George Hayward

George Hayward (March 9, 1791 – October 7, 1863) was an American surgeon who achieved groundbreaking techniques in surgery and anesthesia. Hayward practiced at Massachusetts General Hospital and served as Harvard University's first professor of clinical surgery. In 1839, he published the first American case report of a successful surgical closure of a vesicovaginal fistula. In 1846, he performed the second operation in history, and later that year the first major surgery, using ether anesthesia.

Life and career

Hayward was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 9, 1791. His father, Lemuel Hayward, was a physician. He received his bachelor's degree from Harvard College in 1809 and his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1812. Subsequently he undertook a tour of European cities and hospitals, studying under the eminent British surgeon Astley Cooper, before returning to Boston to work in surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. He went on to become Harvard Medical School's first professor of the principles of surgery and clinical surgery. Hayward was listed among the twelve founding members of the Boston Society of Natural History in its official acts of incorporation in 1831.

Hayward married Mary Ann Binney (1805–1884) after the 1847 death of her first husband, Dr. Amos Binney. He died of a stroke at his Boston home on October 7, 1863. He left most of his wealth to his wife, sisters, and nephews, along with a $5,000 endowment to Harvard Library. His cousin, Lemuel Shaw, was chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1830 to 1860. Hayward's bust, sculpted in marble by Richard Saltonstall Greenough in 1860, was displayed at Harvard's Memorial Hall.

Publications

Hayward G. (1834). Outlines of human physiology; designed for the use of the higher classes in common schools. Boston: Marsh, Capen & Lyon. Hayward G. (1839). Case of vesicovaginal fistula, successfully treated by an operation. Am J Med Sci 24: 283–288. Hayward G. (1851). Cases of vesicovaginal fistula treated by operation. Boston Med Surg J ; 44: 209–224. Hayward G. (1855). Surgical reports, and miscellaneous papers on medical subjects. Boston: Phillips, Sampson and Co.