Francis Delafield
Encyclopedia
Francis Delafield was an American
physician, born in New York City
. His father, Dr. Edward Delafield, was the son of the prominent John Delafield who had emigrated to America from London, England in 1783 carrying the provisional peace treaty
between England and The United States. While his father Edward graduated Yale in 1812, Francis graduated at Yale
(1860) and at the College of Physicians and Surgeons
, Columbia University
(1863), and after further study abroad practiced medicine in New York. Francis was appointed to the staff of Bellevue Hospital
(1874), and to the chair of pathology and practice of medicine in the College of Physicians and Surgeons (1875-82).
Francis Delafield resided for many years at 5 West 50th Street
in Manhattan, New York.
In 1886, Francis was the first president of the Association of American Physicians
. Over his life, Francis illustrated and published:
. They had three daughters: Elizabeth "Bessie" Ray, Julia Floyd, Cornelia Van Rensselaer, and one son: Edward Henry Delafield (1880-1955) who graduated Yale class of 1902.
. After his parents died (in the summer of 1879) Dr. Francis Delafield inherited the entirety of the property in Darien then called "Delafield Farm". After the death of Francis, the property was looked after by his spinster sister Emma Harriot Delafield. When she died in 1921, the property then went to the only son of Francis: Edward Henry Delafield. After the 1929 stock market crash, Edward partitioned and parcelled off the land over the ensuing years. In an effort to sell land, the name was changed to "Delafield Wood" then "Delafield Estates" until Edward settled on the current name "Delafield Island". Edward Delafield had four daughters and lived on Delafield Island until his death in 1955.
. The ship upon which he took passage bore letters of marque, and captured a French vessel. John Delafield volunteered in the action, and shared the prize money to the extent of £100. He landed in New York City, 5 April 1783, and found himself especially welcomed as the bearer of a manuscript copy of the text of the treaty of peace, which had been handed him at the moment of sailing by an official in the British service. The conditions of peace were known, but the text had not yet been made public in England; and, although the official copy had been forwarded, the "Vigilant
" had outstripped the bearer of the government dispatches by some days.
John Delafield was a founder and director of the Mutual insurance company, established 15 June 1787, that being the first company organized to take risks against fire in the City of New York after the Revolution. On 12 January 1792, he was appointed director of the branch of the U. S. bank, and was afterward elected to the same office. He was one of forty gentlemen who subscribed $10,000 each, and founded (1 February 1796) the United insurance company, also acting as a director, and serving as president for many years. His summer residence on the East River, opposite Blackwell's Island, known as" Sunswick," built in 1791, was one of the largest and best appointed private houses near New York. John Delafield had nine sons and four daughters. Two of his sons died young.
, and in 1835 became professor of obstetrics and diseases of women and children in the College of physicians and surgeons, but resigned both offices in 1838 on account of his increasing private practice. In 1842 he organized the society for the relief of widows and orphans of medical men, serving as its first president. He was a founder (1865) and first president of the New York Ophthalmological Society, and in 1858 was chosen president of the College of physicians and surgeons, remaining at its head until his death. From 1858 he was the senior consulting physician of St. Luke's Hospital
, and from its establishment in 1872 senior consulting physician of the Woman's hospital, and president of the medical board. From its foundation in 1854 he served as president of the medical board of the Nursery and child's hospital. At the organization of the Roosevelt hospital, in 1867, he became a member of the board of governors, and was afterward chosen president, retaining the office during his life.
. In 1855, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis
dispatched Maj. Richard Delafield, Maj. Alfred Mordecai, and Capt. George B. McClellan
to the battlefields of Crimea
to observe the European military in action. American military commanders had studied European armies before, but the Delafield Commission was the most ambitious military observation mission up to that time and the first to observe an ongoing war. Major Delafield procured illustrations of Crimean weaponry that informed designs for the United States Civil War.
President William McKinley
in September
1901. While Francis argued to use the X-Ray machine
to photograph McKinley's organs and asses the damage, he met opposition from others unwilling to use the new technology. Some attribute this inaction to contributing to McKinley's ultimate demise.
(about Sixth Century) and seated at the Chateaux of La Feld, in Alsace
(extensive ruins still remain). Hubertus De La Feld from Alsace-Lorraine
near Colmar
, was the first of the family that emigrated to England. Because of his service in Hastings during the 1066 invasion of England, Hubertus De La Feld received large grants of land from William the Conqueror and settled near Halifax
. In England, the family rose in stature when John Delafield distinguished himself in the imperial service against the Turks
: having taken a standard from the enemy at the Battle of Zenta in Hungary was in 1697 created a Count of the Holy Roman Empire by Emperor Leopold I.
and Pathologists.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician, born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His father, Dr. Edward Delafield, was the son of the prominent John Delafield who had emigrated to America from London, England in 1783 carrying the provisional peace treaty
Peace treaty
A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, that formally ends a state of war between the parties...
between England and The United States. While his father Edward graduated Yale in 1812, Francis graduated at Yale
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
(1860) and at the College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, often known as P&S, is a graduate school of Columbia University that is located on the health sciences campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan...
