Mettauer, John Peter
Item
- Connection to Legacies of American Slavery Database
- Name
- One-line bio
- Biography
- Date of Birth
- Date of Death
- Historical Period
- Related Organization(s)
- Employed By
- Wikidata Link
-
Mettauer, John Peter
-
American surgeon, gynecologist, and professor from Prince Edward County, Va.
-
John Peter Mettauer was an American surgeon, gynecologist, and medical pioneer known for performing the first successful repair of a vesicovaginal fistula in America. Born and raised in Prince Edward County, Virginia, he attended Hampden-Sydney College where his father, Dr. Francis Joseph Mettauer, taught after serving as a surgeon in the American Revolutionary War. Upon graduating from the College, Mettauer attended the University of Pennsylvania. Soon after, he returned to his hometown, where he began practicing and teaching medicine at Hampden-Sydney College, just like his father before him. It was at this point in Mettauer's career he began developing a surgical method to successfully repair a damaged vesicovaginal fistula, a common injury mothers sustain during childbirth. Mettauer's revolutionary surgical method experienced an extended period of trial and error. He gained a better understanding of the operation by performing it numerous times on an enslaved African American woman – whose identity remains unknown. Eventually, Mettauer received acclaim after successfully performing this operation on a white woman. Years later, Mettauer retired to Macon, Georgia where he died in 1875. Mettauer's career, spanning more than five decades, yielded remarkable contributions to the field of medicine. These contributions include the development of innovative medical procedures, the advancement of surgical instruments, as well as the creation of institutions like Randolph-Macon Medical School. The achievements of Mettauer within contemporary medical practices are undeniable; however, it is important to acknowledge that his accomplishments coincide with the profound sacrifices of that enslaved woman whose contributions were indispensable for the outcome of his endeavors.
-
1787
-
1875
-
Randolph-Macon Medical College
- Site pages
Position: 11914 (6 views)
