Page:A cyclopedia of American medical biography vol. 1.djvu/305

 COGSWELL

COHEN

a consulting physician and lived there till his death in 1892.

He was elected an extraordinary member of the Royal Society of Edin- burgh in 1839, and was president of the Medical Society of Nova Scotia in 1864.

Possessing ample means, Dr. Cogswell did not engage in general practice in Halifax, but devoted his time and talents to improving the status of the profession, to promoting the construction of hospit- als, and to works of charity. It was said of the family that they were noted for piety, talent and benevolence. He was chiefly instrumental in the organiza- tion of the first medical society in Nova Scotia and also contributed many stand- ard works and provided a liberal endow- ment for what is known as the Cogswell Medical Library, now in the Halifax Medical College. Dr. Cogswell was also a strong advocate of athletics, especially favoring aquatic sports. He presented the city of Halifax with the land for a small park, and devoted considerable wealth to the endowment of King's College, Windsor, and to improvements in his native city.

In the early part of his career he gave much time to original research and in 1839 was awarded the Harveian prize in London for the best dissertation on "The Physiological Action and Medicinal Properties of Iodine and its Compounds." This essay was published and was for many years regarded as the best author- ity on the subject, and in 1851 he con- tributed a valuable paper to the Medical Society of London on the "Endosmotic Action of Medicines."

He married Frances Mary Goodrich in 1818 but had no children.

D. A. C.

Cogswell, George (1808-1901).

George Cogswell, son of Dr. Cogswell who married the daughter of Gen. Joseph Badger of Gilmanton, was born on I i bruary 5, 1S0.S, at Atkinson, New Hampshire and after studying in the medical side of Dartmouth College and with David Mussey he graduated M. D.

from that college and was given its honorary M. A. in 1865. He settled in Bradford, Massachusetts, and was about the first physician there to make intel- ligent use of auscultation and percussion in diagnosis, and, always eager to keep up with the times, he went in 1841 to visit European clinics and on returning became the leading operator in the country, and had well appointed ana- tomical rooms in his own house.

In 1851, owing to ill health, he gave up all work save surgical and consultive and was successful in this when his life closed at Bradford on April 21, 1901. His first wife was Abigail Parker who died in 1845, his second, Elizabeth Doane. Of the nine children born of Elizabeth, the eldest, George Badger, became a surgeon. C. D. C.

The Cogswells in America.

Successful New Hampshire Men.

There is an oil painting in the Bradford

Academy, New Hampshire.

Cohen, Joshua I. (1801-1870).

Joshua Cohen, born in Richmond, Va., 1800, graduated at the University of Maryland in 1823, after having been a student in Dr. Nathaniel Potter's office, and soon after devoted himself to the study of ear disease. He was an intimate friend of Dr. George Frick, the oculist, and, like him, had wide interest in sci- ence beyond the domain of medicine. Thus for a time he became professor of mineralogy in the academic department of the University of Maryland. He was much interested in her Medical and Chirurgieal Faculty, was the treasurer from 1839 to 1856, and president from 1857-58; also an active member of the Maryland Academy of Sciences. He practised until about 1S51, devoting him- self almost exclusively to otology, and his reputation as an aurist was considerable.

In 1840 he established, in connection with his friend, Dr. Samuel Chew, an eye and ear institute in Baltimore.

Dr. Cohen was one of the earliest, perhaps the first aurist in this country. Hi' ha- left us but otii' publication which