The Dr. Ephraim McDowell House, also known as McDowell House, was a home of medical doctor Ephraim McDowell. The home was declared a U.S.

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1966 for its role as the site of the world's first

ovariotomy Oophorectomy (; from Greek , , 'egg-bearing' and , , 'a cutting out of'), historically also called ''ovariotomy'' is the surgical removal of an ovary or ovaries. The surgery is also called ovariectomy, but this term is mostly used in reference t ...

, performed without anesthesia by Dr. McDowell in 1809.

Ephraim McDowell biography

Ephraim McDowell (November 11, 1771 – June 25, 1830) was an American physician. He was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia and moved with his family to

Danville, Kentucky Danville is a home rule-class city in Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 Census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes ...

in 1784. He studied under Dr. Humphrey in

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, then attended lectures in medicine at the

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, Scotland, from 1793 to 1794 and studied privately with John Bell. In 1795. he returned from Scotland, settled in Danville, Kentucky and began his practice as a surgeon. Dr. McDowell played a prominent role in his community. He was a founder of Trinity Episcopal Church in Danville and a founder and original corporator of Centre College in Danville. Dr. McDowell became a member of the

Philadelphia Medical Society Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

in 1817. He removed a

urinary stone A bladder stone is a stone found in the urinary bladder. Signs and symptoms Bladder stones are small mineral deposits that can form in the bladder. In most cases bladder stones develop when the urine becomes very concentrated or when one is d ...

and repaired a

hernia A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the gr ...

for

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...

. On December 13, 1809, Dr. McDowell diagnosed an ovarian tumor in Jane Todd Crawford of Green County, Kentucky, In his house on Christmas morning, 1809, Dr. McDowell removed a tumor without anesthetic or antisepsis. Mrs. Crawford made an uncomplicated recovery, returning to her home 25 days later and living another 32 years. This was the first successful removal of an ovarian tumor in the world.

House history

The house was built in three stages. A brick ell was constructed 1792–1795. Dr. McDowell purchased it in late 1802. He added the front, clapboard portion in 1803–1804 and the small brick office to the left of the back porch in 1820. The house was remodeled at the same time. After McDowell's death in 1830 the house was sold. It was the home of a Centre College president for a short time. Later the entire area became slum and tenement property. The house deteriorated badly. Dr. August Schachner, of Louisville, led the efforts to buy the house for restoration. In 1921 he visited the house. "Since our last visit, the house has continued its downward course until it has reached a point where it now seems almost beyond redemption. The room that served as the original office of Dr. McDowell is now used as a shoe-shining booth for Negroes. The room in the rear of the corresponding front room on the second floor,"(the operating room) "which is on a lower level by several feet, is used as a dump for the ashes from the grates of the rooms on the second floor." Th
Kentucky Medical Association
bought the house in 1935 and deeded it to the state of Kentucky, who had it restored by

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

(WPA). It was dedicated on May 20, 1939. In 1948, Kentucky returned the property to the Kentucky Medical Association. Th
Kentucky Pharmaceutical Society
restored the Apothecary Shop in the late 1950s with help from th
Eli Lily Foundation
It was furnished by the

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Laboratories. It was dedicated and presented to the Kentucky Medical Association on August 14, 1959.

References

External links

Museum official web site
{{National Register of Historic Places National Historic Landmarks in Kentucky Historic house museums in Kentucky Houses completed in 1795 National Register of Historic Places in Danville, Kentucky Museums in Boyle County, Kentucky Medical museums in the United States Works Progress Administration in Kentucky Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Houses in Boyle County, Kentucky 1795 establishments in Kentucky Federal architecture in Kentucky Gynaecology