Page:American Medical Biographies - Kelly, Burrage.djvu/157

BOZEMAN, Alabama, devoting himself mainly to the diseases of women. He had for some two years used the clamp suture of Marion Sims in vesico-vaginal fistula, but became convinced that this and the usual methods were at fault. He pondered deeply on the subject for some seven weeks and discovered one day while buttoning his vest that something similar to a button might be combined with the old interrupted suture with its independent action, and the "button suture" was the outcome. After this Bozeman had 100 per cent, of cures instead of twenty-five.

In 1858, he visited Europe and introduced some of his operations for vesico-vaginal fistula, and the next year opened a hospital in New Orleans for diseases of women and also acted as visiting surgeon to the Charity Hospital of that city. The Civil War, of course, saw all permanency broken up and Bozeman became a Confederate army surgeon, going to New York afterwards and opening a woman's hospital there. A controversy with Prof. Gustave Simon with regard to priority and value of "kolpokleisis" as a means of treating vesicovaginal fistula and its dangers having arisen, Bozeman went to Germany and made practical tests at Heidelberg University and was entertained by Duke Ernst of Saxe-Coburg. On returning he read a paper before the American Medical Association on "Kolpokleisis as a Means of Treating Vescicovaginal Fistula: Is the Procedure Ever Necessary?"

When (q.v.) died he succeeded him as surgeon to the New York State Woman's Hospital, and became at once engrossed in ovariotomy, performing successful operations in May, 1878.

Up to 1888, Bozeman did much original work in the hospitals, specially in renal surgery, then finding the time and labor necessary for his bladder and kidney cases in the Woman's Hospital so exacting he opened a private sanatorium and a year later resigned his eleven years' professorship.

On October 25, 1852, he married Fannie Lamar of Macon, Georgia, and had four children, Geraldine, Nathan Gross, Fannie Rylance and Mary. His second wife, 1861, was Mrs. Amelia Lamar Ralston of Macon.

He died on December 16, 1905, in New York of cerebral hemorrhage and was buried in Macon.

His writings included the following papers:

"Remarks on Vesicovaginal Fistula with an Account of a New Suture;" "The Mechanism of Retroversion and Prolapsus of the Uterus;" "Removal of a Cyst Weighing Twenty and One-half Pounds," 1861; "On GentialGenital [sic] Renovation;" "The Value of Graduated Pressure in the Treatment of Disease of the Vagina, Uterus and Ovaries;" "History of Clamp Sutures;" "Extrauterine Fetation;" also the "Early History of Ovariotomy" which was published by his grand-daughter in the "Biography of EphriamEphraim [sic] McDowell."



Brackett, Joshua (1732–1802)

It is with more than ordinary interest that I write concerning the career of this benevolent physician, because he was not only related to me on my mother's side, but my grandfather, Dr. Lyman Spalding, knew him well, visited him in his last illness, and delivered a most acceptable eulogy at the meeting of the New Hampshire Medical Society in 1807.

Joshua Brackett, the son of Captain John and the handsome Elizabeth Pickering Brackett, was born in Greenland, New Hampshire, May 9, 17331732 [sic], studied with the Rev. Mr. Rust of Stratham, and filled his youthful mind with the theology of the Bible and of the Universalist church, as was the fashion in those days. Those who investigate the history of the Brackett family will, for instance, find one of them reading the Bible through twice, before her pious death, at the age of seven.

Possessed of an enormous amount of book learning, Joshua entered Harvard in 1748, was graduated in 1752; in 1792 he received the honorary M. D.; and at the end of his life he left his alma mater a goodly sum of money toward the foundation of a professorship of natural history and allied arts.

On graduation he settled in Portsmouth, preached eloquently and prayed extemporaneously at amazing legthslengths [sic] in the Universalist church, until he fell ill and then made the intimate acquaintance of Dr. Clement Jack-son, the leading practitioner of the town. This clever man soon discovered from bedside talks with his patient, that he had been forced into theology largely against his inclinations, and was really only an imitative preacher and maker of ecstatic prayers. So soon then, as young Brackett was well, Dr. Jackson put him into his office, set him to compounding drugs, took him about to visit his patients, and after the proper instruction young Brackett settled down beside his teacher, who was glad enough in his advancing years to enjoy his youthful society and honorable competition.

The young doctor soon studied obstetrics as a specialty and became well known. With