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30 April 2013

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Maud Stoutenburgh’s Descendant Has An Inquiring Mind

31 March 2013

Here’s a reprint from one of our newsletters:

Printed August 15, 2010
STFA Annual Newsletter
by Lanaii Kline

Portraits of Noted Physicians of New York 1750-1900

Portraits of Noted Physicians of New York 1750-1900

Ila Malloy, webmaster of the Stoutenburgh-Teller website, forwarded to me a query from a direct descendant of Maud Stoutenburgh Eliot. Maud was one of the founders of the Stoutenburgh-Teller Family Association. This cousin wanted help with finding out more about her ancestors. I automatically thought of the Stoutenburgh Circles that Maud’s husband, Walter Graeme Eliot created. A bit of research revealed that Walter authored several non-fiction books such as “Portraits of Noted Physicians of New York 1750-1900.

My daughter is a medical student so my curiosity is peaked when I come across a family member having some connection to medicine. Thus, I found and read the book. Walter’s father, Augustus Eliot, was an obstetrician/gynecologist in the second half the 19th century in New York City. So I was not surprised to find that Walter had authored such a book. As I perused the book, I was struck at the number of physicians who had an MD and an LLD degree. Of the 199 physicians included in the book, forty-two had earned both degrees. That means that 21% of these physicians also had an LLD degree. I asked myself whether the physicians earned the law degree after becoming a physician or the other way around. More research showed that the LLD degree was earned later and the physicians never practiced law!

Washington Asylum Hospital: 1915

Washington Asylum Hospital: 1915

Two of the physicians in Walter Eliot’s book did not have an MD degree. Over the years as I researched my family history, I came across relatives who became doctors because they studied under another practicing physician. The more I researched the licensing of physicians prior to the 20th century, the more we all should be grateful that we are born after 1900!


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