Irvin Abell (September 13, 1876 – August 28, 1949) was a surgeon from

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 ...

Early life

Irvin Abell was born on September 13, 1876, in

Lebanon, Kentucky Lebanon is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city and the county seat of Marion County, Kentucky, Marion County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 5,539 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Lebanon is located in ...

to Sarah Silesia (née Rogers) and William Irvin Abell. The Abell family had lived in Kentucky since 1788. He attended St Augustine's Catholic School in Lebanon. He graduated from St. Mary's College in 1894 with a

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. Abell graduated from Louisville Medical College in 1897 and then studied in Germany at the

University of Marburg The Philipps University of Marburg (german: Philipps-Universität Marburg) was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the wor ...

and the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...

. --Career-- In 1897, Abell interned at Louisville City Hospital. Abell joined the faculty at Louisville Medical College faculty in 1900 and became professor of surgery when the school merged with 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 o ...

in 1908. He remained in the role of professor until he retired in June 1947. He was named to the school's board of trustees in 1935. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Abell served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He was commanding officer of a base hospital in France, and served as a colonel. Abell was the first Grand Presiding Senior (president) of Phi Chi Medical Fraternity (Southern) in 1897. Abell was president of the

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from 1938 to 1939, and also served as president of the American College of Surgeons, Southeastern Surgical Association, and the Kentucky State Medical Association. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he chaired the national committee that consulted with the

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on matters of public health. Abell wrote the book "Retrospect of Surgery In Kentucky".

Personal life

Abell married Carrie Harting of Lexington, Kentucky on October 19, 1907. Together, they had four sons: Irvin Abell Jr., Spalding, William and Jonathan. Abell died on August 28, 1949, while vacationing at Kamp Kaintuck on Pickerel River in

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. He was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Louisville.

Awards

In 1938, Abell received the

Laetare Medal The Laetare Medal is an annual award given by the University of Notre Dame in recognition of outstanding service to the Catholic Church and society. The award is given to an American Catholic or group of Catholics "whose genius has ennobled the a ...

, an award given by the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

annually to an "outstanding Catholic layman". Abell received honorary doctor of science degrees from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, Manhattan College,

University of Columbia Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatta ...

and University of Louisville. He also received honorary doctor of law degrees from

Marquette University Marquette University () is a private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Martin Henni, the first Bishop of the diocese of M ...

and the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...

Early life

Personal life

Awards

References

Further reading