MEMORIAL A 1) 1 ) R ESS -ON DR. WARREN STONE. By ALP,EKT IL MILES. M. I).. New Oi:ij.i\k. Reprinted from the May. i8tg;,' Number ofthe New Orlean< Medical and Surgical yourual. L GRAHAM J.SOH 44-AS BAHONNE ST.. NEW ORLEANS MEMORIAL ADDRESS ON DR. WARREN STONE.* ALBERT B. MILES. M. I)., New Orleans.! Reprinted from the May, 1895, Number of the New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal. In observance of a dutiful and befitting custom, we have come, Mr. President, with an humble tribute to a Southern surgeon, whose memory the people of Louisiana especially love to honor. For more than the third of a century his name was familiar in the South and known favorably in the other States, and yet almost a stranger in our literature. He labored industriously in a fruitful field, and yet his published writings tell but poorly the story of his busy life and work. His fame lives in our traditions. As Professor of Surgery in the Uni- versity of Louisiana for thirty-five years, as Surgeon to the Charity Ho'pital for thirty-nine years, and as general practi- tioner from 1832 to 1872, whose experience covered eighteen epidemics of yellow fever and cholera in New Orleans, the name of Warren Stone is impressed indelibly upon the local history of a remarkable period. This address might have come more suitably from the pen of some friend who knew him in life, and better able to por- tray those traits that distinguished this remarkable man. How- ever, no personal friend could have discharged his duty with * Read at the Charleston meeting of the Southern Surgical and Gynecological Associa- tion, November 13, 1894, by W. E. Parker, M. D., of New Orleans. fDeceased. 2 sentiments of higher respect, and surely no member of this body could have been chosen more deeply sensible of the dis- tinction your choice has conferred. In the effort to make our statements authentic we have incurred obligations, which we desire in advance to acknowledge; to Dr. Charles J. Bickham, of the Board of Administrators of Tulane University, and Pro- fessor Stanford E. Chailie, Dean of the Medical Department, both pupils and friends of Dr. Stone, for their reminiscences of his personal and professional character; and to Professor Joseph Jones, who kindly placed at our disposal the biograph- ical sketch prepared by him for publication in the volume en- titled Eminent American Physicians and Surgeons. The eulogy delivered by Professor James Jones in 1873 has been consulted for such information as only a contemporary and intimate friend could furnish. At St. Albans, Vermont, Warren Stone was born on the 3d of February, 1808. He was the youngest of the three children of Peter Stone, a farmer, and Jerusha Snow. The father died before this son was born, but the mother outlived him, and died past ninety years of age. His youth was spent on a New England farm, where the opportunities for attending school were necessarily restricted. The teachings ot his mother sup- plemented these deficiencies, and aided materially in pre- paring him for the study of medicine, for which in early youth he had shown a strong predilection. The reasons are apparent for the very tender attachment for his mother, so often ob- served by those who knew him intimately. In due time he went to Keene, New Hampshire, and be- came the private pupil of Dr. Amos Twitchell. This accom- plished surgeon soon won his affection and imbued him with a special fondness for surgery. In proper time the pupil entered the Medical School at Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and, in December, 1831, received his degree in medicine. In retro- spect of those preparatory years he often alluded to his pre- ceptor's teachings, and with such grateful expressions as lead us to look beyond his collegiate courses for much that inspired his splendid career. In 1832 Dr. Stone was located in West Troy, New York, practising medicine, when the cholera first appeared on this 3 continent among the immigrants in Quebec and Montreal. These immigrants in their alarm started for the States by way of Lake Champlain and the Champlain Canal, and early in July several cases of cholera occurred in West Troy. To the first of these cases Dr. Stone was called late at night, and promptly recognized the new disease. Several days later the following case occurred, which was narrated by himself thirty- five years afterward in support of an argument against the con- tagious nature of cholera: "A humane person requested me to see a young man, lying on a pile of lumber, who, he said, appeared very ill. I found him in the collapsed state of cholera. As he was destitute, I obtained an outhouse of the landlord and had him conveyed to it, and stayed with him the greater part of the time for twenty-four hours, administering his medicines, and even injecting a saline mixture into a vein in his arm. The room was close, but I suffered no incon- venience from contact and confinement." This case was re- lated for a controversial purpose, but how well it illustrates that philanthropy which was ever a dominant principle in his professional life. Looking to the South for his future home, in the latter part of October of the same year he left West Troy, and em- barked in the brig Amelia for New Orleans. There were few cases of cholera in New York when the ship sailed. The ship was overcrowded with passengers, and