Doctor Willard Bliss

August 18, 1825 (age 63)

Brutus, New York, Cayuga County, United States of America

Bliss"s first and middle names (Doctor and Willard) were inspired by Doctor Samuel Willard, a surgeon from New England. During his youth, the Bliss family lived in Savoy, Massachusetts. Bliss had one brother, Zenas (July 4, 1832 – April 23, 1877). Bliss treated Zachary Taylor for malaria at Fort Jesup, Louisiana in 1844. During the American Civil War, Bliss was a surgeon with the Third Michigan Infantry. Bliss later became superintendent at Washington District of Columbia"s Armory Square Hospital. He continued to practice in the city after the war had ended. On July 2, 1881, Bliss was summoned by Robert Todd Lincoln after James A. Garfield had been shot at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station in Washington, District of Columbia Bliss examined Garfield"s bullet wounds with his fingers and metal probes, concluding the bullet was in the President"s liver. Bliss became Garfield"s self-appointed doctor after their return to the White House. As trained nurses were uncommon at this time, Bliss used Cabinet members" wives as help, even though they had no knowledge of nurses" duties. Bliss also invited Alexander Graham Bell to test his metal detector on the President, hoping that it would locate the bullet. The device"s signal was thought to be distorted by the metal bed springs. Later the detector was proved to work perfectly and would have found the bullet had Bliss allowed Bell to use the device on Garfield"s left side as well his right side. After Garfield"s death, Bliss submitted a claim for $25,000 (equivalent to $613,017 in 2016) for his services to the President. He was offered $6,500 (equivalent to $159,384 in 2016) instead, an offer that he refused. Others believe that Bliss bullied and practiced malpractice, even for his day.

Doctor Willard Bliss

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physician

Background

Bliss was born in Brutus, New York to Obediah Bliss (1792–1863) and Marilla Pool (1795–1857).

Education

Bliss studied at Cleveland Medical College, submitting his thesis on Pseudarthrosis or False-Joint in 1849.

Career

Bliss"s first and middle names (Doctor and Willard) were inspired by Doctor Samuel Willard, a surgeon from New England. During his youth, the Bliss family lived in Savoy, Massachusetts. Bliss had one brother, Zenas (July 4, 1832 – April 23, 1877).

Bliss treated Zachary Taylor for malaria at Fort Jesup, Louisiana in 1844.

During the American Civil War, Bliss was a surgeon with the Third Michigan Infantry. Bliss later became superintendent at Washington District of Columbia"s Armory Square Hospital.

He continued to practice in the city after the war had ended. On July 2, 1881, Bliss was summoned by Robert Todd Lincoln after James A. Garfield had been shot at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station in Washington, District of Columbia Bliss examined Garfield"s bullet wounds with his fingers and metal probes, concluding the bullet was in the President"s liver.

Bliss became Garfield"s self-appointed doctor after their return to the White House.

As trained nurses were uncommon at this time, Bliss used Cabinet members" wives as help, even though they had no knowledge of nurses" duties. Bliss also invited Alexander Graham Bell to test his metal detector on the President, hoping that it would locate the bullet.

The device"s signal was thought to be distorted by the metal bed springs. Later the detector was proved to work perfectly and would have found the bullet had Bliss allowed Bell to use the device on Garfield"s left side as well his right side.

After Garfield"s death, Bliss submitted a claim for $25,000 (equivalent to $613,017 in 2016) for his services to the President.

He was offered $6,500 (equivalent to $159,384 in 2016) instead, an offer that he refused. Others believe that Bliss bullied and practiced malpractice, even for his day.

Achievements

Bliss was mentioned in correspondence by Walt Whitman, who claimed that Bliss answered the House of Representatives" proposal for his pension in 1887 by saying, "I am of opinion that no one person who assisted in the hospitals during the war accomplished so much good to the soldiers and for the Government as Mr.

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