William Mecklenburg Polk (15 August 1844 – 1918) was an American physician.

Biography

He was the son of Leonidas Polk, born at Ashwood, Maury Co., Tenn. He served in the

Confederate army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

under his father during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policie ...

, advancing from the rank of cadet to captain. After graduating from the College of Physicians and Surgeons,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

, he settled in the same city, serving as

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

of therapeutics and clinical medicine at Bellevue Hospital Medical College (1875–1879), of obstetrics and

gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined area ...

at the

University of the City of New York New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

(1879–1898), and subsequently as

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and professor of gynæcology at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teac ...

Medical College. He also became connected with many hospitals and dispensaries, and was president of the

New York Academy of Medicine The New York Academy of Medicine (the Academy) is a health policy and advocacy organization founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health ...

in 1910–1914. After volunteering for service in 1917, William Polk was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps upon his death on June 23, 1918.Polk IV, Francis Devereux. "Confederate officer becomes officer in WWI". ''Confederate Veteran''. March/April 2017. Page 53 His son, Frank Polk, served as counselor to the Department of State through World War One and later became the first US Under Secretary of State.

Writings

He was author o
''Leonidas Polk, Bishop and General'' (1893; new edition, two volumes, 1915)
and of numerous contributions to medical journals, later reprinted.

Notes

References

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Polk, William Mecklenburg 1844 births 1918 deaths 19th-century American physicians American biographers American science writers Cornell University faculty People of Tennessee in the American Civil War Confederate States Army officers Physicians from New York City William Meclkenburg People from Maury County, Tennessee 19th-century American politicians Historians from New York (state)