BIOGRAPHIES 
OF 
PHILIP TRAPNALL, M.D., 
JNO. ALLEN McBRAYER, M.D. 
AND 
DR. JOHN BEMI^I 
READ BEFORE THE STATE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, OF 
KENTUCKY, APRIL 18, 1860. » 
Extracted from the Monthly Medical News 
LOUISVILLE, K Y. 
HAN ST A tr CO., PRINTERS, CORNER MAIN AND THIRD STREETS. 
OFFICE MONTHLY MEDICAL NEWS. 
18(50. /XU ' REPORT 
ON THE 
MEDICAL BIOGRAPHY OF KENTUCKY. 
SUBMITTED TO THE 
STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY, 
AT ITS MEETING IN BARDSTQWN, APItIL 18, 18G0. 
BY V 
C. H. SPILMAN, M 
HARRODSBURG, KY. ( ( 
Whether, to address ourselves to an inquiry in itself 
to minister to the instruction and social elevation of others, or 
to evolve information substantially useful in the practical affairs 
of life, be our object; a more appropriate theme could not be 
selected than that of Biography. 
“Man,” says one, “is perennially interesting to man.” And, 
in nothing is his inherent sociality more clearly evinced, than 
in that unspeakable delight he derives from the contemplation 
of human character, and the solution of the great problem of 
human existence. V 
“ The proper study of mankind is man.” This ancient 
aphorism, consecrated by time, and vindicated by long expe- 
rience, is as pregnant a truth to-day, as it was when penned 
by the philosopher who first conceived it. It commends itself 
alike to our inclination and our judgment. It challenges our 
approval, as the most ready avenue to a practical exemplifica- 
tion of another apothegm, nearly allied to it, “ know thyself.” 
That the Great Architect of our nature has, not only bound 
together the happiness and duty of his creatures, but indisolu- 
bly fastened their interests one to another, in the relation of a 
common brotherhood, is a truth wdiich challenges alike our 
assent and our admiration. 
If asked, why it is that man is so interesting to man, and 
the contemplation of his life, and character, and trials, and 
triumphs, affords so much delight; we answer, because we 
PREFATORY REMARKS. 2 
also are indentured to live, and, in tlie practical solution of 
the same problem, exercising similar faculties, experiencing 
like emotions, enthused by the same aspirations, borne onward 
to the same destiny, feel that we live with every man’s life; 
and, in each of the millions of men that live, find a mirror, in 
which we may discern much of our own future, which pro- 
phetically lies there. 
Our interest, in almost every subject, is much more strongly 
biographic, than we are apt to imagine. It is this that clothes 
history with its interest, that lends a charm to the productions 
of art, an enchantment to the triumphs of genius, and the 
achievements of science. It has its foundation deep in the 
constitution of our nature, and rests upon the primary truth, 
that the whole race of mankind is one family, that all men 
are brethren, and God the maker of us all; that the same 
living cord vibrates through the whole race, calls the sympa- 
thy of mortal hearts into action, and gives to each a lively 
interest in the welfare of all that live. Hence the specimens 
of human art, the productions of human skill and ingenuity, 
and the achievements and triumphs of the human intellect, 
awaken in our mind a deep interest, if for no other reason, 
simply from the fact, that the actor in any such case is a type 
of ourselves. Disconnect, if you can, from these various pro- 
ductions we so much admire, the idea that they are the fruits 
of man’s labor and skill, and how soon does the interest abate. 
In the art we can never forget the artist. In our admiration 
of the picture and the poem, the painter and singer are ever 
present. Supposing, for example, “ the picture to be gradu- 
ally formed on canvass by atmospheric influences, as lichen 
pictures are on rocks; it were confessedly beautiful, but 
nothing in comparison with that picture, which, on opening 
our eyes, we see everywhere painted in heaven and earth,” 
and pass over with the most perfect indifference, because the 
painter was not a man. 
From “ the temple of immensity,” built without hands, 
stretching out before us in the richest profusion of forms and 
colors, beautiful beyond the highest powers of description, 
illimitable far exceeding imagination’s utmost stretch, we turn 
to admire the temple made with hands—the finely-constructed 
city, with its glittering spires, its lofty columns, its costly 3 
domes, and its architectural beauty; and why? because in the 
former the biographic interest is wanting, the latter bears the 
impress of human skill and ingenuity. 
Herein we have the most convincing proof of the keen 
relish which so generally prevails for biographical literature, 
and the exceeding value of this medium for the conveyance 
of useful knowledge. 
In attempting, therefore, to discharge the duty you have 
assigned us, should we fail to interest you, we can not avail 
ourself of the plea, that the subject is dry and uninteresting, 
or that the mode of discussing it is an unacceptable one; but 
it will be owing to our incapacity to impart to it that fullness 
of detail, and vivacity of coloring, of which it is, in a high 
degree, susceptible. 
