A.Y.P. Garnett
Encyclopedia
Alexander Yelverton Peyton Garnett (September 8, 1820 – July 11, 1888) was an American
physician
. He was President of the American Medical Association
, and served Jefferson Davis
and Robert E. Lee
during the American Civil War
. He was a graduate of the George Washington University Medical School
.
, Virginia
on September 8, 1820, the son of Muscoe Garnett and Maria Battile. Among his ancestry were many of the best known old families of Virginia. His boyhood was spent at his home, and his education conducted under private tutors. He began studying medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
at the age of nineteen, and graduated in 1842. After graduation, he was appointed Assistant Surgeon in the Navy
. His first cruise was to the Pacific
, under Commodore Cornelius Stribling
, on the American steamer USS Cyane
. On a subsequent cruise to South America
, he met his wife, Mary Wise, daughter of then United States Minister to the Court of Brazil
, Henry A. Wise
. After his marriage he was stationed temporarily at Washington
, but later resigned his position in the Navy and began his career as a civilian physician. He was then elected to the chair of Theory and Practice of Medicine in the National Medical College
of Columbian University.
At the outbreak of the American Civil War
his sympathies were warmly enlisted with his native state of Virginia; he left Washington for Richmond, Virginia
, where he remained until the close of the war. So many of his friends and former patients were in this city that he very soon found himself actively engaged in as large a practice as before his removal. He was appointed surgeon in the Confederate Army, and placed in charge of two hospitals. He was also a member of the Board of Medical Examiners to examine applicants for admission to the Medical Corps. These positions he continued to hold during the entire war. He was the physician of General Robert E. Lee
and family, as well as to the families of Generals Joe Johnston
, Wade Hampton
, William Preston
, John C. Breckinridge
, and of many members of the Confederate Cabinet and Congress.
At the termination of the war in 1865, when Richmond was evacuated, Dr. Garnett, at the request of Jefferson Davis
, accompanied him as a member of his personal staff, but after the surrender of Johnston's army he returned to Richmond a paroled prisoner. He resumed the practice of his profession in Richmond, but in 1865 returned to Washington. Here he immediately found himself engaged in active practice and in lecturing. He was elected to the chair of Clinical Medicine in the Medical Department of Columbian University, which position he held for many years. He also became one of the Board of Directors of the Children's Hospital, and served as President of the Medical Society and of the Medical Association of the District of Columbia. In 1874 he was chosen President of the Southern Memorial Association of Washington, and selected to deliver the oration upon the occasion of the interring of the dead of Early's
army, who had fallen in the attack upon Washington. His address upon that occasion was conciliatory in its tone.
Dr. Garnett was elected President of the American Medical Association
, and presided at its meeting in 1886. His address on medical education excited a great deal of notice and approval at the time, as he brought into very broad relief the evils of medical education in this country. His last public work was in connection with the meeting of the International Medical Congress, held in Washington in 1887. It is well known how many obstacles and difficulties attended the completing of the arrangements for that meeting and it was only by dint of most arduous labor and untiring energy that Dr. Garnett, as Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements, gave it so large a measure of success. There is no doubt that the anxiety of mind and physical fatigue attendant upon his duties at this time helped to bring on the death of Dr. A. Y. P. Garnett, a failure of health which ended in his sudden death in the summer of 1888.
Dr. Garnett contributed a number of papers to medical journals, which were all of great practical value and interest. The paper which he read at the meeting of this Society, in 1887, entitled "Observations on the Sanitary Advantages of Tide Water Virginia" is a fair example of his thoroughness in the treatment of medical questions.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
. He was President of the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
, and served Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
and Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He was a graduate of the George Washington University Medical School
George Washington University Medical School
The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences was established in 1824 due to the need for doctors in the District of Columbia but formally opened its doors a year later in 1825. It is the eleventh oldest medical school in the country and the first medical school...
.
Biography
Garnett was born in Essex CountyEssex County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,989 people, 3,995 households, and 2,740 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile . There were 4,926 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
on September 8, 1820, the son of Muscoe Garnett and Maria Battile. Among his ancestry were many of the best known old families of Virginia. His boyhood was spent at his home, and his education conducted under private tutors. He began studying medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
at the age of nineteen, and graduated in 1842. After graduation, he was appointed Assistant Surgeon in the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. His first cruise was to the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, under Commodore Cornelius Stribling
Cornelius Stribling
Cornelius Kinchiloe Stribling was an rear admiral in the United States Navy who served during the War of 1812, the Second Barbary War, the Mexican–American War, and the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, on the American steamer USS Cyane
USS Cyane (1837)
The second USS Cyane was a sloop-of-war in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War.Cyane was launched 2 December 1837 by Boston Navy Yard. She was commissioned in May 1838, Commander John Percival in command....
