William Olin Stillman (September 9, 1856 - March 24, 1924) was an American

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

animal welfare Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity ...

activist,

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...

and medical writer.

Biography

Stillman was born in

Normansville, New York Normansville is a former hamlet in Albany County, New York, United States. In the 19th century, Normansville was a hamlet in the town of Bethlehem. Normansville was located within and along the north and south banks of the ravine carved by the N ...

."William Olin Stillman Papers, 1865-1903"
New York State Library. Retrieved March 4, 2020. He graduated from

Albany Medical College Albany Medical College (AMC) is a private medical school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1839 by Alden March and James H. Armsby and is one of the oldest medical schools in the nation. The college is part of the Albany Medical Center, which ...

in 1878 and worked as a physician at a sanitarium in

Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

(1878-1883).Watson, Irving Allison. (1896)
''Physicians and Surgeons of America''
Republican Press Association. p. 484 He obtained 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 ...

from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

in 1880. He lectured on the history of medicine at Albany Medical School and wrote many medical publications. He received his

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

in 1878. He was physician to the Open Door Mission and Hospital for Incurables (1887-1888) and to the Dominican Monastery and the Home For Christian Workers. He married Frances M. Rice on April 18, 1880. Stillman supported the humane treatment of animals and children and was president of the

American Humane Association American Humane (AH) is an organization founded in 1877 committed to ensuring the safety, welfare, and well-being of animals. It was previously called the International Humane Association before changing its name in 1878. In 1940, it became t ...

for 20 years. He was president of the Mohawk & Hudson River Humane Society for 36 years. He was chairman of the New York State Humane Education Committee and president of the International Federation of Societies for Animal Protection. Stillman established the Be Kind to Animals Week in 1915.

Award

The American Humane Association offers the William O. Stillman award to animals who in the face of danger have saved human lives or vice versa. The award is given "for recognition of a humane act of rescuing animals at personal risk or of the rescue by an animal of human life by virtue of extreme intelligence in an emergency. To an individual or to an animal."Kruzas, Anthony Thomas. (1980). ''Medical and Health Information Directory''. Gale Research Company. p. 287.

Selected publications

''The Future of the New York State Historical Association''
(1912)
''The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals''
(1912)

Biography

Award

Selected publications

References

Further reading