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John Stough Bobbs

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John Stough Bobbs
Indiana State Senator, Marion County
In office
1857–1859
Personal details
BornDecember 28, 1809
Greenvillage, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States
DiedMay 1, 1870(1870-05-01) (aged 60)
Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, United States
Resting placeCrown Hill Cemetery
Political partyRepublican
EducationJefferson Medical College
OccupationSurgeon, physician, politician, educator
Known forfirst successful cholecystotomy (1867), founder of Indiana Medical College (1869)

John Stough Bobbs (1809 – 1870) was an American surgeon, physician, politician, and educator.[1][2] He was a medical pioneer, and in 1867 he performed the first successful cholecystotomy for the removal gallstones.[3][4] Bobbs was the founder of Indiana Medical College in 1869.

Early life and education

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John Stough Bobbs was born on December 28, 1809, in Greenvillage, Pennsylvania, United States.[5]

He studied medicine under Dr. Martin Luther of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and graduated with a M.D. in 1836 from Jefferson Medical College (now Thomas Jefferson University) in Philadelphia.[5] Although some records dispute his medical degree.[6]

Career

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Bobbs helped establish the Indiana Hospital for the Insane (1848; later known as Central State Hospital), where he served as a commissioner; he founded the Indianapolis Medical Society (1848); and helped with the founding of the Indiana State Medical Society (1849).[1]

From 1848 until 1852, Bobbs worked at Indiana Central Medical College, in various roles including as Dean.[1] He was elected in 1856 an Indiana state senator, representing Marion County.[1] During the American Civil War, Bobbs served in the Union Army as a medical inspector and as a commissioned surgeon.[1][7] In 1860, Bobbs was delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana.[7]

Grave of John Stough Bobbs at Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis
Grave of Bobbs at Crown Hill Cemetery

In 1867, Bobbs performed a gallbladder surgery for the removal gallstones, and published a paper on the surgery.[4][6] The surgery happened above a pharmacy, and he used chloroform anesthetic.[4] No antiseptic was used in the surgery.[4] A 30 year old woman named Mary E. Wiggins had a large mass removed, which included multiple gallstones (some report 40 gallstones), and she made a good recovery.[4][6][8] It took a decade before another gallstone removal surgery was recorded.[4]

Bobbs founded the Indiana Medical College in 1869, in order to maintain local physicians.[1] In 1908, Indiana Medical College was merged into the Indiana University School of Medicine.

He died of pneumonia on May 1, 1870, in Indianapolis,[6] and is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Fischer, Jessica (February 5, 2021). "John Stough Bobbs". Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  2. ^ Mitchell, Dawn. "Medical history (and a relieved patient) were made in Indianapolis". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  3. ^ Ellis, Harold (November 2009). "John Stough Bobbs: father of gall bladder surgery". British Journal of Hospital Medicine. 70 (11): 650. doi:10.12968/hmed.2009.70.11.45057. ISSN 1750-8460. PMID 20081593.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Ellis, Harold (2002). A History of Surgery. Cambridge University Press. pp. 101–102. ISBN 978-1-84110-181-1 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ a b "Franklin First: Our Good Old County Is Always at the Top of the Ladder". The Franklin Repository. September 14, 1904. p. 6. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c d Angus, L. D. George; Angus, Taleah R. (March 6, 2024). "John Stough Bobbs (1809–1870)". Unveiling The Legends: Celebrating Medical Visionaries, Their Revolutionary Contributions And Sacred Resting Grounds. The Writers Tree. pp. 169–172. ISBN 978-1-304-62781-0 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b "John Stough Bobbs (1809–1870)". The Political Graveyard: Politicians Who Were First. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  8. ^ "Dr. Bobbs and the 40 Gallstones". Indianapolis Times. September 24, 1947. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana's Digital Historic Newspaper Program.
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