We are not unaware of the fact either, that the position 
we occupy is a delicate one. We have assumed to draw the 
portraits of persons who have played their part upon the thea- 
ter of life, unsolicited by their immediate friends and rela- 
tives; not, however, against their protestations. We are in- 
formed that when Hr. Johnson first heard of James Boswell’s 
intention to write his biography, he announced that if he 
really believed that Boswell intended to write his life, he 
would prevent it by taking Boswell’s. A much less decisive 
expression of disapproval on the part of any of the friends of 
those distinguished individuals whom we have selected as the 
subject of this report, would have deterred us from the under- 
taking. We have so far presumed upon their good nature, as 
to feel no dread of assassination. On the contrary, we take 
great pleasure, in this place, in acknowledging our indebted- 
ness to them for the efficient aid they have afforded us in the 
collection of materials for these brief, and necessarily imper- 
fect sketches. Should our effort prove even as complete a 
success as that of Boswell, our most sanguine anticipations 
will be more than realized. 
In attempting a delineation of the character, the conduct, 
and the fortunes of those medical worthies, who have gone to 
rest from their labors, it will be our object so to blend profit 
with delight, as to render it mutually entertaining and in- 
structive. 
We need not remind you of the many disadvantages under 4 
which we labor, and the mistakes and inaccuracies to which 
we are liable, in attempting, without record, or written docu- 
ment of any kind, or even an intimate personal acquaintance 
with the subjects of these sketches, to draw such likenesses as 
will be recognized and fondly cherished by their relatives and 
friends. The lapse of time is incessantly thickening the veil 
which is spread over past persons and events, and the linea- 
ments cannot be easily distinguished or brought out, either by 
the eye of discernment or the hand of honesty. 
It will be our endeavor to avoid the absurdity into which 
biographers have not unfrcquently fallen, which seeks, by a 
fanciful delineation of character, studiously to conceal the 
faults, and display the virtues of the character under review. 
It is useless to disguise the fact, that much of our biographical 
literature is rendered valueless by its fictitious character, ex- 
hibiting too little regard for truth in its delineations. 
What hope have we, other than fallacious one, of being 
profited ourselves, or of benefitting others, unless we copy 
faithfully from the inspired volume of truth. Reality, whether 
fair or homely, has an inspiration which gives it immeasurable 
worth. It is remarkable how some slight, perhaps homely 
incident, if real and well-presented, will fix itself in a suscep- 
tive memory, and lie ennobled there, “silvered over with the 
pale cast of thoughts,” with the pathos which belongs only to 
the dead. For all the associations of the past are sacred to 
us. All that the grave incloses is holy. Even from those 
whose lives were tarnished with the grossest follies and faults, 
we see as from a faithful mirror, in varied shades, and most 
lively imagery, that severe conflict with this “ heavy, unman- 
ageable environment,” “wherewith all hearts labor oppressed,” 
and whereof we are but too deeply sensible, in our terrestrial 
state. By none is the victory complete, until this heavy envi- 
ronment is shuffled off. Our friends, whose lives we propose 
to study, have been withdrawn from the conflict, and the 
battle-field has become a silent, awe-inspiring “Golgotha ” We 
are left to fight on, and we shall fight unprcvailingly until we, 
too, are emancipated from these fetters. And when we shall 
have been withdrawn from the conflict, the faithful record 
will, perchance, note many of our weaknesses and follies. 
Truth is always injured, and its power for good impaired, by 5 
the slightest connection with fiction. It is our purpose, there- 
fore, without fear or favor, without partiality or prejudice, to 
represent men and things as they really are; that virtue may 
receive its just tribute of praise, and vice meet its deserved 
censure and condemnation. It is by contrast that we learn to 
estimate the moral quality of an action. Conceal from view 
the shady side of human life, and the sunny side loses much 
of its beauty and attractiveness. A proper view of vice, with 
all its disastrous tendencies, is calculated greatly to highten 
our pleasure in the discovery, and to stimulate our ardor in the 
pursuit of the paths of virtue; and thus the very errors and 
vices, as well as the wisdom and virtues of others, will be ren- 
dered beneficial to us. 
And now, gentlemen, we are about to review the lives of 
other men; but let us not forget that our own concerns us 
much more. Our fathers were; we are. They have fought 
the great battle of life; we are still in the conflict. The cur- 
tain has dropped and hid them from our view; our little scene 
is going on, and must likewise speedily close. Should we thus 
approach this subject, with an honest desire to learn lessons of 
instruction, whether from the weaknesses and follies, or the 
wisdom and virtues of Octuro, they will indeed prove to us, 
though dead, speaking and pleasing companions. 
The period is fast approaching when Time itself shall be 
swallowmd up; when Esculapius, and Hippocrates, and Boer- 
liaave and we shall all be contemporaries; wlien the mystery of 
Providence shall be cleared up, and the wTays of God, often- 
times so inscrutible, fully vindicated to men. In humble and 
confident expectation of that great event, let us endeavor to 
live with a constant reference to its solemn realities, “ redeem- 
ing the time because the days are evil,” that wThen wre, too, are 
called “ to throw off this mortal coil,” the example we shall 
have set while living shall be worthy of imitation, and our 
memory embalmed among the great and good of earth. 
