Page:A cyclopedia of American medical biography vol. 2.djvu/471

 STILLE

ties recognized his work and worth, and he became president of the Pathological and of the County Medical Societies, and in 1885 he took the chair of our ancient and honorable body. He was from the outset of his career a strong advocate for higher medical education, and from 1846 — the date of his first address on the subject — to 1897 — the date of his last — he pleaded for better preliminary train- ing and for longer sessions. No one rejoiced more in the new departure of the the University in 1876, and he was a con- sistent advocate of advanced methods of teaching.

His medical writings show on every page the influence of his great master. His first important work, "The Ele- ments of General Pathology," 1848, was based on the modern researches, and every chapter echoed with his favorite motto, Tola ars medica est in observa- tionihus.

Apart from numerous smaller articles in the journals, there are two important monographs by him — one on "Cerebro- spinal Meningitis" and the other on "Cholera." In addition, two minor studies were on " Dysentery," in the pub- lications of the United States Sanitary Commission, and on "Erysipelas."

Estimated by bulk, the most important of Dr. Stint's works are the "Materia Medica and Therapeutics" and the "National Dispensatory." It was al- ways a mystery to me how a man with his training and type of mind could have undertaken such colossal and, one would have thought, uncongenial tasks.

Dr. Stille was not only a booklover, but a discriminating and learned student. Ovu* shelves testify not less to his Hberal- ity than to his taste for rare and import- ant monographs, while the Stille Library of the University of Pennsylvania will remain a monument to his love of the literature and history of our profession. It interested me greatly, and I only knew him after he had passed his seventieth year, to note the keenness of his mind on all questions relating to medicine. He had none of those irritating features of the

415 STILLE

old doctor, who, having crawled out of the stream about his fortieth year, sits on the bank, croaking of misfortunes to come, and, with less truth than tongue, lamenting the days that have gone and the men of the past. Hear the conclu- sion of the whole matter — the lesson of a long and good hfe. It is contained in a sentence of his valedictory address: "Only two things are essential; to live uprightly and to he wisely industrious.^'

Dr. Stille was twice married; but his first wife had to be kept in an asylum and when she died he married an old and intimate friend.

He died in Philadelphia, on September 24, 1900. W. O.

Abridged from a paper by Dr. Win. Osier

ill the Univ. of Penn. Med. Bull., June,

1902.

Trans, of the Coll. of Phy.?. of Phila., 1902.

StiUe, Moreton (1822-1855).

Moreton Still6, medicojurisprudentist, youngest son of John and Maria Stills, was born in Philadelphia, October 27, 1822. On his mother's side he was descended from Tobias Wagner, who was appointed chancellor of the Univer- sity of Tubingen in 1662; by his father he was chiefly of Swedish descent. Tak- ing his preparatory training at the Edge- hill Seminary, Princeton, he entered the University of Pennsylvania, in 1838, whence he graduated in 1841, in 1844 receiving his medical degree from the same university. His preceptor was his brother, the equally famous Dr. Alfred Stille. He went abroad, studying in Dublin, London, Paris, and Vienna, then, returning home, entered into prac- tice and became, in 1848-9, resident physician at the Pennsylvania Hospital. Recognition came slowly and not till 1855 — the year of his death — was he elected to a professorship, or rather lectureship, that of internal medicine in the Philadelphia Association for Medical Instruction.

He wrote frequently and well, his most important writings relating to matters connected with the subject of medical