History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

"Gkntlfmen, — It is linown to you that my i>re lecej<?or, I'r. Suiuium-, III liu tntert-'stiiig address to tliis couVL-iitioii, rmni^liod many iiitrie^tiiig dft.'iils it'lativi- to the early liiitnry of me.!ii iiie in ('oiaioctiiriit. together with hiogral)liical sketclies of some <if tlie mo.st eliiiiieat i>hy.siii;ui^ wlio flonrLsIied in tlie early periods of its liiitory. The adilress allncli-d to possesses great value, not only as allording data I'or noting the jiroj^ress wliieh our profe.ssion ha.'^ made in the sueees>i%'e era.s of its history, hut liliewise as a record for rescuing from l)rogressing oldivion the names of individuals of worth and eminence to whose lal'ois we are, in no ^nniU degree, indebte'l for the present advanced resjiectal ility whieli the niei'.i- eal profe*-ion in Connecticut sustains. " Tlo're can he little douht that in the early history of (Connecticut, and prohaldy that of our country geneially, a largi- portion of nu-dical prac- tice was in ita cliaiacter empiiical. For aconsideiahle peiiotlsuliseijuent to the first settlement of the several towns, far tlio largest part of nu'di- cal prescrilttiiMi was dispensed hy root ami Indiaiuloctors. .Allliougli tlie more consideraMe villages early possessed their so-called regular pliysi- cians, yet many of these did not Mnsli hoa^tingly tt> announce tlieir paternity to iiostrums and pretended specifics for particular or for all diseiuses, n» interest niiglit dictate; and this solely witli a view of incit- ing puhlic attention towards themselves and seducing i>atients from their professional neigh hors. "In such a condition of profe.ssiomil morals, it is little surpiising that a state of hostilily and antagonistic feeling should, generally, have ex- isteil, such as is well known to have cliaiacteii/ed the medical society of former limes. In the several counties of the Stati', however, exceptions were occHsiuuully found of pliyci.iaus of a more hunoralde and elevated 30 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. clmractcr, who not only Iftborod to reform the moral III i "fca- eion, but nlt^o to advnncv its ttciontlfic rct^puctnbility and uttefulncss. "Although a rctrtwpcct into our early nifdiciil history will present physicians of thid iIe«cription hut as 'Karl nantc-s in Rurgite vastu' of popular enipiridsm then provailinR, yet fortunately such have existed, Aud many of these, primary luminaries have hcen sufficiently fortunate to receive a noIi."o from my prcdeces8t)r in the nddn-e*) alluded to. Many others liavc flourished In the several CMintieji, p(irha|w eqnal in profes- sional talent and worth, though kss known to general fame, whoso names, by tht- dt-nmnds of equal jiistii'e, ought tj be rescued and regis- tered with their co-IalKirer? in Bup|>ort of leptinint** medical science dur- ing the dark iHiriod of ltd history in the American cohtnles- In render- ing such tribute of respect to the memories of our profussional progenitors, we, who cigoy the fruits of thi'ir pioneer laboin and dilhcultics, are not only discharging a debt of gratitude which is their due, hut we are also furnishing for our successoi-s data by wliicli they nuiy be eruibted to trace past niMlical pntgress, and nut improbably may incite them to tho I>erforniance of a like homage to the memory uf the professional bene- factors of tho present period, Tlierc is no doubt, as stilted, that all the counties have furniftbcd many physicians of tho diameter alluded to. But as tho limits of an address duo from me would be inadequato for their gcnenil notice, even were the materials readily accesbible, I design only to select as subjects those who passed their professional lives in Fairfield County, leaving those of other sections for individuals possess- ing a similar interest for the memories of their decciised brethren, who from vicinity of location enjoy hotter facilities for obtaining their bio- graphical histories. " Few are the rcconlod data for biography wlii;;h ordinarily survive tho life of the practitioner of medicine in country districts. Tlie uniform and familiar character of his vocation alTords but scanty material for tho adornment of general history. Ihdng more familiar with prescription than the pen, or the more brilliant exploits of war or legislation, his fame is lamentably prone to e.