| James Ewing Mears | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 17, 1838 Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Died | May 28, 1919 (aged 80) |
| Occupation | Surgeon, Researcher, Author |
James Ewing Mears, also J. Ewing Mears M.D., LL.D. (October 17, 1838 - May 28, 1919) was a surgeon and author.[1][2] He was a pioneer in jaw and mouth surgeries.[1][3] He was the first to propose the use of Gasserian ganglionectomy for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.[4][5] He was the first surgeon in the United States to successfully perform a subcutaneous osteotomy for the relief of old dislocations.[6] He was the first to open the peritoneal cavity to drain puss.[7] He was professor of anatomy and clinical surgery at the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery and demonstrator of surgery at Jefferson Medical College.[8] He was a charter member of the American Surgical Association and became its president in 1894.[9]
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He was born on October 17, 1838 in Indianapolis, Indiana to George Washington Mears and Caroline Sydney Ewing. He attended Trinity College, Hartford and in 1863 he entered Jefferson Medical School.[1] In 1878 he authored a textbook on emergency surgery including amputations. He wrote a paper in 1875 describing an operation whereby the peritoneal cavity was opened to drain pus.[7] In 1910 he wrote a book on the role of reducing yellow fever during the building of the Panama Canal. Mears also lectured Doc Holliday on surgery and anatomy while in Philadelphia.[10] While in Philadelphia Mears resided at 1429 Walnut Street.[11] He died on May 28, 1919.[1]