Page:A cyclopedia of American medical biography vol. 1.djvu/432

 FONERDEN

FORBES

friend, not only all his physical ailments, but whatever plans or mental perplexi- ties he might have. And so indirectly, Fonerden, a Baltimore alienist and philanthropist, was connected with the founding of the Johns Hopkins Hos- pital and University.

Baltimore was his native city and he came into it on January 22, 1804. His M. D. was from the University of Mary- land. He was president of the Medico- Chirurgical Society; professor of ob- stetrics and diseases of women and children, Washington University, Balti- more, and visiting physician to the Bay View Asylum for the Insane.

Fonerden's father died in 1S17, when the young son was but thirteen, and as he was ambitious and studious, the first thing he did was to go through his father's library and pick out books that he found interesting. Among these books were the works of Emanuel Swedenborg. The father had been one of the first con- verts to Swedenborgianism in America.

In these doctrines of Swedenborg Dr. Fonerden became greatly interest- ed and, in fact, thenceforwards was an enthusiastic Swedenborgian all his life.

When Fonerden was the superintend- ent of the Maryland Hospital for the Insane, he was much troubled always on account of the lack of room and the insufficiency of apparatus of every kind by which his efforts were ham- pered. The dream of his life was of a well-planned, properly erected hos- pital for the city of Baltimore and state of Maryland. It was the fre- quent topic of conversation between Johns Hopkins and himself. Fonerden was also interested in universities. He was an industrious scholar and one of the early graduates of the Mary- land University, and had brought together the library of the Medical Society of Maryland, and for many years was its librarian at an insignificant salary. A great lover of books and of learning, he longed to see a university in Mary- land that was sufficient for the needs of the state.

Nothing was done regarding the two institutions in 1868. In May, 1869, Dr. Fonerden died at Boston, and at his funeral Johns Hopkins was present. The next day he sent the family $200, apologizing to Mrs. Fonerden for do- ing so, by saying that the money was for services which Dr. Fonerden had ren- dered him without sending any bill.

Soon after the funeral Johns Hop- kins began to purchase land property for the hospital, and in 1870 he made his will, giving the purchased hospital site to his new hospital corporation and making the university and hospital corporations joint legatees for all of his undevised prop- erty. He had already made all the pro- vision he desired to make for his relatives, and he inserted a clause in his will cutting them out, in case they interfered with its provisions, from all participation in its benefits.

It may be added that after the death of John Fonerden, one member of his household after another shortly followed him. Miss Mary Esther Fonerden was one of the earliest pioneer trained nurses in America.

Am. Jour, of Insanity, vol. xxvi, 1S69. Cordell's The Med. Annals of Maryland, 1903.

Forbes, William Smith (1S31-1905).

William Smith Forbes, the son of Murray Forbes and Sally Ennis (Thorn- ton) Forbes, was born in Fallmouth, Staf- ford County, Virginia on February 10, 1831. His grandfather, Dr. David For- bes, emigrated to America from Edin- burgh in 1774.

Dr. Forbes received a classical edu- cation at Fredericsburg and Concord academies: he began his medical stud- ies under Dr. George Carmichael, and attended lectures at the University of Virginia in 1850 to 1851, complet- ing his course at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, and while attending lectures was an office student of Joseph Pancoast, at that time pro- fessor of anatomy there. He graduated in 1852 and in 1853 became resident physician in the Pennsylvania Hospital,