Follow
Is there a doctor in the house? Sometimes medical professions seem to run in families. Perhaps it's in the genes. Profiles to be added to this project are for people in the medical profession and their family members also in a medically related field. These can be medical doctors, dentists, therapists, pharmacists, nurses, technicians- anyone with a job or profession connected to health. Perhaps they invented equipment, medications, or treatments used to help people. Or perhaps they had a disease named for them ("So you're on a Disease!?") because of research in which they were involved. Make sure you add all family members in this generation and those in preceding and following generations who were in medical fields and contributed to the "dynasty" for any profile you add to the project. It would also be good to add something in the About section of each profile about the medical dynasty in his/her family.
Examples of Doctor Dynasties:
• Philip Drinker (December 12, 1894 in Haverford, Pennsylvania –October 19, 1972 in Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire) was an industrial hygienist. With Louis Agassiz Shaw, he invented the first widely used iron lung in 1928. His brother, Cecil Kent Drinker (1887-1956) was a pathologist. His son, Philip A. Drinker, is bioengineer.
• Clan Munro produced three medical dynasties, all descended from Hugh Munro, 9th Baron of Foulis (c.1352-1425), 12th chief of the clan. The 'Edinburgh Munros' included three Alexanders Monro - grandfather, father, and son. Between them they occupied the university chair of Anatomy at the University of Edinburgh for 126 years from 1720. Dr. David Munro, son of the third Alexander Munro, emigrated to New Zealand where his descendants included several doctors, the last of whom died in 2013. The 'Bedlam Munros' achieved fame in London managing mental illness for 154 years from 1728-1882. The 'Bonesetter Munros' practiced their trade for over 100 years, from the start of the 19th century to the early 20th century, drawing patients from all over Britain.
• Benjamin Bell (1749-1806), his son Joseph Bell (1786-1848), his grandson Benjamin Bell (1810-1883), and his great-grandson Joseph Bell (1837-1911) were all Edinburgh surgeons.
• James Gregory (1674-1733) held the chair of medicine at the King's College Aberdeen as did his sons James Gregory (1707-1755) and John Gregory (1724-1773). John went on to hold the chair of medicine in Edinburgh, and his son James Gregory (1753-1821) succeeded him in that chair while one grandson, William Gregory (1803-1858) held a chair of medicine in Aberdeen, and another grandson, William Pultney Alison (1790-1859) was professor of Medical Jurisprudence at Edinburgh.
• The Wesselhoeft family - six generations - have practiced medicine in Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Canada, and the United States. In the early part of the 19th century, two Wesselhoeft brothers left Europe and settled in New England. They and their progeny gave rise to a medical dynasty. The Wesselhoeft doctors became practitioners of homeopathy, hydropathy, conventional medicine, and surgery. (Conrad Wesselhoeft, Sr is in Geni.)
Sources: