

Lyman Hall (1724-1790) began his career as a preacher in Connecticut, but he later abandoned this in favor of the study and practice of medicine. His interest in the medical profession did not abate during his long career in public affairs, and in 1791 he secured from the state legislature a charter for the New Hampshire Medical Society.

The first to vote for adoption of the Declaration of Independence he was one of the most influential members of the two Continental Congresses in which he served. Josiah Bartlett (1729-1795) was a notable physician, and chief justice and governor of New Hampshire. A major result of his instruction was the emergence of Philadelphia as the leading American center of medical training during the first half of the nineteenth century. Although a controversial figure in his medical theories, he was greatly admired as a teacher, having taught about 3,000 students in his lifetime.
#Who signed the declaration of independence first free#
He established the first free dispensary in the country, was probably the first to advocate the study of veterinary medicine made notable contributions to psychiatry, and was the first medical man in the country to achieve a general literary reputation. Despite some of his mistaken theories, he made many outstanding contributions in medicine and social reform. And we give a tip o’ the tricorn hat to NLM’s 1975 annual report for the text on which this article is based.īenjamin Rush (1745-1813) whose system of bleeding in the treatment for yellow fever was denounced as “one of the great discoveries … which has contributed to the de-population of the earth” was probably the best-known American physician of his day. NLM in Focus is celebrating Independence Day by looking back at the important roles played by these four physician-patriots. (A fifth signer, Oliver Wolcott, studied medicine for a time but never practiced.) Among the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were four practicing physicians: two famous for their work in medicine and two better known for their political activities.