\pire with the meiuoiies and lives of those who have enjoyed tho benefit of his profi^tsional labors. "Individual exceptions, however, are not wanting of members of our profession who have left reconled testimonials of their clianu^ter and fame. The fortuitous circumstances which ofton enstamp individual reputation on the page of history have hcon tho possession of some phy- sicians. The indulgence of political ambition, a devoted professional philanthropy, as well as the endowment of transcendent intellect, arc no less likely historicitlly tu note the physician than his coKtquals in general society. Slost of those in Connecticut who have attained such fortune have been presented to your notice by my predecessor. Accessi- ble records hove supplied him with facts, by which to delineate tho character of his subjects in a manner far more interesting and satisfac- tory than can be expected for ttioso derived from fuither gleanings in the past professional field. " It is my ilesign in the |>ortion of these papers devoted to biographical notice to select thtwe who, if le&4 distinguished by general fame, wore pi-rhaiwi of equal usefulness in the dis]>ensation of the simple duties of the medical pi\)fe*wion. " Of the early phvt^icians of Fairfield County, 1 have succeeded in ob- taining hut scanty information. 3Iore, doubtlea^, might have boon do* rive<J from the early records concerning imliviiluals, were tho mo<Iorn titular api>endage added to their names as a guide to the investigation. Tliid omishlon, so general, is probably to he explained fn)m the fact that its degradalioii by iIm indiscriminate application to all tho pretenders of the p^tIimI caused tho mime * cliimrgeoH' to be considered an apitellativo more worthy the amldtiun of eilucated phypiclaus. " Ah Ptnttnl, I have been able to derive hut little, either from record or tradition, of the early pliysirians of Fairfield County. It is probable that few of note who made Uio practice of medicine an exclusive vocation left the larger central towns tu locate Id the inconsiderable vlllage^i of a bonier county. As in the State generally, many or most of the early elcrgy of the county united nuHlical prescription with their clerical dutioo, and It is probable that most of tho more regular prescrription was in their hands. Of pnif^wional presi-ribors of the iH'riiHl may l<e euumemted tho succcwlve grades of root and Indian doctors; those whv), originating in thi*»e, ro««* through rational oWer\alion, and the aid of uttiMition to existing medical literature, to the station of respti-t- able pmctltioneni; and thotMi who by previous qualification entered tho proffMton with more ur leas knowledge of tho mcdlcml scicuco of tho r:?ri>Ml. "The carlicvt phyidclan of the latter description lu tho county, of whom I have obtained a knowletlge, was Peter Bulkier, eon of Rer. Teter Bulkley, of Concord, and brvthcrof Rev.— oflerwards Dr.— GersJiom Bulkley, of Wether-iii It. I!' resided and practiced in the town of Faiiiield, but of his character as a physician I have been able to obtain no particular information. I infer from tho prolmte of his will, con- tained on the prolinte records, dated Jlarch 2.">, 1691, that he died in that year. His age at the time of making his will, dated as above, he de- clares to be forty-nine years. After »i>eciul devise of his principal e.t>tate, which appears to have been small, ho atlds, 'all the other estate I leave it wholly to my executor, whether physic or other household rfajf, he knowing all ye concerns aliout it.' His ' medicines, simples and in com- position,' are inventoried at twenty-five p<mnds. Jle constitutes his 'dearly iKiloved brother, Gershom Bulkley,' his executor, but he declined the trust. " Isaac Hall was also a physician of Fairfield, who died in 1714, hut re- garding his reputation nothing special is to be obUiincd. In his nun- cupative will on tho prolwite record, he is styled Dr. Isaac Hall, but his inventory exhibits but a meagre amount of his professional remains, un- less ' Culpepper's l.ast Legacy,' Included in the list of his scantj* miscella- neous library, may have been a reposilorj* of astrological mysteries, and therefore afford evidence that he Wiis skilled in the science promulgated by the celebrated author of that name. Sylvester Judd, >j(q., of North- ampton, who is most conversant with tho early records of Fairfield County, states reganling him ' he w as n phy.^ician and e^^pecially a clii- nirgtOH. lie was employe. I by the government in some warlike expedi- tion, and my impression is, that he w;is somewhat distinguished.'