William Whitty Hall (October 15, 1810 - May 10, 1876) was an American physician, writer and pioneer editor of health magazines.

William Whitty Hall
BornOctober 15, 1810
DiedMay 10, 1876 (aged 65)
Occupation(s)Physician, health writer
Signature

Biography

edit

Hall was born in Paris, Kentucky. He graduated from Centre College in 1830 and studied both medicine and theology.[1] He received his M.D. from Transylvania College in 1836.[1] He was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry and was a missionary in Texas. He practiced medicine in New Orleans and Cincinnati and established his consultation practice in New York City in 1851.[1]

In 1854, he began to publish Hall's Journal of Health. After his death the journal was absorbed by Popular Science.[1] From 1875, he edited Hall's Medical Adviser.[2] Hall married twice. His first wife was Hannah Mattock and his second was Magdalen Matilda Robertson.[1]

Anthropologist Matthew Wolf-Meyer has described Hall as a forgotten researcher in the field of sleep science.[3]

Death

edit

It was reported that Hall never weighed more than 125 pounds and he worked from 5 am to 10 pm every day.[1]

He fell in a fit on a street in New York and died on May 10, 1876.[4] Later examination showed that he died of "degeneration of the heart".[5] His New York death certificate lists "valvular disease" as the cause of death as well.[6]

Selected publications

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f Hall, William Whitty. Dictionary of American Biography. New York: C. Scribner's Sons. pp. 147-148
  2. ^ Kelly, Howard A.; Burrage, Walter L. (eds.). "Hall, William Whitty" . American Medical Biographies . Baltimore: The Norman, Remington Company.
  3. ^ Wolf-Meyer, Matthew. (2011). The Nature of Sleep. Comparative Studies in Society and History 53 (4): 945-970.
  4. ^ The Guide-Board to Health, Peace and Competence by Dr. W. W. Hall. Knox Historical Society.
  5. ^ "Dr. W. W. Hall". Scientific American. XXXIV (22). May 27, 1876.
  6. ^ Department of Records and Information Services, certificate of death (13 May 1876), William W. Hall, The Municipal Archives, New York City.
edit