American Medical Biographies/Ayres, Daniel
Ayres, Daniel (1822–1892)
This Brooklyn surgeon was born in New York City, October 6, 1822. He was educated at Princeton College and after attending medical lectures at Castleton Medical College, Vt., graduated M. D. at the University of the City of New York in 1845. He served as assistant physician at Bellevue Hospital and settled in Brooklyn where his life was spent. From 1846 to 1853 he was surgeon to the Brooklyn City Hospital, which he helped to establish, and in 1856, at the founding of the Long Island College Hospital, he became surgeon to that institution and professor of clinical surgery and surgical pathology in the medical school connected with it, positions he held until 1874 when he became professor emeritus. He was said to be successful as a lecturer and to illustrate his subject with many ingeniously prepared specimens, which he made himself. Another office he held after 1870 was consulting surgeon to St. Peter's Hospital. In 1856 Wesleyan University conferred the honorary degree of LL. D. upon him. Dr. Ayres did a successful plastic operation for exstrophy of the female bladder in November, 1858, reported in the American Medical Gazette, N. Y., 1859, x, 81–89, 2 plates. This was similar to the first successful operation for this affection that had been done by Joseph Pancoast, of Philadelphia, in February, 1858, but not reported until the following year, therefore Ayres should have the credit of having worked out the details of a new operation, independently.
Dr. Ayres published in addition papers on "Successful Reduction of Complete Dislocation of the Cervical Vertebrae;" "Operation for Artificial Anus;" and "Trepanning of the Skull for Reflex Epilepsy."
During the latter part of the Civil War he served as corps surgeon.
In 1849 he married Charlotte Augusta, daughter of Daniel Russell, of Portland, Connecticut. They had two sons who followed their father in the practice of medicine.
After forty years of teaching and practice Dr. Ayres retired and devoted himself to advancing the interests of the Long Island College Hospital and the Hoagland Laboratory to which he made large money gifts, as he did to Wesleyan University. He died January 18, 1892, at the age of sixty-nine.