Alfred Lebbeus Loomis (October 16, 1831 – January 23, 1895) was an American physician who served as president of the

Association of American Physicians The Association of American Physicians (AAP) is an honorary 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 ...

Life and career

Loomis was born in

Bennington, Vermont Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 United States Census, US Cens ...

. He graduated from

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

in 1851, studied medicine at the

College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (officially known as Columbia University Roy and Diana Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons) is the medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving ...

(now Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons), and graduated in 1853 with an

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

and again Union College with an A.M. At this time, the science of

auscultation Auscultation (based on the Latin verb ''auscultare'' "to listen") is listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope. Auscultation is performed for the purposes of examining the circulatory system, circulatory and resp ...

and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

was developing very rapidly, and this circumstance led him to adopt diseases of the lungs and heart as his specialty. He was appointed visiting physician to

Bellevue Hospital Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States ...

in 1859, and became lecturer on physical diagnosis at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1862. Shortly after this Loomis's health broke down completely, and he spent six months in the

Adirondacks The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York (state), New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the hi ...

. The benefit derived from his residence there led to the establishment, years later, of Dr.

Edward Livingston Trudeau Edward Livingston Trudeau (October 5, 1848 – November 15, 1915) was an American physician who established the Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium at Saranac Lake, New York, Saranac Lake for the treatment of tuberculosis. Dr. Trudeau also establi ...

Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium The Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium was a tuberculosis sanatorium established in Saranac Lake, New York, in 1885 by Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau. After Trudeau's death in 1915, the institution's name was changed to the Trudeau Sanatorium, follo ...

Saranac Saranac may refer to a place name in the United States: * Saranac, Michigan, a village ;New York * Saranac, New York, a town in Clinton County * Saranac Lake, New York, a large village in Franklin and Essex counties * Upper Saranac Lake * Middle Sa ...

, and also, at

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

Sullivan County, New York Sullivan County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,624. The county seat is Monticello. The county's name honors Major General John Sullivan, who was labeled at the time as a hero in th ...

, of a Hospital for Consumptives. In 1866, Loomis became

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

of the theory and practice of medicine at the

University of the City of New York New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a non-denominational all-male institutio ...

, the medical department of which later became University and Bellevue Hospital Medical College. Loomis was appointed visiting physician to Mount Sinai Hospital in 1874. He 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 r ...

in 1889–90 and again in 1891–92; and in 1893 served as president of the

. He published ''Lessons in Physical Diagnosis'' (1868; 11th edition, revised and enlarged, 1899); ''Lectures on Fevers'' (1877); ''A Text-Book of Practical Medicine'' (1884). He was, in addition, editor of ''An American System of Medicine'' (1894). Loomis died at home, aged 63, in New York City on January 23, 1895.

Term

* Loomis' mixture – a

diarrhea Diarrhea (American English), also spelled diarrhoea or diarrhœa (British English), is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements in a day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration d ...

mixture containing oil of

sassafras ''Sassafras'' is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.Wolfe, Jack A. & Wehr, Wesley C. 1987. The sassafras is an ornamental tree. "Middle Eo ...

I, tincture of

opium Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...

12, tincture of

rhubarb Rhubarb is the fleshy, edible stalks ( petioles) of species and hybrids (culinary rhubarb) of ''Rheum'' in the family Polygonaceae, which are cooked and used for food. The plant is a herbaceous perennial that grows from short, thick rhizomes. ...

8, tincture of gambir 40, compound tincture of

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the sage family, Lamiaceae. It is native plant, native to the Old World, primarily found across the drier, warmer regions of the Mediterranean ...

to make 100. Dose, 30 minims (2cc). '' The American Illustrated Medical Dictionary'' (1938)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Loomis, Alfred Lebbeus Physicians from New York City 19th-century American physicians American science writers 1831 births 1895 deaths People from Bennington, Vermont Loomis family