Guy Beckley Stearns
Encyclopedia
Guy Beckley Stearns, M.D.
(16 September 1870 - 1947) was an American
physician specializing in homeopathy
and the developer of autonomic reflex testing in the study of homeopathic preparations. He also was the founder of the Foundation for Homeopathic Research. Stearns conducted early research with very highly potentized remedies first with fruit flies
and later with the Emanometer, a tuning device made by Dr. William E. Boyd of Glasgow
, Scotland
.
, New Hampshire
, a son of Minot Stearns and his wife, the former Sara J. Hazeltine.
Stearns was a graduate of the Homeopathic Medical College in New York City and a 1900 graduate of New York Medical College
(the located on Blackwell's Island in New York City), as well as Flower Free Surgical Hospital
, he was arrested for performing an unspecified private operation on a nurse and longtime friend named Susan T. Greene (a.k.a. Mrs. Graham), who then died of septic
peritonitis
. Given the evasiveness of the New York Times article about the case in terms of specifics, as well as considering that the nurse used the false name Mrs. Graham when she checked into Stearns's office and that she travelled from Boston to New York solely to be operated on by Stearns, with whom the paper reported she had worked in a resort hotel when they were teenagers, indicates that the doctor may have been arrested for performing an illegal abortion
.
, a partial autograph manuscript of Mark Twain
's A Tramp Abroad
, and a first edition of Ben Jonson
's Q Horatius Flaccus.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
(16 September 1870 - 1947) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician specializing in homeopathy
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...
and the developer of autonomic reflex testing in the study of homeopathic preparations. He also was the founder of the Foundation for Homeopathic Research. Stearns conducted early research with very highly potentized remedies first with fruit flies
Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster is a species of Diptera, or the order of flies, in the family Drosophilidae. The species is known generally as the common fruit fly or vinegar fly. Starting from Charles W...
and later with the Emanometer, a tuning device made by Dr. William E. Boyd of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Childhood and education
He was born in WilmotWilmot, New Hampshire
Wilmot is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,358 at the 2010 census. Wilmot is home to Winslow State Park and a small part of Gile State Forest.-History:...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, a son of Minot Stearns and his wife, the former Sara J. Hazeltine.
Stearns was a graduate of the Homeopathic Medical College in New York City and a 1900 graduate of New York Medical College
Early career scandal
In 1907, when Stearns was a resident at Metropolitan HospitalMetropolitan hospital center
Metropolitan Hospital Center was founded in 1875 in Manhattan. Metropolitan is located in an area where East Harlem merges with the Upper East Side and Yorkville. The physical plant extends from First to Second Avenues and from East 97th to East 99th Streets. The hospital caters to a wide spectra...
(the located on Blackwell's Island in New York City), as well as Flower Free Surgical Hospital
New York Medical College
New York Medical College, aka New York Med or NYMC, is a private graduate health sciences university based in Westchester County, New York, a suburb of New York City and a part of the New York Metropolitan Area...
, he was arrested for performing an unspecified private operation on a nurse and longtime friend named Susan T. Greene (a.k.a. Mrs. Graham), who then died of septic
Sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially deadly medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state and the presence of a known or suspected infection. The body may develop this inflammatory response by the immune system to microbes in the blood, urine, lungs, skin, or other tissues...
peritonitis
Peritonitis
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane that lines part of the abdominal cavity and viscera. Peritonitis may be localised or generalised, and may result from infection or from a non-infectious process.-Abdominal pain and tenderness:The main manifestations of...
. Given the evasiveness of the New York Times article about the case in terms of specifics, as well as considering that the nurse used the false name Mrs. Graham when she checked into Stearns's office and that she travelled from Boston to New York solely to be operated on by Stearns, with whom the paper reported she had worked in a resort hotel when they were teenagers, indicates that the doctor may have been arrested for performing an illegal abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
.
Collections
Stearns was a well-known collector of rare books, including a 1479 edition of the works of HoraceHorace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
, a partial autograph manuscript of Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
's A Tramp Abroad
A Tramp Abroad
A Tramp Abroad is a work of non-fiction travel literature by American author Mark Twain, published in 1880. The book details a journey by the author, with his friend Harris , through central and southern Europe...
, and a first edition of Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
's Q Horatius Flaccus.