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
(1863), and after further study abroad practiced medicine in New York. Francis was appointed to the staff of Bellevue Hospital
Bellevue Hospital Center
Bellevue Hospital Center, most often referred to as "Bellevue", was founded on March 31, 1736 and is the oldest public hospital in the United States. Located on First Avenue in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, Bellevue is famous from many literary, film and television...
(1874), and to the chair of pathology and practice of medicine in the College of Physicians and Surgeons (1875-82).
Francis Delafield resided for many years at 5 West 50th Street
50th Street (Manhattan)
50th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The street runs eastbound from 12th Avenue, across the full width of the island, ending at Beekman Place and carries the M50 bus line, which returns on 49th Street...
in Manhattan, New York.
In 1886, Francis was the first president of the Association of American Physicians
Association of American Physicians
The Association of American Physicians is a medical society founded in 1885 by the Canadian physician Sir William Osler and six other distinguished physicians of his era, for "the advancement of scientific and practical medicine." Election to the AAP is an honor extended to individuals with...
. Over his life, Francis illustrated and published:
- Handbook of Post-Mortem Examinations and Morbid Anatomy; Lectures on Practical Medicine and Pathology (1872; new edition, 1903)
- Handbook of Pathological Anatomy and Histology (1885; new edition, 1904), with PruddenTheophil Mitchell PruddenTheophil Mitchell Prudden was an American pathologist, born at Middlebury, Connecticut. He graduated from the Sheffield Scientific School, Yale, in 1872 and received his M. D. from Yale School of Medicine in 1875. He became an assistant and was professor of pathology in the College of...
- Textbook of Pathology (1911)
Wife and family
Francis married Katherine Van Rensselaer, grand daughter of Dutch Patroon Stephen Van Rensselaer IIIStephen Van Rensselaer III
Stephen Van Rensselaer III was Lieutenant Governor of New York as well as a statesman, soldier, and land-owner, the heir to one of the largest estates in the New York region at the time, which made him the tenth richest American of all time, based on the ratio of his fortune to contemporary GDP...
. They had three daughters: Elizabeth "Bessie" Ray, Julia Floyd, Cornelia Van Rensselaer, and one son: Edward Henry Delafield (1880-1955) who graduated Yale class of 1902.
Delafield Island
Between 1859 and 1865, his father Dr. Edward Delafield, assembled a 154 acre (0.62321644 km²) tract of land in Darien, ConnecticutDarien, Connecticut
Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. A relatively small community on Connecticut's "Gold Coast", the population was 20,732 at the 2010 census. Darien was listed at #9 at CNN Money's list of "top-earning towns" in the United States as of 2011...
. After his parents died (in the summer of 1879) Dr. Francis Delafield inherited the entirety of the property in Darien then called "Delafield Farm". After the death of Francis, the property was looked after by his spinster sister Emma Harriot Delafield. When she died in 1921, the property then went to the only son of Francis: Edward Henry Delafield. After the 1929 stock market crash, Edward partitioned and parcelled off the land over the ensuing years. In an effort to sell land, the name was changed to "Delafield Wood" then "Delafield Estates" until Edward settled on the current name "Delafield Island". Edward Delafield had four daughters and lived on Delafield Island until his death in 1955.
Terms
- Delafield's hematoxylin — a strong solution of hematoxylin crystals, 4 cc.; 95 per cent alcohol, 25 cc.; saturated aqueous solution of ammonia alum, 400 cc.; expose in an unstoppered bottle to sun and air three or four days; filter and add 100 cc. of glycerin and 100 cc. of 95 per cent alcohol.
-
- Dorland's Medical Dictionary (1938)
John Delafield
From London, Francis' grandfather (John Delafied) emigrated to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The ship upon which he took passage bore letters of marque, and captured a French vessel. John Delafield volunteered in the action, and shared the prize money to the extent of £100. He landed in New York City, 5 April 1783, and found himself especially welcomed as the bearer of a manuscript copy of the text of the treaty of peace, which had been handed him at the moment of sailing by an official in the British service. The conditions of peace were known, but the text had not yet been made public in England; and, although the official copy had been forwarded, the "Vigilant
HMS Vigilant (1774)
HMS Vigilant was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 6 October 1774 at Bucklers Hard.From 1799 she served as a prison ship, and was broken up in 1816....
" had outstripped the bearer of the government dispatches by some days.
