Joseph Pancoast (November 23, 1805 – March 6, 1882) was an American surgeon. His name is

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ic to the practice of surgery, in general, and cosmetic surgery, in particular. Pancoast was responsible for many seminal advancements in surgery that he described, and were depicted graphically, in numerous scholarly articles and books. His greatest work, ''A Treatise on Operative Surgery'', was published in 1844. Famous for his lectures and clinics in anatomy and surgery, Pancoast also received attention for his ability to perform surgery with either hand as he was ambidextrous. Furthermore, Pancoast was the first to demonstrate a substitute eyebrow coined a "long pedicle", and frequently replaced eyelids and ears. Pancoast was also among the first to section facial nerve to relieve neuralgia. On the eye, Pancoast operated upon cataracts. He also performed major surgery such as amputations at the hip-joint, as well as lithotomy.

Biography

Pancoast was born of

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parentage at

Springfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey Springfield Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 3,245, a decrease of 169 (−5.0%) from the 2010 census count of 3,414, which in tur ...

, the son of John Pancoast (1771 – 1841) and Ann Abbott, his wife. Joseph Pancoast married Rebecca Abbott. In 1828, Pancoast was awarded a degree in medicine by the

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine The Perelman School of Medicine (commonly known as Penn Med) is the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania, a Private university, private, Ivy League research university located in Philadelphia. Founded in 1765, the Perelman School of M ...

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. From 1839 to 1841, he was Chairman of the Department of Surgery at

Jefferson Medical College Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. The university is ...

. From 1841 until his resignation in 1874, Pancoast was Chairman of the Department of Anatomy at the same institution. He was succeeded by his son, William Henry Pancoast, who was also a renowned surgeon. One of his patients was the famous diarist LeRoy Wiley Gresham. Pancoast was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1851.

References

*Morton, Thomas G., and F. Woodbury (1895). ''The history of the Pennsylvania Hospital, 1751-1895''. Philadelphia: Times Printing House, p. 521.
Joseph Pancoast Collection at Thomas Jefferson University

Bibliography (partial)

*Pancoast, Joseph (1827). ''The erectile tissue.'' Thesis—University of Pennsylvania, 1828.
Lobstein, Jean Frédéric. ''A treatise on the structure, functions and diseases of the human sympathetic nerve.'' Philadelphia : J. G. Auner, 1831. Translation by Joseph Pancoast.
*Pancoast, Joseph (1835). ''An introductory lecture delivered at the commencement of the winter course of anatomy: for 1834-5.'' Philadelphia: W.P. Gibbons. *Pancoast, Joseph (1844). ''A treatise on operative surgery: comprising a description of the various processes of the art, including all the new operations; exhibiting the state of surgical science in its present advanced condition; with eighty plates, containing four hundred and eighty-six separate illustrations.'' Philadelphia: Carey and Hart.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pancoast, Joseph American anatomists American plastic surgeons American Quakers People from Springfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey Physicians from Philadelphia Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Medical educators 1805 births 1882 deaths