John Franklin Gray
Encyclopedia
John Franklin Gray was an American
educator and physician
a pioneer in the field of and the first practitioner of homoeopathy in the United States
. He is also recognized as an important medical reformer.
and died on June 5, 1881 at the Fifth Avenue Hotel
, in New York City
. He was the fourth of five sons of John Gray, (December 15, 1769 - April 24, 1859), and the grandson of John Gray, a founder of Sherburne (town), New York
, and Elizabeth Skeel. Two of Dr. Gray's brothers, Dr. Alfred W. Gray (1802–1873) and Dr. Patrick Wells Gray (1806–1882), were both prominent homeopathic physicians and surgeons. Dr. Gray's father served as a Captain in Col. Samuel Whiting's 4th regiment
of the Connecticut Militia in the American Revolutionary War. He was appointed and served as first Judge of the Court of Common Pleas
for Chenango County, New York until 1819 when the family removed to Sheridan
, Chautauqua County, New York
. His life was celebrated by the poet John Greenleaf Whittier
, at his funeral in 1859 thus recalls him:
His mother was Diantha Burritt, (January 9, 1776 - October 14, 1846) the daughter of the Rev. Blackleach Burritt
, who graduated from Yale College
in 1765, and was a great-great grandson of Governor William Leete
, who was the Governor of the Colony of New Haven from 1661 to 1665 and Governor of Connecticut from 1676 to 1683; and Martha Welles (1744 - April 1786) a daughter of Gideon Welles and Eunice Walker and a great-great granddaughter of Governor Thomas Welles
the Fourth Colonial Governor of Connecticut. Diantha had been a school teacher in Vermont before her marriage, at Winhall, Vermont on May 26, 1793, and was a poet and woman of literary taste.
His mother was instrumental in encouraging his interest in medicine as his profession. Her favorite brother, Dr. Eli Burritt, born March 12, 1773 at Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York and died September 1, 1823 in Troy
, Rensselaer County, New York
was a physician and encouraged Dr. Gray's interest in medicine as well.
He graduated from Williams College
in 1800, and was licensed to practice medicine at Troy, New York, on March 29, 1802 and he quickly gained recognition for his medical skills.
Dr. Francis Wayland
(1796–1865), fourth president of Brown University
, said the following about his former teacher: "Dr. Burritt was a man of remarkable logical powers of enthusiastic love of his profession, and of great and deserved confidence in his own judgment. He stood at the head of his profession in Troy, and in the neighboring region, and was a person of high moral character".
and died on May 28, 1868 in New York City, and is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery
in Brooklyn, New York beside her husband.
She was the daughter of Dr. Amos Gift Hull, a prominent and eminent physician of New York City and one of the founders of the State Medical Society of New York and his third wife, Eunice Williams. She was a sister of Dr. Amos Gerald Hull (1810–1859), an 1832 graduate of Rutgers Medical College and an influential homeopathic physician who visited Samuel Hahnemann
, the founder of homeopathy, in Paris, in 1836-37, of which he wrote a very interesting account of him.
John and Elizabeth were the parents of eight children, all born in New York City: Elizabeth Williams Gray, John Hull Gray, John Franklin Gray, Jr., John Frederick Schiller Gray, Josephine Augusta Gray, Emma Geraldine Hull Gray, Mary Ludlow Gray and Edward Hull Gray.
Their daughter, Elizabeth Williams Gray, married Dr. Lewis Tillman Warner an influential and respected homeopathic physician. Their daughter, Louise Tillman Warner, married Charles Loring Brace, Jr., a graduate of Philips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts
and a graduate of Yale College class of 1876 with a degree in Civil Engineering.
He was a Mugwump
in politics. He was employed as Superintendent and Engineer of Construction with the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
at Minneapolis, Minnesota
. When his father died in 1890, he was invited by the trustees of the New York Children's Aid Society to take up as Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of that society. A son of Louise and Charles was Gerald Warner Brace
, (1901–1978) was an American writer, educator, sailor and boat builder.
He was the son of Letitia Neill of Belfast, Ireland and Charles Loring Brace
, Yale College 1846, who was a contributing philanthropist in the field of social reform. He is considered a father of the modern foster care movement and was most renowned for starting the Orphan Train
movement of the mid-19th century, and for founding The Children's Aid Society
in 1853.
