Julius Mount Bleyer (16 March 1859 – 3 April 1915) was a New York doctor who specialized in

laryngology Laryngology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders, diseases and injuries of the larynx, colloquially known as the voice box. Laryngologists treat disorders of the larynx, including diseases that affects the voice, swallowing, or upper a ...

who took a keen interest in

medical jurisprudence Medical jurisprudence or legal medicine is the branch of science and medicine involving the study and application of scientific and medical knowledge to legal problems, such as inquests, and in the field of law. As modern medicine is a legal ...

. He studied the methods used for

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

and as a member of a commission, was among the first to propose lethal injections in 1888. He pointed out in ''The Medico-Legal Journal'', the problems with other methods of executing death sentences including decapitation and electrocution. Lethal injections were however not used until the early 1980s. Bleyer was also a pioneer of photofluoroscopy, a method of visualizing x-rays to observe the functioning of internal organs. He also introduced the idea of an

inhaler An inhaler (also known as a puffer, pump or allergy spray) is a medical device used for delivering medicines into the lungs through the work of a person's breathing. This allows medicines to be delivered to and absorbed in the lungs, which prov ...

for delivering medication into the lungs and considered applications in laryngology that made use of sound recording instruments.

Early life and education

Julius Bleyer was born in Pilsen,

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

to Samuel and Sophia, who moved to the United States in 1868. He studied at the University of Prague and obtained a medical degree in New York in 1883 from Bellevue Medical College. He obtained an

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

in 1896 and practiced in New York from 1883 until his death. Bleyer was a specialist consultant for the Metropolitan Opera Company from 1888 and dealt with the health of the throat. He served as a vice-president during an American congress on

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

and was a member of the New York Medico-Legal Society.

Personal life

Bleyer married Rose Florsheim in 1884.

Early life and education

Personal life

References

Further reading