Page:American Medical Biographies - Kelly, Burrage.djvu/496

GRUENING poisoning, was born in Hohensalza, near Thorn, East Prussia, October 2, 1842, finished the work of the Thorn Gymnasium, and came to America when twenty years of age. Being skilled in languages, he taught for a time Latin, French and German in various New York families. He next (in 1862) began to study medicine at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in the City of New York, but, when the Civil War broke out, enlisted in the 7th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, and served till the close of the strife. He was present at the battle of Hatcher's Run, the siege of Petersburg, and the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox. Returning to New York, he continued his medical studies, receiving his M. D. degree in 1867.

Deciding to become an ophthalmologist, he spent three years in London, Paris and Berlin, working especially with Albrecht von Graefe. In 1870 he settled as ophthalmologist in New York. For a number of years he assisted (q. v.) at the New York Ophthalmic and Aural Institute. In 1878 he became ophthalmic surgeon at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, and, in 1912, consultant; in 1879 attending ophthalmologist to the German Hospital, in 1903 consultant; in 1884 ophthalmic surgeon to Mount Sinai Hospital, in 1899 consultant. He was also consulting surgeon to the New York Infirmary for Women and Children. From 1881 to 1894 he was professor of ophthalmology at the New York Polyclinic. He was a member, or fellow, of a very large number of medical societies. In 1886 he was president of the New York Ophthalmological Society, and in 1910 of the American Ophthalmological Society.

Dr. Gruening was a short, stout man, with a florid complexion, white hair and blue eyes. He wore, as a rule, a full, square beard. He was very deliberate in manner, kindly, courteous, with a twinkle always in the eye, and a humorous answer on the tongue. A salient characteristic was his frequent story-telling: he always had some story, brief but very apt, with which to illustrate a point. He was a great admirer of the ancient classic writers, many of whom he had read in the original tongues.

Dr. Gruening was twice married. Of the unions were born five children: four daughters and a son. The son, Ernest Henry, graduated from Harvard College in 1907, and then from Harvard Medical School in 1912, and his father had intended that he should become an ophthalmologist. The son, however, inclined to journalism, stepped into this profession, being successful as editor of the well-known evening paper, The Boston Traveler.

Dr. Gruening died May 30, 1914, of endarteritis obliterans, the result of arteriosclerosis. He was survived by his widow and five children. He wrote a large number of ophthalmic articles, the most important being "Methyl Alcohol Amblyopia" (Arch. f. Augenheilkunde, vol. lxix) and "Wounds and Injuries of the Eyeball and Its Appendages" (Norris and Oliver's System of Diseases of the Eye, 1898, vol. iii, p. 685.



Guiteras, Ramon Benjamin (1859–1917).

Ramon Guiteras, distinguished urologist, athlete and great game hunter, was born in Bristol, Rhode Island, August 17, 1859, son of Ramon Benjamin Guiteras and Eliza Wardwell. He was fitted for college at the private school of Joshua Kendall in Cambridge and was admitted to Harvard College in July, 1878, leaving in April, 1879, to spend a year and a half traveling in Europe and Africa. While in college he dropped his middle name. In 1880 he entered the Harvard Medical School and graduated M. D. in 1883. His classmates emphasize his prowess as an athlete, and he was one of the best heavy-weight boxers of the time. After receiving the degree he studied medicine in Vienna for a year or more, then traveled, remaining some time in Russia and Finland. He was a man of striking appearance, a lover of sport and hunted big game in Africa and other parts of the world, was a great swimmer and especially loved long swims in the ocean.

Returning to New York in October, 1885, he was appointed surgeon at the Charity Hospital on Blackwell's Island, where he remained eighteen months; in 1887 beginning practice in New York. Three months later an illness from diphtheria caught from a patient, incapacitated him for six weeks, after which he went to Cuba for his health, making a trip across the Island on horseback. In 1888 he resumed practice in New York. In 1893 he became professor of anatomy and operative surgery and later was professor of genito-urinary surgery in the New York Post-Graduate Medical School. He was visiting surgeon to the Post-Graduate and Columbus Hospitals and consulting surgeon to the French and City Hospitals.

His life's work was dedicated to the study of urology and he was an active member of the American Urological Association and of