William Potts Dewees
Encyclopedia
William Potts Dewees was an American
physician
, best known for his work in obstetrics
.
Dewees received a Bachelor of Medicine and in 1806 an M.D.
from the University of Pennsylvania
, where he would become Professor of Obstetrics, and Chair of Obstetrics from 1834 to 1841. His fame comes mainly from three books published in quick succession in the mid-1820s, each of which went to at least ten editions: Comprehensive System of Midwifery (1824), Treatise on the Physical and Medical Treatment of Children (1825), and Treatise on the Diseases of Females (1826). Of these, the System of Midwifery had the most lasting influence, introducing ideas from British and continental European physicians (especially Jean-Louis Baudelocque
) and becoming the standard reference on obstetrics in the United States for a time.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, best known for his work in obstetrics
Obstetrics
Obstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...
.
Dewees received a Bachelor of Medicine and in 1806 an M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
from 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...
, where he would become Professor of Obstetrics, and Chair of Obstetrics from 1834 to 1841. His fame comes mainly from three books published in quick succession in the mid-1820s, each of which went to at least ten editions: Comprehensive System of Midwifery (1824), Treatise on the Physical and Medical Treatment of Children (1825), and Treatise on the Diseases of Females (1826). Of these, the System of Midwifery had the most lasting influence, introducing ideas from British and continental European physicians (especially Jean-Louis Baudelocque
Jean-Louis Baudelocque
Jean-Louis Baudelocque was a French obstetrician who studied and practiced medicine in Paris. He was born in Heilly, in the region of Picardie.Baudelocque is known for making obstetrics a scientific discipline in France...
) and becoming the standard reference on obstetrics in the United States for a time.
Works
- An essay on the means of lessening pain, and facilitating certain cases of difficult parturition (1806)
- Comprehensive System of Midwifery (1824)
- Treatise on the Physical and Medical Treatment of Children (1825)
- Treatise on the Diseases of Females (1826)
- Practice of Medicine (1830)