympathetic nature, no less than his
skill, tended to inspire confidence and raise the
hopes of those to whom he ministered. His
strong
drug
store of Charles A. Baker, with whom he
remained exactly twenty years, during the last
several years having a partnership in the busi-
constitution and buoyant temperament
enabled him to keep pace with the demands
of his practice, and his sudden death, after
an illness of only a few days, caused the utmost
surprise among the many who knew him and
were aware of the heavy strain his strength
had successfully withstood. It is not too much
to say that Dr. White was particularly missed
among the city's poor. Many of his patients
were among the needy, and he gave to them of
his time and best efforts without stint and
without hope of reward, for his charges were
either governed by the circumstances or withheld
entirely. It is greatly to his credit that
the universal sorrow at his death was so largely
shared by this class. He realized soon after
entering the profession what he had probably
expected, that there were many opportunities
in' the life of a physician for charity of the
mind as well as of the purse, and that much
of the best aid a physician gives is not strictly
professional. Genial and whole-souled, he was
a companion who always cheered, and his sympathy
was never dulled by the constant demands
made upon it. He was as generous with
his friendship as he was with his medical ser-
withdrawal from the firm gave a few months
entirely to study with one of the most successful
physicians of Fall River, Dr. Jerome
Dwelly. Entering Bellevue Hospital Medical
College, New York City, he found that his
early training was very valuable, enabling him
to make unusually rapid progress. Returning
to Fall River upon graduation, his success as
a practitioner was immediate. To quote from
an editorial which appeared at the time of his
death, in the Fall River Daily News of Jan.
6, 1885:
"Seldom is it that a physician builds up such
an extensive practice as his in so few years.
The many friends tliat had kno'mi him from
boyhood sought him in their sickness, and he
early learned that a professional life had its
trials. No one regretted more than he to be
called in to take the place of other physicians;
but patients insisted, and he could but respect
their calls." This simple comment reveals the
disposition of the man toward others in the
profession, but it also shows the feeling his
friends entertained regarding his ability. It
is a fact that he had exceptional success in the
treatment of patients from the very first, and
this formed one of the chief sources of the
pleasure he took in his vices, and his heartiness carried a note of sincerity
calling. To see the
sick recover, and to receive their grai;itude and
that always left a favorable impression.
Though he died in his forty-second year, Jan.
5, 1885, after but a few years in the profession
whose pursuit was his dearest ambition,
thousands of patients, rich and poor, held him
in grateful and loving remembrance.
Dr. White was a member of the Central
Congregational Church, and the fraternity of
the Masons, holding membership in King
Philip Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and Godfrey de
Bouillon Commandery, K. T. He had a' rich
voice and was in demand as a singer. To quote
from the source already referred to: "Memory
looks back during the past twenty years
and recalls the many times in which his rich
voice, blending with other singers, brought comfort
to the hearts of mourners, and it is not
mere imagery to say that the 'celestial choirs'
have had their ranks increased."
On Nov. 6, 1866, Dr. White married Allie
Brown, daughter of Capt. William Brown, of
Fall River, a commander of the Old Colony
Line, who was master of the first vessel of that
line. To Dr. and Mrs. White were born three
daughters, as follows: Adelaide B., who married
Griffitts M. Haffards, of Fall River, now