Barnabas Binney (1751–21 June 1787) was an American

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

. The son of a sea captain, Binney was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

in 1751. He was educated at

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

, graduating at the top of his class in 1774. At his commencement ceremony, he gave a valedictory address on the necessity of the freedom of religious worship. He moved from

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, where he studied medicine. One of his mentors in this field was Benjamin Rush. Binney married Mary Woodrow in 1777 and they had four children, one of whom,

Horace Binney Horace Binney (January 4, 1780 – August 12, 1875) was an American lawyer, author, and public speaker who served as an Anti-Jacksonian in the United States House of Representatives. Early life Binney was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the ...

, served in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. Binney joined the US Army during the Revolutionary War as a hospital surgeon, treating wounded soldiers at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-1778. While working as an army surgeon in Philadelphia in 1783, a soldier known as Robert Shirtliff was brought to his hospital with a fever. Dr. Binney discovered that Shirtliff was in fact a woman named Deborah Sampson, who had disguised herself to enlist. Binney wrote a note to her superior officer, General John Paterson, explaining what he had found, and “Robert Shirtliff” was honorably discharged. Binney was elected as a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

in 1784.

Later years and death

After the war, Binney established a medical practice in Philadelphia, but years of military service had weakened his health. After taking a turn for the worse 1787, he travelled to Berkeley Springs, Virginia to rest and recover. He died on his journey back to Philadelphia in June 1787. He is buried in the Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia. Members of the American Philosophical Society

References

{{Reflist, 30em Brown University alumni 18th-century American physicians People of Pennsylvania in the American Revolution People from Boston Physicians from Massachusetts Physicians from Philadelphia 1751 births 1787 deaths