COLUMBIA LIBRARIES OFFSITE 
 
 HEALTH SCIENCES STANDARD 
 
 HX64094073 
 
 R154.C73 C73 1 899 Cornelius George Com 
 
 RECAP 
 
 ^^m^^ 
 
 ■Sfy 
 
 
 ws:.::th. 
 
 
 i^'-J^ /■-"- y" 
 
 
 ^t;-*. 
 
 ^^1^ 
 
 
 
 
 e^ 
 
 / 
 
 f-^t 
 
 ^--, 
 
 ii^-. 
 
 i*;: 
 
 y 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 •"/i^ 
 
 
 I n 
 
 
 ^' -A 
 
 iRNELIUS 
 GEORGE 
 
 
 
 
 .<of.r*-»:»' 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 /v 
 
 
 <t 
 
 <:r" 
 
 r 
 
 
 '-^l ^ 
 
 '{•^4'^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^T# 
 
 > ^ 
 
 
 ^fH 
 
College of ^Jpsiiciansf anb burgeons; 
 Hilirarp 
 
G0RIEL1U8 GEORGE GflMEGYS,M.D. 
 
 HIS LIFE AND CAREER 
 
 IN THE 
 
 DEVELOPMENT OF CINCINNATI 
 
 FOR NEARLY 
 
 HALF A CENTURY 
 
 WITH APPENDIX 
 
 BY 
 CHARLES GEORGE COMEGYS, A. B., LL. B. 
 
 ^ 
 
 CINCINNATI 
 PUBIylSHED BY TH:^ FAMII^Y 
 
 1899 
 

 PRESS OF S. ROSENTHAL & CO 
 
 15-27 WEST SIXTH ST. 
 
 CINCINNATI. 
 
i 
 
 o 
 
 =5: 
 
 O the memofy of my mother, 
 
 Rebecca Tiffin Gomegys, 
 the noble help-meet of her husband, this book 
 is affectionately dedicated. 
 
 Sleep sweetly^ tender heart, in peace. 
 Sleep to the end, true soul and sweet ; 
 Sleep, holy spirit, blessed dead. 
 While the stars burn, the moons increase. 
 And the great ages onward roll.** 
 
PREFACE 
 
 THIS memoir is written to preserve, in a brief way, some 
 of the incidents and events wliich characterized the life 
 and career of Dr. C. G. Comkgys. While it is intended es. 
 pecially for his family, relatives, and friends, it is hoped that 
 it may also interest those who have been associated with, or 
 have been beneficiaries of, the institutions with which he was 
 connected and for whose interests he labored. In whatever 
 character he bore himself — as a physician, a churchman, a 
 citizen, a member of city and educational boards — he sank his 
 individuality, and acted only for the public welfare. It may, 
 at some future day, be a gratification to his descendants to 
 contemplate that, by his self-abnegation, and the voluntar}'- 
 giving up of opportunities of personal pecuniary advan- 
 tage to help others, he gained a greater reward. 
 
 This account, however, would be incomplete were no 
 mention made of her who, for over fifty years, entered into 
 the joys and sorrows, the triumphs and defeats of his life. 
 In addition, therefore, to the dedication which has been made, 
 a brief sketch is appended of a life which, though full of good 
 deeds, can merely be outlined in this book. 
 
 CHARLES G. COMEGYS. 
 Cincinnati, February 10, 1899. 
 
CORNELIUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 TT would not be possible, in a brief sketcli, to 
 present a complete History of tlie career of 
 Dr. Comegys. His life was full of many in- 
 cidents, and be lived for others, rather than 
 for himself. Possessed of the highest ideals 
 and the utmost purity of thought, his charac- 
 ter was too earnest for the frivolities of life. 
 He felt that he had a duty to perform, and he 
 cast himself into the work, body and soul. 
 
 A love for his fellow men filled his heart, 
 and his one great impulse was to aid in the 
 improvement of the mind as well as to heal 
 the body, and to give to all persons equal oppor- 
 tunities of education. The value of this he 
 believed to be greater than riches ; and, though 
 a busy man in his profession, he devoted the 
 greater part of his life to active and indefatig- 
 
8 CORNKLIUS GEORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 able efforts in the cause of education. Thus, 
 over forty years were spent in the faculties of 
 the medical colleges and hospitals, in the 
 School Board, and in the Board of Trustees 
 of the University of Cincinnati. 
 
 He was a friend to young men especially, 
 both by words of counsel, and by active en- 
 deavors to aid them in obtaining employment. 
 In this, too, his efforts were always disinter- 
 ested and often to his own disadvantage. In 
 the sick-room his skill and ready sympathy 
 won the hearts of his patients, and caused 
 him to be regarded as the confidential friend, 
 as well as the medical adviser. 
 
 Cornelius George Comegys was born July 
 23, 18 16, on an old ancestral farm, called 
 '^ Cherbourg", near Dover, Kent County, Dela- 
 ware. His father was Cornelius Parsons 
 Comegys, who was the Governor of Delaware, 
 from 1838 to 1841, and who, in the war of 1812, 
 was Lieutenant Colonel. The name Cornelius 
 was an old family one, and was carried down 
 from the Cornelius Comegys who came from 
 
CORNKLIUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 9 
 
 Holland to America and settled on the east 
 shore of Chesapeake Bay, in old Kent County, 
 Maryland, 1661, where he had a large planta- 
 tion. He was naturalized, with his wife Milli- 
 menty, and his children — Cornelius, Eliza- 
 beth, William, and Hannah Comegys, in 1671. 
 
 The mother of Cornelius George Comegys 
 was Ruhamah Marim, a daughter of John 
 Marim, a Lieutenant in the revolutionary 
 army ; and, he was also descended from En- 
 glish ancestors of the early colonial days — one 
 of whom, William Winsmore, was a member 
 of William Penn's Assembly in 1683. 
 
 Cornelius George, or George, as he was 
 always called by his family and relations, 
 was the last child of the family born at Cher- 
 bourg. This farm Avas a part of a tract of 
 land granted in 1680 to William Winsmore, 
 an ancestor on his mother's side, and known 
 as 'Xittle Pipe Elm" — the name of a family 
 estate in England. Later it was called Cher- 
 bourg, and in the lifetime of his father was 
 sold. On account of family ties and his strong 
 
lO CORNElvIUS GKORGK COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 affection for the home of his early days, it was 
 purchased, about January i, 1881, by Corne- 
 lius, and is now in the possession of his chil- 
 dren. 
 
 While in his earliest childhood, his father, 
 who was the cashier of the Farmers^ Bank in 
 Dover, removed his family to that place, and 
 their home was in the building in which the 
 bank was located. There the four younger 
 children were born. 
 
 Time passed by, and the family, which had 
 become of goodly size, was living happily amid 
 pleasant surroundings, when the home was 
 broken up. The cashier, who for eleven years 
 had been faithful to his duties, suddenly, and 
 from political causes entirely, was forced to 
 leave the bank and the residence in the build- 
 ing. This aroused a great deal of feeling, and 
 an act for the vindication of the cashier was 
 determined upon by those in power in the 
 State. The State held a large proportion of 
 the shares of stock of the Farmers' Bank, and 
 the Legislature, then in session, and of the 
 
CORNKIvlUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. II 
 
 same party and politics as tlie cashier, imme- 
 diately appointed him a Director in the bank. 
 So that, a few da3^s later, he sat at the meeting 
 of the Board of Directors — a promotion which 
 his colleagues, no doubt, failed to enjoy. 
 
 The loss of position, together with salary 
 and home incident to it, was, however, a seri- 
 ous blow. It compelled him, in the middle of 
 January, to move his family of eight children* 
 (the youngest scarcely three months old) to 
 Cherbourg, where, by reason of the distance 
 from Dover and the condition of the roads in 
 winter, they were cut off from the society of 
 their friends, and were thrown upon their own 
 resources for entertainment. At this time Cor- 
 nelius was about twelve years of age. None of 
 the children went to school for that first year, 
 and such few books as were within their reach 
 became the solace of their quiet lives and were 
 read with avidity. 
 
 * William H., Sarah Ann (afterwards, Mrs. Ridgely), 
 Joseph P., Cornelius G., Benjamin B., Mary Elizabeth (after- 
 wards, Mrs. Chatham), Maria, and John M. Comegys. 
 
12 CORNKLIUS GKORGK COME^GYS, M. D. 
 
 When spring opened the four older sons 
 were all set to work in the fields, and worked 
 in accordance with their strength. 
 
 The interrupted schooling was resumed a 
 year later, as a public school was opened about 
 two miles from their home, which the younger 
 children attended. Cornelius, however, went 
 to a private academy in Dover, about four 
 miles away. This walk of eight miles every 
 day, in all sorts of weather and over a bad 
 road, was a pretty hard one, but he was faith- 
 ful in his attendance and a zealous student — 
 especially of mathematics. He had many 
 friendly arguments, on this subject, with his 
 younger brother, Benjamin, whom his propo- 
 sitions often startled ; and, in such cases, he 
 was called upon to prove his statements, the 
 doing of which gave him the greatest satisfac- 
 tion. He was fond of playing the school- 
 master, and, one winter, a room was set apart 
 in the house as a school-room, and Cornelius 
 was constituted the teacher of a class of three 
 — his pupils being his two young sisters and 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 1 3 
 
 youngest brother, John. This proved of much, 
 value to him, and, later, gave him the idea of 
 becoming a teacher. 
 
 Things went on in this way for some 3^ears, 
 with schooling in winter and working on the 
 farm in the summer. This work in the fields 
 was a hard one ; but to it, no doubt, he was in- 
 debted for his large frame, robust health, and 
 strong constitution. 
 
 He did not, at once, carry out his intention 
 of becoming a teacher, for his first employ- 
 ment was that of a clerk in a store in Dover. 
 This gave him an idea of business and, added 
 to his small stock of knowledge, was of much 
 value to him. 
 
 All the time, however, he felt that he 
 must make a career, for himself, in the 
 world. He had, at one period, a great am- 
 bition to enter ' the navy as a midship- 
 man ; and, although he received little or 
 no encouragement from his family, he perse- 
 vered in his endeavors, which culminated in 
 his making a personal application, by letter, to 
 
14 CORNKlvIUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 the Secretary of tlie Navy. In due time a 
 reply came under the '^frank" of the Secretary, 
 but the effort was unsuccessful. It was a bitter 
 disappointment to him, as he had set his heart 
 upon it, having a great fondness for boats. At 
 one time, he even tried to build a small pro- 
 peller. This love for the sea never died out 
 and was one of the strong affections of his life. 
 In his brief vacations from his practice, in 
 later years, he always turned his course toward 
 Delaware and the sea, where the smell of the 
 salt air and the view of the boundless ocean 
 acted as a tonic for his entire system. 
 
 Cornelius felt that the employment in the 
 store was neither sufficiently lucrative nor in 
 keeping with his ambition. And, when about 
 nineteen years of age, he secured a position as 
 teacher in a public school, in a neighborhood 
 about ten miles from his home. He taught 
 there for about a year and made his home in 
 the family of a widow, living near the school- 
 house, who tried to make the young teacher 
 comfortable. He generally spent his Sundays 
 
CORNBJI.IUS GB^ORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 1 5 
 
 at ''CMpping Norton", the old family place of 
 His motHer's family, tlie Marims, in tlie society 
 of his nncle, Charles Marim, a man of extra- 
 ordinary conversational powers, which, with 
 his wide reading and great intelligence, made 
 him a most fascinating companion. 
 
 Comelins, during his year's teaching, accu- 
 mulated a small sum of money. The training 
 there was of the utmost value to him in after 
 life, and inculcated a deep love for study and 
 the improvement of the mind. In his reading, 
 then and later, he cared little for fiction, 
 except as regards that of the standard novel- 
 ists whom he greatly admired ; but, the bent 
 of his mind was towards philosophy, logic, 
 and psychology. He was of a very inquiring 
 and restless mind, and used for a motto the 
 words : ''He that asketh much, learneth 
 much." In his intercourse with his younger 
 brothers and sisters in his youth, and with his 
 children in after life, while he believed in 
 wholesome recreation, he always discouraged 
 what he considered frivolities, as he felt that 
 
1 6 CORNELIUS GKORGK COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 time was too valuable to be given to anything 
 except to the earnest work of life. He set a 
 goal for himself, to reach which he worked 
 with an energy and persistence most remark- 
 able. Opposition never daunted him, but only 
 spurred him on to renewed efforts. He had a 
 wish about this time to study medicine, but 
 the way was not yet clear ; so the desire lay 
 dormant until the time was ripe. 
 
 The condition of his father's aifairs was 
 such that it became necessary for some of the 
 remaining children to break oif home ties and 
 seek employment elsewhere. Cornelius was 
 the eldest son then at home, and, feeling the 
 necessity of taking some vital step, he de- 
 termined, with the small stock of money he 
 had saved from his salary as a teacher, to seek 
 his fortune in the West. This was a great 
 undertaking in those days, before the advent 
 of railroads, when the only means of traveling 
 was by the stage-coach, canal, and river. But 
 the necessity seemed great, and he had heard 
 of opportunities across the mountains. So, 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 1 7 
 
 witli many letters of commendation, secured 
 by his father, lie departed on his long journey. 
 His objective point was Indianapolis, where he 
 expected to find work in a civil-engineering 
 corps, surveying the road to St. Louis, which 
 was being done by the government. Having 
 reached Pittsburg, after his journey across the 
 mountains, he passed down the Ohio River on 
 a boat to Louisville, where he landed, and 
 proceeded to Indianapolis. 
 
 Not finding the opening he expected, he 
 entered, at first, into a business career; biit, 
 later, he became the cashier's clerk in the 
 State Bank of Indiana. This led to his ob- 
 taining a position as cashier of a bank in 
 Lawrenceburg, Indiana. 
 