The family of Dr. Trapnall, in Maryland, descended from 
English ancestors, long established at Staffordshire, England. 
The male portion of the family have generally been, and still 
are, ministers of the Established Church. 
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF PHILIP TRAPNALL, M.D. 6 
Quite a number of the Vincent family, from which the Dr. 
was a lineal descendent, through his grandmother, were also 
distinguished ministers of the Established Church. William 
Vincent, Bishop of London, a distinguished critic and divine, 
Philip Vincent, Bishop of Durham, and Admiral Vincent, a 
distinguished naval commander, were second cousins of the 
doctor. 
His grandfather emigrated to this country, from Stafford- 
shire at a very early period, during our colonial existence. 
Vincent Trapnall, his father, was a farmer in Baltimore 
county, Md., where the Dr. was born on the 4th of January, 
1773. It may be said with truth, therefore, that he was nursed 
in the lap of the revolution, and received all his early impres- 
sions during that stormy period. 
After having received all the mental training which parental 
care and a good neighborhood school could impart, he was 
sent to school, at the age of fourteen, at Annapolis, where he 
completed his preliminary education, which was of a very 
high order. He graduated in the medical department of the 
University of Pennsylvania in the spring of 1796, at the age 
of twenty-three. lie practiced medicine at Hagerstown, with 
flattering success and great acceptance, the two succeeding 
years, as the cotemporary and intimate professional associate 
of Dr. Thomas Dorsey. 
He now resolved to gratify a wish he had long indulged, 
that of emigrating West, which he effected in the fall of 1800, 
by locating in Ilarrodsburg, where he remained until his 
death, a period of fifty-four years. He had not been long an 
occupant of his new field of labor before he found himself in 
the midst of an overwhelming practice. His masculine vigor 
of intellect, and superior literary and professional attainments, 
at once placed him in the foremost rank of the profession. 
He acquired an exceeding wide range of practice, often going 
to Danville, Lancaster, Versailles, Lexington, and occasionally 
Louisville, on professional duty. 
His cotemporaries, whom he often met in practice, were Dr. 
Eph. McDowell, of Danville, Dr. Louis Marshall, of Woodford, 
Drs. Pindall and Ridgeley, of Lexington, Dr. Benj. Mason, of 
Lancaster, etc. 
It is said by those intimately aeqainted with his practice, 7 
that he possessed remarkable insight into the nature and 
character of disease, was exceedingly accurate in his diagnosis, 
and rarely ever mistaken in the judgment he formed. So 
scrupulously cautious was he, that in obscure, complicated 
cases, he not unfrequently deferred his prescription until a 
second visit, and a more thorough exploration of the case. 
Such caution, although highly commendable, is not apt to 
meet a just appreciation from the non-medical public, who not 
unfrequently construe it into either indifference or ignorance. 
Of anatomy and surgery Dr. Trapnall was fond, and he 
performed a great number of surgical operations; none, how- 
ever, that I have been able to ascertain, of note. 
I can not learn that he had a partiality for any particular 
department of the profession; and it is a little remarkable 
that a man of his peculiar turn of mind had no hobby. His 
energies seem to have been alike devoted to the interests of 
every department; and, although practicing in a period when 
hobby-riding was fashionable, he was remarkably conserva- 
tive in his views, and cautious in practice. In a word, he may 
with much truth he styled a medical philosopher. 
lie accumulated a large and well-selected library, with the 
contents of which, by close application to study, he kept him- 
self familiarly acquainted; which, however, he generously 
divided out among his young friends after he retired from 
active professional life. 
I should have stated in its proper place, that, whatever may 
be thought of the principle, in an ethical point of view— 
although Dr. Trapnall often met his professional brethren in 
consultation, and seldom refused, where the patient or his 
friends desired it, yet the influence of his opinion stands 
against it as a general practice. He admitted that there might 
be circumstances under which advantage would accrue to the 
patient from such professional conference; yet, in a large ma- 
jority of cases, the chances of recovery would be lessened 
rather than enhanced, by dividing responsibility, hazarding a 
variety of conflicting opinions, and disturbing the regular 
action of remedies. 
Having established himself upon a farm, he retired from 
the active duties of his profession about the year 1818, twenty- 
two years from the time he entered upon them; a brief, but 
rather brilliant professional life. 8 
The Dr. has, by some, been thought eccentric; and I am 
not fully prepared to acquit him of the charge. There was 
something remarkably striking in his person and manner, 
lie was full six feet two inches high, and remarkably straight, 
had an air of dignity and independence, often construed into 
haughtiness, rendering him rather repulsive to strangers. It is 
said of Admiral Vincent, his kinsman, that lie was so tall and 
commanding in his person, and possessed such an air of 
majesty, his very appearance excited a feeling of awe in his 
friends, and struck terror to his enemies. 
