Page:American Medical Biographies - Kelly, Burrage.djvu/974

NAME RAMSAY 952 RAMSAY in 1824 he said that he was just seventy years old. He came of a good family, and one of considerable means, as proved by old title deeds to real estate. He received an excellent academic education, presumably at Aberdeen University, and then studied medicine under George Cruikshank in London, and in Dub- lin and Edinburgh with the celebrated teachers of that era. Finding it impossible, in Edinburgh, to continue his anatomical studies beyond a certain point, he established an anatomical school and museum of his own, and in that way finally compelled the medical faculty to add an anatomical school to the University. Unfortunately, even at this early age, his tem- per was bad, and he was constantly embroiled with men of the best standing in the profes- sion, so that his influence was far from what his learning deserved. Besides lecturing, he learned how to draw and to engrave his own plates, and in this way originated his system of anatomy, worthily begun, but never completed. Although a fine teacher and lecturer, Ram- say was born a wanderer beneath the bands of Orion and could not rest quiet anywhere. Whether the election of one of the Monro's, instead of himself, to the chair of anatomy made him angrier than ever, we do not know, but at this time he began to talk of foundi'^e in the wilderness of America an institution which should stand at the head of the world in anatomy. In this way he talked at the age of thirty-six, but it was not until an epidemic of yellow fever appeared in New York about 1802 that he decided to cross the ocean. Arriving in Boston, he lectured there, then made his way to New York, and finally be- took himself to the small settlement of Fryc- burg in Maine, but how he could ever expect in that solitary region to build any institution that could influence American medicine, passes comprehension. While here, at intervals for many years, he lectured on anatomy, had some small attendance at thirty dollars a course, and practised medicine occasionally. Never did he fail at the patient's bedside to express his horror and loathing of other practitioners who were "murderers and vile Hottentots." Here, too, he became famous for his fever- treatment. After stripping the patient and placing him on a flat board, he would wrap him in blankets wrung out in hot water ; keep applying hot water externally for fifteen min- utes, then bare the patient again, dash a tum- blerful of cold water on his chest and then on his back, and so rush him into a warm bed, a profuse sweat and a rapid cure. With this treatment, and rare doses of brandy, he never lost a patient. Another epidemic of yellow fever in New York in 1803 sent him on his way to that city, but on arriving in Boston, his banker was horrified at the rashness, the risk, the danger, and awful waste of money, enough, he said, to buy a farm. Ramsay, however, not to be diverted from his purpose to study the sickness, went on despite the oppresive weather, found New York a plague-stricken city, did good medical work on the spot and printed his results later in the Edinburgh Med- ical Journal for July, 1812. Ramsay probably returned to Edinburgh in 1805, for he then personally received an honor- ary degree from Aberdeen, took a look at his property, and continued work on his anatomi- cal plates. His diploma is now in the posses- sion of the Maine Historical Society. • Returning to New York in 1806, he tried to establish a new medical school in connection with Drs. Douglas, Hosack and Miller, but the plan failed. The next year saw him lec- turing in various cities, and in 1808 we find him engaged by Dr. Nathan Smith (q. v.) to give his anatomical lectures at the Dartmouth Med- ical School, where many practitioners and stu- dents flocked to listen to his reputed eloquence Old letters tell us that Dr. Lyman Spalding (q. v.), of Portsmouth, furnished several sub- jects, carting them across the state in barrels of rum. Others tell us that the only man living who could manage Ramsay was Nathan Smith, who laughed him out of his fits of anger and brought smiles to his face once more. Ramsay offered a gold medal for the best dissection made during the course, and at night lectured on natural history. The London papers bear witness that Ram- say was in that city in 1810, and that he traveled about England lecturing and begging money for his school at Fryeburg, District of Maine until 1816. He also wrote, for the med- ical magazines, articles on "Contractions of the Muscular System from Intellectual In- fluence," and in 1812-13 published the first parts of his system of anatomy embracing the brain and the heart; truly wonderfully en- graved. Although his temper was notorious, he still had friends, among whom were the Duke of Sussex and his body physician. Sir Joseph Banks, and other men of influence. Having decided to sail once more to America, he applied with the endorsement of his friends for a free passage on a government vessel, carrying out the British Ambassador. He