Lunsford Pitts Yandell Sr. (July 4, 1805 – February 4, 1878) was an American physician, educator, geologist, paleontologist and preacher. He was one of the founders and first professors at the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

. He also taught at

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

and the

Memphis Medical College Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memphi ...

Early life

Lunsford Pitts Yandell was born on July 4, 1805, in Hartsville, Tennessee to Elizabeth (née Pitts) and Dr. Wilson Yandell. His father practiced medicine in Hartsville and

Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

. His grandfather, William Yandell, was from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina and served in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. Yandell studied medicine under his father. He attended the 1822 to 1823 session at

and would graduate from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

in 1825. While at Transylvania University, he was taught by

Charles Caldwell Charles Caldwell may refer to: *Charles Caldwell (bluesman) (1943–2003), American blues musician *Charles Caldwell (physician) (1772–1853), American physician, founder University of Louisville School of Medicine *Charles Caldwell (politician) ( ...

and they became friends.

Career

Yandell practiced medicine for five years with his father in Murfreesboro until his father's death. In 1831, Yandell accepted the Chair of Chemistry in the medical department of Transylvania University in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

. The nomination for the job was influenced by his friend Charles Caldwell. In 1837, he moved to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

to become the founding dean of the

. He served as Chair of Chemistry, but would later transfer to Chair of Physiology and Pathological Anatomy. The transfer to Chair of Physiology appealed to the interests of Yandell. Yandell replaced his friend Charles Caldwell in this role, which caused a rift between the two men in Caldwell's later years. He developed and directed the construction of the first medical building at the University of Louisville. In 1859, Yandell resigned from the University of Louisville and moved to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. He worked as a professor of Theory and Practice at the

until it closed due to 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 ...

. Yandell briefly served in the medical corps of the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the Civil War. Yandell was a member of the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

and became licensed in 1862 as a preacher in Tennessee. In 1864, he was ordained the pastor of a church in Dancyville, Tennessee. He resigned his pastorship in 1867. In 1867, he returned to Louisville. Yandell was the founding editor of the '' Western Journal of Medicine''. He also worked as an editor for ''The Transylvania Medical Journal''. He published works in history, biography, education,

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

and

paleontology Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

. His works included the ''Contributions to the Geology of Kentucky'' (1847) with B. F. Shumard. He also published the article ''On the Distribution of the Crinoidea in the Western States'' about the class Crinoidea. He served as the president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Louisville in 1872 and president of the Medical Society of Kentucky the year he died.

Works

* ''Contributions to the Geology of Kentucky'' (1847)

Personal life

Yandell married Susan I. Wendel of Murfreesboro on October 18, 1825. They had thirteen children, but only three sons and a daughter survived infancy. Two sons became physicians, Lunsford Yandell Jr. and

David Wendel Yandell David Wendel Yandell (September 4, 1826 – May 2, 1898) was an American physician and soldier of the Confederate States Army in the American Civil War. Early life Yandell was born on September 4, 1826, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He was the ...

. His wife died in 1860 from typhoid fever. He was married a second time. Yandell died on February 4, 1878, of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

at the house of his son Lunsford Jr. in Louisville.

Awards and legacy

Yandell received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

honorary degree from the

University of Nashville University of Nashville was a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It was established in 1806 as Cumberland College. It existed as a distinct entity until 1909; operating at various times a medical school, a four-year military college, a ...

in 1838. Several fossils are named after Yandell.

References

External links

Yandell Family Papers, 1823–1887
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yandell, Lunsford 1805 births 1878 deaths People from Hartsville, Tennessee Physicians from Louisville, Kentucky University System of Maryland alumni University of Louisville faculty Transylvania University faculty Confederate States Army soldiers