History of medical practice in Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

3goHistory of Medical Practice in Illinoisomy Act" in Illinois than does Dr. Hosmer Johnson, not only because ofthis address but because of his succeeding, persistent efforts toward suchlegislation. It is to be noted that his motives sprang not from his preoccupationin any special or circumscribed field of medicine. Primarily he wasneither an anatomist nor a surgeon. Because of his place in the history ofAnatomy in Illinois, it is fitting to turn aside briefly to give the reader aglimpse of his life and personality. He was born in 1822, in Wales, NewYork, and died, at the age of 69, in Chicago, in 1891. His father was afarmer. At 1 2 years he moved with his parents to Michigan where he wasso fully occupied in helping to develop the new farm that he could not attendschool. He was taught by his mother. Farm work and, later, shoemakingprovided the means for his future education. He attended theAcademy at Romeo, Michigan, from 1844 to 1846, and then enrolled at theUniversity of Michigan as a sophomore. In 1848, a pulmonary hemorrhageinterrupted his studies, and he spent the following year at Vandalia,Illinois, and in St. Louis. Upon returning to college in 1849, he received theB. A. degree, and in 1850 entered Rush Medical College, from which hegraduated two years later. During his medical course he formed a closefriendship with William B. Herrick, the professor of Anatomy, and aftergraduation became associated with him in teaching and in editing theNorth-western Medical and Surgical Journal. In 1853 he was appointedlecturer in Physiology at Rush Medical College, two years later becameProfessor of Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Jurisprudence, and in 1857was given the chair of Physiology and General Pathology. He relinquishedthis position in 1859, and with several other associates organized the MedicalDepartment of Lind University, Johnson becoming its first president.The subsequent fate of this school is well known— its financial failure, theestablishment of its medical department as an independent institution, theChicago Medical College, in 1864, and its affiliation, in 1869, with NorthwesternUniversity. He remained president of its faculty until 1865, andheld successively the professorships of Histology, General Pathology, PublicHygiene and Clinical Medicine. In that year he resigned because of failinghealth and visited Europe as an emeritus professor. On his return he waspersuaded to lecture on diseases of the throat and chest,being associatedwith Dr. Nathan S. Davis who occupied the chair of Principles and Practiceof Medicine. Dr. Johnson has been described by his colleagues as a manof nobility of character, of great learning, and an agreeable lecturer andkind teacher. He possessed good executive ability, bringing to his officewisdom and sound judgment. He was public-spirited and during theChicago Fire of 1871 was one of the chief organizers of relief work in whichhe exhibited his attributes of gentleness, sympathy and devotion. Hisbroad intellectual interests were shown in his participation in the founding