A large physical stature, and magisterial air, seem to have 
been characteristics of the Vincent family; and the Dr. in- 
herited his full share of it. lie had a handsome person, an 
intelligent face, and a countenance rather forbidding to those 
who had not learned to read it. 
He possessed remarkable firmness and decision of character, 
honesty and purity of life, was ardent in his attachments, loved 
his friends with a devotion bordering on idolatry, would make 
almost any sacrifice for their accommodation. Of this remark- 
able devotion to the interests of his friends there are still a 
number of living witnesses. But, toward his enemies, he was 
implacable; almost bitter. Were it allowable for us to moral- 
ize, or make any reflections, outside of the record, of a con- 
jectural character, we would say that this was the weak point, 
or easily besetting sin of a man whose life was otherwise 
almost faultless; against which he has fought many hard 
battles, and not improbably fought unprevailingly, until finally 
disencumbered, and made free and pure. A little recital of 
his own experience would undoubtedly reveal a conflict of 
which he and the Great Searcher of hearts alone were cogni- 
zant, and, concerning which, our only interpreter is our own 
checkered experience, which is abundantly sufficient to melt 
and soften down the frost of criticism, and extinguish all 
acerbity of feeling. 
Dr. Trapnall was a member of the Legislature, from the 
county of Mercer, in 1806-7-8-9; and a reference to the jour- 
nals of that period will show his efficiency and prominence as 
a member of that body. In 1812 he was defeated for Con- 
gress by Samuel McKee, of Lancaster. In politics he was a 
warm partizan, even after he had retired from active life; an 9 
uncompromising Whig, always prompt and early at the polls 
on election day, a duty which, as a good citizen, he felt in 
conscience bound to discharge. 
He was a member of the Episcopal Church, and a very 
warm sectarian; a zealous stickler for the succession, and one 
of the ablest champions of Episcopacy in this country; was 
exceedingly well posted in the history and doctrines of his 
Church. 
In 1828-9 he wrote many articles in defense of the doctrines 
of his Church, which were published, and replied to by Dr. 
Clelland. The discussion was a protracted one, and attracted 
much attention in the religious world. I was but a boy at the 
time, but have a distinct recollection of the opinion expressed 
by theologians, of that day, in regard to the ability and adroit- 
ness with which he conducted that discussion. It evinced 
profound scholarship, great depth of research; and furnished 
the [most convincing proof, not only of great versatility of 
talent, but native vigor of intellect. 
In 1806 the Dr. married Miss Haney Casey, daughter of 
Peter Casey, at Fountain Blue, Mercer county, Ky., a lady of 
highly cultivated intellect, and great prudence, who was truly 
a help-meet to him, with whom he lived forty-five years, raising 
a large and highly respectable family. 
In 1818 he retired from the active duties of the profession, 
and, establishing himself upon a beautiful farm adjoining 
Harrodsburg, devoted the remainder of his life to agricultural 
pursuits. In this position, more congenial to his taste and 
inclination, he entertained a large number of visitors, for 
which his fine conversational powers and open hospitality so 
eminently fitted him. 
For a fuller illustration of his peculiar characteristics, I can 
not do better than to refer you to “ Camden,” a novel written 
many years since by John A. McClung, in which the Dr. 
figures conspicuously under the title of Gen. Lethridge. 
On the 31st day of January, 1853, in the eighty-fourth year 
of his age, he died, as he had lived, in humble trust, and un- 
shaken confidence in Him who is “ the resurrection and the 
life.” 
Thus lived and died, one whose friends were numerous and 
devoted; who'se history, however, is too prominent, and whose 10 
character too marked and decided, never to have met opposi- 
tion, or encountered malice; which, however, were disarmed of 
their power to hurt, by his acknowledged honesty of purpose, 
and purity of life. 
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE LATE JOHN ALLEN M’BRAYER, M.D. 
It was not my fortune to have become personally acquainted 
with the subject of this brief sketch, until a short time pre- 
vious to his death, and then our acquaintance was very slight. 
I have spent the last ten years of my life, however, upon the 
theater of his former professional career, in intimate associa- 
tion and constant intercourse with his friends, who have kindly 
afforded me every facility for collecting and collating facts 
relative to it. 
The family of Dr. McBrayer descended from Scotch-Irish 
ancestors, and it is not known by the writer of this sketch, at 
what time they emigrated to this country. They have been a 
long time resident in Anderson county, Ky., occupying a 
prominent position in society. 
John A. was born on the 3rd of October, 1817. Activity of 
mind, and a high sense of moral obligation, characterized his 
boyhood. At an early period he seemed to regard time as a 
precious boon which he had no right to misimprove, and which 
it was his pleasure to appropriate to some useful purpose. 