 While in Indianapolis he made many 
 friends and went a good deal into society. 
 There he met Miss Rebecca Turner Tiffin, a 
 daughter of the late Dr. Edward Tiffin, the 
 first Governor of Ohio, an ex-Senator of the 
 United States, and the holder of other offices 
 of distinction and trust under the State and 
 
1 8 C0RNKI<IUS GI^ORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 general government. Miss Tiffin was a resi- 
 dent of Chillicothe, Ohio, and was, at that 
 time, visiting her relatives, the Porters, in 
 Indianapolis. The result of the acquaintance 
 thus made, and the subsequent meetings dur- 
 ing the winter season, was an engagement. 
 On October 3, 1839, ^^^Y were married in 
 Chillicothe, and went to Lawrenceburg to live. 
 Some time afterwards a business opening 
 appeared which looked promising, and, being 
 urged to enter into a partnership to conduct a 
 large flouring-mill, Cornelius Comegys gave 
 up his position in the bank and entered that 
 business. For a time he was eminently suc- 
 cessful, and the business prospered beyond all 
 expectations. But, through keen and un- 
 worthy competition, as well as an over- 
 production of flour, a failure resulted. The 
 whole burden of paying the debts of the con- 
 cern fell upon him, as his partner not only 
 had nothing, but even diverted the funds 
 placed in his hands to pay the creditors. This 
 compelled him to pay many of the debts twice 
 
coRNKLius gkorge; comkgys, m. d. 19 
 
 over, and tHe burden, nntil lie finally settled 
 up all his obligations, rested upon his 
 shoulders for years. 
 
 This experience, though bitter at the time, 
 proved to be the turning-point in his life. 
 After much thought as to the future, he deter- 
 mined to begin life afresh by taking up the 
 study of medicine, a profession for which he 
 had had an early predilection. In pursuance 
 of this resolution he determined to leave Law- 
 renceburg, the scene of his early married life, 
 and the place where his two daughters were 
 born, and removed to Philadelphia, He at 
 once matriculated in the Medical Department 
 of the University of Pennsylvania, and also 
 placed himself, as a private pupil, under Dr. 
 George Horner, Professor of Chemistry in the 
 University. He also pursued other outside 
 studies, and among them that of French, 
 which he deemed necessary in order to read 
 the medical works of the eminent French 
 writers. His instructor in this was Delacroix, 
 a French teacher of note, whose method of 
 
20 coRNKiyius georg:e come;gys, m. d. 
 
 teaching he greatly admired. In March, 1848, 
 he took his degree in medicine, and practiced 
 for about a year in Philadelphia, during which 
 time he made a number of very warm friends. 
 Here was born his eldest son, Cornelius 
 Marim Comegys, who died, in Cincinnati, at 
 the age of twenty years. 
 
 Although his prospects were good, he 
 thought the field would be better in the West, 
 and therefore removed to Cincinnati, where, 
 by his successful treatment of the Asiatic 
 Cholera, which visited the city in 1849, -^^ 
 gained a large practice. This was the second 
 visitation of that awful scourge. It broke out 
 in April of that year. It came by way of 
 New Orleans, and, in a consultation, he prob- 
 ably saw the first case. The patient was a 
 German immigrant who had just arrived in 
 the city from New Orleans. The ravages of 
 the cholera lasted until about the middle of 
 August, and Dr. Comegys distinguished him- 
 self by his untiring efforts and skill among 
 his patients — one of whom was his own wife. 
 
CORNKlvIUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 21 
 
 Being thorouglily ambitious to be fully 
 equipped for tbe practice of his profession, and 
 feeling the need of a wider clinical stud}^, he 
 went abroad, in 1 851, to spend a year in the 
 medical schools and hospitals of London and 
 Paris. In the former, his especial instruction 
 was under the eminent medical staff of Guy's 
 Hospital ; and, in the latter, his preceptor was 
 Professor J. M. Charcot, chief of the clinical 
 staff of La Charite Hospital, and aftenvards 
 the distinguished writer on ''Nervous Dis- 
 eases" and ''Diseases of the Spinal Cord." 
 The courses of instruction, and the constant 
 contact with the eminent ph^^sicians and sur- 
 geons abroad, greatly broadened the scope of 
 his knowledge, and enabled him to introduce 
 a number of new features into the medical 
 schools and hospitals at home. 
 
 Upon returning to Cincinnati, in 1852, Dr. 
 Comegys gave a course of lectures on Anatomy 
 in the College of Physicians and Surgeons. 
 He then joined in the organization of the 
 Miami Medical College, as professor of the 
 
22 CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 Institutes of Medicine, and continued with the 
 college until its fusion with the Ohio Medical 
 College in 1857. ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^'^^ allotted the 
 same chair, and, in addition, that of clinical 
 teacher on the medical staff of the Cincinnati 
 Hospital, which, at that time, was under the 
 control of the Medical College of Ohio. He 
 resigned his college duties in 1869, but re- 
 tained his position on the staff of the Hospital 
 to the close of his life, and during the last 
 seven or eight years of that time was presi- 
 dent of the staff. 
 
 He was one of the founders of the Academy 
 of Medicine, and twice served as its president. 
 He was a member of the old Medico-Chirurgi- 
 cal Society, and of the Cincinnati Medical So- 
 ciet}^ ; of the American Medical Association ; 
 of the Mississippi Valley Medical Associa- 
 tion ; honorary member of the Philadelphia 
 College of Physicians ; of the Delaware State 
 Medical Society ; of the Western Reserve 
 Historical Society of Ohio ; of the Ohio His- 
 torical and Philosophical Society ; the Trinity 
 
CORNKlvIUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 23 
 
 Historical Society of Texas ; of tlie Cincinnati 
 Literary Club ; and of a number of other like 
 organizations. 
 
 Dr. Comegys was endowed with, a very 
 liberal mind, and bis residence abroad im- 
 proved bis natural faculties and aroused a 
 desire to see tbe growtb and development of 
 Cincinnati. As a good citizen be believed 
 it a vital duty to concentrate bis energies 
 in some particular line of work for tbe prog- 
 ress of tbe city ; and, as be bad tbe utmost 
 respect for learning, be tbougbt its avenues 
 sbould be open to all. Wbile still a young 
 practitioner witb a large family, be still 
 found time, in spite of tbe duties and anx- 
 ieties of bis profession, to take an active 
 interest in educational matters. As a mem- 
 ber of tbe Scbool Board, to wbicb be was 
 elected on April 2, 1855, from tbe i4tb 
 Ward, be visited tbe scbools frequently, 
 formed acquaintances witb tbe teacbers, and 
 watcbed tbe progress of tbe scholars. He 
 was instrumental in starting a nigbt Higb 
 
24 CORNKI.IUS G:eORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 Scliool for the instruction of young business 
 men, who were thus enabled to complete 
 their interrupted education. Many of the 
 successful business men of to-day attended 
 that school. As chairman of the Public 
 Library Committee, he saw the possibilities 
 of the library as a factor in education, and 
 the necessity for a larger structure and 
 better care of the books to prevent their 
 destruction. By joining forces with the 
 Mechanics' Institute, which had a suitable 
 building and was better equipped, he thought 
 the future of the library would be assured. 
 An opportunity for this having occurred, 
 he struggled with might and main against 
 indifference, procrastination, and strong op- 
 position of many of his fellow-members in 
 the matter. Often discouraged, but never 
 abating one jot of his zeal, he persisted in 
 his work and at length saw his labors 
 crowned with success and the foundation 
 laid for the splendidly equipped Public 
 Library of to-day. 
 
CORNKlvIUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 25 
 
 The story, however, is best told in the 
 account given by the Cincinnati Commercial* 
 of the formal opening of the new building 
 of the Public Library on Wednesday, Febru- 
 ary 25, 1874. Among the speakers of that 
 occasion was Rev. Thomas Vickers, the Li- 
 brarian at that time. 
 
 Mr. Vickers first sketches the origin and 
 progress of the Library, resulting in the mag- 
 nificent new structure, and says that ''many 
 have contributed to the glorious work.'^ 
 ''The inception," he continues, "was in 1854, 
 at which time a tax of one-tenth of a mill 
 was on the tax duplicate for purchase of 
 books by Commissioners of Common Schools 
 for Township libraries. This resulted in 
 sixteen small libraries exactly alike, one for 
 each Ward (16). This being undesirable, the 
 Board of Education made an arrangement to 
 unite them into one. This was done in 
 1855, ^^^ they were put into a building of 
 the Board on Longworth Street. The Board 
 
 * Of February 26, 1874. 
 
26 CORNELIUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 Had no means to purchase a lot for a build- 
 ing and Messrs. Frencli, Comegys, and Rice 
 were appointed the first Library Committee. 
 
 During November and December, ineffec- 
 tual efforts were made by the Librarian, Mr. 
 John D. Caldwell, and Dr. Comegys, to pro- 
 vide rooms for the School Board and Library 
 in the Cincinnati College Building. In 
 January, 1856, numerous localities were con- 
 sidered and various offers made, but no de- 
 cision was arrived at. Meanwhile, circulars 
 were sent to men of culture in the various 
 departments of learning, requesting their co- 
 operation in the selection of books. Then 
 came a relaxation of interest on the part of 
 many, in the library, coupled with a deter- 
 mined opposition, of some, to paying a sur- 
 plus tax, for this purpose, to other portions 
 of the state. 
 
 Alarmed for the future of the Library, 
 Dr. Comegys, now chairman of the Library 
 Committee, summoned all his energies to 
 the work of securing an independent library 
 
corn:^i.ius g:^orge^ com^gys, m. d. 27 
 
 tax for this city. Printed petitions were dis- 
 tributed, by tbe teachers and scholars of all 
 the public schools, to be signed by the names 
 of their parents and friends and were after- 
 wards forwarded in great numbers to the 
 Legislature. In March, 1856, Mr. Caldwell, 
 the Librarian, was chosen one of the Di- 
 rectors of the Mechanics' Institute. At the 
 very first meeting of that Board he se- 
 cured the appointment of a committee, viz : 
 President Wilstach, Mr. Bruce, and Mr. 
 Burke, to confer with President King, Dr. 
 Comegys, and A. S. Sullivan, Committee of 
 the School Board, relative to uniting the 
 Public and Mechanics' Institute Libraries 
 and furnishing a Session Hall and School 
 Board office in the Mechanics' Institute. 
 
 A proposition was made, on the part of 
 the officers of the Mechanics' Institute, and 
 on May 5, 1856, the Library Committee 
 agreed to accept it, the Public Library fur- 
 nishing 2,400 volumes and the Mechanics' 
 Institute furnishing 4,000 volumes — many of 
 
28 CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 them invaluable books — tbe nucleus of all 
 the pioneer libraries gathered together in 
 the progress of a town or city. 
 
 The committee, through Dr. Comegys, con- 
 gratulated the School Board and the public 
 that they had procured all these facilities — 
 sure to be a great central attraction, calcu- 
 lated to elevate the intellectual and moral 
 character of the people — all for $600 a year, 
 that being the interest on city bonds to the 
 amount of $10,000, to be transferred to the 
 Institute and held until both parties agreed 
 to withdraw from the contract, when the 
 bonds would be returned. 
 
 The Committee, though convinced of the 
 importance of this advance step in behalf of 
 the people, met with an unexpected rebuff 
 from the School Board. On a vote to close 
 the contract and arrange for the use of the 
 building, the vote was — ayes, 10 ; nays, 16. 
 
 The Library Committee, not disheartened, 
 in two weeks after renewed the proposition. 
 It was discussed and laid over for one week, 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMEGYS, M. D. 29 
 
 but no action was taken until June 9. 
 The School Board agreed to avail itself of 
 the privilege of the amended law to tax the 
 people of Cincinnati, for library purposes, 
 one-tenth of a mill. 
 
 On the 1 6th of June — a memorable day — 
 Dr. Comegys visited, personally, the major- 
 ity of the members of the School Board to 
 urge their attendance that evening. Amid 
 much excitement the contract with the 
 Mechanics' Institute was ordered by — ayes, 
 20 ; nays, 6. Those who voted in the nega- 
 tive were : Messrs. Armstrong, Beattie, Pov/- 
 ers, Rowekamp, Speer, and President King. 
 
 This was a technical victory. The project 
 favored by the Chairman of the Library Com- 
 mittee was adopted, but the President of the 
 Board announced that he would enter his 
 written protest on the journal, and Mr. Speer 
 gave notice that he would join him in the 
 protest. 
 
 On the 7th of July, Dr. Comegys urged 
 that the City Council approve the contract 
 
30 CORNKIwIUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 and add the City instead of the School Board. 
 This matter received attention in the City 
 Council, but the Law Committee disposed 
 of it there by their report that the city bonds 
 designed to be used in the contract were en- 
 tirely at the disposal of the School Board. 
 It thus became the duty of the School Board 
 to conclude the contract. It was done, in 
 spite of the most determined struggle on the 
 part of those who were opposed to it. On 
 July 31, 1856, it was signed on the part of 
 the School Board by Dr. Comegys, A. S. 
 Sullivan, and Lyman Harding, the president 
 having, at his request, been excused from this 
 duty. 
 
 This action was really the crossing of the 
 Rubicon for the Public Library. It gave it 
 an importance which it probably would not 
 otherwise have obtained ; and those to whose 
 untiring energy the action was due ought 
 to be gratefully remembered to-day. It is a 
 pleasing reflection that, as a consequence of 
 the occupancy of the Mechanics' Institute 
 
CORNKlvIUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 3 1 
 
 Building, tlie cause of education received a 
 new impulse. A night higli school was es- 
 tablished with eminent success in Greenwood 
 Hall, and an art gallery, which, under the 
 fostering care of the then president of the 
 School Board, has grown into the McMicken 
 School of Design, the Art Department of 
 the University of Cincinnati. Nor is it 
 less pleasant to remember that, since that 
 time, the Mechanics' Institute has become 
 entirely free from debt, has paid back the 
 $10,000 to the Board of Education, and is 
 otherwise now able to help its former friends 
 and benefactors. From this point the Library 
 may really be considered as firmly estab- 
 lished." ='= * * * 
 
 Dr. Comegys' experience as a member -of 
 the School Board was, however, only intro- 
 ductory to his work in the municipal boards, 
 and to an educational one of greater magni- 
 tude. He served for a short time in the 
 City Council and also a term in the Board 
 of Aldermen. He was elected a trustee of 
 
32 CORNELIUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 the City Council, from the 15th Ward, at 
 an election held on August 21, 1869, to fill 
 the vacancy caused by the resignation of 
 T. F. Baker. He was elected to the Board 
 of Aldermen, from the 15th Ward, on April 
 4, 1870. His services in both boards were 
 always in the way of reform and economy 
 in the municipal government ; and he threw 
 himself into every important measure with 
 all the energy of his nature. The ulterior 
 object which he had in view in entering 
 the City Council was to pave the way 
 for carrying out the bequest of Charles 
 McMicken in the establishing, by means 
 of a city charter, of the University of Cin- 
 cinnati. 
 