otherwise carried a valuable cargo. The log of this voyage is here given in Dr. Stone's own words: " For the first four days there was a calm, and everything was healthy; but a terrible storm came, and it was found necessary to fasten down the hatches and stifle over a hundred beings in the small space between a small ship's decks. I expected serious consequences. The captain, who was willing to do whatever was proper, said that the hatches could not be raised without imminent danger of sinking the ship, a fact which was subsequently verified. On the third day of the storm there was a cry that there was a man dead below. The weather having moderated a little, I found a de- plorable state of things. All seemed stupefied from foul air, and about twenty-five seemed to be in the second stage of chol- era. At this period in the voyage, on the 30th of October, the 4 brig, in distress, was beached on Folly Island, off Charleston harbor, and there subsequently, by order of the municipal authorities, the vessel and cargo were burned. The terrify ing disease of which these unlucky voyagers were suffering spread great alarm, but pity fortheir misfortunes soon became the prevailing feeling." Mr. Alexander Milne, the owner of the island, opened his house and all the buildings for the reception of the passen- gers and crew, and furnished them immediately with necessary supplies. Charleston responded at once, and sent physicians, provisions, and all necessaries for the sick. Dr. Stone re- mained with his ill-fated passengers, administering to them and rendering every assistance in his power. At this juncture, while in attendance on the sick of the island, he met Dr. Thomas Hunt, then of Charleston, who had been commissioned by the municipal authorities to take entire control of the sani- try affairs of the plague-stricken island. Here, amidst scenes of pestilence, Dr. Hunt and Dr. Stone became friends, and ever afterward, through more than a third of a century, this friendship remained unbroken. This meeting was one of the most fortunate incidents in the life of Dr. Stone. The un- happy experiences of his voyage from New York to New Or- leans were not to end until he had himself been stricken by the disease. His friend then became his physician. The survivors of the Amelia, through the liberality of the city of Charleston, were sent in chartered vessels to their des- tinations-the steerage passengers to Mobile, the captain and cabin passengers to New Orleans. The generosity of the citizens and Council of this city in offering hospitality to the crew and passengers of the Amelia, shipwrecked and suffering of a spreading plague, and then their exceeding liberality in helping the survivors on their way, are incidents worthy of honorable record in the history of any people. It seems a remarkable coincident that we should come to Charleston to read this memorial address and recount these historic incidents among the important events in the early life of Dr. Stone. In December, 1833, he landed on the levee in New Orleans a friendless stranger, with only one picayune in his pocket. He once said to a friend, half-humorously, that he would not 5 have saved this but for the sake of preserving a nucleus. Evidently in the scenes through which he had passed his purse had proven unequal to his generous heart. Here for a moment we pause to survey the situation pre- sented to the stranger when he had at length reached his des- tination. This was a memorable year in the annals of New Orleans. Yellow fever was declared epidemic on the 15th of October, and ten days later the cholera appeared. The deso- lation of one disease was eclipsed by the new horrors of the other. Dr. Lawson, then senior surgeon of the army at New Orleans, afterward Surgeon General, says in his official report that in the city the victims of cholera numbered about six thousand, the population being perhaps fifty-five thousand souls. The new Charity Hospital had just been built, and its wards were crowded with the sick. The best medical talent of New Orleans was being devoted gratuitously to its service. To this institution Dr. Stone was naturally attracted and offered his services. Through the kindness of Dr. A. H. Cenas, at that time and for many years afterward a visiting physician, he was appointed a supernumerary in the medical department. At that time Dr. J. M. W. Picton was the house surgeon, doing an extensive work in general surgery. He was succeeded in August, 1833, by Dr. Thomas Hunt, who had moved to New Orleans, with the prestige of his splendid reputation in Charleston, and had at once taken rank in the profession. The friendship of Folly Island was renewed, and Dr. Hunt, in a letter to the Board of Administrators of the hospital, very warmly commended Dr. Stone for promotion. A few words from this letter are worthy of reproduction as establishing beyond question Dr. Stone's competency in medi- cine at that time, and his preparation for responsible service: " It gives me pleasure to state, from my personal knowledge, that Dr. Stone is a humane and worthy man, and a well- informed, skilful, and, for his age, an experienced surgeon. He is in every respect qualified for the office of assistant house surgeon." These men, born in the same year, were of nearly the same age. The faithfulness of their friendship is admira- ble. The promotion