Ilis preliminary education was chiefly acquired in private 
schools. A young man of his eagerness and aptitude stood in 
no need of the incentives of a college, either to stimulate his 
ardor or assist his understanding. The extent and accuracy of 
his information, and the beauty and elegance of his style, 
evinced the scholar, by whatever steps, or through what 
means soever he may have attained it. 
Our young friend was cut down in the morning of life; yet 
that brief existence is full of interest, contains much instruc- 
tion ; and, whether as a memento, to be fondly cherished, or a 
noble example, to be imitated by his surviving friends, should 
not be permitted to go down into oblivion. 
It is difficult to contemplate such a life without a mingled 
feeling of delight and regret. lie lived just long enough to 
foreshadow a career of usefulness and fame, which would have 
shed luster alike on his own name and the profession of which 
he was a worthy member. 11 
Even in boyhood, the activity of his mind, in its eager 
search after knowledge, was marked. He seemed singularly 
impressed with the immeasurable distance between right and 
wrong, evinced a scrupulous regard for truth, and when 
reached, embraced it with singleness of heart, and held it fast 
with indexible purpose. 
A temperament of unusual ardor fired his intellect. A 
spirit, impatient of repose, stirred his inmost soul. Impelled 
by a desire to compress into so small a compass, the interests 
and duties of a whole life, as if animated with a presentiment 
of the brevity of his probationary state, and the momentous 
interests suspended upon it, intensity, activity and impetu- 
osity characterized his every movement. 
John A. McBrayer entered upon the study of his profession 
under the supervisory instruction of Dr. Dedman, of Law- 
renceburg, a gentleman of eminence and deserved reputation 
in the profession, where he enjoyed every facility for acquiring 
a thorough knowledge of the elementary principles of the 
science. After having completed a full course of reading and 
pharmaceutical training under the instruction of his preceptor, 
being limited in his means, he established himself, as a practi- 
tioner of medicine, in Mt. Eden, Ky., where he practised with 
success and great acceptance for two years, still, however, 
prosecuting his studies with vigor, spending his winters in 
attendance upon the lectures in Louisville. 
In the spring of 1842 he received the degree of M.D. from 
the Medical Institute of Louisville, immediately after which 
he located in Ilarrodsburg with a view of making that his 
future home. At that time it could not be said that there was 
an opening for a physician in Ilarrodsburg. The prospect 
was by no means flattering. The profession was crowded. 
The business was monopolized by old-established physicians, 
with whom the public seemed satisfied. Indeed, from the 
unsuccessful attempts which had been made by a number of 
preceding adventurers in the same field, it seemed that the 
business in that department was stereotyped. 
It was under these, somewhat discouraging circumstances, 
that Dr. McBrayer made his debut in Ilarrodsburg, as a candi- 
date for the exercise of the “ healing art.” Ills success was 
complete. In a few months he had acquired a very heavy 12 
practice, and was able to dispute the palm with the oldest 
physicians of the place. That industry, activity and energy 
which had marked his pathway from early boyhood, he 
carried into the walks of professional life, and he did an in- 
credible amount of practice. 
While he had a strong hold on the confidence of the affluent 
and more influential, the poor and humble always found, in 
him, a heart to sympathize, and a hand to extend relief. Un- 
like too many, in this degenerate age, he was unselfish in his 
labors, and rendered gratuitous services with as much seeming 
cheerfulness and promptitude as those that were more profit- 
able. Few men have ever lived, who, in so short a period, 
left upon the face of society an impress so striking and 
attractive. 
Dr. McBrayer, as a practitioner, was bold, to a degree, 
which, in those of less judgment, would have been perilous 
and unsafe. But regulated and guided by such clear insight, 
nice discernment and close discrimination as he possessed, his 
efficiency and usefulness as a practitioner were much enhanced 
by it. 
His career was too short ever to have distinguished himself 
as a surgeon. lie did not reach that period of life, when 
surgical talent is usually developed. He gave promise, how- 
ever, of fine aptitude for surgery; and had his life been spared, 
he would undoubtedly have become distinguished in that 
department. As an earnest of his future success and useful- 
ness as a surgeon, we arc presented with a case of wounded 
intestines on which he operated, an abstract of which was 
published in the May No. of the Western Journal of Medicine 
afid Surgery, of 1844. The case gave evidence of such orig- 
inality, thorough anatomical knowledge, and soundness of 
judgment, as to call forth a very high eulogy from Dr. Gross. 
Dr. McBrayer was also in the habit of operating for stra- 
bismus. I am informed by the physicians in the vicinity of 
Mt. Eden, where he commenced his professional career, that 
even so early as that, his operation for remedying this defect 
was remarkably successful: one not only confessedly delicate, 
but, at that time, novel, in that section of the country. 