 This institution is indebted for its existence 
 to the generosity of Charles McMicken, who, 
 at his death, in 1858, left his large fortune to 
 the City of Cincinnati to found an institution 
 of learning in which students of both sexes 
 should receive, without cost, the benefits of a 
 sound, thorough, and practical education, sim- 
 
CORNELIUS gkorg:^ COME^GYS, M. D. 33 
 
 ilar to that taught in the colleges and univer- 
 sities of the country. 
 
 The first steps to the carrying out of this 
 bequest was the action by which Rufus King, 
 James Wilson, Miles Greenwood, Dr. C. G. 
 Comegys, Henry F. Handy, and G. B. Hollis- 
 ter. Directors of the McMicken University, 
 elected by the City Council, met in the Coun- 
 cil Chamber on Friday, December 30, 1859, 
 and organized. 
 
 The income of the munificent gift and en- 
 dowment, however, was insufficient to estab- 
 lish, at once, the University. A large amount 
 of the real estate in Louisiana was lost, owing 
 to the fact that that state refused to recognize 
 the validity of bequests of real estate to insti- 
 tutions not located within her borders. Be- 
 sides, there were many expenses and charges 
 upon the estate, so that for years the whole 
 income was devoted to rebuilding and repair- 
 ing the stores, ware-houses, and dwellings, 
 and the payment of the legacies and annuities 
 to the heirs of McMicken. It was not until 
 
34 CORNKlylUS GKORGE) COM^GYS, M, D. 
 
 1867 that enougli funds were accumulated for 
 educational purposes, and the McMicken 
 School of Art and Design was started. This 
 was very successful ; but, in order to relieve 
 the Trustees of an expense of $2,500 a year, 
 it was deemed advisable to transfer the school 
 to the Art Museum Association. The money 
 on hand being still too small for the mainte- 
 nance of an Academic Department, the Trus- 
 tees determined to apply, through the City 
 Council, for a charter of the University of 
 Cincinnati which would authorize a consolida- 
 tion of all the other educational funds with 
 that of the McMicken estate and a subven- 
 tion of one-tenth of a mill tax on the grand 
 levy. 
 
 Dr. Comegys was one of the most ardent 
 supporters of this measure, and deemed it of 
 the utmost importance that there should be 
 some one in the City Council friendly to it, 
 and who would strongly advocate it. A 
 vacancy occurring in the City Council by the 
 resignation of the member from his own ward, 
 
corne:lius gkorgk comkgys, M. D. 35 
 
 and deeming tliat liis dnty lay in seizing tHis 
 opportunity to further the interests of the 
 University at this most critical time, he re- 
 signed his position as a Trustee and became a 
 candidate for the City Council. He was 
 elected at a special election held on August 
 21, 1869 — as previously mentioned. 
 
 The Legislature having passed enabling 
 laws, the charter was granted, in 1870, by the 
 City Council. Through the Board of Educa- 
 tion, one- tenth of a mill tax was also granted. 
 The income of the McMicken estate Avas 
 transferred by the old board to the new board 
 of directors of the University of Cincinnati, 
 which organized on December 26, 1870. 
 
 Dr. Comegys' absence from the University 
 was only temporary, for, in 1873, his name 
 appeared among the list of the Board of 
 Directors of the University of Cincinnati, at a 
 time when plans were being made for the 
 organization of the Academic Department. 
 From this time he served continuously until 
 his death, on February 10, 1896, — having 
 
36 CORNKLIUS GKORGK COME^GYS, M. D. 
 
 served as tlie President of the Board of Direc- 
 tors from June i6, 1890, until that time. 
 
 The Academic Department of the Univer- 
 sity of Cincinnati was opened for courses of 
 study, under professors engaged from leading 
 eastern colleges, in October, 1874, — although 
 a preliminary start had been made, the year 
 before, by afternoon classes at Woodward 
 High School, under the instruction of several 
 of the teachers of that school. It was not, 
 however, until September, 1875, that the new 
 University Building, in the course of erection 
 on the homestead property of Charles 
 McMicken, was ready for occupancy. In its 
 own building, with an enlarged corps of 
 teachers and a steadily increasing yearly 
 matriculation of students, the Academic De- 
 partment passed through the crucial period of 
 its existence. For twenty years the infant 
 college grew until it waxed strong enough to 
 throw off its swaddling clothes and emerge 
 from its dingy surroundings below the hills to 
 the lofty elevation in Burnet Woods — high 
 
CORNKlylUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 37 
 
 above tlie beautiful Mill creek Valley. In the 
 fall of 1895, a new generation of students 
 opened the splendid, modernly equipped Mc- 
 Micken Hall. Since tbat time, the munifi- 
 cence of two wealthy citizens has provided the 
 two wings of the main building — Hanna Hall 
 (opened in 1897), and Cunningham Hall (now 
 in the course of erection) — thus completing 
 the group of buildings as designed. Another 
 noble-hearted citizen, Mr. Asa Van Wormer, 
 has given the sum of sixty thousand dollars 
 to be used for the erection of a library build- 
 ing, for which, as a nucleus of a library, Mr. 
 William A. Proctor has bought and donated 
 ^'The Robert Clarke Library" — a rare and 
 valuable collection ; Mr. Robert Clarke also 
 has donated $1,000 worth of books. 
 
 It was for this development that Dr. Come- 
 gys worked from his first connection as direc- 
 tor of the McMicken University, from its or- 
 ganization on December 30, 1859, to the time 
 of his death on February 10, 1896, — a period 
 covering nearly one-half of his life — and he 
 
38 CORN^IvIUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 lived to see the fruits of his labor. The 
 struggles and vicissitudes of the University 
 were many, but the duties of the Board of 
 Directors found no more faithful servant. 
 Although a busy man in a profession in 
 which he could not call his time his own, he 
 never failed in his attendance at board or 
 committee meetings, unless prevented by sick- 
 ness, absence from the city, or the impera- 
 tive calls incident to his profession. 
 
 His ideals were very high, and it was his 
 earnest desire to unite all the higher institu- 
 tions of learning in the city with the Univer- 
 sity of Cincinnati — with departments of law, 
 medicine, art, and music. His annual reports 
 show this, and in his last report, January i, 
 1895, under the heading of — "An Alliance of 
 other Schools in our City under the Insignia 
 of the University of Cincinnati," — he says : 
 
 ^'This subject has frequently been alluded 
 to in the Annual Reports of the University, 
 and much has been accomplished and much 
 more can be done, and we hope the public feel- 
 
corne:i,ius gkorgk comkgys, M. D. 39 
 
 ing on tiiis matter will aSvSume a potent form. 
 THe value of treaties, leagues, and alliances 
 for definite objects whicli could not be effected 
 individually, is attested by all history, notably 
 in our time by the confederation of tbe Ger- 
 man States that form the German Empire, 
 and the tripartite treaty of Germany, Italy, 
 and Austria ; in the business world, by the 
 combination of lines of railroads to form trans- 
 portation systems ; in the educational world, 
 the examples of the union of twenty-three col- 
 leges under the insignia of the Oxford Uni- 
 versity, also of the Cambridge University, in 
 England. These colleges have separate 
 boards of governors, endowments, facilities, 
 and arrangement of studies. Is it not the 
 true policy for Cincinnati to consolidate her 
 institutions of learning, so as to give our Uni- 
 versity a rank with the greatest in our 
 country? This is not a doubtful question. 
 We have at this moment students in arts and 
 sciences, law, medicine, art, and music, aggre- 
 gating two thousand five hundred, and before 
 
40 CORNKI.IUS GKORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 the end of the century the number will have 
 increavSed to three thousand. This is an enor- 
 mous number, and will place our University 
 in the front rank with the great institutions 
 of civilization." 
 
 Dr. Comegys worked to create all of these 
 departments and made many personal efforts. 
 He was especially sanguine of the early crea- 
 tion of a Medical Department by effecting a 
 union with the Medical College of Ohio. 
 Many obstacles intervened and many meet- 
 ings of committees were held. During his 
 last illness, just before taking to his bed, and 
 when scarcely able to sit up, he called a meet- 
 ing of the joint committees from the Univer- 
 sity Board and from the Medical College of 
 Ohio. To his deep disappointment no agree- 
 ment for the union was consummated. 
 Within a few weeks he died, and, shortly 
 after, the work for which he had labored so 
 earnestly, and upon which he had set his 
 heart, was completed, and the establishment 
 of the Medical Department was accomplished. 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 41 
 
 The same year saw the formation of a new 
 Law Department, which proved a marked suc- 
 cess. Later, a consolidation was effected with 
 the ^'Law School of the Cincinnati College," 
 an old and well-knoAvn institution, by which 
 the latter was merged into the Law Depart- 
 ment of the University of Cincinnati. 
 
 Among the affiliated schools are : The Clin- 
 ical and Pathological School of the Cincinnati 
 Hospital, and the Ohio College of Dental Sur- 
 gery. So that the seed that was planted bore 
 fruit. 
 
 During the long services of Dr. Comegys 
 on the Board of Trustees of the University 
 he was associated with many of the most 
 distinguished professional and business men 
 of Cincinnati, who freely gave of their time 
 and strength for this most noble work. A 
 strong constitution and a great capacit}^ for 
 work enabled him to survive all of the elder 
 and earlier members of the Board, and his 
 advanced age found him working with the 
 enthusiasm and energy of a young man. 
 
42 CORNKIylUS GEORGE COMEGYS. M. D. 
 
 He died in the harness, as he wished to do, 
 with almost his last thoughts and efforts tip- 
 on the carrying out of this great trust. He 
 laid the corner-stone of McMicken Hall in 
 Burnet Woods, on September 22, 1894, but 
 the stones which he placed in the foundation 
 of the University of Cincinnati were laid 
 long before this and will be as lasting as 
 the institution itself. 
 
 In his profession Dr. Comegys was an 
 ardent and indefatigable worker, and his 
 practice was very large and extensive. His 
 patients embraced all classes of people, high 
 and low, rich and poor. He discriminated 
 against none, and gave the same attention 
 to those who could afford to pay little or 
 nothing as to those who were in affluent 
 circumstances. He never refused a call and 
 day and night, as long as he was able to re- 
 spond, he was at the service of his patients. 
 Like most physicians he did much for 
 charity and often for those who could have 
 paid for his services, if they would. In the 
 
CORNKI^IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 43 
 
 sick-room lie was tender and sympathetic, 
 and in many families lie was the confidential 
 friend and adviser, as well as the physician. 
 He often assisted those whose needs became 
 known in this way, and exerted his influ- 
 ence in obtaining situations for the unem- 
 ployed parents or children. The number of 
 the many acts of kindness and help per- 
 formed in this way will never become known 
 as he never cared to talk of these things, 
 and confidences reposed in him were never 
 betrayed — not even to his own family. 
 
 He associated himself with the Medical 
 Colleges and Hospital almost at the begin- 
 ning of his career, lecturing and giving bed- 
 side instruction almost daily during the 
 winter courses. His days were busy ones. 
 He started out, with his horse and buggy, 
 immediately after breakfast, and was occupied 
 during the entire day and early evening in 
 lecturing, visiting patients, seeing them at 
 his office, and in performing his other duties 
 — only going home for his meals. Until 
 
44 CORNKI.IUS GBORGK COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 latter years and before rapid transit had im- 
 pelled the movement toward the suburbs, 
 the city proper was the principal field of his 
 operations. His practice, however, led him, 
 even at that time, to many country places, 
 within a radius of five miles from the center 
 of the city, which then could only be reached 
 by driving. His services as a consulting 
 physician were often in demand in neighbor- 
 ing cities and states, necessitating many rail- 
 road trips. Consultations at home were fre- 
 quent and, in addition, his office practice 
 was large. He was also, for ^^ears, one of 
 the medical examiners for the local office of 
 one of the largest insurance companies of 
 New York. 
 
 He was much interested in several of the 
 medical associations and especially the Amer- 
 ican Medical Association, whose meetings he 
 generally attended. The development of the 
 journal of that association appealed to him 
 greatly and he devoted much thought to 
 plans for its enlargement and believed that, 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGB^ COMKGYS, M. D. 45 
 
 as a national journal, its location should be 
 at tlie national capital, Washington. 
 
 He had the utmost love and veneration 
 for his profession, and believed its capacity 
 for doing good and for promoting the bodily 
 and mental health of the people to be bound- 
 less. He thought a healthy body was a pre- 
 requisite for a sound mind ; and he believed 
 it to be within the power of the government, 
 through the medical profession, to bring 
 about this condition. He deemed the Cabinet 
 incomplete without medical representation, 
 and urged the American Medical Associa- 
 tion to use its influence to establish a ^^De- 
 partment of Public Health" and the appoint- 
 ment of a '^Secretary of Public Health." 
 Accordingly, a resolution was adopted by 
 the Association that a committee be ap- 
 pointed to petition Congress to create a 
 Cabinet Officer to be known as ''Medical 
 Secretary of Public Health." 
 
 Dr. Comegys was the chairman of the 
 committee, prepared the petition himself, and 
 
46 CORNKI.IUS GBORGS COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 sent it to the various members of the large 
 committee, scattered over the country, for 
 their signatures. In his printed circular he 
 spoke of the vital importance, for the health 
 of the nation, of establishing hygienic meas- 
 ures for the prevention of disease and the 
 spreading of pestilence. He believed that 
 the people should be enlightened in sani- 
 tary ways of living, and that, under a single 
 department and head, there should be united 
 all influences which might act upon the 
 physical and mental health of the people. 
 Instead of separate organizations of State 
 Boards of Health, the Signal Service, the 
 medical departments of the Army, Navy, and 
 Marine Service, they should, with all their 
 statistical and general work, be united under 
 a broader and more comprehensive system 
 in which the entire medical profession of the 
 country was involved. 
 
