(Excerpt from The Art and Science of Surgery The position...)
Excerpt from The Art and Science of Surgery The position I have held for the last twenty years as a teacher of anatomy and surgery has placed me under obligations to numerous friends who have frequently requested me to pre pare a work on the principles and practice of surgery; and hav ing been induced to engage in the labor, I found it more and more captivating as progress in the undertaking was made. When my manuscript and illustrations were nearly completed, a fire swept away the toil of years; but not discouraged by the seemingly un toward event, I undertook at once to reproduce what had been lost; and I have obtained so much additional experience, and have acquired so many maturer views upon important chirurgical topics, that my readers may have been the gainers. I begin to congratulate myself upon what I once considered a misfortune. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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Howe was born in Paxton, Massachussets, in 1825. He was the son of Samuel Hubbard and Elizabeth Hubbard (Moore) Howe. He was descended from John Howe of Sudbury who became a freeman of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1640 and died in Marlboro in 1680. While Andrew was still a child his father moved to Leicester.
The boy received his early education in the district school of Leicester and under the wise direction of his mother. Though he was intensely fond of outdoor activities, his love for books early became paramount. He began the study of medicine under Dr. Calvin Newton, attending lectures at Worcester Medical Institute. Feeling the lack of preparatory training, he returned to Leicester and entered the academy there. After three years' close application, he entered Harvard, from which he was graduated in 1853. Under the spell of the brilliant Agassiz, young Howe was attracted to geology as a possible life work, but returned to his original choice, medicine. Dr. Frank H. Kelley of Worcester became his preceptor for a time, and in 1853 he entered Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia. The following year he went to New York, where he attended lectures and walked the wards of the hospitals, steadily advancing in knowledge of clinical medicine and surgery. He then returned to Worcester Medical Institute. He graduated in 1855.
Upon his graduation, his attainments were such that he was appointed demonstrator of anatomy, from which position he soon advanced to the professorship of anatomy. For six months he efficiently cared for the surgical practice of Dr. Walter Burnham, and then opened an office for himself in Worcester. In 1856 he was invited to lecture in the College of Eclectic Medicine and Surgery in Cincinnati, and again the next year, after which time he remained in Cincinnati. In 1859 he became professor of anatomy in the Eclectic Medical Institute, with which the College of Eclectic Medicine and Surgery had merged, and two years later was given the chair of surgery, which he held until his death.
For many years he wrote voluminously, not only concerning surgery, but on a wide range of subjects. Natural history still claimed a share of his interest. His editorials and leading articles were a feature of the Eclectic Medical Journal for more than thirty years. A work in manuscript by him, designed for children, was published by his wife after his death, Conversations on Animal Life (1897). Among the textbooks prepared by him are A Practical and Systematic Treatise on Fractures and Dislocations (1870), Manual of Eye Surgery (1874), Art and Science of Surgery (1876), and Operative Gynaecology (1890). Of his Art and Science of Surgery, Dr. Harvey W. Felter wrote: "While science moves on and new discoveries replace old theories and methods – and some of Dr. Howe's will go with them – yet will this book remain a delightful and valued repository of surgical lore stored in choice and chaste language" (post, p. 120). Though extremely conservative in the use of medicines Howe developed many substances of permanent value. He died January 16, 1892, of carbuncle upon the neck, having delayed calling surgical aid until it was too late to save his life, and was buried at Paxton, Massachussets.
As a surgeon he attained distinction and was called to all parts of the United States to perform operations. Though operating in the days prior to surgical asepsis, his success was remarkable, owing to his skill in diagnosis, accurate knowledge of anatomy, fearlessness, steady hand, and remarkable surgical judgment.
(Excerpt from The Art and Science of Surgery The position...)
He was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Cincinnati Society of Natural History.
He was married, February 2, 1858, to Georgiana Lakin of Paxton.
