Medical cases, Syracuse, New York, 1883-1884.

2 v. plus ca. 40 leaves in an envelope ; 22 cm

English

In English.

Purchased in 2012.

Open for research.

John Lorenzo Heffron, a physician of Syracuse, New York, was born in New Woodstock, New York on November 29, 1851, the son of Lorenzo Heffron, M.D. and Mary A. (Pettit) Lorenzo. He received his A.B. and A.M. from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, in 1873 and 1876 respectively. In 1879 and 1880, he studied at College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, but received his M.D. from the College of Medicine, Syracuse University in 1881, after which he studied abroad for two years in Germany and Austria. Heffron maintained a general private practice, later specializing in internal medicine. He held various faculty positions at Syracuse beginning in 1882, when he was named instructor in histology. In 1895, he became professor of clinical medicine and served as dean of the school from 1907 to 1922. Heffron died September 28, 1924.

The collection consists of two bound and numbered journals, labeled "Book A" and "Book B," covering September 1, 1883 to January 27, 1884, and January 29, 1884 to August 4, 1884. The entries are very full narrative accounts, often many pages in length, of the illnesses of his patients and his medical treatments. They include name, age, country of origin, occupation, and marital status, the patient's initial complaints, treatments over time, and the patient's condition over time. Heffron's patients included infants, children, and adult men and women. He regularly recorded temperature and pulse, and noted several other diagnostic tests. In a case of kidney disease, he included illustrations of microscopical examinations of fluids. In some cases, Heffron consulted with Henry Darwin Didama, professor of the principles and practice of medicine, who later became dean of the College of Medicine from 1887 to 1905. On November 14, 1883, Heffron recorded his observations on vaccinating 229 students in the public schools. The first volume is indexed by patient names and by diseases. In addition to the volumes, there are loose papers which include descriptions of other cases, some dated later in 1884; prescriptions; and receipts.

February 17, 2012

Case studies.

Physicians New York Syracuse.