 He spent much time and labor upon this 
 matter and made several trips to Washing- 
 ton in its behalf. He personally interested 
 
CORNELIUS GKORGK COM^GYS, M. D. 47 
 
 a number of members of Congress in it and 
 urged other members of the large and repre- 
 sentative committee of the American Medical 
 iVssociation to use their influence for the 
 favorable consideration of the petition. Such 
 an undertaking naturally aroused much at- 
 tention, and, while many of the congres- 
 sional committee, to which it was referred, 
 gave it a favorable hearing, others showed 
 indifference and even actual opposition. Dr. 
 Comegys endeavored to overcome this hos- 
 tility and was sanguine of the ultimate suc- 
 cess of the petition. His death, however, 
 cut short his work, and the object is still 
 unaccomplished. 
 
 Dr. Comegys was always a student. Not 
 only did he devote himself to the study of 
 the books and publications incident to his 
 profession, but he was a wide reader on all 
 subjects and especially those of a historical 
 and philosophical nature. Psychology was a 
 favorite study and much of his leisure time 
 was devoted to it. In traveling, in place of 
 
48 coRNEivius g:^orge comkgys, m. d. 
 
 the works of fiction usually carried by 
 people, lie often carried with him a small 
 work on psychology. Much time, and es- 
 pecially on Sundays, was spent in the 
 perusal of works on sacred history and in 
 the study of the Bible. For many years he 
 taught classes of adult Bible scholars in the 
 Sunday School. The writings of St. Paul 
 Avere an especial delight to him, and he read, 
 exhaustively, the various histories of the 
 life of that Apostle. 
 
 He believed very much in popular lectures 
 as a means of diffusing knowledge. During 
 several winters he got up courses of evening 
 lectures at St. Paul M. E. Church ; and, be- 
 sides lecturing himself, he induced many of 
 the professors and teachers in the Medical 
 Colleges, the University of Cincinnati, and 
 the High Schools — besides other prominent 
 men of intellect in the city — to appear. One 
 winter, he also got up a course of lectures in 
 the class-rooms of the Chickering Institute, in 
 which, for several afternoons of each week, 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGE: COMKGYS, M. D. 49 
 
 lectures were given by some of tlie able 
 teacbers of tbat scbool, as well as by other 
 teacbers and professional men. Tbese were 
 given at a moderate subscription price, to 
 cover expenses, and were on popular subjects, 
 such as bistory, botany, biology, astronomy, 
 medicine, travel, etc. 
 
 Some years before bis deatb, lie realized tbe 
 close business relationship which was spring- 
 ing up between this country and the countries 
 of South America and the colonies of Spain in 
 the West Indies, and believed that our young 
 men should become familiar with the Spanish 
 language. It was just being introduced into 
 the University under an able instructor ; and, 
 believing this to be a favorable opportunity to 
 give others this advantage, he induced this 
 gentleman to start a class in St. Paul M. E. 
 Church, where, for a nominal sum, those who 
 desired could pursue this important study. 
 
 His work of instruction did not stop here, 
 but was extended also to music, of which he 
 was extremely fond. He regarded it as an 
 
50 CORNELIUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 important factor in church worship, and be- 
 lieved it should be better understood by the 
 younger members of the congregation. Secur- 
 ing the services of one of the best organists 
 and choir-leaders in the city, he started, dur- 
 ing one season, a class in music for the study 
 of reading, by sight, various anthems and 
 part songs. He was, afterwards, the chair- 
 man of the music committee, and frequently 
 attended the rehearsals of the choir, in which 
 he took a great interest. He showed his ap- 
 preciation by his words of encouragement and 
 the offering of suggestions. He was espe- 
 cially fond of chanting, which he believed to 
 be ver}^ appropriate, and introduced the chant- 
 ing of the Psalms into the Sunday service. 
 
 In his efforts to place higher learning 
 within the reach of the young (who had no 
 better friend than he was). Dr. Comegys 
 always bore in mind his own efforts to that 
 end. Remembering his own early life as a 
 farmer's boy, and his struggles to obtain more 
 than an elementary education, he made an 
 
coRNKi^ius ge:orgk comkgys, m. d. 51 
 
 effort in his own native state, Delaware, to 
 have an especial school established for the 
 children of farmers to attend in the - winter 
 time, when their services were not needed for 
 outdoor work. He wrote a pamphlet entitled 
 "A Plea for a Farmer's Institute," which he 
 circulated extensively, in the endeavor to have 
 an institution founded which would raise the 
 intelligence of the farmers to the highest 
 degree compatible with their lives and sur- 
 roundings. He believed this would not only 
 benefit the men themselves, but have an ap- 
 preciable effect upon the productiveness of the 
 soil. The method of instruction should be by 
 lectures chiefly, (though text-books were also 
 to be used for reference and private study). 
 This would not only raise the standard of 
 knowledge, but would teach the chemical pro- 
 cesses by which over-worked and barren lands 
 might be rejuvenated and made to produce 
 good crops. Instruction to farmers had been 
 tried in Europe, with great success. An insti- 
 tute, therefore, which would give the farmer 
 
52 CORNKlvIUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 more than the usual rudimentary amount 
 of learning, and would enable him to possess 
 an intelligent realization of the character and 
 composition of the soil, would raise the stand- 
 ard of farming so high as to be of the utmost 
 value to the individual, as well as to the state 
 in which he lived. Ways and means were 
 discussed and the project shown to be thor- 
 oughly feasible. 
 
 On his own farm, Cherbourg, where he was 
 bom, he took a great interest in the cultiva- 
 tion of the ornamental side of the place, in 
 the keeping up of the hedges, and the plant- 
 ing of trees and flowers in the lane and yard 
 around the house. He believed this would 
 not only add attractiveness to the home of the 
 tenant, but would cultivate the senses and in- 
 spire a love for the beautiful in nature. 
 
 But he did not confine his attention on 
 the subject of culture to any one class of 
 persons, nor to the young. He strongly 
 advocated higher culture among maturer 
 minds and believed that a necessity existed, 
 
CORNKlylUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. . 53 
 
 in His own city, for tlie formation of a society 
 for that purpose. On March 29, 1889, lie 
 delivered an address before the Historical 
 and Philosophical Society in which he took 
 for his subject, ''A Plea for an Institute." 
 He spoke of the Royal Society, of London, 
 the Institute of France, at Paris, and other 
 similar societies. He held up the latter as 
 a model and urged the formation of a society 
 in this city to be known as the ^'Institute of 
 Cincinnati." This address was afterwards 
 printed in pamphlet form for distribution. 
 
 Dr. Comegys was an author, and a con- 
 tributor to the medical journals. His largest 
 work was the translation, from the French, 
 of the "History of Medicine," by Renouard 
 — a great and laborious undertaking. This 
 book, which was published in 1855, brought 
 him considerable fame, but is now, unfortu- 
 nately, out of print. He sometimes, in later 
 years, thought of revising the book for another 
 edition, but the tax upon his time and strength 
 precluded this. In 1 881, he translated a work 
 
54 CORNKLIUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 on the ''Diseases of the Spinal Cord," by 
 Prof. J. M. Charcot, his former instructor at 
 Paris and who had afterwards achieved great 
 fame. His medical papers were numerous, 
 and among them were : "Conservative Value 
 of Fever and Inflammation" — published in 
 the transactions of the Cincinnati Medico- 
 Chirurgical Society, 1849 5 ^'Etiology and 
 Treatment of Phthisis Pulmonalis" — pub- 
 lished in the transactions of the Ohio Medical 
 Society, 1854; "The Pathology and Treat- 
 ment of Asiatic Cholera," 1866,— published 
 in Blackman and Parvin's "Cincinnati Medical 
 Journal" ; an address before the Alumnal 
 Society of the University of Pennsylvania, in 
 1875, — published by the society. In this 
 address he eulogized Prof. George B. Wood ; 
 he also maintained that a healthy brain is 
 necessary to a free will. He spoke of the 
 necessity of a reform in medical education in 
 the line of entrance examinations and of a 
 longer period of instruction, especially for 
 clinical study and laboratory work. He pro- 
 
CORNKlvIUS GKORGK COME^GYS, M. D. 55 
 
 posed, at the same time, the encouragement 
 of the practice, by physicians, of forensic 
 medicine, which, he argued, would secure a 
 higher form of judicial decisions and serve 
 to advance the medical profession to higher 
 rank and usefulness in the state. 
 
 He also strongly advocated and wrote a 
 paper on the value of hot baths in febrile 
 and inflammatory affections. He had at first 
 started with cold baths ; and, concerning this, 
 Dr. H. C. Wood, editor of the Philadelphia 
 ^'Medical Times," after repeated trials said (in 
 his journal in 1877) : ^'It must be granted to 
 Dr. Comegys the discovery of the most life- 
 saving method in modern therapeutics." He, 
 however, found hot baths more efficacious and 
 less distressing to the patient.* 
 
 But this enumeration is small and repre- 
 sents, in a very incomplete manner, his 
 medical writings. He was, also, a ready and 
 prolific writer on many subjects — including 
 
 * See Watson's "Physicians and Surgeons of America," 
 pp. 184-5. 
 
56 CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 editorial work. At the outset of his career 
 in Cincinnati, he counted among his friends 
 and patients the Rev. Dr. Simpson (later 
 Bishop Simpson of the M. E. Church), 
 editor of the ''Western Christian Advocate," 
 who recognized the abilities of the young 
 practitioner and made him the assistant editor 
 of that paper. When Dr. Comegys went 
 abroad in 1851, he was its European corre- 
 spondent and wrote many letters which 
 appeared in its columns. He also wrote 
 foreign letters to the 'Xadies^ Repository." 
 Dr. Comegys was a trustee of Longview 
 Asylum for the Insane for three years 
 (1862-5), and did much towards the building 
 up of that institution. His visits were fre- 
 quent and he spent considerable time in the 
 study of the phenomena of mental and nervous 
 diseases, and believed that there was, at that 
 place, a good field for clinical teaching. His 
 familiarity with these diseases, and his study 
 of the brain, led to his being frequently 
 called as an expert witness in the trial of 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 57 
 
 cases in court involving tlie mental capacity 
 of testators. 
 
 During tlie Civil War lie was greatly inter- 
 ested in the noble work of tlie Sanitary Com- 
 mission, and did much actively in its behalf. 
 After the battle at Ft. Donelson, he had 
 charge of the medical department of a hospital 
 relief steamboat which was sent to Pittsburg 
 Landing to bring back the wounded from the 
 battlefield. As a relic of that expedition he 
 brought home with him a musket found 
 beside the dead body of a Confederate soldier. 
 
 Dr. Comegys was a member of the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal Church, v/hich he joined earl 3^ 
 in life, and in which he took the liveliest and 
 most active interest for nearly sixty years. 
 He was not only a teacher of medicine, but 
 also of religion. He was a close student of 
 the Bible, and gave instruction in it to large 
 and intelligent adult classes in the Sunday 
 School. His last membership, which covered 
 many years, was in St. Paul M. E. Church, of 
 which church he was a member of the Official 
 Board. 
 
58 CORNKUUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 The appreciation in which Dr. Comegys 
 was held by his fellow-citizens, and the kindly 
 things which were said of him by the press 
 after his death, cannot be detailed here. It 
 may not be out of place, however, to mention 
 one or two, which were especially w^orthy of 
 note, in this connection, and which were indic- 
 ative of the estimate given to his character. 
 Here is one : 
 
 ^'Dr. Comegys, whose death was reported 
 yesterday morning, was one of the strong 
 men of the city. Belonging to a profession 
 which taxes the energies of men beyond any 
 other, he yet found time — only busy men can 
 tell how — to devote a great deal of attention to 
 public affairs. As a member of Council, he 
 was faithful in attendance, controlled always 
 by judgment, and animated by the purest 
 motives. He was not inspired by political 
 ambition. He apparently thought that a citi- 
 zen owed service to the city, and that no citi- 
 zen could be a good citizen who did not do his 
 part in discharging such service. Would 
 there were more like him ! 
 
CORNKI.IUS gkorg:^ comkgys, M. D. 59 
 
 "In affairs of the University lie ever took 
 a deep interest. He was a member of the 
 Board of Trustees from the beginning, we 
 believe, and he watched the slow growth of 
 the institution, through hard times and dis- 
 couraging conditions, with a hope and zeal 
 that never faltered. As a physician he saw 
 man}^ a helpless child grow into vigorous 
 youth. So watched he over the growth and 
 development of this University, giving it con- 
 stant and unwearied attention. 
 
 "He was a great physician, but the practice 
 of medicine does not involve the public work 
 that the law does ; and it is only as a public 
 spirited citizen that a journal can properly 
 and fully speak of him. Men growl about 
 the administration of a city government. 
 They growl everywhere. Here was a man 
 who took off his coat and went to work. He 
 received no pay for any of the valuable time 
 and more valuable counsel he gave. He con- 
 tributed his best judgment, his best thought 
 to the city. Whether as Councilman or mem- 
 
6o CORNKlvIUS GKORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 ber of the School Board, he devoted to the city 
 the painstaking care that he would have used 
 in his own private business affairs. He held 
 to a high standard of honor, and he exacted 
 regard for that standard from others. 
 
 "We say again, would that there were more 
 like him in this city! May men be found 
 who, inspired by his example, will come to 
 realize that of&ce-holding is a duty, and that 
 no man has the right to complain who does 
 not himself try to make better the public 
 service of the city. Many a man refuses to 
 run for office whose work is not half as exact- 
 ing as was that of Dr. Comegys — and he went 
 into the harness early in life, nor put it off 
 even when creeping age must have made his 
 work hard. 
 
 "He was a good and useful citizen. Let 
 some one come forward to take his place."* 
 
 We venture, also, to quote a paragraph 
 from another journal : 
 
 * The Cincinnati Commercial Gazette, February 11, 1896. 
 Editorial— "Dr. Comegys and Pubuc Spirit." 
 
