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On April 16, 1849, physicians from eight counties met at the North Carolina Supreme Court to organize the "Medical Society of the State of North Carolina," now known as the "North Carolina Medical Society;" a day later Dr. Edmund Strudwick was elected as the first president of the Medical Society of the State of North Carolina. One hundred and fifty years later in 1999 the N.C. General Assembly honored his important contribution to the medical field by passing, "A joint resolution honoring the life and memory of Dr. Edmund Strudwick."
Dr. Strudwick was very concerned with elevating the standards of medical education and was heavily involved in furthering the medical profession in North Carolina. Born in Orange County and educated at Bingham School, Edmund took an early interest in medicine. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in1824 and returned to Hillsborough to begin his medical practice two years later. Dr. Strudwick soon gained the reputation as an excellent surgeon and operated in cities across the state. He was chosen as the first "Physician and Superintendent" and placed in charge of construction of North Carolina's first hospital for the insane, Dorthea Dix Asylum in 1848.
Dr. Strudwick's saddle bags were made by Roland R. Hazard and Phillip Caswell, both residents of New York City between 1880 - 1887. Since 1857, this company dealt in medicines, perfumes, brushes, soaps, artists materials, and other items.
The Orange County Historical Museum has several of Dr. Strudwick's medical tools in the collection.
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Dr. Edmund Strudwick
March 1802 - November 28 1897 |