John Delafield was a founder and director of the Mutual insurance company, established 15 June 1787, that being the first company organized to take risks against fire in the City of New York after the Revolution. On 12 January 1792, he was appointed director of the branch of the U. S. bank, and was afterward elected to the same office. He was one of forty gentlemen who subscribed $10,000 each, and founded (1 February 1796) the United insurance company, also acting as a director, and serving as president for many years. His summer residence on the East River, opposite Blackwell's Island, known as" Sunswick," built in 1791, was one of the largest and best appointed private houses near New York. John Delafield had nine sons and four daughters. Two of his sons died young.
Edward Delafield
Francis' father Edward Delafield was born in New York City, 7 May 1794; and died there, 13 February 1875. Edward was graduated at Yale in 1812, and at the College of physicians and surgeons in 1815. He served as a surgeon in the U. S. army in 1814. In 1817 he sailed for London, studied under Sir Astley Paston Cooper and Dr. Abernethy, and passed several months in the hospitals of Paris. In 1820, in connection with Dr. J. Kearny Rodgers, he founded the New York eye and ear infirmary, of which institution he was attending surgeon until 1850, and consulting surgeon until 1870. He soon afterward entered into partnership with Dr. Borrowe, and almost immediately found himself possessed of a large and lucrative practice. In 1834 he was appointed one of the attending physicians of the New York HospitalNew York Hospital
New York Hospital or “Old New York Hospital” or “City Hospital” was the oldest hospital in New York City and the second oldest hospital in the United States.-Early History:...
, and in 1835 became professor of obstetrics and diseases of women and children in the College of physicians and surgeons, but resigned both offices in 1838 on account of his increasing private practice. In 1842 he organized the society for the relief of widows and orphans of medical men, serving as its first president. He was a founder (1865) and first president of the New York Ophthalmological Society, and in 1858 was chosen president of the College of physicians and surgeons, remaining at its head until his death. From 1858 he was the senior consulting physician of St. Luke's Hospital
St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center
St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, an academic affiliate of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, is a 1,076-bed, full-service community and tertiary care hospital serving New York City’s Midtown West, Upper West Side and parts of Harlem....
, and from its establishment in 1872 senior consulting physician of the Woman's hospital, and president of the medical board. From its foundation in 1854 he served as president of the medical board of the Nursery and child's hospital. At the organization of the Roosevelt hospital, in 1867, he became a member of the board of governors, and was afterward chosen president, retaining the office during his life.
Francis Delafield Hospital
In 1948, in recognition for his career in medicine, the Francis Delafield Hospital opened as a cancer research center for Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.The Delafield Commission
Francis Delafield was the nephew of Major Richard DelafieldRichard Delafield
Richard Delafield served as superintendent of the United States Military Academy, was Chief of Engineers, and was a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
. In 1855, Secretary of War 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...
dispatched Maj. Richard Delafield, Maj. Alfred Mordecai, and Capt. George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
to the battlefields of Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
to observe the European military in action. American military commanders had studied European armies before, but the Delafield Commission was the most ambitious military observation mission up to that time and the first to observe an ongoing war. Major Delafield procured illustrations of Crimean weaponry that informed designs for the United States Civil War.
Attended William McKinley
Francis Delafield was the primary physician who was consulted following the shooting of United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
in September
1901. While Francis argued to use the X-Ray machine
X-ray machine
An X-ray generator is a device used to generate X-rays. These devices are commonly used by radiographers to acquire an x-ray image of the inside of an object but they are also used in sterilization or fluorescence....
to photograph McKinley's organs and asses the damage, he met opposition from others unwilling to use the new technology. Some attribute this inaction to contributing to McKinley's ultimate demise.
Lineage
Francis Delafield was of the family of Count de la Feld, which dates back to the darkest period of the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
(about Sixth Century) and seated at the Chateaux of La Feld, in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
(extensive ruins still remain). Hubertus De La Feld from Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
near Colmar
Colmar
Colmar is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is the capital of the department. Colmar is also the seat of the highest jurisdiction in Alsace, the appellate court....
, was the first of the family that emigrated to England. Because of his service in Hastings during the 1066 invasion of England, Hubertus De La Feld received large grants of land from William the Conqueror and settled near Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
. In England, the family rose in stature when John Delafield distinguished himself in the imperial service against the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
: having taken a standard from the enemy at the Battle of Zenta in Hungary was in 1697 created a Count of the Holy Roman Empire by Emperor Leopold I.
Positions
Francis Delafield has filled the following offices: surgeon in the New York eye and ear infirmary, and physician and pathologist to the Roosevelt Hospital (1871); physician to Bellevue Hospital (1874); adjunct professor (1875), and subsequently (1882) professor, of pathology and the practice of medicine in the New York College of physicians and surgeons; consulting physician to Bellevue Hospital (1885); and (1886) first president of the Association of American PhysiciansAssociation of American Physicians
The Association of American Physicians is a medical society founded in 1885 by the Canadian physician Sir William Osler and six other distinguished physicians of his era, for "the advancement of scientific and practical medicine." Election to the AAP is an honor extended to individuals with...
and Pathologists.