John Benjamin Murphy

This article is about the abdominal surgeon. For other persons, see John Murphy.

John Benjamin Murphy
Murphy outside of Mercy Hospital after Theodore Roosevelt's assassination attempt in 1912
Born(1857-12-21)December 21, 1857
Appleton, Wisconsin, US
DiedAugust 11, 1916(1916-08-11) (aged 58)
Mackinac Island, Michigan, US
Resting placeCalvary Cemetery
Alma materRush Medical College, 1879
Known forPresident, American Medical Association
artificial pneumothorax
appendectomy
AwardsOrder of St. Gregory the Great
Scientific career
InstitutionsMercy hospital, Chief of Staff
Rush Medical College
College of Physicians and Surgeons
Northwestern University Medical School
Cook County Hospital
Graduate Medical School of Chicago
Signature

John Benjamin Murphy, born John Murphy[1] (December 21, 1857 – August 11, 1916) was an American physician and abdominal surgeon noted for advocating early surgical intervention in appendicitis appendectomy, and several eponyms: Murphy’s button,[2] Murphy drip,[2][3] Murphy’s punch, Murphy’s test, and Murphy-Lane bone skid. He is best remembered for the eponymous clinical sign that is used in evaluating patients with acute cholecystitis.[4] His career spanned general surgery, orthopedics, neurosurgery, and cardiothoracic surgery, which helped him to gain international prominence in the surgical profession.[4] Mayo Clinic co-founder William James Mayo called him "the surgical genius of our generation".[4]

Over the course of his career he was renowned as a surgeon, a clinician, a teacher, an innovator, and an author. In addition to general surgical operations, such as appendectomy, cholecystostomy, bowel resection for intestinal obstruction, and mastectomy, he performed and described innovative procedures in neurosurgery, orthopedics, gynecology, urology, plastic surgery, thoracic surgery, and vascular surgery. He also ventured into techniques such as neurorrhaphy, arthroplasty, prostatectomy, nephrectomy, hysterectomy, bone grafting, and thoracoplasty.[1]

  1. ^ a b Morgenstern, Leon (March 2006). "John Benjamin Murphy (1857-1916): An American Surgical Phenomenon" (PDF). Surgical Innovation. 13 (1). Sage Publications: 1–3. doi:10.1177/155335060601300101. PMID 16708149. S2CID 5097576. Retrieved May 14, 2008.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ a b Griffith, B.; Yao, J.(2000) Journal of the American College of Surgeons A Centennial History of the Chicago Surgical Society. Volume 191, Issue 4, Pages 419 - 434.
  3. ^ Journal of the American Medical Association (April 17, 1909) Proctoclysys in the Treatment of Peritonitis (the Murphy Drip).
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference JBM11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).