J.P. Litchfield, MD holograph 2pp letter
Date Published: 1856
Binding: No binding
Holograph letter, 13-1/2 x 8-1/4 inches. Small tear 1 inch on left side otherwise good condition. Lengthy 2pp. letter from Litchfield writing from University of Queen's to a Doctor in New York dated Feb 18, 1856.
John Palmer Litchfield, MD is one of the most intriguing figures in Queen's University early history. He was an amiable and intelligent con-man who passed himself off on three continents as a medical expert and ended his career as a professor at Queen's and a superintendent of the asylum, which was the precursor of the Kingston Psychiatric Hospital.
He was professor of Midwifery, and State and Forensic Medicine of University of Queens College, Kingston, CW.
Queen's Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, department traces its history to the founding of the Faculty of Medicine in 1855, when J.P. Litchfield was appointed Professor of Midwifery and Forensic and State Medicine. When Queen's officials discovered to their shock that Litchfield was not qualified to teach midwifery - indeed, he had never even attended a birth - they removed him from his post He was replaced in 1861 by Michael Lavell
Good. Item #5858
$80.00 USD
$108.24 CAD