Dr. Warner's second wife was Sarah Loring MacKaye, (1841–1876) a woman of extraordinary charm and brilliance, and a pianist of professional ability. She was the daughter of Emily Steele and Colonel James M. MacKaye, a successful attorney and an ardent abolitionist and an organizer of The Wells Fargo Express Company, and President of American Telegraph Company. Sarah was a sister of American playwright, actor, theater manager and inventor James Morrison Steele MacKaye
.
Their son, John Frederick Schiller Gray, was also a physician. He was an 1851 graduate of Williams College
and a 1871 graduate of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
and practiced medicine with his father after graduating. He also practiced medicine in Paris, Nice
and Geneva. He served in the Twentieth New York Infantry and had fought at the Battle of Antietam
, He gave Walt Whitman
a fearful account of the battlefield at half past 9 the night following the engagement at The Vault at Pfaff's. he later served as a Major on the staff of General Edward Canby
. He was a member of the Fred Gray Association.
In 1824, when just 20 years old, he removed to New York City and received instruction from Drs. Valentine Mott
and David Hosack
(August 31, 1769 – December 22, 1835). Dr Hosack was a noted physician, botanist, and educator, who is perhaps most widely known as the doctor who attended to Alexander Hamilton
after Hamilton's deadly duel with Aaron Burr
. Hosack was also a founder of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
It was a common practice in the early 19th century for students to receive a part of their education through a system of apprenticeships until medical schools were to assume a major role in education. These apprenticeships usually covered a period of three years and were regulated by local medical societies.
During the time of his studies he was appointed assistant surgeon in the navy; and as it was necessary that he should be a graduate or licentiate in order to hold this position, he was accorded a license by the county medical society. He graduated from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
in 1826.
Soon after starting in private practice he began the study of the French language, and carried it far enough to read medical authors; two years later he began the German, and kept at it till he could read it fluently and even speak it with palpable scope and accuracy of diction.
Soon after, he learned of Hahnemann's medical theories through Hans B. Gram, a Danish doctor, who was born in Boston of Danish parents and was educated in Denmark. He heard Dr. Gram lecture, but was not convinced. He then reluctantly consented to let Dr. Gram treat one of his patients, whose case had resisted his own skill. Dr. Gram had remarkable success, not only with that patient but with others, and Dr. Gray was converted to homeopathy. He did not, however, believe that homeopathy and allopathic medicine to be mutually exclusive, but rather believed them to be complementary.
In 1828, Dr. Gray adopted homœopathy as the major rule in his practice and announced his intention to practice according to that system openly, and in consequence lost his profitable practice and all his professional friends. He endured many hardships and much ill-treatment for his devotion to homeopathy. Dr. Gray was the first to propose the formation of a national society of homeopathy, and in 1844 the American Institute of Homeopathy was organized.
In 1833, he commenced the practice of medicine in partnership with his brother-in-law. Dr. Amos Gerald Hull.
In 1834, he founded the New York Homœopathic Society. Its stated purpose was for the purpose of protecting, enriching and disseminating such of the propositions and testimonies of Homœopathia as upon mature trial they shall find to be sound and available. The first Officers of the society were: President, John F. Gray ; vice-presidents, Edward A. Strong, George Baxter ; corresponding secretary, Federal Vanderburgh
; recording secretary, Daniel Seymour ; treasurer, F. A. Lohse ; registrar, A. Gerald Hull ; librarian, F. L. Wilsey ; finance committee, J. H. Patterson, Oliver S. Strong, L. M. H. Butler, William Bock.
This society was composed of physicians and laymen. William Cullen Bryant, the poet-editor, was a member. He was an early convert to homœopathy and all his life was a strong supporter of its principles.
, John Greenleaf Whittier
and Walt Whitman
and was a patron of American artists including, Asher Brown Durand
and Frederic Edwin Church
as well as Samuel F. B. Morse
, the inventor of telegraphy
He was also a well-known and prominent Spiritualist in New York as well as a frequent lecturer on the subject. He was a close friend and associate with Kate, Leah and Margaret Fox (the Fox sisters
), Andrew Jackson Davis
, Amy and Isaac Post
and with the Davenport Brothers
.
He became a noted philanthropist in his later years, especially to the poor, and was consulted in various social issues.
in Brooklyn, New York.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educator and 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...
a pioneer in the field of and the first practitioner of homoeopathy in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He is also recognized as an important medical reformer.
