William Goodell was an eminent American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 gynecologist from Philadelphia, best remembered for first describing what is now referred to as Goodell's sign

Goodell's sign

In medicine, Goodell's sign is an indication of pregnancy. It is a significant softening of the vaginal portion of the cervix.The sign is named after William Goodell.-References:* at pregnancytoday.com...

.

Biography

William Goodell was born in Malta, the son of missionary William Goodell

William Goodell (missionary)

William Goodell was an American missionary. He was born at Templeton, Mass., educated at Phillips Academy , Dartmouth College, and Andover Theological Seminary...

 and studied at William's College, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 and Jefferson Medical College

Thomas Jefferson University

Thomas Jefferson University is a private health sciences university in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. The university consists of six constituent colleges and schools, Jefferson Medical College, Jefferson College of Graduate Studies, Jefferson School of Health...

, Philadelphia, graduating in 1854. He worked in Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

 until 1861. He then worked in general practice in West Chester

West Chester, Pennsylvania

The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,461 at the 2010 census.Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, Marsh Creek State Park, and other historical attractions are near West Chester...

 until he was appointed Lecturer on Obstetric Diseases of Women at the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

in 1870, and then Clinical Professor in Diseases of Women and Children in 1874.

Selected works

• A Sketch of the Life and Writings of Louyse Bourgeois, Midwife to Marie de' Medici, the Queen of Henry IV of France, The Annual Address of the Retiring President before the Philadelphia County Medical Society. (1876)
• Lessons in Gynecology, a textbook (1879)
• A Years Work in Oöphorectomy, University Medical Magazine, University of Pennsylvania (1888)
• Laceration of the Perineum and of the Cervix, a clinical lecture delivered at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, University Medical Magazine, University of Pennsylvania (1888)
• Chronic Peritonitis with Pseudo-Membranous Exudation, Ascites and Matting Together of the Intestines, Simulation a Tumor. Laparotomy., a clinical lectured delivered at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, University Medical Magazine, University of Pennsylvania (1888)
• The Abuse of Uterine Treatment Through Mistaken Diagnosis, Transactions of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, (1889)
• The Effect of Castration on Woman, and Other Problems in Gynecology The Medical News; a Weekly Medical Journal (1893)
• Introductory, Clinical Gynaecology, Medical and Surgical; for Students and Practitioners (1895)