Guy Beckley Stearns (16 September 1870 – 1947) was an American physician specializing in

homeopathy Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths, believe that a substance that causes symptoms of a dis ...

and the developer of autonomic reflex testing in the study of homeopathic preparations. He also was the founder of the Foundation for Homeopathic Research. Stearns conducted early research with very highly potentized remedies first with

fruit flies Fruit fly may refer to: Organisms * Drosophilidae, a family of small flies, including: ** ''Drosophila'', the genus of small fruit flies and vinegar flies ** ''Drosophila melanogaster'' or common fruit fly ** ''Drosophila suzukii'' or Asian fruit ...

and later with the Emanometer, a tuning device made by Dr. William E. Boyd of

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Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Childhood and education

He was born in

Wilmot Wilmot may refer to: Places Australia *Division of Wilmot, an abolished Australian Electoral Division in Tasmania *Wilmot, Tasmania, a locality in the North-West Region Canada *Wilmot, Nova Scotia, an unincorporated rural community and former to ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, a son of Minot Stearns and his wife, the former Sara J. Hazeltine. Stearns was a graduate of the Homeopathic Medical College in New York City"Nurse Dead, Doctor Held: He Is Accused of Performing an Operation Upon Her," The New York Times, 14 March 1907, p. 3. and a 1900 graduate of New York Medical College

Early career scandal

In 1907, when Stearns was a resident at

Metropolitan Hospital Metropolitan Hospital Center (MHC, also referred to as Metropolitan Hospital) is a hospital in East Harlem, New York City. It has been affiliated with New York Medical College since it was founded in 1875, representing the oldest partnership be ...

(then located on

Blackwell's Island Roosevelt Island is an island in New York City's East River, within the borough of Manhattan. It lies between Manhattan Island to the west, and the borough of Queens, on Long Island, to the east. Running from the equivalent of East 46th to 85 ...

in New York City), as well as Flower Free Surgical Hospital, he was arrested for performing an unspecified private operation on a nurse and longtime friend named Susan T. Greene (also known as Mrs. Graham), who then died of septic

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One part or ...

. Given the evasiveness of the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' article about the case in terms of specifics, as well as considering that the nurse used the false name Mrs. Graham when she checked into Stearns's office and that she travelled from Boston to New York solely to be operated on by Stearns, with whom the paper reported she had worked in a resort hotel when they were teenagers, indicates that the doctor may have been arrested for performing an illegal

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

Marriage

Stearns married Ada King prior to 21 April 1912. She died in 1956.

Collections

Stearns was a well-known collector of rare books, including a 1479 edition of the works of

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...

, a partial autograph manuscript of

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

's ''

A Tramp Abroad ''A Tramp Abroad'' is a work of travel literature, including a mixture of autobiography and fictional events, by American author Mark Twain, published in 1880. The book details a journey by the author, with his friend Harris (a character created f ...

'', and a first edition of

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

's ''Q Horatius Flaccus''.''Two Collections Are Sold'', The New York Times, 20 January 1927, p. 16, and ''Rare Books Bring $6,554'', The New York Times, 21 January 1927, p. 8.

References

External links

*
NosodesAbrams, Boyd, and the emanometerAutonomic Reflex Testing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stearns, Guy Beckley 1870 births 1947 deaths American homeopaths New York Medical College alumni People from Wilmot, New Hampshire