Joseph Decatur Bryant (March 12, 1845 April 7, 1914)
[ was a surgeon, New York City Health Commissioner, Surgeon-General of the ]National Guard
National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
Nat ...
Surgeons and physician to Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
and John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He has been widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. Rockefeller was ...
. He also held a series of academic positions at Bellevue Hospital Medical College
NYU Grossman School of Medicine is a medical school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1841 and is one of two medical schools of the university, with the other being the Long Island School ...
, culminating with the title of professor of the principles and practice of surgery, and professor of operative and clinical surgery, at New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
and Bellevue Hospital Medical College.
Early life and education
Joseph Decatur Bryant was born on a farm near Troy
Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...
, Wisconsin Territory
The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...
, on March 12, 1845, the only child of Alonzo Bryant and Harriet Adkins Bryant. He attended public school in Troy[ and when still a young boy, moved with his parents to the State of New York.][
]
Bryant attended Norwich Academy and received his medical degree from Bellevue Hospital Medical College
NYU Grossman School of Medicine is a medical school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1841 and is one of two medical schools of the university, with the other being the Long Island School ...
in 1868. He remained at Bellevue Hospital as an intern from 1869 to 1871, after which he became an assistant to the professor of anatomy at the Medical College. He lectured for several years on surgical anatomy before being appointed to the position of professor of general descriptive and surgical anatomy in 1877. In 1883 he was named professor of anatomy and clinical surgery, and associate professor of orthopedic surgery. In 1898 he became professor of the principles and practice of surgery, a position he would retain for the remainder of his teaching career. In 1908, he received the honorary degree of LL. D. from New York University.[
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Career
In 1873 he was appointed as a sanitary inspector of the New York City Health Department, a position he held until 1879. In 1887 he was appointed by New York Mayor Abram Hewitt
Abram Stevens Hewitt (July 31, 1822January 18, 1903) was an American politician, educator, ironmaking industrialist, and lawyer who was mayor of New York City for two years from 1887–1888. He also twice served as a U.S. Congressman from an ...
as one of the city's Health Commissioners, and in the same year he was also appointed a Commissioner of the New York State Board of Health. As a Health Commissioner, he worked to protect the city from the effects of unsanitary conditions of the sewage system of the day, and to reduce the effects of disease brought into the city by immigrants. Although his term as Health Commissioner did not expire until May 1893, he resigned from both positions in March 1893, stating that he wanted to allow his successor time to familiarize himself with the position before the summer, when the worst health problems surface.
Bryant joined the 71st Regiment of the New York National Guard in 1872, becoming a surgeon of the regiment with the rank of Major. In 1882 then-Governor of New York Grover Cleveland commissioned Bryant as Surgeon-General of the state. His private practice was reportedly one of the largest in New York, where he was an attending or visiting surgeon at a large number of hospitals in the city. He also remained an instructor at Bellevue Medical College until the time of his death. In 1894 Bryant was named president of the Association of Medical Officers of the National Guard and Naval Militia of the State of New York.
Bryant was a close personal friend of Grover Cleveland, often accompanying him on hunting and fishing excursions. He became Cleveland's personal physician in 1887, continuing in that role after Cleveland was elected president. In July 1893, Bryant secretly operated on Cleveland to remove a cancerous growth from the roof of his mouth. The operation took place during a purported vacation cruise on the '' Oneida'' off Long Island; such secrecy had been deemed necessary in order avoid creating a greater financial panic in the country.[Nevins, Allan ed. Letters of Grover Cleveland, 1850–1908 (1933), pp. 529-530.] The facts of the surgery were not released until 1917, after the death of both Cleveland and Bryant.[
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Memberships
Bryant was a fellow of the American Surgical Association The American Surgical Association is the oldest surgical organization in the United States.
History
It was founded in 1880. Their publication, ''Annals of Surgery'', was started in 1885.
A collection of the association's papers are held at the Nat ...
, and a member of the International Society of Surgeons. He was president of the New York Academy of Medicine
The New York Academy of Medicine (the Academy) is a health policy and advocacy organization founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health ...
(1895–1897), the New York State Medical Association (1899), and the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016.
The AMA's sta ...
(1907–08).
Published works
Among his published works are the two-volume ''Manual of Operative Surgery'' (1884) and the eight-volume ''Bryant and Buck's American Practice of Surgery'' (1906–1911).[ He also authored many articles on surgical and anatomical subjects.]
Personal life
Bryant married Annette Amelia Crum, the daughter of Samuel Crum, on September 29, 1874.[ They had one daughter.][
On March 11, 1914, Bryant was hospitalized with complications from ]diabetes
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...
. He died on April 7, 1914, and was buried in Norwich, New York
Norwich is a city and county seat of Chenango County, New York, United States. Surrounded on all sides by the Town of Norwich,. The name is taken from Norwich, England. Its population was 7,190 at the 2010 census.
Lt. Warren Eaton Airpor ...
.
References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, Joseph D.
1845 births
1914 deaths
Physicians from New York City
People from Troy, Walworth County, Wisconsin
New York University Grossman School of Medicine alumni
Physicians from Wisconsin
American Surgical Association members
Writers from New York City
Writers from Wisconsin
Deaths from diabetes
American healthcare managers
Presidents of the American Medical Association