CUSHING, HENRY KIRKE

CUSHING, HENRY KIRKE (29 July 1827-12 Feb. 1910), a prominent Cleveland physician active in raising the professional and educational standards of the medical profession, was born in Lanesboro, Mass. to Mary Ann Platt and Dr. ERASTUS CUSHING. The family moved to Cleveland when Cushing was 8. He graduated from Union College in 1848 and studied medicine under his father while also attending lectures at Cleveland Medical College. He received his medical degree in 1851 from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and soon after returned to Cleveland. In 1856, Cushing became a faculty member of the Western Reserve Medical Dept., staying until 1883, primarily teaching obstetrics and gynecology. During the Civil War he served as surgeon-major in the 7TH OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY. Through his involvement in medical societies, Cushing helped promote a more scientific approach to the study and practice of medicine. He was an organizer of the (early) Cleveland Academy of Medicine in 1867 and later was president of the CUYAHOGA COUNTY MEDICAL ASSOC. In 1887, Cushing became the first president of the Cleveland Society of Medical Sciences. He served on the joint committee of 3 Cleveland medical societies which led to the founding of the CLEVELAND MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOC. in 1894. In 1906 the Dept. of Experimental Medicine was formed at the WRU Medical School and named in honor of Cushing. He married Betsey M. Williams in 1852; they had 8 children: Edward, HARVEY W. CUSHING, William Erastus, Alice Kirke, HENRY PLATT CUSHING, Edward Fitch, George Briggs, and Alleyne Maynard. Cushing died at his home in Cleveland.