Moritz Schuppert (1817 – May 2, 1887) was an American surgeon, anti-vaccinationist and early advocate of antisepsis.
Moritz Schuppert | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1817 |
| Died | May 2, 1887 |
| Occupation(s) | Surgeon, writer |
Biography
editSchuppert was born in Marburg, Germany.[1] He studied medicine at the University of Marburg.[2] He emigrated to New Orleans during the 1853 yellow fever epidemic.[3] Schuppert was influential in introducing antisepsis into New Orleans from his studies in Germany.[4] Schuppert became a leading surgeon in New Orleans who used antiseptic techniques at Charity Hospital.[3] He became city physician of New Orleans in 1854.[1]
In the 1860s, Schuppert reported a series of operations he performed for vesicovaginal fistula with and without anaesthesia. He was struck by how well the patients tolerated the procedures.[5]
Schuppert came out against vaccination stating that it was inefficient and had caused many deaths. In 1879, Schuppert was assigned to vaccinate girls at Upper District High School.[3][6] Instead, he showed them the arm of a friend who had contracted erysipelas from vaccination.[3] This horrified the girls that they refused to be vaccinated. Schuppert complimented the students on their decision but he was removed from his position as city physician.[6]
In 1882, Schuppert called for a return to bloodletting, a controversial medical technique.[3] In 1883, he read a paper entitled "Anti-Vaccination" at a meeting of the Louisiana State Medical Society. However, the Society was not convinced and affirmed its confidence in vaccination "as the surest and only practical means of preventing the spread of small-pox."[3]
He authored valuable papers for The New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal.[1]
Schuppert died on May 2, 1887.[1]
Selected publications
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Kelly, Howard Atwood. (1912). A Cyclopedia of American Medical Biography, Volume 2. W. B. Saunders Company. p. 252
- ^ Schmidt, Paul; Changus, James (2018-03-06). "The Bloodletters of Florida". Sunland Tribune. 7 (1). ISSN 2575-2472.
- ^ a b c d e f Kaufman, Martin (1967). "The American Anti-Vaccinationists and Their Arguments". Bulletin of the History of Medicine. 41 (5): 463–478. PMID 4865041.
- ^ Gariepy, Thomas P. (1994). "The Introduction and Acceptance of Listerian Antisepsis in the United States". Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences. 49 (2): 167–206. doi:10.1093/jhmas/49.2.167. PMID 8034965.
- ^ Wall, L. Lewis (2007). "Did J. Marion Sims Deliberately Addict His First Fistula Patients to Opium?". Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences. 62 (3): 336–356. doi:10.1093/jhmas/jrl045. PMID 17082217.
- ^ a b Duffy, John (1978). "School Vaccination: The Precursor to School Medical Inspection". Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences. 33 (3): 344–355. doi:10.1093/jhmas/XXXIII.3.344. PMID 361809.
Further reading
edit- "Dr. Moritz Schuppert". The Journal of the Louisiana State Medical Society. 39: 986–988. 1887.