Page:A cyclopedia of American medical biography vol. 1.djvu/472

 GOLDSMITH

GOLDSMITH

acted as assistant to his father but for a brief interval went to China as ship's surgeon, making a study in that country of ophthalmia. He and his father are credited with being the first prac- titioners in this country to adopt the practice of lithotrity. During these early years of practice in New York, he acted as coroner's physician and became intensely interested in patho- logical anatomy. Together with his personal friends, Dr. Lewis A. Sayre, and John C. Peters, Dr. Middleton Goldsmith founded the New York Pathological Society, in which he ever maintained a great interest. Shortly before his death he gave the Society $5000 to endow the lectureship, which bears his name.

In 1844 Goldsmith was called to the chair of surgery in the Castleton (Ver- mont) Medical College. His reputa- tion as a surgeon was wide, his counsel largely sought throughout the state. He was president of the Vermont State Medical Society in 1851 and in 1856 was called to Louisville, Kentucky, to the chair of surgery in the Kentucky School of Medicine, formerly held by his father, and later became dean of the fac ilty.

In 1861 he entered the Federal Army as brigade surgeon and went into active service in Buel's army, partici- pating in many engagements, including the battle of Shiloh. After other as- signments of a supervisory character, he was placed in charge of the construc- tion, and later became medical director in charge of the large General Army Hospital at Jeffersonville, Indiana. This hospital at times had as many as four or five thousand patients in its wards. Dr. Goldsmith maintained his connection with this hospital to the end of the war. While in charge here, he made exhaustive studies of pyemia and hospital gangrene and the action of bromine in these and kindred dis- eases. These studies and their prac- tical application became widely known and the bromine treatment of hospital

gangrene within, as well as outside, army circles became generally recog- nized as the most successful yet dis- covered. The mortality from this dis- ease in the field hospitals had always been high and the new treatment un- doubtedly resulted in great saving of life. It was during these studies into its action and that of other disinfect- ants in diseased tissues that Dr. Gold- smith became interested in the subject of the germ theory of disease.

He was an indefatigable and bril- liant student of anatomy and pathology and was thoroughly in touch with the latest European theories. Virchow cordially received him in 1874, and even invited him to lecture to his students.

In 1866 Goldsmith resumed practice in Louisville. The trustees of the old Kentucky School of Medicine, which had been moribund during the war, ap- pointed him president of the school and he began to re-organize it on strictly professional lines. Factional feeling at that time in Kentucky ran high and Goldsmith finally relinquished his efforts and in the autumn of 1866 removed to Rutland.

In Rutland, during the succeeding years of his life, Dr. Goldsmith occupied a prominent and picturesque position, not only professionally, but in other directions. He was interested in agri- culture and in the dairy interests of the state and gave much time to pro- moting scientific methods. In 187S he was appointed special commissioner to examine the State Insane Asylum, in regard to which he made an able and critical report. He established the Rutland Free Dispensary. A most convincing expert witness before juries, his appearance on the witness stand was very apt to increase the court attendance of the laity.

Of large frame and commanding presence, he was instantly conspicuous in any gathering. Brusque in manner, sometimes even gruff, he was withal a gentleman, and his generosity and