An Unsung Medical Hero
Recently I was reminded of an old medical hero of mine who is little known either by the general public or by the medical establishment. Because his story is so remarkable and interesting to me, I am presenting it to my Kendal readers for their enjoyment and edification.
He was William A. Hammond (1828-1900). Born and raised in Annapolis, MD, he joined the army after graduation from the NYU School of Medicine. Early in 1862, for reasons that have never been completely understood, Abrahm Lincoln, over the heads of many senior officers, appointed him to Surgeon General of the Union Army.
Almost immediately he initiated wide-ranging reforms of army medicine: 1) he convinced Congress to enact a law making the Medial Corp an independent unit; whereas previously army physicians could be used in combat if needed, now regiments could never be left without a medical presence. 2) He designed and built the first military ambulances, assuring that the wounded could be evacuated rather than left to die in the field, as they had been in all previous wars. 3) He designed and built new army hospitals. Although the cause of infection was not yet known (it wasn’t until the 1870s that Koch and Pasteur discovered bacteria as causes of disease), Hammond’s designs minimized the spread of infection: wards radiated like spokes of wheel from a central nursing area. They were well lit and had excellent ventilation. If infections began to spread, the wards could be quickly and easily isolated. 4) He established an Army Medical Museum, which is still the repository of one of the most extensive collection of old medical equipment and history in the world.
Hammond then issued an order that was his undoing. He banned the use of Calomel, a widely used medicine containing mercury. He realized that Calomel not only didn’t improve illnesses, but was detrimental to the health of its recipients. This was too much for the old guard. They refused to follow this order and organized what has become known as the “Calomel Rebellion.”
In addition, they invented an entirely false narrative that accused Hammond of embezzlement. He was court-martialed and sentenced to a dishonorable discharge from the army.
But that did not deter Hammond. He then set up a thriving practice of neurology in New York City. He wrote many medical papers on new aspects of neurology and authored a neurology textbook that was widely read for decades. He also wrote several popular novels in collaboration with his eldest daughter.
Times passed and opinions about Hammond changed. In 1878, Congress passed a law that nullified his court-martial and changed his discharge to honorable.