The Ephraim McDowell House and Museum (4)

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A Moment in History

William S. Halsted, MD
(1852 – 1922)

American anatomist, teacher, and surgeon, William Stewart Halsted was born in New York City, USA to a wealthy family of English origin. His father was involved in charitable work and Governor and trustee to a city hospital. Not a brilliant student initially, Halsted took an undergraduate in Liberal Arts in Yale, CT., after which he entered the Medical College of Physicians at the Columbia College, where he excelled.

As a second-year medical student Halsted applied and obtained a position in surgery at a local hospital. In here he learned about Lister’s antiseptic technique and became an adamant proponent of it to reduce infection. In 1877 Halsted obtained his MD. After a short time as House Physician at the New York Hospital, Halsted traveled to Europe to further his education studying for two years at the Universities of Vienna, Leipzig, and W?rzburg.

Besides being at the forefront of surgical and antiseptic techniques (introducing the use of rubber gloves in surgery), Halsted was extremely concerned with the way medical students were taught in the US. He pioneered bedside clinical round discussions with the medical students after two years of basic sciences studies. Halsted developed the idea of a patient chart; he also developed the residency program for medical students in use today.

Halsted is probably the most influential researcher and surgeon at the turn of the century. He dedicated time to the study of intestinal anastomoses and the use of silk as a suture material. His experimental work in 1887 proved that the inclusion of the submucosa layer in an anastomosis was mandatory, as well that a single layered anastomosis was enough to attain closure. Perhaps Halsted’s most important contribution was the application and use of the scientific method to surgical questions. Halsted’s principles set the standards used today in surgical suturing and surgical stapling.

He also pioneered the development and surgical techniques for radical mastectomy as a treatment for breast cancer.

As a side effect of this studied in anesthesia and the use of cocaine for anesthesia, Halsted became addicted to this substance, a problem that followed him through the years. Without impairing his capacity as a researcher and a surgeon, Halsted eventually recovered. He died in Baltimore in 1922 as a complication to surgery.

Sources:
1. Dubay, A. D., & Franz, G. M. (2003). Acute Wound Healing: The Biology of Acute Wound Failure. Surg Clin NA, 83, 463-481.
2. Halsted, W. S. (1887). Circular Suture of the Intestine - An Experimental Study. Am J Med Sci, 436-461.
3. “William Stewart Halsted: his life and contributions to surgery” Osborne, P. Lancet Oncol 2007; 8: 256–65
4. “William Stewart Halsted: Surgical pioneer” Burress, P Endoc Today (2010), 8: (2) 22
5. “William Stewart Halsted (1852–1922) Neurological stamp” Haas, LF J Neurol Neurosurg Psych 2000;69:641
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Details: Published: March 02, 2017

This article is part of the series "A Moment in History" where we honor those who have contributed to the growth of medical knowledge in the areas of anatomy, medicine, surgery, and medical research.

This is the continuation of the article “The Ephraim McDowell House and Museum (3)”. For the first article, click here.

The rest of the house is interesting. The kitchen is an open hearth typical of the times and beneath the operating room. Candle molds, butter churners, baking tables, iron cooking utensils, etc. The guide explained that most of the cooking work was done by slaves.

To the back of the house if a large garden. Part of it is shaped as a Maltese cross, and this is where Dr. McDowell cultivated medicinal plants and herbs for his practice and the apothecary, The garden has several monuments, one of which is the original slab that covered Dr. McDowell's tomb.

The kitchen

The back of the house

The apothecary

This "pharmacy" of the times is incredibly well-preserved, maintained and furnished. It is said that Dr. McDowell worked so much at this place that he eventually moved to the country to a second house he named "Cambiskenneth" after a famous local native american chief.

The apothecary has a basement that is off-limits to visitors, but there are photographs of the location for visitors to see.

Some of the porcelain and glass containers still have some of their contents.

The apothecary

Additional historic buildings

Just across from the McDowell House and Museum is the Constitution Square, a site that I would encourage you to visit. Following is an excerpt of the Danville KY website on the Constitution Square Historic Site:

"This is the birthplace of Kentucky's statehood. In 1776, Kentucky was still part of the frontier and a county of Virginia. The Wilderness Road, blazed by Daniel Boone, led pioneers through the Cumberland Gap and into Central Kentucky. Danville's prominent location on the Wilderness Road caused it to become a crossroad for early settlers, and a center of political activity.

By 1785, Danville was chosen as Kentucky's first seat of government, and a meetinghouse, courthouse and jail were built to administer the growing territory. Still bound to Virginia laws, though, several Danville citizens formed the political club that recognized the need for a convention to discuss statehood. Between 1784-1792, ten constitutional conventions took place at the courthouse of Constitution Square. In 1790, Kentucky delegates accepted Virginia's terms for separation from the state. On June 1, 1792, Kentucky became the fifteenth state in the union, and Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary War hero, was named the first Governor of the Commonwealth."

Several original buildings and replicas are found at this site.

In closing this series of articles I can only say that this was an interesting personal and learning experience. Being able to visit The Ephraim McDowell House and Museum allowed me to envision the life of this time. To place it in perspective the year that Dr. McDowell operated on Mrs. Crawford was 1809. On the same year Abraham Lincoln was born (only 35 miles from the farm of Mrs. Crawford), James Madison was the 4th president of the United States of America (which had only 15 states and 6 territories), Napoleon occupied Vienna, and Ludwig van Beethoven had just finished writing his Fifth Symphony.

Following is a large image of the original house prior to its renovation. The image is in the public domain from a biographical book by Dr. McDowell's granddaughter Mary Young Ridenbaugh.

Click on the image for a larger depiction

Sources:
1. “Ephraim McDowell and Jane Todd Crawford, the Bicentennial of a Surgical Masterpiece” Benigno, BB Obst & Gynecol (2009) 113. 5:1141-1144
2. “The Biography of Ephraim McDowell, M.D.; The Father of Ovariotomy” Ridenbaugh, MY, 1890 CL Webster & Co.
3. “Ephraim McDowell: "Father of ovariotomy" and founder of abdominal surgery, with an appendix on Jane Todd Crawford” Schachner, A 1921, J.B. Lippincott Co. (Interesting discovery in an Ex-Libris in this book)

The Ephraim McDowell House and Museum (4)

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