recommended did not follow immediately, but came in due time. 6 After residing at the hospital but a short time Dr. Hunt resigned. He had conceived the idea of founding a medical college in New Orleans, and desired to devote his energies to that purpose. Dr. John H. Harrison, a scholarly man, and much beloved, was elected in his place. Dr. Stone was elected assistant house surgeon. He was the first appointee to this office, and in this capacity served from 1833 t0 IS35- This is the first official position held by him in New Orleans. Upon the retirement of Dr. Harrison in his favor, Dr. Stone was elected house surgeon, and served from 1835 t0 *839. At the expiration of his term he was elected a visiting surgeon to the hospital, in which capacity he served until his retirement from all active work in 1872. It gives us pleasure to allude, in pass- ing, to the firm friendship between Dr. Harrison and himself- one a man of diminutive physique, the other a giant by his side. In other respects they differed, but their general traits of char- acter were the ties. Dr. Stone, in good humor, used to call Dr. Harrison his walking-stick. We now speak of a prominet feature in his professional life-his connection with the Charity Hospital of Louisiana. Here wide scope was offered for his tireless industry and his broad benevolence. Here most of his best work in surgery was done. No surgeon on its roster, where many honorable names have been enrolled, has contributed as much to the rep- utation of this institution. His long term of service, the ex- tent of his practical work, and his charities among the poor have linked his name indissolubly with the history of the hos- pital. •We have gleaned mnch in regard to his services at the hospital from Dr. Charles J. Bickham, his ward student in 1855 and 1856, and subsequently the assistant house surgeon. From his personal reminisences, kindly written for us, we have extracted the following: " He was methodical and industrious, quick in perception, and prompt in the execution of what he conceived to be his duty in all cases. His thoughts were rapid, and he seemed always to take in at a glance the whole circumstances and details of a case. This kind of knowledge and ready comprehension as to the true state of things in any case was a peculiar and marked characteristic of the man. 7 It is often called intuition. Call it what you will, Dr. Stone possessed this faculty to a marked degree, and appeared al- ways to be ready for any emergency that might arise. " His resources were unbounded. He never seemed to be taken unawares. His knowledge, tact and ingenuity were equal to the occasion, and he never appeared so cool, self-possessed and grand in his whole nature, physical, mental and moral, as he did in the midst of sudden and alarming emergencies in surgery. He seemed to rather welcome such occasions, and in the midst of the most complicated and diffi- cult operations, cool, calm and collected, he would promptly do his duty, at the same time lecturing and explaining to those present the minutest practical details of the case. In truth, every visit to the hospital was an ovation to him, which he ac- knowledged with becoming modesty, but which served to doubly inspire him ; and his entire time at the hospital was one constant discourse upon the various diseases and their treatment to those around him. He seemed to realize his capability and that much was expected of him; yet, withal, he was as modest as a woman and appeared oblivious of his good deeds." In his surgical clinics he taught the advanced surgery of the old school. He taught the principles of drainage in suppura- tive arthritis, in hepatic abscesses and in pyothorax. He advocated resection of the rib to facilitate the drainage in sup- purative pleuritis. Whether in operative work or in the libera- tion of pus he made free incisions. In the surgery of the arteries he was an expert. He was among the first in the cure of aneurism of the vertebral artery. In November, 1849, he operated successfully in a case of traumatic aneurism of the vertebral by incising the sac, turning out the coagulum and controlling the artery by a graduated compress. During fourteen years of his work at the Charity Hospital he operated without an anaesthetic. Realizing the difficulties under which he labored, he was ready to welcome the new era in surgery then about to dawn. The news of the discovery of ether anaesthesia was not received with universal favor. The New Orleans Journal joined The Medical Examiner, of Philadelphia, in decrying the use of "such an invention as this." Its patented features and its toxic power were strongly 8 urged in objection. Such was the feeling in regard to the use of ether when Dr. Stone, on the 25th of February, 1847, am- putated the thigh of a man whilst in a state of etherization. The operation was performed in the amphitheatre of the Charity Hospital. The reporter of the occasion, in the published record, adds, with apparent exultation, " The operation was entirely satisfactory to all who witnessed it-a thigh had been amputated without pain." This incident illustrates Dr. Stone's independence of action in all medical matters about which his convictions had matured. When chloroform was introduced it became and continued his preferred anaesthetic. His influence in professorial teach- ing and in hospital