Alfred Stillé (October 30, 1813 – September 24, 1900) was an American physician and medical educator. He was a professor of medicine at Pennsylvania Medical College from 1864 to 1884 and at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. He served as Chair of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and was one of the first physicians to differentiate between

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

and

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

. He helped to establish the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is an American professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. This medical association was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was 271,660 ...

and served as president from 1871 to 1872.

Early life and education

Stillé was born on October 30, 1813, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to John and Maria (Wagner) Stillé. He studied

classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, but was expelled for his participation in the

Conic Sections Rebellion The Conic Sections Rebellion, also known as the Conic Section Rebellion, refers primarily to an incident which occurred at Yale University in 1830, as a result of changes in the methods of mathematics education. When a policy change dictated tha ...

. He transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

, and received an A.B. degree in 1832. He received an A.M. degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1835 and in 1836 an

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

from the school's department of medicine.

Career

Stillé studied anatomy at Philadelphia Hospital and participated in a study during the 1836 typhus epidemic in Philadelphia to differentiate typhus from typhoid fever. He subsequently traveled to Paris to learn medical diagnoses under Pierre Charles Alexandre Lewis. He returned from Europe and worked as a resident physician at Philadelphia Hospital from 1839 to 1841. He accepted a role as lecturer on pathology and medicine at the Philadelphia Association for Medical Instruction. He worked as a professor of the theory and practice of medicine at Pennsylvania Medical College from 1845 to 1849 and as a visiting physician at St. Joseph's Hospital in 1849. He was elected as a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1852. In 1859, he became the president of the Pathological Society of Philadelphia. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, he served as a surgeon at Saterlee Hospital. In 1862 he served as president of the Philadelphia County Medical Society. He worked as a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania from 1864 to 1884 and later as Chair of Medicine. In the 1840s, he was a leader of a movement to implement reforms in medical education which resulted in the formation of the

. He served as the first secretary and as president of the association from 1871 to 1872. He was not always at the forefront of scientific knowledge though. His publications in the 1870s and 1880s refused to accept the

germ theory of disease The germ theory of disease is the currently accepted scientific theory for many diseases. It states that microorganisms known as pathogens or "germs" can cause disease. These small organisms, which are too small to be seen without magnification, ...

bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the Morphology (biology), morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the iden ...

. He died on September 24, 1900, in Philadelphia and was interred at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...

Personal life

He married Caroline Christiana Barrett in 1841 and together they three children. Caroline was institutionalized due to mental illness for over 50 years and died in 1899. He married Katharine A. Blakiston six weeks after Caroline's death.

Publications

*
Medical Education in the United States: An Address, Delivered to the Students of the Philadelphia Association for Medical Instruction, at the Close of the Session of 1846.
', Philadelphia: Isaac Ashmead, 1846 *
Elements of General Pathology: A Practical Treatise of the Causes, Forms, Symptoms, and Results of Disease.
', Philadelphia: Lindsay and Blakiston, 1848 *
The Unity of Medicine. An Introductory Lecture to the Course of Theory and Practice of Medicine, in the Medical Department of Pennsylvania College.
', Philadelphia: T.K. & P.G. Collins, 1856 *
War as an Instrument of Civilization. An Address Before the Society of the Alumni of the University of Pennsylvania
', Philadelphia: Collins, 1862 *
Epidemic Meningitis or Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis
', Philadelphia: Lindsay & Blakiston, 1867 *
Therapeutics and Materia Medica. A Systematic Treatise of the Actions and Uses of Medicinal Agents, Including Their Description and History.
', Philadelphia: Henry C. Lea, 1868 *
Cholera: Its Origin, History, Causation, Symptoms, Lesions, Prevention, and Treatment.
', Philadelphia: Lea Brothers & Co., 1885 *
The National Dispensatory.
', Philadelphia: Lea Brothers & Co., 1887

References

Citations Sources *

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stille, Alfred 1813 births 1900 deaths 19th-century American physicians American male non-fiction writers American medical writers Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Members of the American Philosophical Society Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Physicians from Philadelphia Presidents of the American Medical Association University of Pennsylvania faculty University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences alumni