CORNKlylUS GKORGK COME^GYS, M. D. 6 1 
 
 ^'Though Dr. Comegys liad been living for 
 nearly ten years on what aged people are 
 sometimes disposed to call ^'borrowed time," 
 all the period beyond the allotted three score 
 and ten being so termed, still in the sense of 
 youthful feeling, with a keen interest in cur- 
 rent events and a determination to keep 
 abreast of the times, possibly a little in ad- 
 vance, he was a young man. To the mental 
 and physical infirmities of a burden of years 
 he was a comparative stranger. He was a 
 broad man in that no nev/ science relating to 
 his or any of the learned professions failed to 
 at once rivet his attention. Something of the 
 calibre and spirit of the man vv^as shown in the 
 fact that up to his fatal illness he was as 
 actively engaged in the exacting duties of his 
 laborious profession as when he was thirt}^ or 
 forty years younger." * 
 
 Cincinnati has always been noted for the 
 number of her distinguished physicians and 
 
 * The Cincinnati Times-Star, February 10, 1896. "NoTE 
 AND Comment." 
 
62 CORNKI.IUS gkorge; comkgys, m. d. 
 
 surgeons, and the standard is likely to be 
 maintained for many years to come. In an 
 address on ^'Medicine and Surgery in the 
 Queen City," delivered at the Unity Club on 
 March 25, 1896, Dr. James T. Whittaker, one 
 of the brightest and best cultured men in his 
 profession, says : "No city in the country 
 has ever surpassed us in medicine. Perhaps 
 there may have been times when a better 
 sermon could be heard, or a higher legal opin- 
 ion obtained in New York, or some other 
 Eastern city, but there never was a time when 
 a diagnosis of a disease could be better made, 
 or an operation be better done elsewhere than 
 here." 
 
 During his account of the progress of medi- 
 cine and surgery from earliest Cincinnati to 
 the present day. Dr. Whittaker sketches the 
 lives of Drs. Daniel Drake, George C. Black- 
 man, James Graham, W. W. Dawson, and 
 Cornelius G. Comeg^^s — with occasional refer- 
 ences to many other noted men of the profes- 
 sion. Much of the address, however, must 
 
CORNEI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 63 
 
 have been written during the lifetime of Dr. 
 Comegys, for, in his account of the life of Dr. 
 Dawson, he speaks of Dr. Comegys as the last 
 survivor in the old galaxy of Drs. Menden- 
 hall, Wood, and Comegys, who, as colleagues 
 of Dr. Dawson, taught in the Medical Insti- 
 tute of Cincinnati in 1851. 
 
 But he continues : '^Dr. Comegys, to whom 
 I have alluded as the last survivor, has just 
 died. He was the most beloved man in our 
 profession, both in and out of it. Comegys 
 was a big, br^oad man, who had climbed, by 
 hard w^ork, to a point of broad survey. He 
 had great ambition, and was busy with 
 schemes day and night to such a degree as to 
 be regarded almost as a dreamer. But his 
 ideas ran always onward and upv/ard, and he 
 kept his eyes so constantly fixed upon the 
 goal as to be unmindful of the obstacles in his 
 way. Some of his practical friends considered 
 him visionary. He did really see visions, but 
 always of things more perfect and pure than 
 those by whom he was surrounded. Comegys 
 
64 CORNKI.IUS G:eORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 was an embodiment of integrity, purity, and 
 truth. Like Schiller, he believed that every 
 man has opened out before him two courses ; 
 one leads to the ideal, the other to death. But 
 Comeg3^s could never see anything but the 
 course toward the ideal. By hard work and 
 much self-sacrifice he made himself a fine 
 scholar. And all his life he strained his abil- 
 ities to their utmost capacity in the service of 
 his fellow-men. 
 
 ''Hear him as he marks out the career of 
 the ph3^sician : 'We march with armies to 
 care for the footsore and fevered soldier, and 
 follow him, too, through the thickest of the 
 fire, not to aid destruction in her work, but 
 to staunch the wounds she makes. It is 
 not the trumpet call, nor the roar of battle 
 that arouses our activity in the great con- 
 flict ; but the cries of the wounded and dying 
 — the appalling ruin of the field that inspires 
 our enthusiasm amidst the dark splendor of 
 war. The call of the distressed by night 
 and day incites our energies and supports 
 
CORNKlylUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 65 
 
 our weariness. Not only in crowded places, 
 where tHe ways are easy, but in sparsely 
 settled regions, amidst the sharp vicissitudes 
 of the seasons, by lonely paths, or in moun- 
 tain defiles, unmindful of the tempest, we 
 plod our weary way, the perturbations of 
 our anxious hearts keeping time with the 
 fret of the storm. On every hand, infirmity, 
 sickness, helplessness, fearful casualties, 
 bereavement, despair, death ; hoping to 
 strengthen, hoping to assuage or to avert, 
 our days are occupied ; sustaining the hopes, 
 the agonies, the distresses of society, our 
 responsibilities are momentous, our burdens 
 are often too heavy to bear.' 
 
 "Hear him again as he pleads for the pro- 
 tection of the people against the frauds and 
 wickedness of the quack : ' When the human 
 mechanism becomes deranged, and a great 
 contest is set up between the forces of 
 disease and the vital forces, who shall 
 attempt to interfere? The man who has made 
 these laws a study, who knows the opera-. 
 
66 CORNKlvIUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 tions of tlieir final causes, who compreliends 
 as far as science lias shed light upon the 
 subject, their special and general operations? 
 Or the man who is ignorant of the entire 
 mechanism, and, laying aside all such labor 
 and investigation, attempts to rescue the 
 suffering system by remedies which, accord- 
 ing to his gross views, have been successful 
 in a similar case? An irreparable injury, 
 or even death itself may be the result of 
 this ignorant interference, and what atone- 
 ment then does the prosecution of an irre- 
 sponsible man afford ?' 
 
 ^' 'In regard to medicine, everyone,' he con- 
 tinues, 'must look out for himself. With 
 the same indifference, we ought not to have 
 a standard of weights and measures, nor a 
 fixed value of coin, nor protection against 
 issues of paper money. Let every one take 
 care of himself. No man can assume to be 
 a respectable minister of the Gospel without 
 the license of a church organization ; no 
 man can practice law without an approved 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 67 
 
 examination before a court ; no man can 
 teach without a certificate of qualification ; 
 no man can sell goods or peddle goods, or 
 drive a dray or a cab, or an express wagon, 
 without registering and a license. The pub- 
 lic is defended from the impositions of the 
 hackney coachman, but not from the quack 
 doctor and patent-medicine vender. No man 
 is believed to be a carpenter, or a machinist, 
 or a master in any other profession, unless 
 he has served an apprenticeship to it. 
 Then why, I ask, in the name of honesty 
 and civilization, when we come to consider 
 the human frame, the most wonderful struc- 
 ture of God, the divine idea of mechanism, 
 in whose structure a thousand wonderful 
 and complicated actions are in play, many 
 of whose laws, after more than two thousand 
 years of investigation, are still unknown, 
 — why, I say, do our governments surrender 
 this beautiful structure to be prostituted to 
 the mercenary practices of charlatans ?' 
 
 '' A large part of his life was spent in an 
 
68 CORNKlvIUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 appeal for legislation to improve our sanitary 
 conditions and to subdue the curse of quack- 
 ery. He read, lie plead, lie labored for the 
 creation of a Minister of Health in the 
 Cabinet Department at Washington. He had 
 personal interviews with the President,* and 
 it is to the credit of the strong, good man who 
 now occupies this chair that he listened to 
 him with interest, and was not unmoved by 
 his argument. But it was thought that the 
 time was not ripe. It certainly must come 
 soon, and w^hen it comes there will be general 
 lament that the man who was best fitted to 
 fill the place first, — ivit ad plures, — had gone 
 before. 
 
 Comegys kept his youth to the last ; he 
 was interested in medicine to the very last 
 day. ' We must talk over the scheme of the 
 University,' he would say to me, whenever 
 I chanced to meet him. He could discuss 
 any subject in medicine with any of the 
 
 * The above reference is to Mr. Cleveland, then President of 
 the United States.— Ed. 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 69 
 
 younger men, and with what freshness and 
 philanthropy ! In the discussion of the fresh- 
 air treatment of tuberculosis at the Academy, 
 only yesterday it seems, he told the story of 
 a young man who had recently consulted him. 
 He had to say to him that his case was 
 hopeless here, and to advise him to seek change 
 of air. ' But,' said the young man, ' I have 
 no means even to buy a street-car ticket.' 
 Dr. Comegys informed him that money was 
 not necessary ; that he should start and walk 
 to Atlanta, and beg his way. He would give 
 him, he said, a certificate of his condition and 
 everybod}^ would help him on the road. He 
 could travel like a German student on his 
 Wanderjahre^ and no one would refuse him 
 food. 'Silver and gold have I none, but such 
 as I have give I thee.' 
 
 " Comegys had the pure spirit of disciple- 
 ship. This is what he said once of one of his 
 teachers and in the presence of him in a pub- 
 lic address. It was in the last days of George 
 Wood, and the occasion was a speech which 
 
70 CORNELIUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 rigHtly made him famous before the Alumni 
 Association of the University of Pennsylvania. 
 The Academy of Music was crowded with the 
 elite of Philadelphia, for in that city the peo- 
 ple still take deep interest in medical affairs. 
 The old master sat on the stage, the central 
 figure in a flood of light, but there was a 
 shadow in front of him — the dark line of the 
 scythe of the reaper, who was even then stand- 
 ing close behind his chair. 'Venerable and 
 remarkable man ! Who, without ever laboring 
 for fame, has received it; who, without ever 
 climbing for great stations, has been lifted 
 into them ; and no man ever suspected his 
 capability for them, or envied him his well- 
 merited success.' 
 
 '' 'Over a vast sea, beyond all storms,' he 
 continued with his apostrophe, 'I behold a 
 barque slowly moving through sluggish 
 waters, borne so gently by the breeze that 
 fills the stiffened sails that not a ripple breaks 
 upon the heavy waves. Serenely stands the 
 master at his post, steering for his last harbor. 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 7 1 
 
 Somber and shadowy is the scene about 
 him; yet across yon headland comes a rosy 
 tinge of sheen, lighting up the tranqxiil face 
 of the lone voyager who seeks the port of 
 peace,' 
 
 " These are the men who for three-quarters 
 of a century have borne the standard of med- 
 icine and surgery in the Queen City of the 
 West. You may not point out in other fields 
 greater purity of purpose, sacrifice of self, 
 usefulness to others, than these lives have led, 
 or show sentiments more sublime than these 
 ideas have expressed. And the rank and file 
 which followed, though failing from lack of 
 opportunity or ability to express themselves 
 in the same way, have led the same lives and 
 h'eld to the same ideals. 
 
 '' The memory of them inspires us. We, too, 
 believe in necromancy, as we know that wis- 
 dom and inspiration come from consulting the 
 oracles of the dead. It is as Ruskin said: 
 ^The grave is the best pulpit; the voice 
 reaches farthest from the grave.' 
 
72 CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 ^' lu contemplating the lives of tliese men 
 the 3^oung physician may well be proud of his 
 profession. When Correggio stood before a 
 picture of Raphael, he cried : ^Auch' io sono 
 pittore' — *I, too, am a painter;' and Byron, 
 when he stood by the tomb of Galileo, ex- 
 claimed : 'He was one of us.' * jjj * ." 
 
 Dr. and Mrs. Comegys had a family of 
 six children — two daughters and four sons : 
 Ellen Tiffin Comegys, Mary Porter Comegys, 
 Cornelius Marim Comegys, Edward Tiffin 
 Comegys, William Henry Comegys, and 
 Charles George Comegys. The daughters 
 were born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, the 
 oldest son, Cornelius, in Philadelphia, Penn- 
 sylvania, and the other three sons in Cin- 
 cinnati. With the exception of Cornelius, 
 who died of typhoid fever at the age of 
 twenty years, all the children survived their 
 parents. The daughters and youngest son, 
 Charles, an attorney at law, resided with 
 their parents and still live in Cincinnati. 
 Major Edward T. Comegys, M. D., Surgeon, 
 
CORNELIUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 73 
 
 U. S. Army, and Major William H. Comegys, 
 Paymaster, U. S. Army, reside at the several 
 army stations to which they may be assigned. 
 All are unmarried with the exception of 
 Edward, who has been twice married. On 
 February 14, 1882, he married Minnie G. 
 Notson, daughter of Major William M. 
 Notson, Surgeon, U. S. Arm}^, by whom he 
 had one child : Edward Ti£B.n Comegys, Jr. 
 His wife died December 6, 1884. On May 5, 
 1887, he married Grace Willcox, daughter 
 of General Oriando B. Willcox, U. S. 
 Army, by whom he had three children : 
 Cornelius Willcox, Gerald Farnsworth, and 
 Leonard Marim Comegys. All the children 
 are living, except Gerald, who died at a 
 very early age. 
 
 The outlines of the life of Dr. Comegys 
 sketched above seem meager and perhaps 
 fail to do anything except to indicate the 
 salient points of his career. His fellow- 
 workers, friends, and patients could, no doubt, 
 add much, even unknown to his own family ; 
 
74 coRNKWus gkorg:^ comkgys, m. d. 
 
 for lie was not boastful of his deeds, nor 
 asked for recognition for his services. The 
 results speak for themselves, though his 
 long life was too short to do what he hoped 
 to accomplish. 
 
 It is always hard for a man of an active, 
 buoyant temperment to realize that the 
 infirmities of age are creeping upon him, 
 and that his life's work is drawing to a 
 close. So it was with Dr. Comegys. His 
 was not a disposition which gave up easily, 
 or retired to dream over the events of the 
 past. He kept in touch with his profession 
 and busied himself with the duties of the 
 hour. There was no lack of energ}^ on his 
 part and his executive powers were still 
 great. These he used to the last. 
 
 His wife died on July 13, 1895, and in 
 less than a year he followed her. Within 
 a few weeks of his death he appeared to be 
 in his usual health ; but, on Saturday, the 
 eleventh day of January, 1896, he came home 
 sick with nausea, and what was not then 
 
CORNKlvIUS GEORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 75 
 
 supposed to be very serious proved to be bis 
 last illness. At first be was merely confined 
 to tbe bouse and, tbougb sick and nauseated, 
 be saw some of bis patients and even beld 
 a joint committee meeting, composed of mem- 
 bers of tbe University Board and repre- 
 sentatives from tbe Obio Medical College, 
 in reference to tbe proposed medical depart- 
 ment of tbe University. Later, on January 
 28, serious symptoms set in and be was 
 confined to bis bed, from wbicb be never 
 arose. His deatb occurred at a quarter to 
 one o'clock in tbe morning of tbe tentb day 
 of February, 1896.* 
 
 * Note. — He died of "uraemia." 
 
