Lewis Albert Sayer,
M.D.
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 Lewis Albert Sayre
(1820–1900) is considered to be among the founding fathers of
orthopedic surgery in the United States. He studied medicine at the
College of Physicians and Surgeons (now of Columbia University). Sayre
later helped establish the first academic department of orthopedics at
the Bellevue Medical College where he served as their first Professor of
Orthopedics. Lewis Sayre treated a considerable diversity of
musculoskeletal conditions and meticulously documented them with written
notes, sketches, and photographs. As a public figure, his methods were
controversial, attracting praise by some and inviting criticism by other
prominent members of the international community.
He made great strides
for physicians, helping to charter the American Medical Association and
to establish the weekly publication of the Journal of the American
Medical Association.
SAYRE, LEWIS ALBERT, New York was
born in Madison, formerly Bottle Hill, Morris CO., N. J., Feb. 29lh,
iSzo. He is the son of Archibald and Martha Sayre and grandson of
Ephraim Sayre, quarter master on Gen. Washington's staff during th
revolutionary war. His education in boy hood was obtained at the
Madison academy and Wantage seminary, Deckertown, Sussex CO., N. J.
He subsequently graduated a Transylvania univ., in Lexington, Ky. Ii
1839 he entered the office of Dr. Davi Green, in New York,
graduating in 1842 from the coll. of phys. and surg. in New York.
His thesis was on "Spinal Irrita lion," and was published in the
Westen Journal of Medical ¿iciinre, edited by Dr Lunsford P.
Yandell, of Louisville, Ky. I 1842 he was appointed prosector of
surger in the coll. of phys. and surg. ; this positioi he held until
1852, when he resigned it, an was appointed emeritus prosector.
In 1844 he organized the
pathological society; from
1844 to 1866 he was hospital. surgeon. of 1st division . New York
State militia; was
appointed surg. to Bellevue hosp. in 1853, a position which he till
retains, and from 1857 to 1871 held a imilar position in the charily
hosp. He is tow consulting surg. of that institution, and Iso of the
Home for Incurables, Westchester :o., N. Y. He was one of the
original mem- iers of the Am. med. asso., of which he has teen
vice-president ; is a member of the N. Y. Slate med. soc. ; the New
York со. med. oc. ; the New York acad. of medicine; the .oc. of
neurology (1873); of the médico- égal soc. (1872) ; hon. member of
the New irunswick med. soc. (1870); of the med. soc. of Norway
(1869). In 1872 he was made a knight of the order of Wnsa, by the
iing of Sweden, for his contributions to medical science. Was
resident physician to New York city from 1,860 until 1866, holding
the office under three different administrations, during which time
he presented many papers to the board of health on the
contagiousness of cholera, and its control by quarantine ;
prevention of small-pox by compulsory vaccination; sewerage of
streets; construction of buildings; ventilation of tenement houses,
and various other topics of general hygiene of great practical
importance. Was one of the original founders of lîellevue hosp. med.
coll., and was appointed at its organization prof, of orthopedic
surgery, a position which he still holds. This was the first
establishment of such a chair in any institution in this country,
but we are happy to see that this good example is now being followed
in most of our prominent colleges. His contributions to medical
literature have been very numerous, and extend over a wide range of
subjects. Among those which he has treated are " Pulmonary Abscess
with Pleuritic Effusion, Successfully Treated by Free Incision." It
will be seen by the query at the end of this paper, published in the
Transactions of the society of alumni of the coll. of phys. and
surg. in 1842, that he then pointed out the treatment which has
since been proved to be correct, by the valuable paper on Pneumo-
Thorax, by Prof. Austin Flint, in No. 3, vol. i., of a series of
American clinical lectures. "On Maternal Influence in Producing
Naevi Malerni and other Deformities," in a work called " Mental and
Mornl Qualities Transmissible,"in 1842; caseof"Chorea from Mental
Anxiety on Account of a Deformity," cured by removal of the same;
cases of " Chronic Abscess in the Cellular Tissue of the
Peritoneum;" case of " Spina Bitida, Snctessful Removal of Tumor by
Ligature" (1849). The last case is published in " Parker's Edition
cf Cooper's Surgery *'
" Extensive Recto-Tschial Abscess, with Caries of the Coccyx,
Successfully Treated by Removal of the Diseased Bone" (1853);
41 Exseclion of the Head of the
Femur" (1854); "Report on Morbus Coxanus" (1860); "On Compulsory
Vaccination"
Í|8Ó2); " New Operation for
Artificial Hip- oint " ,(1863) ; " Remarkable Case of Deception : Л
Woman Professing to Secrete Nothing but Charcoal and Stones, nil the
Natural Functions being Arrested" (1863;) "Croup —Case of Traumatic
Hemorrhage following Tracheotomy," arising from the imperfect form
of trachial tube used, and some remarks on the treatment of croup by
inhalation of steam (1864); "On Mechanical Treatment of Diseased
Joints" (1865); " Report on tile Contagion of Cholera" (1865); "
Report on a Case of Luxation of Head of Femur into Ischialic Notch,"
of nine months standing, successfully reduced by manipulation
(i860); "Case of Lead Palsy from the Use of a Cosmetic, called I/urd's
Bloom of Youth " (1869); "On Club-foot" (1869); "On Reflex Paralysis
and Inco-oruination from Genital Irritation" (1870); "On New
Treatment of Fractured Clavicle" (1871); " Report of Two Cases of
Luxation of the Elbow," of fourteen weeks standing, successfully
reduced (1871); "Report on Fractures" (1874); " Work on Orthopedic
Surgery and Diseases of the Joints" (1876); "Report on Pott's
Disease, with a Nc\v Method of Treatment by Suspension and Retention
by Plaster Paris Bandage," for which a vote of thanks was passed by
the association as " marking an era in the history of surgery," read
before the Am. med. asso. (1876) ; also on " Lateral Curvature,"
before the N. Y. State med. soc. (1876); and on " Hip-Disease,"
before the international med. congress (1876). In 1877 he visited
England, and his stay in that country partook more of the character
of an ovation than a simple visit, no American surgeon ever
receiving such marked attention from the profession in England as
he. He gave a number of demonstrations of the details of his method
of treatment of Pott's disease and lateral curvature in many of the
various colleges and hospitals of the country, the first being at
the Univ. coll. hosp., Lon- 'don. At St. Bartholomew's hospital he
delivered a clinical lecture, and shortly after " put up" two cases
of 1*0114 disease, and one of lateral curvature at Guy's hospital
before a large number of the profession. One of these cases was a
child of eleven years who had never stood, and the worst case, Dr.
