Page:American Medical Biographies - Kelly, Burrage.djvu/896

NAME PAGt, 874 PAGE sued upon this accident, he retired from all active medical work. His culture, geniality and sense of humor endeared him to many friends, both contemporaries and also many of a much younger generation, with all of whom he maintained pleasant social inter- course. His literary work, besides many contribu- tions to current medical journals was as fol- lows : A translation of "Malgaigne's Treatise on Fractures," 1859; "Handbook of Minor Surgery," 1863; "Lectures on Inflammation," 1865 ; "Handbook of Operative Surgery," 1870 ; articles on "Poisoned Wounds" and on "Frac- tures," in "Ashhurst's International Encyclo- pedia of Surgery," 1883; and on "Fractures and Dislocations," in "Keating's Cyclopedia of the Diseases of Children," 1889. He also pub- lished three editions of the "Philadelphia Med- ical Directory," in 1868, 1871 and 1873. In 1881 Dr. Packard edited the American edition of "Holmes's System of Surgery." A handsome oil painting of Dr. Packard was presented by the Ex-residents' Association of the Pennsylvania Hospital to that institu- tion, and now hangs in the hall. Francis R. Packard. Page, Alexander Crawford (1828-1899) Alexander Crawford Page was born at Truro, Nova Scotia, December 11, 1828. As a boy he went to the schools of his native town, and when a young man set out with but few dollars in his pocket to seek his fortune in the United States. The schooner which was to carry him over the Bay of Fundy and away to Boston got windbound long be- fore reaching that destination. However, he got ashore on the west iside of the bay, and completed his journey to Boston on foot. Here he obtained work to support himself, and at the same time studied Latin and Greek and otherwise prepared himself to enter the Med- ical School of Harvard University, from which he graduated M. D. in 1856. Dr. Page was from 1888-1899 president of the Provincial Medical Board; examiner in obstetrics and diseases of women and chil- dren, in Dalhou&ie University; president of the Medical Society of Nova Scotia in 1874 Soon after graduation he returned to practise in his native town. Of studious habits, he was well read in his profession, and alive to all its improvements, fertile in resources, prompt in action, and thoroughly to be de- pended upon. He was a good all-round prac- titioner. Obstetrics, however, was his favorite branch of practice, and he was most success- ful in this. Dr. Page contributed valuable papers of a practical kind to the Nova Scotia Medical Society and the Colchester County Medical Society, some of which have been published. Dr. Page married a Miss Blair, of Truro, but had no children. He died in Truro October 23, 1899. Donald A. Campbell. Page, Benjamin (1770-1844) One of the remarkable pioneer physicians of Maine was Benjamin Page, born April 12, 1770, at Exeter, New Hampshire, son of the first Dr. Benjamin Page, who after his Revolutionary service practised at Hallowell, and died in 1829, aged seventy-six. In Andover, young Page studied medicine first with his father, then with Dr. Thomas Kitt- redge, after being educated at Phillips' Exeter Academy. He began practice at Hallowell in 1791, but after a year or so went to Boston, was inocu- lated with the smallpox and he and a friend passed away the time of confinement practising music. He returned to Hallowell and drew up plans for building a smallpox hospital in Winthrop, Maine. This plan, however, fell through, owing to Jenner'e discovery of vac- cination. His friends claimed that Dr. Page was the first American physician to vaccinate, but they forgot the prior claims of Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse. The fact remains, though, that Dr. Page vaccinated early in Maine and de- voted his time to it zealously for the rest of his life. Previous to this, in 1790, Benjamin Page married Miss Abigail Cutler, of Newburyport, and she was a skilful nurse to her husband in times of sickness. They were never separated for a day for over forty years. Dr. Page was devoted to his profession and although not ambitious, enjoyed with com- placency his unrivaled success. His access to the best medical library in New England, that of Dr. Benjamin Vaughan (q.v.) in Hallowell, helped him largely. He made no display of his talent, he did not pretend to be learned, but always filled the exigency. A leader in medicine, he was cautious rather than adven- turous and his long experience enabled him to compete successfully with younger men. He was excellent in the management of fevers and injuries, and his success in fractures was noted. He avoided calomel and bleeding when they were everywhere carried to excess. Bet- ter not used than abused, was his opinion. He