Such was the laborious character of his practice, and his 
constant exposedness to the vicissitudes of weather, that in 13 
the winter of 1845 lie began to exhibit signs of declining 
health. He prosecuted his professional labors, however, with 
unremitting energy during the summer of 1846, oftentimes 
when pain and debility would have counseled rest. In the 
fall of that year, admonished of his danger by a conviction 
that his lungs were the seat of organic disease, in the shape of 
tubercular deposit, he determined to spend the following 
winter in the West India Islands. In pursuance of this reso- 
lution, he left in November of this year for Cuba, where he 
spent the winter with the single object of regaining his health, 
lie returned in April of the following year, without any 
appreciable improvement. He practiced during the summer 
of 1847, still painfully conscious of his perilous condition. In 
November of this year he left for Mexico, where he resolved 
to spend the winter. While there, he was appointed assistant 
surgeon of the United States army, then in active service 
there. In this position he acquitted himself with great 
fidelity and energy, until March 1848, when he returned home. 
It now became painfully evident that his disease was of an 
incurable character, and it had made such inroads upon his 
physical energies as to render an abandonment of the active 
duties of his profession a necessity. 
It seems that Dr. McBrayer, in the midst of all his other 
engagements, was in the habit of keeping a regular journal of 
his life. His Cuban and Mexican journals, two large manu- 
script volumes, containing a minute, uninterrupted descrip- 
tion of his travels and observations, have been kindly placed 
in my hands, by his brother Sandford, a merchant and distin- 
guished financier of Ilarrodsburg. They are truly a literary 
curiosity. Their descriptions—besides containing a great fund 
of information relative to the geography, natural resources, 
productions of art, and manners and customs of those coun- 
tries—for richness of style, fullness of detail, and vivacity of 
coloring, I have rarely ever seen excelled. 
We have here a striking exemplification of that laudable 
rule of action, which the Dr. had prescribed for himself, as his 
motto through life: never to idle away a moment of time. 
Although out for the single purpose of regaining his health, 
he had not a moment to lose; it is all scrupulously appro- 
priated to collecting and digesting knowledge, which would 14 
avail him in the practical affairs of life. And it is doubtful 
whether, in the vigor of health, the same time could have 
been more profitably employed. 
After the Dr.’s return from Mexico, his cough greatly in- 
creased, and his physical strength was so far exhausted, that 
he was unable, except at intervals, to attend to practice. But 
even then, when his strength would admit of it, he visited 
those who had been so much comforted by his presence, and 
benefitted by his advice, in days gone by. 
In politics, Dr. McBrayer belonged to the Democratic school, 
of the old Jeffersonian stamp, with much of the conservative 
element in his constitution, and consequently was neither an 
active partizan, nor noisy politician. 
In religion, he was a Presbyterian, having connected himself 
with that Church in 1840, just ten years previous to his death. 
He always maintained a good profession, was unaffectedly 
sincere and pious, zealously devoted to the doctrines of his 
Church, yet without bigotry, ardently attached to its interests 
and ritual, but unselfish and generous in his bearing. 
Dr. McBrayer was, throughout his life, in the highest sense 
a philanthropist. If aught of disaffection towards any one 
ever disturbed his bosom, he was rarely ever known to give 
expression to it. 
He seemed, as he neared his end, which he reached on the 
23rd of March, 1850, to live in a higher, holier region, and to 
realize, in pleasing anticipation, the unsullied joys of the 
“ spirit land.” 
It is difficult to contemplate such a life, so peacefully closed, 
without indulging the spontaneous invocation of one of old: 
“ Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end 
be like his.” 
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF DR. JOHN BEMISS, LATE OF NELSON 
COUNTY, KENTUCKY. 
Iii the subject of this memoir, we have a remarkable 
example of one who was the maker of his own fortune. 
If early destitution could extinguish the tire of genius, and 
stifle the germ of intellect, our friend would have been over- 
whelmed with discouragements at threshold of life. 
The family of Dr. Bemiss, who descended from Welsh 15 
ancestors, emigrated to this country at a very early period, 
and settled at Worthington, Massachusetts. 
Ilis father, at the commencement of the Revolutionary war, 
enlisted in the army, and rendered efficient service in our 
struggle for independence. At the expiration of his term of 
service, he returned home, broken down in health, and greatly 
reduced in his circumstances. 
John, the subject of this sketch, who was the third of four 
sons, was born on the 16th day of February, 1773. 
In consequence of his father’s continued ill health and 
limited means, he was, at a very early age, thrown upon his 
own resources. 
Even in boyhood, he was imbued with a singular love of 
letters, and conceived a fixed determination to master them. 
Having no means for acquiring the first rudiments, he eagerly 
sought, and embraced the first opportunity, for employment in 
manual labor, with a single view to that object. With that 
indomitable energy, which was his distinguishing characteristic 
through life, he rose superior to every obstacle which stood in 
the way to his coveted acquirements. Every nerve of a vigor- 
ous and well-endowed constitution was strained to the utter- 
most to achieve his ends. Every leisure hour of this period 
was scrupulously employed in the study of such books as were 
within his reach. 