Early life and ancestors
John Franklin Gray was born on September 23, 1804 at Sherburne (town), New YorkSherburne (town), New York
Sherburne is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. United States. The population was 3,979 at the 2000 census. The town contains two villages: one also named Sherburne and the other named Earlville...
and died on June 5, 1881 at the Fifth Avenue Hotel
Fifth Avenue Hotel
The Fifth Avenue Hotel was a former luxury hotel located at 200 Fifth Avenue in New York City, New York from 1859 to 1908. It occupied the full Fifth Avenue frontage between 23rd Street and 24th Street, at the southwest corner of Madison Square in the borough of Manhattan.- Site and construction...
, 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...
. He was the fourth of five sons of John Gray, (December 15, 1769 - April 24, 1859), and the grandson of John Gray, a founder of Sherburne (town), New York
Sherburne (town), New York
Sherburne is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. United States. The population was 3,979 at the 2000 census. The town contains two villages: one also named Sherburne and the other named Earlville...
, and Elizabeth Skeel. Two of Dr. Gray's brothers, Dr. Alfred W. Gray (1802–1873) and Dr. Patrick Wells Gray (1806–1882), were both prominent homeopathic physicians and surgeons. Dr. Gray's father served as a Captain in Col. Samuel Whiting's 4th regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the Connecticut Militia in the American Revolutionary War. He was appointed and served as first Judge of the Court of Common Pleas
New York Court of Common Pleas
The New York Court of Common Pleas was a state court in New York. Established in New Netherland in 1686, the Court remained in existence in the Province of New York and, after the American Revolution, in the U.S...
for Chenango County, New York until 1819 when the family removed to Sheridan
Sheridan, New York
Sheridan is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 2,838 at the 2000 census.The Town of Sheridan is on the county's northern border, east of the City of Dunkirk.- History :The town was first settled around 1804....
, Chautauqua County, New York
Chautauqua County, New York
-Major highways:* Interstate 86/New York State Route 17 * Interstate 90 * U.S. Route 20* U.S. Route 62* New York State Route 5* New York State Route 39* New York State Route 60* New York State Route 394...
. His life was celebrated by the poet John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. He is usually listed as one of the Fireside Poets...
, at his funeral in 1859 thus recalls him:
His mother was Diantha Burritt, (January 9, 1776 - October 14, 1846) the daughter of the Rev. Blackleach Burritt
Blackleach Burritt
Blackleach Burritt was a preacher during the American Revolutionary War. During the American War of Independence, he was incarcerated in the Sugar House Prison-Early life and ancestors:...
, who graduated from Yale College
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:...
in 1765, and was a great-great grandson of Governor William Leete
William Leete
Governor William Leete was Governor of the Colony of New Haven from 1661 to 1665 and Governor of the Colony of Connecticut from 1676 to 1683....
, who was the Governor of the Colony of New Haven from 1661 to 1665 and Governor of Connecticut from 1676 to 1683; and Martha Welles (1744 - April 1786) a daughter of Gideon Welles and Eunice Walker and a great-great granddaughter of Governor Thomas Welles
Thomas Welles
Thomas Welles is the only man in Connecticut's history to hold all four top offices: governor, deputy governor, treasurer, and secretary. In 1639, he was elected as the first treasurer of the Colony of Connecticut, and from 1640–1649 served as the colony's secretary...
the Fourth Colonial Governor of Connecticut. Diantha had been a school teacher in Vermont before her marriage, at Winhall, Vermont on May 26, 1793, and was a poet and woman of literary taste.
His mother was instrumental in encouraging his interest in medicine as his profession. Her favorite brother, Dr. Eli Burritt, born March 12, 1773 at Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York and died September 1, 1823 in Troy
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
, Rensselaer County, New York
Rensselaer County, New York
Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 159,429. Its name is in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the land in the area. Its county seat is Troy...
was a physician and encouraged Dr. Gray's interest in medicine as well.
He graduated from Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
in 1800, and was licensed to practice medicine at Troy, New York, on March 29, 1802 and he quickly gained recognition for his medical skills.
Dr. Francis Wayland
Francis Wayland
Francis Wayland , American Baptist educator and economist, was born in New York City, New York. He was president of Brown University and pastor of the First Baptist Church in America in Providence, Rhode Island. In Washington, D.C., Wayland Seminary was established in 1867, primarily to educate...
(1796–1865), fourth president of Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, said the following about his former teacher: "Dr. Burritt was a man of remarkable logical powers of enthusiastic love of his profession, and of great and deserved confidence in his own judgment. He stood at the head of his profession in Troy, and in the neighboring region, and was a person of high moral character".
