WILLARD
30^
WILLARD
America to attempt the education of the
feeble-minded, and the first superin-
tendent of this Asylum. By his wisdom,
zeal, and humanity he secured its
permanent establishment."
J. V. D.
Arch. Med., N. York, 1883, vol. ix (C. W
Brown).
Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc, Chicago, 1883, vol.
i (J. M. Toner).
Willard DeForest (1846-1910).
DeForest Willard, orthopedist, was a native of Newington, Hartford County, Connecticut and born March 23, 1846, son of Daniel H. and Sarah Maria (Dom- ing) Willard, both his parents descend- ants from families closely identified with the development of America in the Colonial period. Dr. Willard was in the ninth generation from Major Simon Wil- lard, the founder of Concord, Massachu- setts (1632). He went to Hartford High School and entered Yale in 1863, and afterwards to the University of Pennsyl- vania, whence he took his M. D. in 1867. He received the degree of Ph. D. from the University in 1871, and the honorary A. M. from Lafayette in 1882. Dr. Wil- lard early selected surgery as liis chosen branch of medical practice and from the time he graduated in 1867 up to this date he was continuously connected with the anatomical and surgical departments of the University. Prior to his graduation in medicine, during the Civil War, he served under the United States Sanitary Commission at City Point and Peters- burg. In 1867-1868 he was resident physician at the Philadelphia Hospital and from 1881 to 1907, served as surgeon to the Presbyterian Hospital. He was consulting surgeon to the Home for Incurables, and the State Hospital for the Chronic Insane at South Mountain. In 1887 Dr. Willard was appointed lecturer on orthopedic surgery in the University, and was clinical professor of orthopedic surgery from 1889 to 1903; and professor of orthopedic surgery since 1903. In this subject his interest was always most enthusiastic. It was he who organized
this department at the University and
secured the erection of the orthopedic
ward in the Agnew wing of the Univer-
sity Hospital. He was president of the
American Orthopedic Association in
1890, of the Philadelphia County Medical
Society in 1893-1894, and of the Phila-
delphia Academy of Surgery in 1900. He
was fellow of the Philadelphia College of
Physicians and of the American Surgical
Association, in which latter society since
1895 he held the office of recorder.
The strenuous professional career which Dr. Willard had and the high regard which his professional brothers had for him is evinced by the following partial list of offices he held.
At the University he was demonstrator of surgery from 1870 to 1877; demonstra- tor of anatomy from 1867 to 1870; at- tending orthopedic surgeon to the Uni- versity Hospital; surgeon to the ortho- pedic out-patient department from 1877 to 1889. He was president of the American Surgical Association in 1901; Fellow of the American Orthopedic Asso- ciation; of the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery ; the Philadelphia County Medical Society: of the Pennsylvania State Medi- cal Society; the Philadelphia Pathological Societj^; and the Philadelphia Obstetrical Society.
Dr. Willard married in 1881 Elizabeth M. Porter, a daughter of the Hon. Wil- liam A. Porter, a granddaughter of Governor D. R. Porter, and had one son Dr. DeForest Porter Willard.
He was perhaps one of the most emi- nent orthopedic surgeons. He sj)ecial- ized in this branch of surgery long before it was recognized as a special branch, and was in every sense a pioneer who should rank with Andry, Potts, Stromeyer, Mut- ter and Sayrc. His special course of lectures given in 1887 at the University, was the first delivered on this subject.
Beginning in 1887, in the out-patient department. Dr. Willard organized the Orthopedic Department in 1889, and ■with the assistance of the Ladies' Auxiliary raised $150,000 for the depart- ment within the last eighteen years.