The ruling passion of his life, which is rarely ever known to 
gain the ascendency until a much later period, seemed even 
now to possess the mastery, for he denied himself all partici- 
pation in the usual sports and amusements of boyhood, lest 
they might consume time he had determined to appropriate to 
more valuable purposes. It was, probably, in this manner he 
acquired that contempt for all conventional pastimes and 
amusements, or games of chance, which never forsook him in 
after life. 
It appears from some old manuscripts, to which we have 
had access by the kindness of his son, Dr. S. M. Bemiss, of 
Louisville, that the intervening four years from 1789 to 1793 
were alternately occupied in some department of business, 
and attendance upon school. During this period he was under 
the tuition of Eliphalet Nott, who had charge of the Plain- 
field Academy, probably the best common school at that time 
in New England. 16 
At this date, 1793, he seems to have been pretty well 
advanced in letters, for we find him in charge of a school at 
Pomfret, Connecticut. In what proportion his time is now 
divided, between teaching and studying, is not clear. Ilia 
diploma, or certificate of graduation in Plainfield Academy, 
bears date the 30th March, 1795. 
lie now spent two years studying Latin and the higher 
branches of English literature, under the tuition of an edu- 
cated gentleman, who had become interested for him by his 
steady, persevering efforts at self-advancement. 
In 1797 he entered the office of Dr. Zachariah Standish, as 
a student of medicine, under whose supervisory instruction 
he made astonishingly rapid progress in acquiring the 
elementary principles of the science. 
Ilis certificate of the term of his professional studies, and 
permission to practice medicine and surgery, bears date June 
3rd, 1801. 
After three months’ practice as an assistant of his preceptor, 
in the autumn of 1801 he emigrated to Kentucky, and located 
in Bloomfield, Kelson county, then called Middleburg. 
In 1797 he had married Miss Elizabeth Bloomer, said to 
have been a lady of highly cultivated intellect, polished man- 
mers, and amiable disposition. On his first visit to Kentucky, 
he had left her with her friends in Hew York, where she 
remained for twelve months, at which time he went back, and 
brought her with him on his return. 
The severe habits of early study to which the Dr. had sub- 
jected himself, together with the keen powers of observation, 
had so enlarged his capacity for the acquisition and retention 
of knowledge, that he had completely mastered all the stand 
ard works of his day. 
lie had amassed such a vast fund of information, and had 
such perfect command of the resources of the profession, that 
he at once took a very prominent stand, and acquired, in an 
incredibly short period of time, a reputation rarely attained 
by a country practitioner. 
Boldness, self-reliance, implicit confidence in the curative 
power of his remedies, remarkable therapeutical acumen, and 
a profound sympathy with his patients, mark the outlines of 
his professional character. He was emphatically a man for 17 
the occasion. The fertility of his resources was almost bound- 
less. And while exhibiting the most unwavering confidence 
in the saving power of his remedies, and plying them with 
unwearied assiduity and skill, he had the happy faculty of 
imbuing his patients with the same unshaken confidence. 
It is useless to say that Dr. Bemiss was a very safe and 
successful practitioner. He had witnessed so many recove- 
ries, against the reasonable expectation of friends, attribu- 
table, as he believed, to his vigilance, perseverance, and con- 
stancy, that hope never deserted him; nor did he relax his 
efforts until the taper of life had expired. 
When in the hight of his practice, his advice was sought 
in difficult cases in all the surrounding counties; and even 
after lie had retired from the active duties of the profession, 
he was retained, throughout a very wide scope of country, as 
consulting physician, to which calls he always yielded a hearty 
response. His thorough knowledge of the history and litera- 
ture of the profession, his familiar acquaintance with the 
standard authors of the day, his ready comprehension, clear 
insight, accurate diagnosis, and lucid exposition of a case, 
attached great weight to his opinions with his professional 
brethren. 
He was courteous and fair in his professional intercourse, 
candid and uncompromising in his views of practice, kind 
and generous towards the junior members of the profession, 
scrupulously observant of the rules of ethics, jealous of the 
honor of the profession, and uncompromising in his opposi- 
tion to all professional outlawry. The hordes of empirics and 
nostrum-mongers who flooded the country in his day, found 
no mercy or foothold near him. His boldness and bitter rail- 
lery were weapons they much dreaded. 
Much useless speculation has been indulged in regard to 
the secret of that strong-hold the Dr. had on the confidence 
of the public as a physician. Some have attributed it to one 
trait of his character, and some to another. This, however, is 
all idle. It was the sum of his whole physical and mental 
being, the totality of the man; an indomitable spirit, anima- 
ting and wielding a sturdy, elastic frame, which gave him his 
force of character, and great usefulness and efficiency upon 
the theater of life. 18 
One more remark in connection with the medical character 
of Dr. Bemiss, and we dismiss this branch of the subject. 