practice before large classes of medical students has been an important factor in determining the choice of this agent by so many of the profession in the South. In the surgical service of the Charity Hospital his early contemporaries were Luzenberg, Picton, Mercier and Wedder- burn; the junior colleagues of his latter days were Smvth, Schuppert, Choppin, Richardson and Samuel Logan. It is worthy of mention that for thirteen years of the period of his connection with the hospital, Dr. John C. P. Wedder- strandt was the house surgeon, appointed under the auspices of Governor Roman. Dr. Wedderstrandt was a gentle and gifted man, always a student, and highly accomplished as a medical diagnostician. He and Dr. Stone were closely at- tached friends. They often met in consultation in the wards of the hospital, and their joint opinion, however involved the case, was accepted by their confreres as conclusive and cor- rect. In 1839, at expiration of his term as House Surgeon of the Charity Hospital, Dr. Stone, in connection with Dr. Will- iam E. Kennedy, founded the Maison de Sante, which stood among the earliest private hospitals established in America. After the retirement of Dr. Kennedy, in 1845, Dr. Stone as- sumed entire control of the institution. Its domestic manage- ment was intrusted to the Sisters of Charity, and under their care its affairs went on prosperously. In 1859 the Hotel Dieu, the infirmary of the Sisters of Charity, was founded, and the Sisters of the Maison went to 9 the new mission. The old institution now became Stone's In- firmary, and here, with assistants and associates, he continued his extensive work in general surgery. His infirmary was conducted as a private institution, but medical relief was never withheld from any applicant at its doors. In the summer of 1847, when the soldiers of the United States Army in Mexico were returning, discharged and sick, and filling the hospitals in New Orleans, many of them were kindly cared for in the old Maison. In 1861 Professor T. G. Richardson, then attending sur- geon, in presenting the annual report of Stone's Infirmary, published in the March number of the New Orleans Medi- cal and Surgical Journal, pays this beautiful tribute to his senior and friend: "It is an established rule of the house never to refuse professional services on the score of poverty of the applicant. And in this connection the writer takes the liberty of saying that the charity thus dispensed by his benev- olent colleague, Dr. Stone, incalculable in amount and unos- tentatious in its bestowal, is of itself sufficient to elevate its author to that high rank among philanthropists which his well- known abilities have long since commanded in the profession, which he adorns." This infirmary, widely known in its day, was situated on the corner of Canal and Claiborne streets, adjoining the Stone residence. Its doors were closed in August, 1867, and since then the buildings have been torn down and every vestige of them taken away. Before concluding the account of his connection with hos- pitals, it must be mentioned that for many years he was con- sulting surgeon to the Hotel Dieu, in association with Dr. P. C. Boyer, the physician in charge. When the Hotel Dieu was founded, Dr. Boyer became the physician by recommendation of Dr. Stone, and served for twenty-three years, until disabled by his fatal illness. The friendship of these men is worthy of record in this biography. Dr. Boyer was a physician of high character and a man without stain or reproach. The most important part of Dr. Stone's professional life and work was his connection with the Medical Department of the University of Louisiana, which was the descendant in direct 10 line of the Medical College of Louisiana and the parent and immediate predecessor of the present institution. From the first session, in 1834, until his retirement in 1872 he was an ac- tive and able teacher. In the first session he was appointed, through the friendship of Professor Hunt, as the acting demonstrater of anatomy in the place of Dr. John H. Harrison, who was disabled by ill- ness. From January, 1835, t0 Juty' T836, he was the dem- onstrator of anatomy; from July, 1836, to January, 1837, lec- turer on anatomy; from January, 1837, to May, 1837, profes- sor of anatomy and lecturer on surgery; from May, 1837,10 April, 1839, professor of anatomy and surgery; from April, 1839, to April 1872, professor of surgery. His only predecessor in the chair of surgery was Professor Charles. A. Luzenberg, who taught during the first two ses- sions, and resigned during the third course. In those days Dr. Luzenberg held high rank in New Orleans as a surgeon, and was much admired for his professional accomplishments. As a teacher of surgery Dr. Stone was never systematic, but usually discursive. In a didactic discourse he would not follow heaten paths. Some topic of the day, uppermost in mind or suggested by some recent case, would often beguile him from the announced subject of a lecture. His lectures, however, were always instructive and authoritative, and replete with axioms in happy illustration of essential principles. His manner as a teacher was earnest and direct, and his convic- tions were impressed with emphasis. No one came within the radius of his influence, whether graduate or student, without being impressed by the weight of his opinions