IN HIS SIXTIETH YKAK. 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGE COMKGYvS, M. D. 77 
 
 FUNERE SERVICES AT ST. PAUL M. E. CHURCH. 
 
 February 12, 1896. 
 
 The funeral services of Dr. C. G. Comegys 
 were held in St. Paul M. E. Church, southwest 
 corner of Seventh and Smith Streets, at two 
 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, February 
 12, 1896. 
 
 The church was filled by the friends of the 
 deceased to the number of one thousand or 
 more. The Board of Directors, faculty, and 
 students of the University, above fifty of the 
 leading physicians of the city, the Official 
 Board of the church, those connected with the 
 several institutions of which he was a mem- 
 ber, and hundreds of personal friends were 
 present. The services throughout were sim- 
 ple and solemn, making a deep impression 
 upon all. 
 
 The pastor. Rev. J. M. Meeker, Ph. D., was 
 assisted in the services by Rev. Frank Woods 
 
78 CORNKlvIUS GKORGK COME^GYS, M. D. 
 
 Baker, D. D., rector of St. Paul's P. E. 
 Church, aud Rev. D. H. Moore, D. D., editor 
 of the '^Western Christian Advocate." 
 
 At the house the pastor offered a brief 
 prayer, and at the church read the Scripture 
 sentences as the body was borne to the front 
 of the chancel, while the organ sounded the 
 solemn notes of the '^Cujus Animam" from 
 the ''Stabat Mater." 
 
 The congregation arose as the funeral 
 cortege entered, and remained standing while 
 a male quartet from St. Paul's P. E. Church 
 impressively chanted, 'Xord, Let Me Know 
 Mine End and the Number of My Days." 
 
 Rev. Dr. Baker read the Scripture selec- 
 tions, the ninetieth Psalm, and a portion of 
 the fifteenth chapter of I. Corinthians. 
 
 The hymn, "Asleep in Jesus," was sung by 
 the quartet, following which the pastor, Rev. 
 Dr. Meeker, made a brief address, in which, 
 while recognizing the high professional, intel- 
 lectual, and social standing of Dr. Comegys, 
 he emphasized his most striking characteristic 
 
CORNKlvIUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 79 
 
 of a Christlike life and devotion to the spirit- 
 ual good of others. The quartet then chanted 
 "Come Unto Me, All Ye that Labor and Are 
 Heavy Laden," by Flemming. This was fol- 
 lowed by a fervent and sympathetic prayer, 
 offered by Dr. Moore. 
 
 To the notes of the solemn "Funeral 
 March," by Chopin, the sad procession moved 
 out of the church. 
 
 The active pallbearers were Drs. J. C. 
 Oliver and J. A. Thompson, of the medical 
 profession, and his o£S.ce associates ; A. B. 
 Benedict and E. K. Stallo, of the University 
 Board ; Professor Ward Baldwin, of the Uni- 
 versity faculty, and W. E. Brooks, of the Offi- 
 cial Board of St. Paul M, E. Church. The 
 honorary pallbearers were his attending phy- 
 sicians, prominent members of the medical 
 profession, the Board of Directors and Clerk 
 of the University, members of the Official 
 Board of the church, members of various 
 boards and institutions with which he was 
 
8o CORNKlvIUS GKORGB COMB^GYS, M. D. 
 
 connected, and many of his old and personal 
 friends. 
 
 The interment was in Spring Grove Ceme- 
 tery, where the last rites were recited by Rev. 
 Dr. Meeker in the presence, only, of the fam- 
 ily and relatives. 
 
CORNEIvIUS GKORGB COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 MEMORIAL MEETING OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 
 
 February 11, 1896. 
 
 At a called meeting of tlie medical profes- 
 sion of Cincinnati, on February ii, 1896, tlie 
 following resolution was adopted, requested 
 printed in the medical and public press, en- 
 grossed upon tlie minutes of tlie Academy of 
 Medicine of Cincinnati, and a copy sent to tbe 
 bereaved family : 
 
 '^Tlie medical profession is assembled to-day 
 to express a last word in memory of their late 
 associate, Dr. C. G. Comegys. 
 
 " IJe was no ordinary man. For forty-eigbt 
 years lie has been a notable figure, not only 
 in liis profession, but as a citizen of pure life, 
 of honest purposes, serving the public faith- 
 fully, and with great ability in various posi- 
 tions. 
 
 '' In all his relations with us, his professional 
 brethren, he was a gentleman, moved by the 
 
82 CORNKLIUS GKORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 Spirit of doing unto others as he would have 
 them do to him. He detested everything that 
 savored of the empiric. 
 
 "A man of gentle, liberal spirit, he was char- 
 itable and forgiving. He was, indeed, the 
 friend of his profession, esteeming its object 
 to prevent disease and to do good to all. 
 
 ''He was the friend of young men, and by 
 his words of encouragement and his example 
 did much to aid them. Yes, he did much 
 to elevate the tone of the profession in this 
 city. 
 
 '' Dr. Comegys was a man of superior intel- 
 lect. He fully exemplified the fact that the 
 strong physician is one whose mind is not 
 'cabined, cribbed, or confined' by strictly tech- 
 nical and professional reading, but is enlarged 
 by all collateral studies and observation. He 
 very early achieved a prominent place as a 
 practitioner. He was a sound counsellor, a 
 good clinician, a clear lecturer and teacher. 
 He was the advocate of higher education for 
 the people and for medical students. He did 
 
CORNKIvIUS GKORGK C0ME:GYS, M. D. 83 
 
 mucli by word and deed to further this great 
 object. 
 
 " He believed his profession, in its ability to 
 do good mentally, morall}^, and physically, su- 
 perior to any other. He often spoke of the 
 power of the good, able physician. 
 
 ^' He originated the idea of having a Board 
 of Health created by Congress, whose head 
 should be a ph3^sician and a Cabinet officer. 
 His idea will vet take form. He advocated 
 that ph^^sicians should be representatives of 
 the people in Congress and the State Legis- 
 latures. 
 
 "A man of deep religious convictions, and 
 yet charitable to all, he was dominated by 
 the spirit of walking humbly and acting 
 mercifully, serving Him whom he regarded as 
 his Master and Saviour. He did not believe 
 that it was all of life to live or all of death 
 to die. 
 
 " He belonged to the time when the general 
 practitioner was not only the medical adviser, 
 but the counsellor and friend of his clients. 
 
84 CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 There were giauts in those days. Up to a few 
 weeks before his death our departed friend 
 showed the ability and superiority of the gen- 
 eral practitioner. 
 
 '' He is an example for every young strug- 
 gling man. His honesty, his high tone, his 
 noble purposes, his usefulness, should impress 
 his memory on all. Let us cherish it. 
 
 (Signed) John A. Murphy. 
 
 B. P. GooDE. 
 
 Wm. H. Taylor. 
 
 Joseph Eichberg." 
 
 Tribute of a former student to the memory 
 of Dr. Comegys, delivered at the Academy of 
 Medicine of Cincinnati, on Tuesday, February 
 II, 1896, at a called meeting: 
 
 ^''Mr. President — I want to say a few words 
 of tribute to the memory of one who was both 
 my physician, teacher, and my friend, and 
 who probably had a stronger hold on my 
 heart-strings than any other member of my 
 profession in this city. On meditating over 
 
CORNELIUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 85 
 
 the all-wise problems of nature, I sometimes 
 think that, as each human being is born, 
 nature holds back a certain portion of its 
 reserve forces, and stores them away in a sort 
 of strong box ; that once in every decade or 
 generation these forces are given out to one or 
 more creations who are destined to be leaders 
 of men, to mold human thought, and to create 
 the history of their age. At one time a great 
 divine is thus given to the world ; at another 
 time a great statesman, a great general, a 
 great poet, and a great physician. I think 
 that Dr. Comegys received a liberal share of 
 these endowments from nature's strong box, 
 for he certainly was well endowed with those 
 faculties that go to make the great physician ; 
 he was in fact one of those giants in medicine 
 that, in general practice, are growing scarcer 
 and scarcer in our profession. 
 
 " Dr. Comegys was not only a great student 
 of the medical literature of this country, but 
 also in that of foreign countries as well. 
 During his younger years in the practice of 
 
86 CORNKLIUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 liis profession he translated from the French 
 one of the most extensive works of that time 
 on the history of medicine. He was a par- 
 ticularly warm admirer of the French school 
 of medicine, and during his student-years at 
 Paris and afterwards, he enjoyed the acquaint- 
 ance and friendship of such men as Trous- 
 seau, Nelaton, Charcot, and others, who for 
 nearl}^ a century molded the medical minds of 
 France. Of the great services he rendered to 
 medicine in our city and country you are all 
 aware. 
 
 ''One of the greatest measures which he ad- 
 vocated during the closing years of his brilliant 
 career was his bill asking the National Con- 
 gress to enact a law placing a member of our 
 profession in the President's Cabinet as Sec- 
 retary of the Department of Health. 
 
 " In character Dr. Comegys was of that 
 grand and lofty type that scorns expediency, 
 but endeavors to perform every duty from mo- 
 tives of right. His heart was as tender and 
 sympathetic as that of a woman, and the young 
 
CORNBI.IUS GKORGE COMKGYS, M. D. 87 
 
 man wlio went to him for counsel, in his 
 sorrows or disappointments, always came 
 away feeling better and with more manly 
 resolves for the morrow. It could hardly be 
 otherwise, for Dr. Comegys' words of advice 
 and cheer always contained the sunbeams of 
 hope. 
 
 '' I had the honor of serving for a term in 
 the Board of Directors of the University of 
 Cincinnati with the deceased, and during that 
 time I learned to appreciate his zeal and 
 earnestness in the cause of education and of 
 broad humanity. He was in this, as in every- 
 thing else that he undertook, faithful and 
 zealous to a degree that won the admiration of 
 his associates. Dr. Comegys possessed one 
 of those beautiful, sunshiny natures that was 
 pleasant to contemplate. It was a nature that 
 was as modest and as free from affectation as 
 that of a child. It was a nature that was as 
 thoroughly free from envy and guile as that 
 first faint streak of dawn that one sees in its 
 sublimes t grandeur on the ocean, away off in 
 
88 CORNKlvlUS GEORGE) COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 the distance, where the mighty expanse of 
 water touches the horizon, and which heralds 
 the approaching day." * 
 
 * From account published in the Western Christian Advocate^ 
 February 19, 1S96, of remarks made by Dr. Francis Dowling. 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 89 
 
 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 Cornelius G» Comegys* 
 
 "There is no death! What seems so is transition; 
 
 This life of mortal breath 
 Is but a suburb of the life Blysian, 
 
 Whose portal we call Death." 
 
 "A eulogy or studied words of commenda- 
 tion upon the life and character of tlie late 
 Professor Cornelius G. Comegys cannot be 
 given in the brief space allotted in a medical 
 journal's columns. It would require many 
 pages to do full justice to a man whose 
 scholarly ability and high character have 
 commanded the respect of a community for 
 the space of more than half a century. For 
 all these years Dr. Cornelius G. Comegys 
 was constantly under the eye of the public, 
 holding many important official positions to 
 which he had been elevated by his fellow- 
 
90 CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 citizens, who appreciated his sterling integrity, 
 both in professional and public life. To every 
 official position to which he was ever called 
 this man gave his best time and abilities. 
 A man of broad views, he was a determined 
 spirit, yet his convictions and conclusions 
 were always expressed in a kindly and 
 courteous manner. 
 
 ^^ In official life he was not a seeker after 
 personal aggrandizement. As a member of 
 the University Board of Cincinnati his self- 
 abnegation and personal devotion to the 
 cause of higher education will ever be remem- 
 bered by all those who had the pleasure 
 of knowing him as an associate. Dr. Cor- 
 nelius G. Comegys has left a reputation as 
 a rich heritage, a sweet memory, to those 
 who love virtue in official life ; and the 
 future historian of this great city, looking 
 over the many, many years of faithful 
 public service rendered by the deceased in 
 his various positions of Alderman, member 
 of the Board of Education, and University 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 9 1 
 
 Board, will accord him the credit for the 
 prominent part he always took in the pro- 
 motion of all that pertains to the trne and 
 beautiful for the masses of the people, to 
 whom his heart ever went out. Let others 
 speak of his medical abilities and brilliant 
 mental attainments. We speak of him 
 simply as a great and good citizen, one 
 whose name will ever be identified with the 
 growth and rounding out of a town and its 
 evolution to a great, populous city. 
 
 Dr. Cornelius G. Comegys lived long 
 beyond the usual time allotted to man, and 
 he compressed in the space of that life an 
 immense amount of mental and physical 
 exertion. Like one of the brave Knights 
 of old, he passed away to the silent beyond 
 still clad in his armor, 'faithful unto the 
 end.' To him has come that long and well- 
 deserved rest that all receive but that few 
 deserve. The name of Cornelius G. Comegys 
 will shine as long as Cincinnati exists in 
 name. Thougfh the star of his life has set. 
 
92 CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 it sets 'As the morning star, wliich goes not 
 down behind the darkened west, but melts 
 away into the brightness of the coming day.' 
 
 T. C. M."* 
 
 " Dr. T, C. Minor. (Published in Laticet-Clinic.) 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGE: COMKGYS, M. D. 93 
 
 Cornelius G» Comegys. 
 
 ^'The death of a good man, grown old in the 
 service of humanit}^, should call for more than 
 passing notice, because of the vast influence 
 such a life has exerted upon those with whom 
 he has come in contact, and that his character 
 may serve as a model to those of us who 
 remain. 
 
 Dr. Comegys has been a most useful man 
 in this community because of his life and 
 example. He was a dignified, courtly gentle- 
 man, and consequently a man whose whole 
 life was one of dignity, honor, and conscien- 
 tious devotion to duty. 
 
