John Stough Bobbs

John Stough Bobbs
Indiana State Senator, Marion County
In office
1857–1859
Personal details
BornDecember 28, 1809
Greenvillage, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States
DiedMay 1, 1870(1870-05-01) (aged 60)
Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, United States
Resting placeCrown Hill National Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana, Section 7, Lot 53
39°49′17″N 86°10′32″W / 39.8213119°N 86.1754626°W / 39.8213119; -86.1754626
Political partyRepublican
EducationJefferson Medical College
OccupationSurgeon, physician, politician, educator
Known forfirst successful cholecystotomy (1867), founder of Indiana Medical College (1869)

John Stough Bobbs (1809 – 1870) was an American surgeon, physician, politician, and educator.[1][2] He was a medical pioneer, and in 1867 he performed the first successful cholecystotomy for the removal of gallstones.[3][4] Bobbs was the founder of Indiana Medical College in 1869.

Early life and education

John Stough Bobbs was born on December 28, 1809, in Greenvillage, Pennsylvania, United States.[5]

He studied medicine under Dr. Martin Luther of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and graduated with a M.D. in 1836 from Jefferson Medical College (now Thomas Jefferson University) in Philadelphia.[5] Although some records dispute his medical degree.[6]

Career

Bobbs helped establish the Indiana Hospital for the Insane (1848; later known as Central State Hospital), where he served as a commissioner; he founded the Indianapolis Medical Society (1848); and helped with the founding of the Indiana State Medical Society (1849).[1]

From 1848 until 1852, Bobbs worked at Indiana Central Medical College, in various roles including as Dean.[1] He was elected in 1856 an Indiana state senator, representing Marion County.[1] During the American Civil War, Bobbs served in the Union Army as a medical inspector and as a commissioned surgeon.[1][7] In 1860, Bobbs was delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana.[7]

Grave of John Stough Bobbs at Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis
Grave of Bobbs at Crown Hill Cemetery

In 1867, Bobbs performed a gallbladder surgery for the removal of gallstones, and published a paper on the surgery.[4][6] The surgery happened above a pharmacy, and he used chloroform anesthetic.[4] No antiseptic was used in the surgery.[4] A 30-year-old woman named Mary E. Wiggins had a large mass removed, which included multiple gallstones (some report 40 gallstones), and she made a good recovery.[4][6][8] It took a decade before another gallstone removal surgery was recorded.[4]

Bobbs founded the Indiana Medical College in 1869, in order to maintain local physicians.[1] In 1908, Indiana Medical College was merged into the Indiana University School of Medicine.

He died of pneumonia on May 1, 1870, in Indianapolis,[6] and is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Fischer, Jessica (February 5, 2021). "John Stough Bobbs". Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  2. ^ Mitchell, Dawn. "Medical history (and a relieved patient) were made in Indianapolis". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  3. ^ Ellis, Harold (November 2009). "John Stough Bobbs: father of gall bladder surgery". British Journal of Hospital Medicine. 70 (11): 650. doi:10.12968/hmed.2009.70.11.45057. ISSN 1750-8460. PMID 20081593.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Ellis, Harold (2002). A History of Surgery. Cambridge University Press. pp. 101–102. ISBN 978-1-84110-181-1 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ a b "Franklin First: Our Good Old County Is Always at the Top of the Ladder". The Franklin Repository. September 14, 1904. p. 6. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c d Angus, L. D. George; Angus, Taleah R. (March 6, 2024). "John Stough Bobbs (1809–1870)". Unveiling The Legends: Celebrating Medical Visionaries, Their Revolutionary Contributions And Sacred Resting Grounds. The Writers Tree. pp. 169–172. ISBN 978-1-304-62781-0 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b "John Stough Bobbs (1809–1870)". The Political Graveyard: Politicians Who Were First. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  8. ^ "Dr. Bobbs and the 40 Gallstones". Indianapolis Times. September 24, 1947. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana's Digital Historic Newspaper Program.
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