Page:American Medical Biographies - Kelly, Burrage.djvu/585

NAME HOUGH 563 HOUGH New York, and thence to Albany, and in 1860 to Lowville, in the same state, where he made his home the rest of his life; though duties often called him elsewhere. He retired from the practice of medicine when he left Somerville that he might devote his whole time to his research and literary work, but returned to it when he felt that his services were needed as a surgeon in the Civil War, where he served in the 97th Regiment, New York Volun- teers. He kept abreast of the medical pro- fession, however, until the last, and was an active member of the Lewis County Medical Society. His writings were numerous and varied, commencing with a catalogue of the Plants of Lewis County, New York, in 18-16, and soon followed by successive histories of St. Law- rence, Franklin, Jefferson and Lewis counties ; he was called "the pioneer author of county histories of New York." He seemed indefatigable in his work and prosecuted it with such enthusiasm as gener- ally to prefer it to ordinary means of recrea- tion. When reproached for such constant ap- plication he was wont to answer, "I seek repose in labor." He then explained that it was his habit to have three or more wholly distinct manuscripts in progress at the same time, and these in different rooms. When tiring of work upon one he would go into another room and take up another subject. There, amid fresh surroundings, with his thoughts running in a new channel, he would apply himself with as much vigor as though a nap had intervened. A writer once said of him : "There has probably been no son of New York whose bibliographical record shows so varied and valuable a contribution to the literature of the state." A bibliographical list of his writings appears in the 99th Annual Report of the Llni- versity of New York. He was superintendent of the first complete census of the State of New York in 1855 and again in 1865. When comparing the census re- turns of these two periods he was impressed by the evidence of a waning timber supply in localities. He reasoned that such a condition carried out over a long period would lead to deplorable results, and with pen and voice he tried to awaken public appreciation of the subject. Finally, in 1873, he delivered an address before the American Association for the Advancement of Science on "The Duty of Governments in the Preservation of Forests." In this address he suggested that a committee be appointed to memorialize Congress on the importance of this subject and it was done, he being appointed chairman of the the committee. It proved to be a notable occasion, as it was the incipiency of the forestry movement in America and resulted in the establishment of the Division of Forestry of the Department of Agriculture. Dr. Hough has since been looked upon as "the father of forestry in America." He was appointed the first chief of the new Division of Forestry and con- tinued active in its service during the re- iTiainder of his life. He visited Europe in its interests and issued comprehensive reports. In reviewing one of these reports an officer of the WiJrtemberg Forest remarked : "It awakens our surprise that a man not a specialist should have so mastered the whole body of American and European forestry and legislation." In 1885 the legislature of New York invited him to frame a bill, which afterwards became a law, for the preservation of the Adirondack forest. It was while engaged in that work in -Mbany that he became ill with pneumonia, practically the first sickness of his life. He returned to his home in Lowville apparently convalescent, but his illness had proved too severe and he passed away June 11, 1885. He married, in 1849, Mariah Ellen Kilham, who survived him, with two daughters and four sons. RoMEYN B. Hough. Hough, Jacob B. (1829-1897). Jacob B. Hough, physician and chemist, was born in Carmargo, Pennsylvania, June 23, 1829. Receiving his early education at Lebanon .Acad- emy, Lebanon, Ohio, he went on to the Uni- versity of Michigan at the Medical Department of which he graduated in 1865. He became professor of chemistry at the University, but in 1873 he settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, as an analytical and consulting chemist, and he ac- cepted the chair of chemistry and toxicology in Miami Medical College (1873-79). "He was a very capable chemist .... also a biologist who did much original work, es- pecially in connection with spontaneous gen- eration" (Juettner). He read a paper on "New Methods of Experimentation in the Problem of Spontaneous Generation" before the American Medical Association in 1873. Other writings were: "Chlorinated Anaesthetics"; "First Phases of Living Forms"; "Practical Medical Chemistry": "Detection of Poisons": "Report of Analysis of School-Room .Atmospheres" (in the 10th annual report of the Cincinnati Health Department, 1876) ; "A Guide to Chemical Testing." 102 pp. (1877).