 A few of the characteristics which stood out 
 pre-eminently in his character showed the 
 secret of his success and power. He was an 
 enthusiast, and never allowed obstacles to 
 darken for one moment the light of his zeal. 
 No better example of his enthusiasm can be 
 given than his steadfast faith in the future of 
 
94 CORNKIvIUS GKORGe; COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 the University of Cincinnati. When this in- 
 stitution was menaced by foes without and 
 enemies within, he clung steadfastly to the be- 
 lief that these trials would pass away, and the 
 future thus remained one of hope and faith. 
 The noble institution which now crowns the 
 elevation in Burnet Woods testifies to the cor- 
 rectness of his hope and faith. To him, more 
 than to any other man, is due the credit of its 
 present secure position. 
 
 In local medical circles there is no honor 
 which was not bestowed upon him. No phy- 
 sician in Cincinnati ever held the respect and 
 reverence of the entire profession more com- 
 pletely than did he. Every physician recog- 
 nized his true manhood, his justness, his fair- 
 ness, and his utter incapability for anything 
 small or mean. His conscientious regard for 
 the rights and privileges of others often led 
 him to suffer personal loss rather than to be 
 accused of even *the appearance of evil.' His 
 love and respect for his profession never fal- 
 tered ; he believed in it, and counted it the 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 95 
 
 noblest of all professions. During the late 
 years of his life the veneration of his chosen 
 calling led him to propose and strenuously 
 advocate the creation, in the National Govern- 
 ment, of a Department of Public Health, the 
 head of the department to be a member of the 
 President's cabinet. No lower position met 
 his idea of what the necessity of such a work 
 deserved. 
 
 Dr. Comegys was a firm believer in the 
 tenets of the Christian religion. His beauti- 
 ful character showed the depth of his belief 
 far better than could anything else. He did 
 not force his religious beliefs upon others, but 
 by a life of singular purity demonstrated the 
 truth of the religion of Christ. 
 
 The writer enjoyed a very close and inti- 
 mate association with the deceased, and feels 
 keenly the loss of a true, steadfast friend, a 
 wise and kindly adviser, a large-hearted mag- 
 nanimous man, and a noble, earnest, and lov- 
 ing physician. 
 
 In considering our present bereavement we 
 
96 CORNELIUS GEORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 should look rather to the past than the pres- 
 ent. We then see a long, useful life spent in 
 the service of his fellow-man, a self-sacrifice to 
 the duties and dangers of his profession, a 
 character well-rounded by contact with all 
 sorts and conditions of men, a name which 
 shall ever be hallowed and revered by those 
 who were fortunate enough to come within 
 the sphere of his influence ; all this and much 
 more may be seen in retrospect. His life was 
 a triumph, and his death has but broadened 
 and extended that usefulness which had but a 
 narrow sphere this side of eternity. 
 
 *His life was gentle, and the elements 
 
 So mixed in him that Nature might stand up 
 
 And say to all the world, This is a man.' 
 
 * Written by Dr. J. C. Oliver, and published in the Cin- 
 cinnati Tribune, February 12, 1896. 
 
CORNKlvIUS GKORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 97 
 
 WESTERN GHRI8TIM ADYOGflTE. 
 
 February 12, 1896. 
 
 Cornelius G* Comegys^ 
 
 "Cincinnati mourns the Nestor of lier physi- 
 cians , and our Churcli one of her princeliest 
 laymen. At one o'clock, Monday morning, 
 Dr. Comegys was called ; not unexpectedly, 
 for he was in his eightieth year, and had 
 been seriously ill. Only last summer the wife 
 of his heart, the gracious and saintly Rebecca 
 Tiffin, daughter of Ohio's first Governor, was 
 called from his side. He pined for the ab- 
 sent one ; and yet maintained an outward 
 calm, and suffered alone. It was during his 
 early ventures in business that he wooed and 
 won her ; and the gratification of his profes- 
 sional ambition he ever ascribed to her encour- 
 agement and cooperation. 
 
 " But his teaching, and banking, and mill- 
 ing were practical and most useful preparation 
 
98 CORNKUUS GKORGK COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 for his real career, upon which he entered 
 in this city in 1848, having graduated 
 from the University of Pennsylvania as a 
 Doctor of Medicine. Bishop Simpson was 
 then editor of the ^^ Western Christian Ad- 
 vocate," and young Comegys, attracted by 
 his genius, eloquence, and great-heartednessj 
 himself a Methodist, became his ardent ad- 
 mirer and confidential friend. The poise and 
 evident ability of the young practitioner won 
 the great man's faith and love, and the pro- 
 fessional care of his family — a recognition of 
 so conspicuous character that it at once estab- 
 lished the young doctor in an enviable 
 practice. 
 
 ''As skilful with pen as with scalpel, young 
 Comegys recreated as assistant on the ' Wes- 
 tern/ and when, following his heroic and bril- 
 liant cholera practice in 1849, ^^ went for 
 higher medical learning to London and Paris, 
 he became its European correspondent. His 
 interest thus early formed for the paper never 
 ceased, and occasionally, to the very end, he 
 
CORNKlvIUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 99 
 
 enriclied its columns with his best thoughts 
 on art and science, religion and Church 
 polity. 
 
 '^ His youthful ardor in learning never left 
 him or suffered the snows of age to lie upon 
 his fertile brain. He kept his undimmed 
 eye on science and philosophy, and eagerly 
 scanned their latest achievements. His record 
 herein is idyllic. 
 
 "At the recent dedication of Hanna Hall,* 
 University of Cincinnati, he presided with 
 courtly grace, and his address was remarkably 
 virile, and comprehensive of the true aims and 
 requirements of a great modern educational 
 institution. 
 
 ''He was a poem in clay. No Roman sen- 
 ator ever presented a more commanding and 
 lofty presence. There was the unconscious 
 pride of high breeding and Revolutionary 
 ancestry. Yet was there no trace of vanity 
 
 * This should be McMicken Hall. Hauna Hall vv^as not yet 
 built.— Bd. 
 
lOO CORNEIvIUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 or austerity. The reposeful dignity of con- 
 scious strengtli blent with the kindly lines of 
 almost womanly sympathy, and gave his im- 
 perial presence a benign and winning aspect. 
 His patients instinctively trusted him. Well 
 they might, for, in addition to his wide learn- 
 ing and marvelous natural resources, he never 
 entered the sick room without consultation in 
 silent prayer with the Great Physician — a fact 
 known only in the innermost circle of his 
 most sacred friendship. 
 
 '' He was a member and office-bearer in St. 
 Paul Methodist Episcopal Church, in whose 
 sacred temple his funeral rites are to be cele- 
 brated this afternoon by the pastor. Rev. Dr. 
 Meeker, assisted by the editor* of this paper, 
 and Dr. Baker, the rector of St. Paul's 
 Episcopal Church." 
 
 ""■'■ Rev. D. H. Moore, D. D. (writer of this memoir). 
 
CORNKlylUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M, D. lOI 
 
 CINCINMTI HOSPITAL. 
 
 Death of Cornewus G. Comegys, M. D. 
 
 Cincinnati, O., March 6, 1896. 
 
 The following was adopted b}^ the Medical 
 Staff at their meeting held on the above date : 
 
 '' In noting the death of Cornelius G. 
 Comegys, M. D., which occurred on the loth 
 ultimo, the Medical Staff desires to record its 
 high appreciation of the abilities and virtues 
 of its esteemed member. 
 
 ''For nearly forty years Dr. Comegys w^as a 
 visiting physician to the Medical Department 
 of the Hospital, in which capacity he mani- 
 fested deep scientific interest in his work, 
 being always au eourant with the latest ad- 
 vances of medical knowledge. He was tender 
 and considerate of those under his care, and 
 earnest and lucid in his clinical teaching. 
 
 ''His association with his colleagues was 
 always characterized by cordial friendship. 
 
I02 CORNEI.IUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 Strict professional courtesy, and a sense of 
 honor which marked the true gentleman. 
 
 "During several years that he occupied the 
 position of President of the Medical Staff he 
 devoted much time and thought to the ad- 
 vancement of the interests and efhciency of 
 
 the Hospital. 
 
 W. H. Taylor, M. D. 
 G. A. Fackler, M. D. 
 Thad. a. Reamy, M. D. 
 f. forchheimer, m. d. 
 J. C. Mackenzie, M. D." 
 
CORNEI.IUS gkorge; comkgys, m. d. 103 
 
 CHRIST'S HOSPITAL. 
 
 RESOIyUTlONS BY MKDICAI, STAFF. 
 
 Resolutions of respect to tlie memory of 
 C. G. Comegys, M. D., adopted by the Medical 
 Staff of Christ's Hospital : 
 
 ^Whereas, Our Medical Director, C. G. 
 Comegys, M. D., has been called by a Divine 
 providence to a higher and greater sphere of 
 usefulness ; and 
 
 ^'Whereas, Christ's Hospital has lost a 
 valued friend, a wise counsellor, and a noble 
 and staunch advocate ; be it 
 
 ^'Resolved, That we, the members of the 
 Medical Staff, desire to express to the family 
 of the deceased our great sympathy with them 
 in their bereavement ; and 
 
 ^^Resolved, That Christ's Hospital has lost a 
 true and steadfast friend, — one whose zeal for 
 the cause has never wavered ; one who, since 
 the very inception of the institution, has stood 
 
I04 CORNKI^IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 steadfast and firm in his devotion to its inter- 
 ests. When the days were dark and clonds 
 threatened, his hand steered clear of the ob- 
 stacles, and brought the institution to its 
 present safe harbor. 
 
 ^^Resolved, That each member of the staff 
 feels a sense of personal loss. He was loved 
 and revered by his associates. ^None knew 
 him but to love him, none named him but to 
 praise.' 
 
 ^^ Resolved^ That a copy of these resolutions 
 be published in the daily papers ; that a copy 
 be sent to his family, and that a copy be 
 spread upon the minutes of the staff. 
 
 J. C. O1.1VER, M. D. 
 
 J. M. WiTHROW, M. D. 
 
 D. D. Bramble, M. D. 
 
 Conwiittee,^^ 
 
coRNE)i.ius ge;orgk comkgys, m. d. 105 
 
 CHRIST'S HOSPITAL. 
 
 Extract from the 
 
 AnnuaIv Report of the Secretary. 
 
 ''The Hospital sustained a great and irrep- 
 arable loss in tlie death of tlie late C. G. 
 Comegys, wlio had been prominently identified 
 with this institution from its beginning, and 
 served as its Medical Director. His interest 
 in this work and love for it were exceptionally 
 deep and strong. With advancing age, he 
 surrendered nearly all of the positions of 
 honor and trust he had held for many years ; 
 but he determined to remain with us to the 
 end, or so long as the Board of Trustees 
 thought it wise. He named the Hospital, 
 rejoiced in its growth, believed in its great 
 future, and never wearied talking of its 
 prospects. Forty years ago he had urged in 
 vain the importance of this humane and 
 churchly activity upon the attention of the 
 
I06 CORNEI.IUS GKORGK COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 Methodist laity of this city. No one could 
 have left us who would have been more missed 
 from our counsels. 
 
 H. C. Weakley, 
 Corresponding Secretary.^'' 
 
CORNKWUS GKORGK C0ME:GYS, M. D. 107 
 
 UN1YER8ITY OF CINCINNATI. 
 
 Resoi^utions of the Board oe Directors of the Uni- 
 versity OF Cincinnati in Memory of the 
 Late Dr. Cornewus G. Comegys. 
 
 "The Board of Directors of the University 
 of Cincinnati has sustained a severe and 
 grievous loss in the death of Dr. Cornelius G. 
 Comegys, who departed this life on Monday, 
 February lo, 1896, in the 80th year of his 
 age. 
 
 "For many years he has been our colleague, 
 and for the past five years, he has with wis- 
 dom and constant fidelity discharged the 
 many and various duties of the Chairman of 
 our Board. His dignity and cordiality of 
 manner, his enthusiastic interest in the devel- 
 opment, advancement, and welfare of the Uni- 
 versity in all its branches of learning, and his 
 inspiring personality will ever be remembered 
 by us with sincere and profound respect. 
 
Io8 CORNELIUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 ''His life was active and progressive, not 
 only in his professional career as an eminent 
 and successful physician for almost a half 
 century in this community, but also as a well 
 informed, broad-minded, and public spirited 
 citizen, who willingly assumed his share of 
 the responsibility in a movement made in this 
 city for public improvement ; his labors in the 
 cause of humanity, his deeds of charity and 
 benevolence, his conscientious and effective 
 work as a Christian and active member of his 
 church, his laudable record as an earnest and 
 cordial friend of our Public Schools, and as an 
 ardent advocate of higher education, have en- 
 deared him to the hearts of his fellow-citizens, 
 and his influence for good will be enduring 
 and justly appreciated in this community for 
 all time to come. 
 
 "We point with pride to our new University 
 Buildings, which were commenced and occu- 
 pied for scholastic work during the adminis- 
 tration of Dr. Comegys as Chairman of our 
 Board, and with a sense of real justice, it is 
 
CORNKI.IUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. lOQ 
 
 our pleasure to give full credit to him for his 
 encouragement in the consummation of this 
 most important undertaking. 
 
 ^'The following concise statement gives the 
 important incidents of his busy and well spent 
 life : 
 
 "He was born July 23, 18 16, at Cherbourg, 
 Delaware, and descended from patriotic and 
 distinguished ancestors ; his father w^as gov- 
 ernor of his native state. He began life as a 
 country school-teacher, later was a civil en- 
 gineer, a bank clerk, and in 1848 was gradu- 
 ated from the University of Pennsylvania as a 
 Doctor of Medicine. Subsequently, he came 
 to Cincinnati and soon obtained a large and 
 lucrative practice, and he stood in the front 
 rank of the men of his profession. 
 
 ''He assisted in organizing the Miami Med- 
 ical College, the Cincinnati College of Medi- 
 cine and Surgery, and at one time was identi- 
 fied with the Medical College of Ohio as one 
 of its Trustees, and was also a member of its 
 Faculty. He was one of the founders and 
 
no CORNEIJUvS GKORGE COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 twice President of the Academy of Medicine, a 
 member of the American Medical Association, 
 a member of the Delaware State Medical So- 
 ciety, also of the Western Reserve Historical 
 Society of Ohio, and a corporate member of 
 the Historical and Philosophical Society of 
 the State of Ohio. 
 