Sayre snifl, he had ever seen. In less than half an hour he had the
satisfaction of making her walk. On the day following he "put up"
four cases at the Royal Orthopedic hosp. At Birmingham, to which
city he had been invited by the branch of the British med. asso.
located there, he gave a demonstration in the amphitheatre of the
Queen's hospital, where he lectured for one hour and applied the
plaster jacket to two cases of Pott's disease. An address was made
by Mr. West, senior surgeon of the institution, of" hccrty thanks
and welcome to the great American surgeon." Dr. Fur- neux Jordan,
who seconded the motion, referred in warm and eloquent terms to the
work which Dr. Sayre had accomplished, by which the miserable and
misshapen would be enabled tobe restored toperfect health and
perfect form. In his reply, Dr. Sayre, who was at first overcome by
the warmth of Dr. Jordan's remarks, responded with such enthusiasm
as to electrify the audience, and to call forth immense applause.
Dr. Sayre also visited Manchester, and was present at the annual
meeting of the British medical association in that place, and where
he occupied the position of delegate from the Am. med. asso. He gave
two demonstrations before that body, which were received with the
warmest admiration, and a unanimous vote of thanks passed; the
association adopting, without a single dissenting voice, the views
which he had presented. Judging from the reports in the various
medical journals, the enthusiasm and excitement at his last
demonstration must have surpassed anything that had ever before
occurred at я medical convention. During his stay in England he was
the recipient of much generous hospitality. Before he left England,
by the earnest solicitation of the profession, he published a work
on " Spinal Curvature and its Treatment," which has just been issued
by Smith, Elder & Co., Waterloo Place, London. He married, Jan.
251)1, 1849, Eliza A., daughter of Charles Henry Hall, Esq., of
Harlem, N. Y.
______________________
From Bellevue Hospital:
1884
Sayre, Lewis Albert,
A. B., Transyl. Univ., 1839; M. D.,
Coll. Phys. and Surg., 1842; a founder of N. Y. Pathol. Soc., 1844, and
of Bell. Hosp. Med. Coll., 1861 ; Prof. Orthop. Surg., Bell. Hosp. Med.
Coll., since 1861; Res. Phys., City N. Y., 1866; Vis. Surg., Charity
Hosp., 1859-73, Cons. Surg. since 1873; Cons. Surg. Home for Incurables,
and St. Eliz. Hosp. Made Knight of Order of Vasa by King Charles XV. of
Sweden, 1872. Pres. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1880. Author of " Manual of
Treatment of Club Foot," 1869; "Lectures on Orthopaedic Surgery and
Diseases of Joints," 1876 (translated into French, German, Spanish and
Japanese); " Spinal Disease and Spinal Curvature," 1877 (trans, into
German); " Spina Bifida, the Tumor Removed by Ligature" ; "
Exsectionofthe Head of the Femur and Removal of the Upper Rim of the
Acetabulum for MorbusCoxarius"; ''Treatment of Croup by Inhalation of
Steam "; " Lead Palsy from the Use of a Cosmetic "; " Mechanical
Treatment of Chronic Inflammation of the Joints of the Lower Extremities
" ; " Partial Paralysis from Reflex Irritation caused by Congenital
Phymosis"; "A Simple Dressing for Fracture of the Clavicle"; "On
Anchylosis"; "Clinical Lectures on Disease of the Hip- joint"; "Spinal
Anaemia, with Partial Paralysis and want of Coordination from Irritation
of the Genital Organs"; "Report on Fractures"; "Report on Pott's
Disease, or Caries of the Spine, Treated by Extension and Plaster-of-
Paris Bandage " ; " On Disease of the Knee-joint" ; " Spon- dylitis and
Rotary Lateral Curvature of the Spine " (trans. into Italian); " On the
Necessity of Cutting Contractured Tissues in Cases of Deformity Before
Traction is Attempted" ; " Results in Cases of Hip-joint Disease Treated
by the Portable Traction Hip Splint," 1892. Father of Reginald H. Sayre
(1885, II).
A. B., T1ansyl. Univ., 1839; M. D.,
College Phys. & Surg., 1842. A founder of N. Y. Pathol. Soc., 1844, and
Bellevue Med. Coll. since 1861. Professor Orthop. Surgery, Bellevue
Hosp. Med. Coll. since 1861. Consulting Surgeon at Charity Hosp.; Home
for Incurables, and St. Elizabeth and Bellevue Hospitals. Made Knight of
Order of Vasa by King Charles XV. of Sweden, 1872. President Amer. Med.
Assn., 1880. Author 20 papers.
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