on the medical questions of the day. His views on medical subjects were well matured, expressed frankly, and sustained cogently by the cited opinions of the best authorities and by the results of his own close observation. During visits to the Northern and Eastern cities he occa- sionally lectured by invitation before medical classes. Yellow fever was usually the chosen topic, as it was the absorbing theme in those days throughout the Southern section. A student of the University of Maryland in 1868, now Surgeon in the United States Army, Dr. J. L. Powell, recently in con- 11 versation recalled vividly the substance of a lecture once de- livered before his class by Dr. Stone. The lecturer told his convictions and narrated his cases in such an earnest manner as left an ineffaceable impression on the minds of his hearers. One case of yellow fever was related in which death seemed imminent from excessive temperature, when the doctor packed his patient in an ice-box rather than see him perish of the heat of fever. Tbe temperature was cooled and the patient recov- ered. The lives of many men are mirrored in their books and published papers, but the writings of Dr. Stone give but meagre knowledge of his work or his position as an authority on surgery in the South. His pupils and assistants occasionally published surgical memoranda of his lectures and clinics on a variety of topics. His son, Dr. Warren Stone, Jr., himself an accom- plished surgeon, published the last of these memoranda shortly before the father's death. These papers and all the more im- portant articles written by himself were published in the Medi- cal Journal of New Orleans. For thirteen years no article in his own name appeared in the journals. In 1845 he wrote an article on " The Treatment of Wounded Arteries," the purpose of which was to give his views upon the manner in which ligated vesels are closed by a clot. To his opinion, expressed then, nothing essential can be added to-day. In 1852 his most important article was entitled "Ligation of the common Iliac Artery; Use of the Silver Ligature." This case was reported to show the advantage of the silver ligature, " which was preferred because of its innocuous character." In this paper he alluded to his observation of the experiments of Dr. Twitchell, his preceptor, which were made toprove that ligated vessels were closed by a clot and not by adhesive in- flammation, and concluded with this statement: "All that is required of the ligature in the case of aneurism is to arrest the current of blood in the artery, and this can be done without strangulating the tissues inclosed in the ligature, so as to cause a division." In 1858 his article entitled " Observations on Hernia and Obstruction in the Bowel" appeared in the New Orleans 12 Medical and Surgical Journal. The author strongly advo- cated early operation. The following quotation epitomizes his views: "The bowel is in danger from the moment it is strangulated, and should be relieved as soon as possible." The treatment of hernia was to him always an interesting subject. At a meeting of the Physico-Medical Society of New Orleans, the proceedings of which were published in 1858, he discussed the relative merits of Gerdy and Weitzer's method in the radical cure of inguinal hernia. At that time he em- ployed an instrument devised by himself, and manufactured by George Tiemann, of New York, intended to combine and O 7 7 modify the methods just mentioned. His instrument consisted mainly of a canula and a silver needle or stylet. The .canula was made after the pattern of Weitzer's cylinder, but used only for conveying the stylet, which alone was allowed to re- main in the canal. The special advantages claimed for this plan was that the resulting inflammation would build up a barrier of lymph throughout the entire length of the inguinal canal. In 1859 and i860 he wrote a series of articles on " Inflam- mation," which were published in the same journal. In these articles the author insisted on the importance of conditions modifying the inflammatory process, and urged the necessity of modifying the treatment of disease according to varying pathological states. He drew the distinction very sharply be- tween the inflammation of esthenic and asthenic subjects from a clinical point of view. He showed a clear conception of the difference in the process by which a clean wound heals pri- marily and the true inflammatory process. Much attention was given to the subject of inflammation in his lectures and ward teaching. "Under certain conditions" he believed in vene- section in the treatment of inflammation. In entertaining this view he was not alone at that time. He was, however, a judici- ous bleeder. An article on " Union by the First Intention and Purulent Absorption" appeared in i860. In this paper he contrasted the American and French methods of treating wounds, con- curring fully in neither of the national modes. Observe in the following quotation the judicial action of the author's mind: 13 " The tendency of us all is to fall into a routine and to adopt some mode of treatment, and apply it to all cases and conditions, and hence the opposite systems of practice often seen, not only in different countries, but in the same country and in the same city, and even in the same hospital. This is strikingly illustrated by the exclusive and