Oliver Wendell Holmes (29 August, 1809 – 7 October, 1894) was a Cambridge, MA native known for his poetry and essays. Books by or about Oliver Wendell Holmes Mr. Holmes graduated from Harvard University in 1836. After practicing medicine for the next decade he became a teacher at Dartmouth College and dean at Harvard Medical School. Holmes was the first dean at age 33. Mr. Holmes was a very popular teacher because he was the only one that could keep the class awake. In 1843 Holmes wrote The Contagiousness of Puerperal Fever, which was considered groundbreaking. Holmes wrote that the fever was carried from patient to patient by physicians and nurses. In the pager he proposed that stuff should wear clean clothing and be avoided by those aiding birth and those performing autopsies. Even though Holmes conclusions were ridiculed by many contemporary doctors, who sometimes operated in coats stiff from blood. Even though Holmes was proven right later on (1847), it’s on until 1935 that his recommendations were adhered to. His son, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr was a U.S. Supreme Court Justice and American Civil War veteran. During his lifetime, Mr. Holmes was acknowledged by his peers as one of the…
