Page:A cyclopedia of American medical biography vol. 1.djvu/309

 COMEGYS

CONDICT

omy of the Nervous System — Diseases of the Spinal Cord," by J. M. Charcot (1881). In addition, he was the author of numerous papers published in the med- ical press — two of them especially at- tracted much attention: one, "On the Pathology and Treatment of Phthisis" (1S54), referred to in the American edition of "Watson's Practice," and in "Cope- land's Dictionary" (American edition) ; and the other, " On Cool Bathing in the Treatment of (Infantile) Enterocolitis," "Philadelphia Medical Times" (July, 1875) — of which Prof. H. Woods said, in ls,"7, after having practised it extensively during the hot summer of 1876, "It must be granted to Dr. Comegys the credit of having introduced one of the most life- saving improvements in modern thera- peutics." Other papers were: "Conser- vative Value of Fever and Inflamma- tion" (published in the "Transactions of the Cincinnati Medieo-Chirurgical Soci- ety," 1854); "The Treatment of Asiatic Cholera" ("American Journal of Medi- cine," 1866); "Reports of Cases of Brain Tumors" ("Philadelphia Medical and Surgical Reporter," 1S70), and others.

In 1875 he made an address before the Alumnal Association of the University of Pennsylvania upon the subject, "A Healthy Brain Necessary to a Free Will," which attracted much attention.

On October 3, 1839, he married Rebecca Turner Tiffin, of Chillicothc, Ohio, daughter of Edward Tiffin, M. D., the first governor of Ohio, and had six children: Ellen Tiffin, Mary Porter, Cornelius Marim, Edward Tiffin, William Henry, and Charles George Comegys.

Two of the sons, Edward Tiffin and William Henry Comegys followed their father's profession.

Dr. Cornelius George Comegys died of uremia, on February 10, 1896.

A. G. D.

"Physicians and Surgeons of America," 1896, by Irving A. Watson.

"Cornelius G. Comegys, M. D. His Life and Career in the Development of Cincinnati for nearly half a Century," 1S9G. by Charles G. Comegys, B. A., B. I..

Condict, Lewis (1773-1S62).

Lewis Condict, one of those who as- sisted in the first decennial revision of the United States Pharmacopoeia, was born in Morristown, New Jersey, March 3, 1772 and died in his native town in his nintieth year, May 26, 1S62. He was a son of Peter Condict and a descendant of John Condict who emigrated to this coun- try from Wales and settled in Newark, New Jersey in 167S, and was the youngest of three children. His father died during his childhood, and his mother placed him under the care of his uncle, the Hon. Silas Condict of Morristown.

Although not college bred, he was well armed in his fourteenth year to begin the study of medicine with Dr. Timothy Johnes, of his native town. Subsequent- ly he attended lectures at the University of Pennsylvania, where he took his M. D. in February, 1794, immediately beginning practice in Morristown, New Jersey, and living there until his death. In 179S he married Martha, daughter of the Rev. Nathan Woodhull, D. D., of Newtown, Long Island. His second wife was Bettina, a daughter of John Elrnen- dorf of Millstone, New Jersey. Of his children three sons became physicians, all of whom were graduates of the College of New Jersey, Princeton, Silas L., Nathan W., and Lewis.

Through his intimacy with Benjamin Waterhouse, the friend and co-adjutor of Sir William Jenner, (then looked upon as a charlatan), Condict boldly vacci- nated in one hand and inoculated with small-pox the other hand of his one-year- old daughter, the case becoming immune.

Subsequently an act was passed by

i as, through the instrumentality

of Dr. Condict, which allowed vaccine virus to be passed through the mails free. from 1805 to 1810 he was a member of the State Legislature and speaker from 1808 to 1810.

In 1810 and again in 1819 he was president of the Medical Society of New Jersey, organized 1766, the first state medical society in the United States, its i • 1 1 : 1 1 ti-r oiiniML' 1 1 emi ( Irnrgi' 1 I 1 -