opposite methods of dressing wounds adopted by the American and French sur- geons. The American surgeons dress with the view of obtain- ing union by first intention in all cases, whether it is probable it may be effected or not. The French surgeons fill their wounds with lint to prevent union, if there should be disposi- tion to it. The French, however, I believe are not so exclu- sive in their mode of dressing as the Americans, but both are undoubtedly wrong. It is undoubtedly true that our mode of dressing is far better adapted to our country than to France, but it is evident that neither method is adapted exclusively to either country." In those days surgeons were playing hide and seek with principles of antisepsis, and in many of their therapeutic methods they were wiser than they knew. Dr. Stone used antiseptic astringents not for their bactericidal properties, but for their astringent action. This he deemed a mild and effectual alternative for the ecraseur, then so much in vogue in France, preferring to contract rather than crush the tissues as a means of preventing purulent absorption. His theory was not so good as his practice. In septic states he urged strongly general tonics, a generous dietary and the malt liquors, having so often observed the effect of this regimen upon the local con- ditions of wounds. His articles were not confined exclusively to surgical topics. In 1859 wrote a paper on " Pulmonary Tuberculosis." His views on climatic treatment are worthy of reproduction here : " It is a long time since I recommended a patient to any of the tropical islands. The steady heat of the climate is injurious, and there is but little advantage in the monotonous equanimity of temperature. I verily believe that changes of temperature are of an advantage, provided patients guard against the im- mediate effect. My situation here in New Orleans, at the out- let of the great West, has given me an opportunity of witness- 14 ing the sad effect of sending patients in the second and third stages of phthisis from the comforts of home to those hot and debilitating climes. A dry, bracing atmosphere is best, and it is none the worst for being pretty cold, if the patient can ex- ercise with comfort in the open air." In 1866 he wrote on " Cholera and its Treatment," a sub- ject which always interested him intensely. In this article he says: " It so happened that my professional life and the cholera in this country commenced together, or in the same year; and many incidents came under my observation calculated to throw some light on its character and pathology." The only authentic account of his beginning in medicine appears in the same article, and here, too, we found his own description of his perilous voyage in the Amelia. We have now mentioned his more important articles, and extracted parts of them, in which one may see his style as a writer. The rarity of his writings is most remarkable in a man so full of piactical information and so* capable of instruction. His monographs were usually written at the solicitation of medical friends. The following letter is so characteristic, and shows so clearly his disinclination to write, that we reproduce it from an old issue of the New Orleans Medical and Sur- gical Journal: . "August, 29, 1859. "Mr. Editor: According to promise, I herewith send you a small contribution, which I fear you will think hardly worth publishing. I have undertaken to give some of my impressions upon an important subject (inflammation), and my method of analyzing it, but find that I have totally failed. I know I have observed much and honestly, but with no object except to learn the right use of medicine ; but although my convictions, to me, have all the force of facts, when I come to put them to paper I feel myself in the condition of an ancient philosopher, who, to a difficult question, answered: " If you don't ask me I know, but if you ask me I can not tell." However, good or bad, publish it, and I will continue the subject and try to make something intelligent on the subject of treatment or the appli- cation of therapeutic agents to pathological conditions. "Very truly, your friend, " Warren Stone. "To Dr. B. Dowler." 15 He was himself editor of the New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal from 1857 to 1859, and co-editor from 1859 to 1868. He had little or no aptitude for such literary work. Our information, gleaned from a variety of sources, is to the effect that Dr. Stone, although disinclined to write him- self, was well informed in the medical literature of his day. In foreign travel he was received by some of the distinguished men of that time with marked attention. From his letters written while abroad, we infer that he proved himself quite capable of discussing the operative methods then on trial for the radical treatment of inguinal hernia with the surgeons of Guy's and Westminster; foot amputations and resections with Mr. Syme, of Edinburgh; the relative merits of extirpation and iodine injection in the treatment of ovarian cysts with Baker Brown, Simpson and Trousseau, himself taking the ground that excision was the proper method of treatment. He was distinguished as a diagnostician before the days of instru- mental precision. In deciding the time for an operation, which was an important matter in the preanaesthetic days, his judg- ment was reliable. For