Abstract
JOHN BENJAMIN MURPHY, colorful, enigmatic, entrepreneurial, and innovative, was one of America's most prominent surgeons. Loyal Davis (1896-1982) labeled him the "stormy petrel of surgery," and no less an authority than William Mayo styled him "the surgical genius of our generation." Murphy was born in Appleton, Wis, and received his medical degree in 1879 from Chicago's Rush Medical College. After serving 18 months as an intern at Cook County Hospital, he went into private practice until 1882, when he traveled to Europe. Two years of medical study were spent in Berlin, Heidelberg, Munich, and Vienna. Upon his return to the United States, Murphy reestablished his office for the practice of surgery in Chicago. Use of the Murphy button proved that portions of the intestine and adjacent structures could be joined without sutures and that this technique was within the scope of any competent surgeon. Considered in its time the greatest mechanical aid in surgery, the device eventually fell into disuse but was an important forerunner to modern anastomotic plates and stapling devices (Mütter Museum, College of Physicians of Philadelphia). View LargeDownload Murphy had a brilliant imagination and an indomitable personality, which allowed him to pioneer many new fields. His career as a medical teacher began with an appointment as lecturer in surgery at his alma mater in 1884. Eight years later, he was named professor of clinical surgery in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, later the University of Illinois Medical School. He remained in this position until 1901, when he was elected professor of surgery in the Northwestern University School of Medicine. Murphy stayed for 4 years, when he moved back to Rush as professor of surgery. In 1908, Murphy made his last career transfer when he went again to Northwestern, where he remained until his death. Murphy was also chief of the surgical staff at Mercy Hospital from 1895 through 1916. In 1892, Murphy startled the surgical world by introducing the "Murphy button." This mechanical device allowed approximation of hollow viscera without sutures. In 1896, he authored a report on his research and clinical work in vascular surgery, including one of the earliest repairs of a lacerated femoral artery. Murphy pioneered the use of local anesthesia in surgery on the lung and introduced the drip method of saline infusion per rectum in the treatment of peritonitis. His studies on surgery of the spinal cord and peripheral nerves paved the way for modern neurosurgery. In his later years, he was deeply interested in the subject of skeletal deformities, especially those due to infections of the bones and joints. Although Murphy never authored a general textbook of surgery, he did edit the first Year Book of General Surgery (1901), and he served as the second editor-in-chief of Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics (now the Journal of the American College of Surgeons). Considered an outstanding teacher of surgery, especially in the operating room, despite his shrill, high-pitched voice, Murphy's weekly clinical conferences were exceedingly popular. The demand for publication of these talks led to the organization of The Surgical Clinics of John B. Murphy, which became the forerunner to The Surgical Clinics of North America. Murphy helped organize the Clinical Congress of Surgeons of North America, which led to the formation of the American College of Surgeons. He was also president of the American Medical Association (1911). As well known as Murphy was and as commanding a figure in American surgery as he became, he left no successor or disciples to carry on his enthusiasm for surgery and scientific research. His personality could be grating, and his many detractors considered his approach to medicine to be overly pretentious. Murphy was married to Jeannette Plamondon in 1885. From this marriage 5 children were born, a son and 4 daughters. For the last few months of his life, he suffered from severe and incapacitating angina. Murphy died at Mackinac Island, Mich, of a coronary artery occlusion.
Journal
Archives of Surgery
– American Medical Association
Published: Mar 1, 2001
Keywords: surgical procedures, operative,sutures,medical devices,surgeons,american college of surgeons
