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William James Mayo

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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"WILLIAM JAMES MAYO (1861-), American surgeon, was born at Le Sueur, Minn., June 29 1861. His father, William Worrall Mayo, migrated when a boy from England to America, studied medicine, and served as surgeon at several army posts before settling at Rochester, Minnesota. Here the son, after graduating in medicine from the university of Michigan in 1883, began the practice of surgery. A small hospital was organized under the local branch of the Sisters of St. Francis, the outgrowth of which was St. Mary's hospital. Here he and his younger brother, Charles Horace, developed the Mayo Clinic (organized 1889), which became famous throughout the world for the number and success of operations performed. The elder brother was elected president of the Minnesota State Medical Society in 1895, and in 1907 was appointed a regent of the university of Minnesota. He was elected president of the Society for Clinical Surgery in 1911 and the following year president of the American Surgical Association. On America's entrance into the World War he was appointed colonel in the Medical Corps, U.S. army, and chief consultant for surgical service. In 1919 he was awarded the D.S.M.

Charles Horace Mayo (1865-), American surgeon, was born at Rochester, Minn., July 19 1865. After studying at Northwestern University and the Chicago Medical College (M.D. 1888), he began the practice of surgery at Rochester, Minn., and with his brother became surgeon at the Mayo Clinic. He was elected president of the Minnesota State Medical Society in 1905, president of the surgical section of the International Tuberculosis Congress in 1908, and president of the American Medical Association in 1916. He was appointed Mayo Foundation professor of surgery in 1915. During 1917-8 he was president of the examining board of applicants for commissions in the Medical Corps, having supervision over several states, including Minnesota. In 1918 he was appointed colonel in the Medical Corps and for a year was associate chief consultant for surgical service. Beginning with 1912, graduate courses in medicine were offered at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Early in 1915 the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research was incorporated, and to it the brothers gave $1,500,000. In June of the same year, by mutual agreement, the funds and resources of the Foundation were placed under the direction of the regents of the university of Minnesota for promoting " graduate work in medicine and research in this field." On Sept. 13 1917 the Foundation, with its fully-equipped staff, laboratories and clinics in Rochester, became a department of the university.