Page:A cyclopedia of American medical biography vol. 2.djvu/373

 ROMAYXE


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by the university statutes and jiub- lislied a dissertation in Latin on ' De Generatione Puris ' which he composed himself 'without the aid of a "grinder," or hired translator.' " Then Thacher goes on to say that when Romayne was apj)ointed trustee of the new medical board formeil after the war he found an opening for his talents as teacher, and " his superior attainments in literature and medicine elevated him with high notions and filled him with contemptuous ones of some who had l)een less fortunate in education."

The first pt)st-belluin faculty of \n-o- fessors did not do much. Romayne had resigned and practised as a jjrivate teacher. Anatomy, practice of ph\'sic, chemistry and botany were all taught by this extraordinary man with such success that he drew hearers even from Canada. Then he goes to Eurojje again to get in touch with everj'thing new antl is ad- mitted a licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, the first American to receive that honor.

There was not much for him to do when he went back, but in 1806 an act was passed for incorporating medical societies. " By a sudden and singular change of sentiment Di-. Romayne was called from his retirement and elected first president of the Medical Society of New York, and next year delegate to the State Medical Society in Albany, after- wards being chosen president. He was in his element jjlanning man)' reforms, and when the regents of the university were to act under the provisions of the Act for providing a College of Physicians and Surgeons, though Romayne was assisted by numerous and ])owerful supporters he may be considered as the leading agent and the |)erson without whose urgency the work would not have been completed. He was rewarded l>y being selected, in 1807, as the first president.

Romayne would have been, says one who knew him well, the most eminent medical man in New York, but he indulgetl in speculating and became

in vol veil in embarra.ssments detrimental to his [jrofession.

He died in New York, July 20, 1817.

D. W.

AnuT. Med. Biog., Thacher, Boston. 18J,S. Hist, of Med., S. Wickes, Xewark, 1879. Address on Med., J. Shrady, N. V., 188S.

Roosa, Daniel Bennet St. John (1838-

1908).

Daniel Bennet St. John Roosa was Inirn at Bethel, New York, April 4, 1838. He studied at Yale and under John W. Draper and graduated in medicine at the University of the City of New York in 18G0, afterwards for a term serving in the New York Hospital, and in 1861 as assistant surgeon of the Fifth Regiment National Guard in the field.

Subsequently he studied ophthal- mology and otology in Berlin and Vienna, Init returned to America in 1863 and served as surgeon in the Twelfth Regi- ment National Guard of New York. In the fall of the same year (1863) he entered upon general practice, but within a couple of years tie voted himself exclusively to ophthalmology and otology. He was professor of these branches in the Univer- sity of the City of New York from 1866 to 1882, and from 1875 to 1880 in the University of Vermont, and later in the New York Post-graduate School, which he helped to fouml and of which he was president: one of the founders of the Manhattan Eye anil Ear Hospital, and for many years surgeon there. He was also a meml)er of the American Oph- thalmological and American Otological Societies, and president of the Inter- national Otological Society. In 1864 he translated von Troeltsch's text-book on "Diseases of the Ear," and in 1869 i appeared his own treatise on the subject. He likewise translated Stellwag's "Treat- ise on the P]ye," and was a very volumin- ous contrilmtor to periodic literature. He held the honorary M. A. from Yale and the honorary LL. D. from the Uni- versity of \'ermont.

Of sturdy, dominant personality, full, sonorous voice, and forceful expression.