We allude to the remarkable influence he exerted over the 
minds of his patients. There is an air of cheerfulness and 
confidence, of buoyancy and elevation of spirits, which never 
fails to meet a response in the bosom of the patient, and enters 
much more largely, than is usually supposed, into the reme- 
dial power the physician is enabled to exert. This rare, but 
exceedingly valuable, quality, the Dr. possessed in an eminent 
degree. We take the liberty of remarking here, that if there 
be any one defect in our present system of medical education 
more glaring than another, it consists in a neglect to inculcate 
such an aptitude, and inforce its importance to a successful 
exercise of the “ healing art.” 
Many of our diseases are confessedly of mental origin, or, 
at least, largely of mental complication; and in their reme- 
dial management, much, very much, depends upon the state of 
the mind. This, the attending physician, whether conscious 
of it or not, sways almost at will. This power he exerted 
over the minds of his patients, Dr. Bemiss was scrupulously 
careful not to abuse. In regard to a clear insight into the 
mental constitution, and such moral appliances as are calcu- 
lated to create and maintain a healthful state of mental excite- 
ment, he was peculiarly happy. “You may give me your 
medicine,” said a former patient of his to another physician, 
“ and it may do well enough, but old Dr. Bemiss’ smile, as he 
used to come into my sick room, would now do me more good 
than all the prescriptions you can make.” Few ever attained 
so high a degree of perfection in moral therapeutics, an acqui- 
sition to which we can never aspire with too much ardor and 
enthusiasm. 
Dr. Bemiss was an ardent and excitable politician, and took 
an active part in the New Court and Old Court controversy, 
lie was an uncompromising advocate of the Old Court policy, 
and wrote a number of able articles on the subject, wrhich 
were published in the Spirit of ’76, at Frankfort. He had no 
sycophancy about him; never dissembled ; was very decided 
and open in his attachments and antipathies; not unfrequently 
made enemies by his openness and candor. 
His style of writing is vigorous, clear, concise—not much- 19 
embellished with flowers. His natural turn was too pointed, 
and matter of fact, to allow space for either redundancy or 
decoration. Even in the midst of an overwhelming practice, 
he wrote a great deal. A number of his addresses on the 
subject of Masonry, of which order he was a prominent mem- 
ber, are still extant. They glow with that fervor, that spirit 
of expansive benevolence, which animated his whole life, and 
breathe of nothing but what is wise, good, and philanthropic. 
He was always a close student; retained his love of litera- 
ture to the last; studied Greek when over sixty years of age, 
besides keeping himself well posted in all the current litera- 
ture of the day, except novels, for which he had a supreme 
contempt. 
Dr. Bemiss’ religious turn of mind developed in early youth, 
which grew with his growth, strengthened with his strength, 
and matured in his manhood, culminated in a desire to assume 
the office of minister of the Gospel, in which position he 
thought his facilities for doing good would be enhanced, a 
consummation which had been his ruling passion through 
life. 
Although he had, in the year 1817, retired from the active 
duties of the profession, and resigned his practice to the charge 
of his son-in-law, I)r. S. B. Merrifield, his ardent, ever-active 
temperament did not allow him to take that repose, which he 
had probably promised himself previous to his retirement, and 
he turned his attention to the study of Theology. He was 
accordingly ordained as a minister of the Presbyterian Church 
about the year 1830. The duties of this office he continued 
to fulfill with zeal, fidelity, and great acceptance until his 
death, which occurred, of apoplexy, on the 29th day of March, 
1851, in the seventy-eighth year of his age. 
Thus ended a life, full of incident, which we can not con- 
template without the deepest interest. The basis of his charac- 
ter seems to have been an intense fellow-feeling with other 
men, which prompted him, spontaneously, to adopt the inter- 
ests, sympathize with the aftections, and catch the emotions of 
all with whom he associated. His moral constitution presented 
such a combination of deep emotions, and restless vivacity, 
that he was alike ready to “ weep with those who weep, and 
rejoice with those that rejoice.” The great object of his life., 20 
to which his reading, study, and reflection were altogether 
subservient, was, to explore the springs of human action, and 
trace their influence on the character and happiness of man- 
kind. In this he wras singularly successful, for the aleliimy of 
his fertile intellect, extracted some delight from every subject 
with which he came in contact. Few ever touched life at so 
many points. “ lie surveyed human life, as the eye of an 
artist ranges over a landscape, receiving innumerable intima- 
tions, which escaped a less practiced observer. In every 
faculty he recognized a sacred trust; in every material object, 
an indication of the Divine wisdom and goodness; in every 
human being, an heir of immortality; in every enjoyment, a 
proof of the Divine benignity; in every affliction, an act of 
parental discipline.” 
How must the retrospect of such a life have smoothed and 
illumed his path-way, even through the dark valley, and 
enabled him to triumph while forced to surrender to the last 
enemy. 
“ Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end 
of that man is peace.”