Page:A cyclopedia of American medical biography vol. 1.djvu/349

 DeCAMP 5

entitled "Doctor" and settled at Nott- ingham Square, in New Hampshire, from 1772 till 1775, where he practised as a physician. Nottingham Square was a little settlement in the town of Notting- ham, on the turnpike road from Ports- mouth to Concord. When the war broke out Dr. Dearborn gave up his practice as a physician and followed with the troops of Gen. Stark to the Battle of Bunker Hill.

When the Revolution was over, he bought a large tract of territory, then call- ed Monmouth, in the district of Maine, which place is now divided into the city of Gardiner and the towns of Monmouth, Litchfield and Riverside. His wife was Miss Mary Bartlett of Nottingham, New Hampshire.

Here, beside attending to his farm, he did a little medical practice, but was soon called away to become a man of prominence in the affairs in the nation. He became major-general in 1790, went to Congress for two terms, was secretary of war in 1801, was later on minister to Portugal, and collector of the port of Boston.

With the breaking out of the War of 1812, Pres. Monroe asked him to ac- cept active service again. He began well, and after the wars we find that he served his patients carefully and usefully. In his later life he retired from Gardiner and died in Roxbury, Massachusetts, June 6, 1S29, aged seventy-eight.

J. A. S. Hanson's History of Gardiner, Maine.

DeCamp, William H. (1825-1S9S).

William II. DeCamp was born in Au- Imrn, New York, November 0, 1S'2.">, the son of John DeCamp of Mt. Morris, Liv- ingston County, New York, his mother Sarah Miller of Auburn, New York. A general education was obtained at Munda, New Y'ork, and in 1843 he began medical i here with Dr. Lewis ( '•. Ferris and lini ted at Geneva Medical College whence in' n rri\ cil his M. I), in Is 10, at once beginning practice at Oak Grove, Allegheny County, New York, but in

7 DeCAMP

1S50 removing to Hunt's Hollow, Living- ston County, where he gained consider- able surgical practice. His health failing, in 1854 he moved to Grand Rapids, Mich- igan, and opened a drug store, which in 1857 was destroyed by fire, with all his possessions; so he resumed practice, which increased till the opening of the war when he entered the army and was commissioned surgeon of the first Michi- gan Regiment of Engineers and Mechan- ics till mustered out at the close of his term of service. After the battle of Perrysville, Dr. DeCamp had charge of the wounded in Gen. Bragg's army. From October 10, 1862, to February 10, 1S63, he was medical director at Harrods- burg, Kentucky. On his discharge from the army he resumed practice at Grand Rapids, making a specialty of surgery. In 186S he was president of Michigan State Medical Society. Outside his profession Dr. DeCamp made researches in concology mineralogy, botany, ornithology — especi- ally notable was his collection of Michi- gan shells. His were the studies which resulted in developing the vast salt in- dustries of Michigan. On examining the water of an artesian well near Grand Rapids he found ninety per cent, of salt. Calling a meeting of some public-spirited citizens he laid his observations before them and they took the matter to the Michigan Legislature, which voted a bounty of ten cents per bushel of salt pro- duced in Michigan. On November 4, 1846 he married Emeline C. Griffiths, of Wyoming, New York. He died in Grand Rapids in 1868 from organic heart disease.

His writings include:

"Non-united Fracture." ("Detroit Review of Medicine and Pharmacy," vol. iii.)

" An Improved Method of Reducing Backward Dislocations of the Elbow- joint." ("Detroit Review of Medicine and Pharmacy," vol iv.)

"Ulcers and Their Treatment." ("Detroit Lancet," vol viii.)

"Sickness and Vomiting of Preg- nancy." ("Tr.-ui actions Michigan State Medical Society," \ ..1 i.