Page:A cyclopedia of American medical biography vol. 1.djvu/273

 CARPENTER

CARPENTER

He responded to the special call from the surgeon-general during the war of the rebellion on two different occasions, being first placed in charge of the "Eckington Hospital" at Wash- ington, and at another time he went to Hagerstown, Maryland, for duty. He attended President James Buchanan and Thaddeus Stevens, for many years and in their last illness.

Dr. Carpenter did not permit his pro- fessional duties to overshadow his in- fluence as a citizen, for he took a large interest in all public affairs. He was three times married, but the only children were by his first wife, Anna Louise, daughter of Mayor John Mathiot, and named Mary, Katherine M., and Sarah P. J. N. K.

History of the Carpenter Family, S. D. Car- penter, 1907.

History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Rupp, 1843.

Biographical History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Harris, 1870.

Carpenter, Walter (1S08-1S92)

Walter Carpenter was born in Walpole, New Hampshire, January 12, 1S08. His father, a farmer and tavern keeper, was Sylvester Carpenter; his mother, Lydia, daughter of Benjamin Rowker. Walter was an only child and had his early educa- tion in Halsted and at the academy at Chesterfield, beginning the study of medi- cine under his uncle, Dr. Davis Carpenter in Brockport, New York. Many years later in life, Dr. Carpenter was accustom- ed to enliven his lectures in the Medical School at Burlington with stories apt and entertaining. One of these had to do with his early experience in Western New York with his uncle: he was ac- customed to vary the monotony of office and stable boy by occasionally steal- ing a glimpse of some interesting case. His curiosity was aroused by a gather- ing of physicians, among whom was his uncle. On one occasion he managed to gain admittance to the sick-room with the older men and after due examina- tion of the case, they all adjourned for consultation to another room. The

young student, called on to express his views in regard to the case, was obliged to confess that it was an interesting one and likewise that he was not pre- pared to give a positive diagnosis. Some moments later in the course of the discussion by the others present, he discovered that the case was considered by them as one of small-pox. Without waiting for further consultation, the student Carpenter hurried back to his preceptor's office, took down the scab carefully wrapped in beeswax, which was used in those days for inoculation, and inoculated himself in both arms and legs. Dr. Carpenter in later years was accustomed to tell this story to his students and described his feelings as he lay some days later in the "pest- house," surrounded by small-pox cases and picturing to himself the green hills of Vermont.

Later he studied at the Medical College in Fairfield, New York, with Dr. Amos Twitchell of Keene, New Hampshire, and finally graduated from Dartmouth Medical School in 1829, set- tling at once in Bethel, Vermont, where he remained a year and a half, when, being requested by a committee of citizens from Randolph on behalf of their community, he changed his home accordingly and practised there for twenty-eight years.

In 1853 he became interested with Dr. S. W. Thayre, then a practitioner in Northfield, in the re-establishment of the medical department in the Univer- sity of Vermont. These two men, to- gether with Dr. Orin Smith, started the old school on a new career of success and honor. They met many discourage- ments, but Dr. Carpenter's unflagging energy and perseverance did much to tide over the early years of adversity, and finally make this school conspicu- ous among the medical centers of New England. Dr. Carpenter was for many years professor of theory and practice of medicine in the medical department of the University of Vermont and by his homely common sense and apt