. On a subsequent cruise to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, he met his wife, Mary Wise, daughter of then United States Minister to the Court of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Henry A. Wise
Henry A. Wise
Henry Alexander Wise was an American politician and governor of Virginia, as well as a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
. After his marriage he was stationed temporarily at Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, but later resigned his position in the Navy and began his career as a civilian physician. He was then elected to the chair of Theory and Practice of Medicine in the National Medical College
George Washington University Medical School
The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences was established in 1824 due to the need for doctors in the District of Columbia but formally opened its doors a year later in 1825. It is the eleventh oldest medical school in the country and the first medical school...
of Columbian University.
At the outbreak of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
his sympathies were warmly enlisted with his native state of Virginia; he left Washington for Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, where he remained until the close of the war. So many of his friends and former patients were in this city that he very soon found himself actively engaged in as large a practice as before his removal. He was appointed surgeon in the Confederate Army, and placed in charge of two hospitals. He was also a member of the Board of Medical Examiners to examine applicants for admission to the Medical Corps. These positions he continued to hold during the entire war. He was the physician of General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
and family, as well as to the families of Generals Joe Johnston
Joe Johnston
Joseph Eggleston "Joe" Johnston II is an American film director and former effects artist best known for such effects-driven movies as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Jumanji, The Rocketeer, Jurassic Park III, the period drama October Sky, The Wolfman, and Captain America: The First Avenger.- Life and...
, Wade Hampton
Wade Hampton III
Wade Hampton III was a Confederate cavalry leader during the American Civil War and afterward a politician from South Carolina, serving as its 77th Governor and as a U.S...
, William Preston
William Preston (Kentucky)
William Preston was an American lawyer, politician, and ambassador. He also was a brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, John C. Breckinridge
John C. Breckinridge
John Cabell Breckinridge was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky and was the 14th Vice President of the United States , to date the youngest vice president in U.S...
, and of many members of the Confederate Cabinet and Congress.
At the termination of the war in 1865, when Richmond was evacuated, Dr. Garnett, at the request of Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
, accompanied him as a member of his personal staff, but after the surrender of Johnston's army he returned to Richmond a paroled prisoner. He resumed the practice of his profession in Richmond, but in 1865 returned to Washington. Here he immediately found himself engaged in active practice and in lecturing. He was elected to the chair of Clinical Medicine in the Medical Department of Columbian University, which position he held for many years. He also became one of the Board of Directors of the Children's Hospital, and served as President of the Medical Society and of the Medical Association of the District of Columbia. In 1874 he was chosen President of the Southern Memorial Association of Washington, and selected to deliver the oration upon the occasion of the interring of the dead of Early's
Jubal Anderson Early
Jubal Anderson Early was a lawyer and Confederate general in the American Civil War. He served under Stonewall Jackson and then Robert E. Lee for almost the entire war, rising from regimental command to lieutenant general and the command of an infantry corps in the Army of Northern Virginia...
army, who had fallen in the attack upon Washington. His address upon that occasion was conciliatory in its tone.
Dr. Garnett was elected President of the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
, and presided at its meeting in 1886. His address on medical education excited a great deal of notice and approval at the time, as he brought into very broad relief the evils of medical education in this country. His last public work was in connection with the meeting of the International Medical Congress, held in Washington in 1887. It is well known how many obstacles and difficulties attended the completing of the arrangements for that meeting and it was only by dint of most arduous labor and untiring energy that Dr. Garnett, as Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements, gave it so large a measure of success. There is no doubt that the anxiety of mind and physical fatigue attendant upon his duties at this time helped to bring on the death of Dr. A. Y. P. Garnett, a failure of health which ended in his sudden death in the summer of 1888.
Dr. Garnett contributed a number of papers to medical journals, which were all of great practical value and interest. The paper which he read at the meeting of this Society, in 1887, entitled "Observations on the Sanitary Advantages of Tide Water Virginia" is a fair example of his thoroughness in the treatment of medical questions.