Marriage and family
He married on September 25, 1826, in New York City, New York Elizabeth Williams Hull, born in 1808 in New Hartford (town), New YorkNew Hartford (town), New York
.New Hartford is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 21,172. The name of New Hartford was provided by a settler family from Hartford, Connecticut....
and died on May 28, 1868 in New York City, and is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County , New York. It was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.-History:...
in Brooklyn, New York beside her husband.
She was the daughter of Dr. Amos Gift Hull, a prominent and eminent physician of New York City and one of the founders of the State Medical Society of New York and his third wife, Eunice Williams. She was a sister of Dr. Amos Gerald Hull (1810–1859), an 1832 graduate of Rutgers Medical College and an influential homeopathic physician who visited Samuel Hahnemann
Samuel Hahnemann
Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann was a German physician, known for creating an alternative form of medicine called homeopathy.- Early life :Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann was born in Meissen, Saxony near Dresden...
, the founder of homeopathy, in Paris, in 1836-37, of which he wrote a very interesting account of him.
John and Elizabeth were the parents of eight children, all born in New York City: Elizabeth Williams Gray, John Hull Gray, John Franklin Gray, Jr., John Frederick Schiller Gray, Josephine Augusta Gray, Emma Geraldine Hull Gray, Mary Ludlow Gray and Edward Hull Gray.
Their daughter, Elizabeth Williams Gray, married Dr. Lewis Tillman Warner an influential and respected homeopathic physician. Their daughter, Louise Tillman Warner, married Charles Loring Brace, Jr., a graduate of Philips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
and a graduate of Yale College class of 1876 with a degree in Civil Engineering.
He was a Mugwump
Mugwump
The Mugwumps were Republican political activists who bolted from the United States Republican Party by supporting Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland in the United States presidential election of 1884. They switched parties because they rejected the financial corruption associated with Republican...
in politics. He was employed as Superintendent and Engineer of Construction with the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
The Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway was an American Class I railroad that built and operated lines radiating south and west from Minneapolis, Minnesota which existed for 90 years from 1870 to 1960....
at Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. When his father died in 1890, he was invited by the trustees of the New York Children's Aid Society to take up as Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of that society. A son of Louise and Charles was Gerald Warner Brace
Gerald Warner Brace
Gerald Warner Brace was an American novelist, writer, educator, sailor and boat builder. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England.-Early life and ancestors:...
, (1901–1978) was an American writer, educator, sailor and boat builder.
He was the son of Letitia Neill of Belfast, Ireland and Charles Loring Brace
Charles Loring Brace
Charles Loring Brace was a contributing philanthropist in the field of social reform...
, Yale College 1846, who was a contributing philanthropist in the field of social reform. He is considered a father of the modern foster care movement and was most renowned for starting the Orphan Train
Orphan Train
The Orphan Train was a social experiment that transported children from crowded coastal cities of the United States to the country's Midwest for adoption. The orphan trains ran between 1854 and 1929, relocating an estimated 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children...
movement of the mid-19th century, and for founding The Children's Aid Society
Children's Aid Society
__notoc__The Children’s Aid Society is a private charitable organization based in New York City. It serves 150,000 children per year, providing foster care, medical and mental health services, and a wide range of educational, recreational and advocacy services through dozens of community centers,...
in 1853.
Dr. Warner's second wife was Sarah Loring MacKaye, (1841–1876) a woman of extraordinary charm and brilliance, and a pianist of professional ability. She was the daughter of Emily Steele and Colonel James M. MacKaye, a successful attorney and an ardent abolitionist and an organizer of The Wells Fargo Express Company, and President of American Telegraph Company. Sarah was a sister of American playwright, actor, theater manager and inventor James Morrison Steele MacKaye
Steele MacKaye
James Morrison Steele MacKaye was an American playwright, actor, theater manager and inventor. Having acted, written, directed and produced numerous and popular plays and theatrical spectaculars of the day, he became one of the most famous actors and theater producers of his...
.
Their son, John Frederick Schiller Gray, was also a physician. He was an 1851 graduate of Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
and a 1871 graduate of the Columbia University 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...
and practiced medicine with his father after graduating. He also practiced medicine in Paris, Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
and Geneva. He served in the Twentieth New York Infantry and had fought at the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
, He gave Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
a fearful account of the battlefield at half past 9 the night following the engagement at The Vault at Pfaff's. he later served as a Major on the staff of General Edward Canby
Edward Canby
Edward Richard Sprigg Canby was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War, Reconstruction era, and the Indian Wars...