his decisive action in emergencies he was much admired. He was, as we may judge from the ac- counts of all who remember his methods, especially conspicu- ous for his practical sense in all matters relating to operative and after treatment. In our researches among the writings of his Louisiana contemporaries we have been profoundly impressed by their respect for his position and opinions. And here, in passing, we desire to pay the highest tribute to those contemporaries. The medical journals of New Orleans published in those days teem with their writings, which characterize them as men of high culture and zealous in their calling. No man in the pro- fession of Louisiana was ever so universally beloved as Dr. Stone. In his relations with other physicians he was gentle and considerate, never intrusive or aggressive. Many of the physicians in Louisiana to-day who knew him in life speak of him affectionately as Old Stone, and always with some expres- sion of endearment and respect. His position in New Orleans may be compared with that of Physick in Philadelphia, Mott in New York, Liston in London, Velpeau in Paris. Among the people he was the " Great Commoner in Med- 16 icine," as happily named by Professor Samuel D. Gross in a brief address once delivered before a New Orleans audience. His name was familiar in most of the homes of Louisiana, and dear alike to our gentlest folk and the lowliest. He was on good terms with all classes of the people, sturdy and steadfast among them during epidemics, and a friend on whom they could depend, whatever might befall. Contact with the peo- ple never lessened the grandeur of his character in their es- teem, but only gave them opportunity for learning those qualities of the man which irresistibly drew them to him. He was so thoroughly a man of the people that when he died their expressions of sorrow were manifested in many ways. The District Courts were adjourned as a mark of respect, the flags of the shipping stood at half-mast, and many of the stores on the main streets were closed at the time of the funeral. A man of his position and prominence was naturally sought for responsible offices in municipal and State govern- ment. He was Surgeon General of the State of Louisiana for a time during the civil war, and his incorrigible spirit brought him in collision with the Federal military authority. At one time he was remanded and sent to Fort Jackson. Fed- eral soldiers were among his patients, but they were treated always without a fee. He was never susceptible of reconstruc. tion. He was a member of the local medical societies, the Phys- ico-Medical and Medico-Chirurgical, the Louisiana State Medical Society, and the American Medical Association, of which he was vice president in 1869. In his day in the South he could not escape election as surgeon on the field of honor. Once, early in his professional career, while discharging this duty, one of the principals fell mortally wounded. He deliberately picked up the man and conveyed him into the city from the Bayou Bridge. His her- culean strength and his strong will made him equal to any emergency. Realizing that no biographer can adequately portray traits of character in one whom he had never known in life, we have asked permission of Professor Chaille to present here a per- sonal letter, written at our solicitation, which gives an insight jnto his remarkable character. 17 " Medical Department, " Tulane University of Louisiana, " New Orleans, January, 1894. " Dear Doctor-You request me to state what were the characteristics and what the professional accomplishments which so greatly distinguished Dr. Warren Stone. " His unusual weight and height sufficed to attract marked attention, and this was intensified by his large and rugged head and by the imposing strength of features, which were not handsome. In addition to this striking personality he pos- sessed, as Dr. T. G. Richardson, his friend, colleague, and successor, used to declare, the greatest brain and the greatest heart of any man in New Orleans. It has been my good for- tune to have personally known many of the most distinguished men of my time-statesmen and political leaders, soldiers and preachers, lawyers and doctors-and I testify that of all these great and famous men not one of them impressed me as having been endowed by nature with intellectual power equal to that of Dr. Stone. His hard common sense wedged its way into every vital question, and the profoundest scholars would be aston- ished with the depth of his views in matters which had not been specially studied by him. One of my tests of mental superiority has long been the suggestiveness of a man's con- versation, the extent to which he stimulates mental activity, and I have known no man Dr. Stone's equal in this regard. Let him talk on any subject, and, even if you disagree with him, he would force you to think, and very probably to rein- vestigate and to reconsider your own conclusions. " His language was so simple, direct, pithy, and saturated with common sense that he was always forcible and always easily understood, even by the ignorant. He knew, too, when he did not know, and, as unpretentiously as a baby, he never hesitated to avow his ignorance. "Dr. Stone was exceptionally sympathetic and congenial, frank and truthful, generous and magnanimous, and he had infinite charity for