Samuel Jason Mixter was born on May 10, 1855, in Hardwick, Massachussets, to William and Mary (Ruggles) Mixter. He was a descendant of Isaac Mixer (or Mixter), born in Suffolk County, England, who sailed from Ipswich for America on the Elizabeth, April 10, 1634. Through Mary Ruggles his mother, he traced his ancestry to Gov. Thomas Prence of Plymouth Colony and to Elder William Brewster. Some of his ancestors were successful farmers and storekeepers; others were prominent in the business and political life of their communities.
Education
Mixter received his early education in schools at Amherst and Boston, graduated as a bachelor of science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1875, and as a doctor of medicine from Harvard in 1879. Then, he went to Vienna, where Mixter studied surgery, anatomy, and microscopic pathology.
Career
In 1879, Mixter became a surgical house officer at the Massachusetts General Hospital. In 1882, he became assistant demonstrator of anatomy at the Harvard Medical School and in 1887 demonstrator. The Warren Museum of that institution possesses specimens prepared by him which testify to his skill and careful craftsmanship. In 1886, he was appointed to the staff of the Massachusetts General Hospital, a connection which lasted to the end of his life. He was surgeon to out-patients, 1886 to 1894; visiting surgeon, 1894 to 1911; chief of West Surgical Service, 1911 to 1915; and on the board of consultation, 1915 to 1926. At one time or another he was upon the staff of other hospitals but his life work centered at the Massachusetts General. Here his surgical colleagues were C. B. Porter, H. H. A. Beach, J. Collins Warren, Arthur T. Cabot, John Homans, Maurice H. Richardson, John W. Elliott, and Francis B. Harrington. Even in such a group he was conspicuous. He died at Grand Junction, Tennessee, where he happened to be when taken ill with pneumonia.
Achievements
Mixter's modification of the Abbe operation for the cure of trigeminal neuralgia was one of his outstanding contributions to neurological surgery and this operation was well known until superseded by section of the sensory root of the nerve. He was particularly interested and successful in surgery of the oesophagus. Some of the best known of the many instruments which he invented are those which he used in his oesophageal operations. He perfected the technique of skin grafting and devised special instruments for this purpose. The "Mixter colostomy" is one of the recognized procedures in intestinal obstruction. He made numerous contributions to medical literature, dealing particularly with unusual cases and original surgical methods, and delivered scholarly addresses on other subjects before some of the larger surgical societies of the country. To his interest in the practical problems of the hospital was due the reclaiming of surgical gauze at the Massachusetts General Hospital, by a process which has been of great economic value to hospitals all over the country. He was president of the American Surgical Association in 1917 and the first president of the New England Surgical Society. During the later part of his life the large Mixter farm at Hardwick came under his care. There he developed and perfected a herd of Guernsey cattle, which, at the time of its dispersal, was the largest and probably the best in the United States. He saw active service during the World War and returned a lieutenant-colonel in the Medical Reserve Corps.
Personality
Mixter's knowledge of anatomy and pathology, his skilled surgical technique, his courage and sound judgment, and his resourceful mind made him a notably successful surgeon.
Mixter was a friendly person; his greetings, invariably cheerful and happy. His physical appearance, even in his later years, was that of a man of robust health. He always dressed carefully and generally wore a flower in his buttonhole; his mobile face lighted and his eyes twinkled as he talked to his friends.
Interests
Mixter was a keen sportsman. No year was complete for him unless it contained its proper share of hunting and fishing.
Connections
On August 12, 1879, Mixter married Wilhelmina Galloupe, descended from John Gallop who came to America on the Mary and John in 1630, and was one of the earliest grantees of land in Boston.
Father:
William Mixter
Mother:
Mary (Ruggles) Mixter
Wife:
Wilhelmina Galloupe
colleague:
Arthur T. Cabot
1852-1912
Was the first curator of the Dental Museum, serving from 1879 to 1881.
colleague:
Maurice H. Richardson
colleague:
John Homans
1877 – 1954
Was an American surgeon who described Homans' sign and Homans' operation.
colleague:
H. H. A. Beach
colleague:
John Collins Warren
May 4, 1842 – November 3, 1927
Was an American surgeon and president of the American Surgical Association.
