Page:American Medical Biographies - Kelly, Burrage.djvu/538

NAME HERBST 516 HERDMAN by the King of Greece and the Suhan of Turkey for services. In 1870 he was the originator and editor of the American Journal of Syphilography and Dermatology, the lirst American journal on these subjects. He died in New York, May 17, 1895. J. McF. WiNFIELD. Med. Rec, iiew York. 1895, vol. xlvi. Appleton's Cyclop. Amer. Biog., New York, 1887. Herbst, William S. (1833-1906). William S. Herbst, physician and botanist, was born at Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, Sep- tember 24, 1833; his father, Frederick Wil- liam Herbst, born February 3, 1804, emigrated from Saxony, Germany, in 1826, took an M. D. from the Jefferson Medical College in 1827, and settled in Berks County, Pennsylvania, where he practised medicine, and died in 1880. The father was not only deeply interested in the education of his son, but made him a com- panion on his daily professional visits in the county ; when the doctor went to see patients, the boy remained outside to gather specimens. He had an old German botany, and having heard of a botanical work by Mrs. Lincoln and failing to find it in Reading, sent to Phila- delphia and bought it. 'illiam was educated at Nazareth Mora- vian Seminary, Frcemont Seminary and Wil- liston Seminary, and at the last-named studied botany under Edward Hitchcock (q. v.), who introduced him to the first edition of Wood's "Botany," and young Herbst was so enthusias- tic in collecting and arranging specimens that he gave nearly all his time to this study. Returning home he began to study medi- cine under his father, later going to Jeffer- son Medical College, he graduated in 1855 and settled to practise in Trexlertown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. His interest in botany •was unabated and he specially studied fungi, more particularly Basidiomycetes. From the spring of 1889 until October, 1906, Herbst cor- responded with Professor Charles H. Peck, New York State Botanist, writing letters which were "brief and concise, relating entirely to the subject of fungi forwarded to Peck." Peck wrote him of one: "That was a splendid fungus you sent me. It is an undescribed species of the Sparassis. I propose to name it with consent, Sparrasis Herbsti, sp. nov." ; and again, "Thanks for your kind offer to send tne some more specimens of Qucletia mira- bilis, Fr. So far you are the only one to find it in this country." Herbst found time to write a book on the "Fungal Flora of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsyl- vania, 1899, and was the author of the follow- ing articles : "The Selfish Flower" — Gentiana Andretusii; "Welcome Spring Flowers"; "Corn Smut and Superstition"; "Mushrooms or Toadstools." He married Ellen, daughter of David Schall ; after his death on December 22, 1896, his widow gave his specimens to the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Dr. Herbst had a son, Henry Herbert, who became a physician (University of Pennsyl- vania, 1881). He was born in Trexlertown in 1858; he is the author of "Physical Educa- tion" (1893); "School Hygiene" (1896); "Ethology of Diphtheria" (1898). l Howard A. Kelly. Commun. from H. D. House. Botanists of Philadelphia, J. W. Harshberger, Philadelphia, 1899. Portrait. Univ. of Penn., J. L. Chamberlain. Boston, 1902. Some .mer. Med. Hot.. H. A. Kelly, Troy. 1914. Herdman, William James (1848-1896). William James Herdman, alienist, was born September 7, 1848, at Concord, Muskingum County, Ohio, of Scotch-Irish ancestors and had a general education in the common schools, and Michigan University, whence, in 1872, he received the degree of Ph. B. and in 1875 his M. D. There he was successively in 1875-90. demonstrator of anatomy ; 1879-80, lecturer on pathological anatomy ; 1880-82, assistant professor of pathological anatomy ; 1882-88, professor of practical and pathologi- cal anatomy; 1888-90, professor of practical anatomy and diseases of the nervous system ; 1890-98, professor of nervous diseases and elec- trotherapeutics ; 1898-1906, professor of dis- eases of the mind and nervous system and of electrotherapeutics. For many years he gave special lectures to the law department classes. From 1882-1887 he was professor of orthopedic surgery in the Northwestern (Ohio) Medical College. During the same period he was con- sulting surgeon to St. Vincent's Hospital in Toledo, Ohio; member of the American Elec- tro-therapeutic Association, president in 1894; member of the Michigan State Medical So- ciety and the Zanesvile Academy of Medi- cine ; fellow of the American Academy of - Medicine. In 1897 the University of Nash- ville gave him the degree of LL. D. He was very active in promoting the Young Men's Christian Association in the university, and a strong worker in the Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor. He was active in securing rational anatomical laws regulating the dis- section of human bodies and also, with Dr. J. W. Langley (q. v.), in establishing the elec- trotherapcutic laboratory in the L^niversity of