Heberden Society, May 14 - Ellen Cohn on Benjamin Franklin

Ellen R. Cohn, Editor of the Papers of Benjamin Franklin, Yale University

will present the spring Heberden Society Lecture on Tuesday, May 14, 2013, at 4:30 p.m.
This will be the final Heberden Society lecture of the 2012-13 academic year, and promises to be a fascinating talk.


Benjamin Franklin's Contributions to Medicine

Tuesday, May 14, 2013, 4:30 p.m. (Light refreshments at 4:15)

Uris Faculty Room (A-126)

Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue



Printer, promoter, philanthropist, inventor, investigator. Throughout his life, Benjamin Franklin attempted to "do good to man" by seeing that the best medical practices were available to the widest number of people, often using his influence to convince a skeptical public to embrace new ideas that were either frightening (such as inoculation) or suspicious (such as allowing fresh air into a bed chamber or sick room).


Ellen R. Cohn will discuss some of Franklin's significant contributions to medicine, including his work with William Heberden, Sr., on inoculation, his invention of medical devices, his observations on the causes of disease and the efficacy of remedies, his role in founding America's first hospital, and his work as head of the French royal commission that investigated the medical claims of Anton Mesmer. Ever the wit as well as the scientist, Franklin's trenchant observations on doctors and charlatans continue to enliven the study of the history of medicine.


Ellen R. Cohn is the Editor of the Papers of Benjamin Franklin, a comprehensive, annotated edition based at Yale University and co-sponsored by Yale and the American Philosophical Society.


The Heberden Society, which seeks to promote an interest in the history of medicine, was founded at the medical center in 1975. With funding from the WCMC Office of the Dean, the society sponsors a series of lectures during each academic year.