Cornelius Rea Agnew (August 8, 1830 – April 18, 1888) was an American

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

Early years

Agnew was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, the son of William Agnew and Elizabeth Thompson Agnew; his ancestors, Huguenot, Irish and Scotch, came to America from time to time during the 18th century. He entered the Columbia College in 1845 and graduated from there in 1849 with the degree of

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

He then received the degree of

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

from the

New York College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the graduate medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founded ...

in 1852. In 1856, he married Mary Nash, daughter of Lora Nash, a New York merchant.

Career

Agnew began to practice medicine in 1854 and became house surgeon, and later curator, at the

New York Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center (previously known as New York Hospital or Old New York Hospital or City Hospital) is a research hospital in New York City. It is part of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and the teaching hospital for Cornell University. ...

. He went to

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for special study in his profession, and on his return was appointed surgeon to the

New York Eye and Ear Infirmary New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE) is located at East 14th Street and Second Avenue in lower Manhattan, New York City. Founded on August 14, 1820, NYEE is America's first specialty hospital and one of the most prominent in th ...

, from 1855 through 1864. He was appointed surgeon-general of the

State of New York New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. state ...

in 1858; during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, he was medical director of the New York Volunteer Hospital, treating wounded soldiers from the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

. He was prominent in the

United States Sanitary Commission The United States Sanitary Commission (USSC) was a private relief agency created by federal legislation on June 18, 1861, to support sick and wounded soldiers of the United States Army (Federal / Northern / Union Army) during the American Civil W ...

, which administered supplies and medical assistance to the field armies. After the war, he assisted in establishing the

Columbia School of Mines The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (popularly known as SEAS or Columbia Engineering; previously known as Columbia School of Mines) is the engineering and applied science school of Columbia University. It was founded as th ...

in 1864. In the same year, he was also one of the founders of the New York Ophthalmological Society. He was instrumental, in 1868, in the founding of an ophthalmic clinic in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of which he was in 1869 appointed professor and lecturer. He then founded the Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital in 1868 and the Manhattan Eye and Ear Hospital in 1869.

Last years

He served as a public

school trustee A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

and was president of the board, he was also one of the managers of the New York State Hospital for the Insane at

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

. The

New York County Medical Society The New York County Medical Society is a professional membership organization for physicians who live or work in the Borough of Manhattan. As such, it is part of the larger network of medical organizations which includes the American Medical Ass ...

elected him president in 1872. In 1869 he was elected to the clinical professorship of diseases of the eye and ear in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, a position which he held till his death on April 18, 1888, in New York City.

Legacy

A part of the success of the United States Sanitary Commission must be attributed to Dr. Agnew's labors. He prepared many papers relating to the eye and ear, and published in the current medical journals, also, a ''Series of American Clinical Lectures'' (1875), edited by E. C. Sequin (M.D.), besides numerous brief monographs. Agnew's papers were donated to the

National Library of Medicine The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library. Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. Its ...

in the late 1980s.

References

Citations

Sources

* * * *''Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume, 1607-1896.'' Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1963.

External links

*
Finding aid to the Cornelius Rea Agnew papers at Columbia University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnew, Cornelius Rea 1830 births 1888 deaths 19th-century American physicians Civilian doctors serving the Union Army Columbia College (New York) alumni Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni Columbia University faculty Physicians from New York (state) United States Sanitary Commission people