Mark Blumenthal (July 11, 1831 – January 11, 1921) was a German-born Jewish-American physician.

Life

Blumenthal was born on July 11, 1831 in Altenstadt,

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

, the son of Lawrence Blumenthal and Rebecka Mayer. Blumenthal immigrated to America with his parents in 1839. He attended the academy in

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Chambersburg is a borough in and the county seat of Franklin County, in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley, and north of Maryland and the Mas ...

as well as public and high schools in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

as a doctor of medicine in 1852. He served as assistant physician in Blackwell's Island Hospital from 1851 to 1852 and as deputy coroner of New York City in 1853. He then visited Europe in 1854 and worked as an attending physician in London, Paris, and Munich. When he returned to America, he was appointed resident and attending physician at the Jews' Hospital (later known as Mount Sinai Hospital). He held that position from 1854 to 1859, organizing the hospital's medical administration and formulating its records and monthly reports that were still in use decades later. During 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 ...

, Blumenthal served in the Third Regiment of the

New York National Guard The New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs (NYS DMNA) is responsible for the state's New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard, New York Guard and the New York Naval Militia. It is headed by Adjutant General of New ...

with the rank of surgeon-major. From 1862 to 1894, he was president and chief physician of the Institution for the Improved Instruction of Deaf Mutes, a Jewish institution that worked with deaf mutes regardless of their religion. There, he introduced a new system of teaching almost unheard of in America at the time, teaching the patients to read lips and not rely on dactylology. He served as chairman of the obstetrics department at 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 ...

and as president of the Medical Union, the Northwestern Medical and Surgical Society, the New York Physicians' Mutual Association, and the Medical Board of the

United Hebrew Charities The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services (the Jewish Board) is one of the United States' largest nonprofit mental health and social service agencies, and New York State's largest social services nonprofit. Its services are non-secta ...

. He also wrote a number of scientific articles for various medical journals. He practiced medicine in New York City for a total of 47 years. Blumenthal was a founder of the

Young Men's Hebrew Association A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social, and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish culture and heritage through holiday celebrations, ...

, founder and president of the Sabbath Observance Society of New York, and president of the Jewish Chautauqua from 1901 to 1902. He was a trustee of

Congregation Shearith Israel The Congregation Shearith Israel (Hebrew: קהילת שארית ישראל ''Kehilat She'arit Yisra'el'' "Congregation Remnant of Israel") – often called The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue – is the oldest Jewish congregation in the Unit ...

. He was married to Selina Asch. Blumenthal died at home on January 11, 1921.

References

1831 births 1921 deaths People from the Kingdom of Bavaria 19th-century German Jews American people of German-Jewish descent Bavarian emigrants to the United States 19th-century American Jews 20th-century American Jews Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni Union Army surgeons 20th-century American physicians Physicians from New York City {{DEFAULTSORT:Blumenthal, Mark