 ^'In recent years he was Chairman of the 
 Special Committee of the American Medical 
 Association to secure an Act of Congress for 
 the creation of a Department of Public 
 Health, the secretary of which was by the 
 proposed law to be a cabinet officer with offi- 
 cial position and powers equal to those exer- 
 cised by the heads of other national depart- 
 ments of our government ; this w^as a measure 
 of so much importance in his estimation for 
 the sanitary and hygienic protection of our 
 country from infectious and contagious dis- 
 eases, that he labored unceasingly in its be- 
 half and looked forward to its ultimate accom- 
 plishment with confident expectation. For 
 man}' years he was a member of our City 
 
CORNKlvIUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. Ill 
 
 School Board, and also served as a member of 
 our City Council, and was instrumental in 
 establishing our Night High School, whose 
 benefits were enjoyed by many who are prom- 
 inent and influential men in our city at this 
 time. 
 
 "But it is with his long years of devoted 
 service as a member of the University Board 
 we are most familiar, and it is with hearts full 
 of sorrow we submit to the will of an All-wise 
 Providence, who has removed from this com- 
 munity, this most worthy and noble citizen, 
 and has terminated the life of our esteemed 
 associate and colleague, who devoted his 
 talents and energy more for the good of others 
 than for his own personal welfare and gain. 
 We mingle our grief with others, who, like 
 ourselves, knew full well his purity of char- 
 acter, his sincerity of purpose, his extreme 
 unselfishness, and the strength of his personal 
 friendship. Therefore it is 
 
 ^^ Resolved J That as an expression of our 
 great esteem and personal respect for the 
 
112 CORNELIUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 memory of the deceased, these resolutions will 
 be spread upon the minutes of this meeting of 
 our Board, and a copy of the same will be 
 sent by the clerk to the family, with the 
 assurance of our tender and heartfelt sym- 
 pathy with them in their sad bereavement, 
 and also a copy be furnished to the press. 
 
 Frank J. Jones, 
 Isaac M. Wise, 
 Thad. a. Reamy, 
 W. McAi^pin, 
 Edmund K. Stai^i^o, 
 
 Committee. ' ' 
 
CORNKI.IUS GKORGE COMKGYS, M. D. I13 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNllTI. 
 
 ResoIvUTions Adopted by the FacuIvTy. 
 
 ^'Whereas, Deatli has removed from our 
 midst Dr. C. G. Comegys, the venerable and 
 honored President of the Board of Directors 
 of this institution ; therefore 
 
 ^^ Resolved^ That in the uniformly kind and 
 courteous bearing of the deceased, in his moral 
 earnestness, in his unwearied pursuit of ideal 
 aims, in his love of truth yet kindly tolerance 
 of views and judgments differing from his 
 own, we recognize a character of rare attract- 
 iveness and worth ; and that in his death we 
 have lost a co-worker, counselor, and friend 
 whom we deeply respected and warmly loved, 
 while this institution has lost a zealous and 
 faithful officer, one ardently devoted to its 
 interests, and of firm and abiding faith in its 
 future. 
 
114 CORNELIUS GKORGK COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 ^^ Resolved^ That witH profound gratitude we 
 make recognition of the eminent services 
 which, by his true and high ideals of Univer- 
 sity life and aims, by his unwearied watchful- 
 ness and unselfish labors through long years 
 of struggle and discouragement, he has ren- 
 dered to the cause of higher education in this 
 community and to the upbuilding on firmer 
 and broader foundations of this institution ; 
 and that we hereby express our conviction 
 that in the tradition of this noble life our in- 
 stitution inherits something which will enter 
 into its future as an inspiring and moulding 
 force, being an incentive and stimulus to the 
 young, and making ever for richer and truer 
 life among them. 
 
 ^^ Resolved^ That these resolutions be spread 
 upon the minutes of the Faculty, that they be 
 given to the daily press, and that copies be 
 sent to the Board of Directors and to the 
 family of the deceased." 
 
CORNEI.IUS GEORGE COMEGYS, M. t>. II5 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CINClNNflTI. 
 
 Resoi^utions Adopted by the Students. 
 
 ^Whereas, It has pleased God in His 
 Wisdom to remove from our midst one who 
 has been most earnest in love and labor for 
 the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Cornelius 
 G. Comegys ; and 
 
 ''Whereas, He has ever been a faithful 
 advocate and defender of its interests ; there- 
 fore, 
 
 ^^Be it resolved, by the students of the Uni- 
 versity of Cincinnati in a general meeting 
 assembled, 
 
 ''First : In his death the University loses a 
 stanch friend and one to whom is due, in great 
 measure, its present position of influence as 
 an educational institution. 
 
 "Second: That we, who partake of the re- 
 sults of his labor, mourn his loss as that of a 
 beloved benefactor. 
 
Il6 CORNELIUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 '^Third : That a copy of these resolutions 
 be sent to his bereaved family, as an expres- 
 sion of our sympathy ; that they be published 
 in the daily papers ; that copies be sent to the 
 University publications ; that they be inscribed 
 on the minutes of the Executive Committee ; 
 and that a copy be presented to the Faculty. 
 
 L,. D. Oliver, 
 Louise Spii<man, 
 Ethel Phillips, 
 Edith Alden, 
 Malcolm McAvoy, 
 Ruth Butterworth, 
 Charles Reinhart, 
 Dudley Palmer, 
 
 Committee, 
 
 SALVIA EwAN, Sec'y." 
 
CORNElvIUS GKORGE COMEGYS, M. D. II7 
 
 8T. PAUL M. E. CHURCH. 
 
 "The following minute was unanimously 
 adopted by the Official Board of St. Paul 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, on February ii, 
 1896: 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 "It is with deep regret and profound sorrow 
 that we have to record the death of our dear 
 brother, Dr. C. G. Comegys. 
 
 "For nearly half a century he had been a 
 member of St. Paul Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, for many years was an honored 
 teacher in the Bible School, and at the time of 
 his death was one of the trustees of the 
 Church. 
 
 "He always took a great interest in all 
 branches of the work of the church and 
 school, and of the various societies connected 
 therewith, and was very liberal with his means 
 for their support. He was a regular attend- 
 
Il8 CORNKI.IUS gkorg:^ comkgys, m. d. 
 
 ant at all tlie services, and those who were 
 accustomed to hear him give his testimony at 
 the prayer-meeting will miss his inspiring and 
 helpful talks, which came from a heart filled 
 with the Holy Spirit. 
 
 ^'He was a typical Christian gentleman. 
 His consistency of life, the wisdom of his 
 counsels, the fervency of his prayers, his de- 
 votion to his Church, and many winsome 
 personal qualities endeared him to those with 
 whom he associated as a Christian. 
 
 "He was one of the best Bible students in 
 the city, and was a man of great learning, and 
 stood at the head of his profession. He was 
 greatly interested in the welfare of his fellow- 
 men, and did all in his power to further those 
 institutions which were for the development 
 of mankind, and gave much time and thought 
 to the question of lifting the masses to a 
 higher plane, and bringing them under the 
 influence of the gospel. 
 
 "He was of a cheerful and genial nature, 
 and many in the various walks of life will 
 
CORNELIUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. II9 
 
 mourn the loss of one who was such a devoted, 
 good, broad-minded, and kind-hearted man. 
 No one knew him but to love him, and no one 
 conversed with him but he felt a desire to 
 knov/ more and to live a better life. 
 
 'We desire to convey to the afflicted family 
 of our deceased brother our sincerest sym- 
 pathy, and we request that a copy of this 
 minute be recorded in the minutes of the 
 Board, and a copy be furnished to the family. 
 
 R. S. Rust, 
 W. A. Mkgruk, 
 
 J. F. WlLTSKE, 
 
 W. K. Brooks, 
 
 CommitteeJ'^ 
 
Rebecca Tiffin Comegys. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
CORNKlvIUvS GKORGIO COME^GYS, M. t>. 1:23 
 
 Mrs. Rebecca Tiffin Comegys. 
 
 D EBECCA Turner Tiffin was the youngest 
 daughter of Dr. Edward Tif&n'"'' and Mary 
 Porter (his second wife). Her father was one 
 of the most important historical characters of 
 this state. Born in Carlisle, England, on June 
 19, 1766, he came to this country, with his 
 parents, at the age of eighteen years, and set- 
 tled in Berkeley county, Virginia. He studied 
 medicine at the Jefferson Medical College, 
 and began practice in Charlestown, Virginia, 
 where he speedily became prominent, socially 
 and politically. When a party of Virginians 
 came to the Territory north-west of the Ohio 
 to take up land, he was among them and set- 
 tled at Chillicothe. While in Virginia he so 
 won the confidence and friendship of General 
 
 * For a full account of Dr. Tiffin, see "Life of Dr. Edward 
 Tiffin, First Governor of Ohio," by Col. W. E. Gilmore ; also, 
 "A History of Ohio," by Daniel J. Ryan, p. 60 and p. 167. 
 
124 CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMEGYS, M. D. 
 
 George Washington as to receive from him a 
 letter of introduction to General Arthur St. 
 Clair, the Governor of the North-West Terri- 
 tory. Edward Tiffin was a natural leader in 
 public affairs, and when the Constitutional 
 Convention was held in Cincinnati, for the pur- 
 pose of the formation of a state, he was chosen 
 the President of it. When Ohio was admitted 
 into the Union, he was elected the first Gov- 
 ernor ; and, at the close of his term, was 
 re-elected for a second. He was also at various 
 times — Speaker of the House of Representa- 
 tives of the Ohio Legislature ; a United States 
 Senator from Ohio ; Commissioner of Public 
 Lands at the General Land Office (equivalent 
 to what is now known as the Department of 
 the Interior) at Washington, during Presi- 
 dent Madison's administration. This latter 
 office he voluntarily gave up, on account of 
 his desire to return to his home, and took 
 charge of the Land Office in Ohio, which he 
 maintained at Chillicothe. He died on Au- 
 gust 9, 1829. 
 
corne;i,ius gkorge^ comkgys, m. d. 125 
 
 Rebecca Turner Tiffin was born at Cbilli- 
 cothe, Ohio, on April 7, 1820, and lived there 
 until her marriage to Cornelius George Com- 
 eg3^s on October 3, 1839. ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ years 
 of their married life were divided between 
 Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and Philadelphia, 
 Pennsylvania — though the longer period was 
 passed at the former place. She then returned 
 with her husband to Ohio, and a new and per- 
 manent home was established at Cincinnati, 
 where she lived and died. 
 
 The early years of married life were event- 
 ful ones to the young wife, who, the youngest 
 daughter of the family, inexperienced and 
 naturally diffident, was placed in a new life 
 involving strange and trying conditions ; but 
 the inherent strength of her character devel- 
 oped vv^ith the exigencies of the moment, and 
 the burdens and cares of a large and growing 
 family of children w^ere borne with the uncom- 
 plaining cheerfulness and unselfish affection 
 which characterized her nature. 
 
 Although naturally domestic in her disposi- 
 
126 CORNELIUS GKORGK COM^GYS, M. D, 
 
 tion, she did not neglect her social duties, nor 
 those of her church, to which her devotion was 
 very great. She had at an early age, of her 
 own free will, and without consultation with 
 her family, become a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. This was done under a 
 strong conviction of duty, and her faith never 
 swerved to the end of her long and useful life. 
 She engaged much in the religious duties and 
 charitable work of the church, and was one of 
 the foremost and faithful members of its 
 societies. 
 
 She was a member of the Ladies' Home 
 Missionary Society (later absorbed by the 
 Missionary Society of the M. E. Church), the 
 Woman's Home Missionary Society, Vice- 
 President and a life member of the Woman's 
 Foreign Missionary Society of the M. E. 
 Church, and a member of the local societies of 
 St. Paul M. E. Church. When the Sanitary 
 Commission held its great ''Fair," with 
 branches in the principal cities (during one of 
 the coldest winters ever known in this 
 
CORNKLIUS GKORGB COMKGYS, M. D. 1 27 
 
 country), for the relief of the soldiers who 
 were fighting for their country in the Civil 
 War, she rendered effective aid in this noble 
 work. Her life was full of good deeds. 
 
 Her character is well described in the lan- 
 guage of the following extract taken from a 
 resolution passed, at her death, by a society to 
 which she was much attached : '' Gentle, un- 
 assuming, shrinking, yet with a courage that 
 would endure the fires of persecution if princi- 
 ples were to be upheld ; loyal to conviction 
 and duty, with a conscientiousness to be 
 admired and emulated ; faithful unto death — 
 such was our friend and sister."* 
 
 She diedjf at her home in Cincinnati, on 
 Saturday, July 13, 1895, at ten minutes to 
 eleven o'clock at night, after an illness which 
 commenced on June 25. The funeral took 
 place at her late residence on Tuesday after- 
 
 * Resolutions by the Cincinnati Branch "Woman's Foreign 
 Missionary Society." The verses used in the dedication are also 
 taken from these "resolutions." 
 
 t Cause of death, "cerebral embolism," 
 
128 CORNKI.IUS GKORGK COMKGYS, M. D. 
 
 noon, July i6, 1895, at two o'clock. In the 
 absence of tlie pastor of St. Panl M. E. 
 Chnrch, Rev. D. H. Moore, D. D., editor of 
 the "Western Christian Advocate," assisted by 
 Rev. F. W. Bope, assistant minister of St. 
 Paul's P. E. Church, conducted the services, 
 which were simple, but impressive. Rev. Dr. 
 Moore read a brief account of the life of the 
 deceased, and Rev. Mr. Bope read the burial 
 service. The hymns, "By Cool Siloam's 
 Shady Rill," and "Asleep in Jesus," were 
 sung by Mrs. Jeannie S. Healy. The 
 burial at Spring Grove Cemetery was private 
 — onl}^ the family and relatives being present. 
 Rev. Dr. Moore read the committal at the 
 grave. 
 
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY T tt^RARIES 
 
 This book is due on the date indicated below, or at the 
 expiration of a definite period after the date of borrowing, as 
 provided by the library rules or by special arrangement v/ith 
 the Librarian in charge. 
 
 DATE BORROWED 
 
 DATE DUE 
 
 DATE BORROWED 
 
 DATE DUE 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 C28(251) lOOM 
 
 
 
 
/ 
 
 1, 
 
 C75 
 R154.C73 189S 
 
 Comegys 
 
 Cornelius George Comegys, M. D. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ol3