. He was a member of the Fred Gray Association.
Education
He began the study of medicine in the academy in Hamilton, New York, (now Madison University) for two years, He first entered the office of Dr. Haven, of Hamilton, New York and he stayed there for two years. He then left for Dunkirk, New York, where he opened a private school, studying medicine all the time under Dr. Ezra Williams.In 1824, when just 20 years old, he removed to New York City and received instruction from Drs. Valentine Mott
Valentine Mott
Valentine Mott , American surgeon, was born at Glen Cove, New York.He graduated at Columbia College, studied under Sir Astley Cooper in London, and also spent a winter in Edinburgh. After acting as demonstrator of anatomy he was appointed professor of surgery in Columbia College in 1809...
and David Hosack
David Hosack
Dr. David Hosack , a noted physician, botanist, and educator, is perhaps most widely known as the doctor who attended to Alexander Hamilton after Hamilton's deadly duel with Aaron Burr. Born in New York City to parents Alexander and Jane Hosack, David was the first of their seven children...
(August 31, 1769 – December 22, 1835). Dr Hosack was a noted physician, botanist, and educator, who is perhaps most widely known as the doctor who attended to Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
after Hamilton's deadly duel with Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
. Hosack was also a founder of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
It was a common practice in the early 19th century for students to receive a part of their education through a system of apprenticeships until medical schools were to assume a major role in education. These apprenticeships usually covered a period of three years and were regulated by local medical societies.
During the time of his studies he was appointed assistant surgeon in the navy; and as it was necessary that he should be a graduate or licentiate in order to hold this position, he was accorded a license by the county medical society. He graduated from Columbia University 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...
in 1826.
Career
Immediately after graduating and completing his residency, he opened an office on Charlton Street in New York City. In acquiring his practice he was assisted by his future father-in-law, Dr. A. G. Hull, of New York, by Dr. Hosack, and by Dr. Watts. Dr. Gray's success in obtaining patients and social patronage was very strong and rapid ; so much so, that in his first year he was enabled to get married and to support a moderate house comfortably, and in his second to sustain a doctor's horse and gig.Soon after starting in private practice he began the study of the French language, and carried it far enough to read medical authors; two years later he began the German, and kept at it till he could read it fluently and even speak it with palpable scope and accuracy of diction.
Soon after, he learned of Hahnemann's medical theories through Hans B. Gram, a Danish doctor, who was born in Boston of Danish parents and was educated in Denmark. He heard Dr. Gram lecture, but was not convinced. He then reluctantly consented to let Dr. Gram treat one of his patients, whose case had resisted his own skill. Dr. Gram had remarkable success, not only with that patient but with others, and Dr. Gray was converted to homeopathy. He did not, however, believe that homeopathy and allopathic medicine to be mutually exclusive, but rather believed them to be complementary.
In 1828, Dr. Gray adopted homœopathy as the major rule in his practice and announced his intention to practice according to that system openly, and in consequence lost his profitable practice and all his professional friends. He endured many hardships and much ill-treatment for his devotion to homeopathy. Dr. Gray was the first to propose the formation of a national society of homeopathy, and in 1844 the American Institute of Homeopathy was organized.
In 1833, he commenced the practice of medicine in partnership with his brother-in-law. Dr. Amos Gerald Hull.
In 1834, he founded the New York Homœopathic Society. Its stated purpose was for the purpose of protecting, enriching and disseminating such of the propositions and testimonies of Homœopathia as upon mature trial they shall find to be sound and available. The first Officers of the society were: President, John F. Gray ; vice-presidents, Edward A. Strong, George Baxter ; corresponding secretary, Federal Vanderburgh
Federal Vanderburgh
Federal Vanderburgh was an American doctor, researcher and a pioneer in the field of homeopathy during the early-to mid 19th century. One of the pupils of Dr. Hans Burch Gram, Vanderburgh contributed a number of valuable research papers and essays in the field as well being credited for...
; recording secretary, Daniel Seymour ; treasurer, F. A. Lohse ; registrar, A. Gerald Hull ; librarian, F. L. Wilsey ; finance committee, J. H. Patterson, Oliver S. Strong, L. M. H. Butler, William Bock.
