Rodney L. Glisan, M.D. (; January 29, 1827 – June 3, 1890) was an American medical doctor who served on the frontier in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and was well known as a medical authority in the 19th century.

Biography

He was born in Linganore in Frederick County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, the son of Samuel and Eliza Glisan. He graduated from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

medical school in 1849. He practiced medicine for a year in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

and then in 1850 he was appointed assistant

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

in the

. He served as medical officer in the army for eleven years including five years on the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

followed by six years (1855–1861) in

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

during the Indian wars. He resigned his commission in 1861 and practiced medicine in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

before moving to

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. In 1863 he married Elizabeth Raynes Couch, a daughter of

John H. Couch John Heard Couch ( ; February 28, 1811 – January 19, 1870) was an American sea captain and pioneer in the Oregon Country in the 19th century. Often referred to as Captain Couch, he became famous for his singular skill at navigation of the ...

, one of the founders of Portland. From 1872–1876 he was president of the

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland metropolitan area. The state's smallest and most populous county, it ...

Medical Society, and was president of Oregon state medical society from 1875–1876. He was a member for many years of the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is an American professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. This medical association was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was 271,660 ...

. He later became a professor of

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a su ...

and diseases of women at Willamette University School of Medicine. Glisan achieved a measure of fame as a medical doctor in his day. He was widely published and known as an authority in his field. In 1874 he published ''Journal of Army Life'' about his years as a surgeon in the Army. He traveled extensively throughout

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

delivering lectures on medical subjects, and in 1887 published ''Two Years in Europe''. He is noted for performing the first

amputation Amputation is the removal of a Limb (anatomy), limb or other body part by Physical trauma, trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as cancer, malign ...

of the shoulder and thigh, and the second operation for strangulated inguinal

hernia A hernia (: hernias or herniae, from Latin, meaning 'rupture') is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. The term is also used for the normal Devel ...

in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

. In 1881 he published a text on

midwifery Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many cou ...

that was widely used in the United States and Great Britain. That year he was also a delegate to the Seventh

International Medical Congress The International Medical Congress () was a series of international scientific conferences on medicine that took place, periodically, from 1867 until 1913. The idea of such a congress came in 1865, during the third annual Medical Congress of Fr ...

. In 1893 the donation of his library became the basis for the library of the Oregon Health and Science University.

Legacy

Glisan is honored by the naming of a street in Northwest and Northeast Portland, Oregon.

Notes

External links

History of the Pacific Northwest (1889): Dr. Rodney Glisan''Journal of Army Life'', by Rodney Glisan
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Glisan, Rodney 1827 births 1890 deaths History of Portland, Oregon Physicians from Portland, Oregon University of Maryland, Baltimore alumni Oregon Health & Science University people Willamette University faculty United States Army Medical Corps officers Military personnel from Portland, Oregon