human frailties. He spoke evil of others rarely and very reluctantly, and only when needful to protect others from the vicious. He declared that those who spoke evil of others were those who were most prone themselves to do 18 evil and who were least deserving of credence or notice. As" frequently occasion arose he would remind others that two wrongs can never make a right. " He was regardless of dress, and also of fashionable con- ventionalities to an extent awfully shocking to dudes and dudesses, and his solecisms were often so amusing that they would excite his friends to shouts of laughter. He detested pretension of every kind, and I have known him guilty of what his victims denounced as gross rudeness to some fashionable, rich, pretentious swell, suffering with imaginary disease, and within a few minutes show as much tenderness as mother to babe over some ragged working woman weighed down with poverty, misery and disease. " Dr. Stone was a very enthusiastic Democrat, yet greatly admired and often quoted Daniel Webster, the great Whig leader. Once I asked, ' Doctor, how is it that you, such a Democrat, are so fond of Webster?' He replied, 'What on earth have my politics to do with my ardent admiration for Webster's great talent?' He was too magnanimous to hesitate to praise the merits of even his opponents. He was a Democrat not only in politics, but also in his tastes, infinitely preferring a laborer if intelligent to a gentleman if stupid. "Notwithstanding his Northern birth and education, he was as enthusiastic a Confederate as Democrat, and was a great friend and admirer of Jefferson Davis. After several interviews with Mr. Davis when president of the Confederacy, Dr. Stone said of him: 'Some men know a little of many things; some men much of a few things ; but Jeff Davis knows more of every thing than any man I ever knew.' " Notwithstanding the defects of his early education, Dr. Stone was an exceptionally well informed man, owing this to the fact that he sought the company of the best informed men, and was a great reader of the very best authors. He was as notable for forgiveness to enemies as for fidelity to friends. He sought always to promote peace and good will; and to his numerous high qualities it was due that no man's advice was oftener sought for and more confidently followed. " Of his rare and superior characteristics, probably none served better to promote his great popularity than his inex- 19 haustible wit and humor. His innumerable jokes and pithy sayings became current among the people from the Ohio to the Mississippi's mouth. He would go with one companion into a club or other place where men congregate, and start this companion to laughing; others would quickly be attracted, and soon a crowd would gather around him shouting with laughter. " He was, as are all great surgeons, not only a great sur- geon, but also a great physician. His experience and knowl- edge of yellow fever were unsurpassed. "Dr. Stone was a remarkably close and accurate ob- server, and had an exceptionally superior knowledge of anatomy; and one of his many good sayings was that 'the doctor who learns his anatomy from wax preparations and plates should operate solely on them.' Though neither a quick nor graceful operator, yet his thorough knowledge of anatomy enabled him to be a very sure and safe one. He was a very skilful diagnostician, and I think he surpassed in prognosis any one whom I have ever known. His profession, with unanim- ity, conceded to him special and unexcelled superiority in deciding whether an operation should be performed, how and when it should be done, and what subsequent treatment the patient required. " To his superior characteristics as a man, and specially to his superior knowledge and judgment as to disease and injuries, he owed the very distinguished professional reputa- tion he enjoyed-a reputation which would have left greater and more endearing proofs, and would have shown with greater lustre, but for the defects of his early education, which rendered literary composition always an unwelcome and grievous task, and the results of such tasks always most un- satisfactory to himself. Very truly, your friend, "Sanford E. Chaille, M. D." A few words more, with your permission, Mr. President, and we will have concluded the sketch of this eventful and useful life. In the spring of 1872, owing to failing health, he retired from all active professional work, and sought recupera- tion in travel, while away, visiting his venerable mother, who then resided with her daughter at Brattleboro, Vermont. He returned to New Orleans early in the autumn, suffering of 20 the final symptoms of diabetes mtllitus, and died in his own home on the 6th of December at the age of 64 years. His wife and three children survived him-two sons and a daugh- ter. The mother survived her sons, and died in 1892. The daughter, with her family, resides in the old home. With the rites of the Catholic Church his remains were put away in the Cypress Grove Cemetery, situated in the suburbs between New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. The genius of the man still lives, and in loving remembrance of him, his professional labors in their midst for forty years, and his unbounded benevolence, the people of Louisiana have woven the name of Warren Stone inseparably into their tradi- tions of his day.