This society was composed of physicians and laymen. William Cullen Bryant, the poet-editor, was a member. He was an early convert to homœopathy and all his life was a strong supporter of its principles.
Personal life and spiritualism
Every week, the Grays hosted a salon remarkable for attracting the leading artists and intellectuals of the day as well as other prominent medical men of the city who attended, and they became well-known as social leaders in the city, supporting causes such as the abolition of slavery and women's suffrage. Dr. Gray befriended the poets William Cullen BryantWilliam Cullen Bryant
William Cullen Bryant was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the New York Evening Post.-Youth and education:...
, John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. He is usually listed as one of the Fireside Poets...
and Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
and was a patron of American artists including, Asher Brown Durand
Asher Brown Durand
Asher Brown Durand was an American painter of the Hudson River School.-Early life:Durand was born in and eventually died in Maplewood, New Jersey , the eighth of eleven children; his father was a watchmaker and a silversmith.Durand was apprenticed to an engraver from 1812 to 1817, later entering...
and Frederic Edwin Church
Frederic Edwin Church
Frederic Edwin Church was an American landscape painter born in Hartford, Connecticut. He was a central figure in the Hudson River School of American landscape painters...
as well as Samuel F. B. Morse
Samuel F. B. Morse
Samuel Finley Breese Morse was an American contributor to the invention of a single-wire telegraph system based on European telegraphs, co-inventor of the Morse code, and an accomplished painter.-Birth and education:...
, the inventor of telegraphy
He was also a well-known and prominent Spiritualist in New York as well as a frequent lecturer on the subject. He was a close friend and associate with Kate, Leah and Margaret Fox (the Fox sisters
Fox sisters
The Fox sisters were three sisters from New York who played an important role in the creation of Spiritualism. The three sisters were Leah Fox , Margaret Fox and Kate Fox . The two younger sisters used "rappings" to convince their much older sister and others that they were communicating with...
), Andrew Jackson Davis
Andrew Jackson Davis
Andrew Jackson Davis , American Spiritualist, was born at Blooming Grove, New York.- Early years :He had little education, though probably much more than he and his friends pretended. In 1843 he heard lectures in Poughkeepsie on animal magnetism, as the phenomena of hypnotism was then termed, and...
, Amy and Isaac Post
Amy and Isaac Post
Amy and Isaac Post, were radical Hicksite Quakers from Rochester, New York, involved in the struggles for abolitionism and women's rights. Among the first believers in Spiritualism, they helped to associate the young religious movement with the political ideas of the mid-nineteenth-century reform...
and with the Davenport Brothers
Davenport Brothers
Ira Erastus Davenport and William Henry Davenport , known as the Davenport Brothers, were American magicians in the late 19th century, sons of a Buffalo, New York policeman...
.
He became a noted philanthropist in his later years, especially to the poor, and was consulted in various social issues.
Awards and honors
He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Hamilton College in 1871. He was also a life member of the New York Chapter of The Society of the Cincinnati.Death
He died on June 5, 1881 at New York City. He is buried in Green-Wood CemeteryGreen-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County , New York. It was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.-History:...
in Brooklyn, New York.
Descendants
- Dr. C. Loring BraceC. Loring BraceC. Loring Brace is an anthropologist at the University of Michigan. He considers the attempt "to introduce a Darwinian outlook into biological anthropology" to be his greatest contribution to the field of anthropology.-Life and work:...
IV, Biological anthropologist. - Gerald Warner BraceGerald Warner BraceGerald Warner Brace was an American novelist, writer, educator, sailor and boat builder. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England.-Early life and ancestors:...
(1901–1978) was an American writer, educator, sailor and boat builder. - Gerald Hull Gray
List of works
Books- The early annals of homœopathy in New York : a discourse before the Homœopathic Societies of New York and Brooklyn, on the 10th of April, 1863, the anniversary of the birthday of Hahnemann. New York : Homœopathic Medical Society of the County of New York, 1863
- Homoeopathy in New-York, and the late Abraham D. Wilson, A.M., M.D.. New York : William S. Dorr, Printer, 1865
Further reading
- Winston, Julian. The Faces of Homeopathy: An Illustrated History of the First 200 Years. Tawa, New Zealand: Great Awk Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-473-05607-0
- Haller, John S. The history of American homeopathy : the academic years, 1820-1935. New York: Pharmaceutical Products Press, ©2005 ISBN 0789026597.