History of Glen Cove, (Nassau County) New York United States of America

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Biographies:

Thomas Cock, physician, was born in Glen Cove, N.Y., in 1782. He removed to New York city and entered the office of Valentine Seaman, M.D., as a student and was subsequently admitted into partnership with that physician. He was graduated M.D. from Columbia college in 1805, was professor of anatomy and physiology in Queen's (afterward Rutgers) college, 1812-26; visiting physician to the New York hospital, 1819-34, and consulting physician from 1834; was elected a fellow of the College of physicians and surgeons in 1820; was vice-president of that institution, 1827-55, and president, 1855-58; and president of the New York academy of medicine in 1852. He rendered faithful and efficient service during the epidemics of yellow fever in 1822 and cholera in 1832, in acknowledgment of which the municipal government presented him with a silver service. He was vice-president of the American bible society at the time of his death. He died in New York city, June 14, 1869.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Valentine Mott, surgeon, was born at Glen Cove, L.I., N.Y., Aug. 20, 1785; son of Dr. Henry and Jane (Wall) Mort; grandson of William and Elizabeth (Valentine) Mott and of Samuel Wall, and a descendant of Adam and Elizabeth (Richbell) Mott. He was prepared for college at a private seminary at Newtown, L.I.; studied medicine under the direction of his relative, Dr. Valentine Seamen in New York city, 1804-07; was graduated at Columbia college, M.D., 1806; studied under Sir Astley Cooper in London; visited St. Thomas's, Bartholomew's and Guy's hospitals, and attended the lectures of Abernethy, Sir Charles Bell and Currie, 1807-08. He completed his medical studies in the University of Edinburgh, 1809-10, and practised in New York city. He delivered a course of lectures on surgery in New York in 1810; was professor of surgery in the medical department of Columbia college, 1811-13, and after that department became the College of Physicians and Surgeons, continued in the chair, 1813-26. He founded with Drs. Hosack, Mitchell, Francis and others, Rutgers Medical college in 1826, and was professor there until the institution closed its doors in 1830. In 1828 he made an excision of the collar bone, in which he tied the jugular vein in two place, and not less than forty arteries, from which the patient completely recovered. This feat wns probably without a parallel in the history of surgery, and a similar operation was not performed until thirty years later. He was professor of surgery and relative anatomy, College of Physicians and Surgeons 1830-65, and made three visits to Europe between 1835-51, to recuperate his health. He visited the hospitals of Paris and while in Constantinople removed a tumor from the head of Sultan Abdul Medjid, who for this service invested him with the order of Medjidieh. He was one of the founders of the medical department of the University of the City of New York in 1841; was professor of surgery and relative anatomy and president of the faculty, 1841-52, and professor emeritus, 1852-65. He was a member of the council of the university, 1880-36; surgeon to the New York hospital; senior consulting surgeon to Bellevue hospital for fifteen years, and consulting surgeon to St. Luke's, the Hebrew, St. Vincent's and the Women's hospitals at different times. He was a fellow of the Imperial Academy of Medicine in Paris, the Paris Clinical society; the Medical Society of London, the London Chirurgical society; Brussels Chirurgical society; King's and Queen's College of Physicians in Ireland, and was president of the New York Academy of Medicine for several years and the New York Inebriate asylum at the time of his death. He received the honorary degree M.D. from the University of Edinburgh in 1851 and that of LL.D. from the regents of the University of the State of New York. His museum of anatomical specimens was destroyed by fire when the building of the New York Medical college was burned. His widow, however, gathered together such other specimens us were left in his office and these, with 4000 volumes of his medical and surgical works from his library she placed in a building at 64 Madison avenue. This was incorporated as the Mott Memorial in 1866, and was made free to all medical and other students. He was married in 1818, to Louisa, daughter of Sarah Munns of England. He invented many surgical and obstetrical instruments and advocated conservative surgery. He left a fund in his will, whereby one gold, one silver and one copper medal were to be awarded anually to three graduated of the New York University Medical college, for the best dried anatomical specimens. He helped to establish the New York Medical and Surgical Record in 1818, contributed to the transactions of the New York Academy of Medicine and wrote various papers for the U.S. sanitary commisson. He supervised Dr. Peter S. Townsend's translation of Velpean's "Surgical Anatomy," adding several hundred pages of notes and illustrations and is the author of: "Travels in Europe and the East" (1842); and various addresses, discourses and eulogies. See "Memoir of the Life and Character of Mott, Facile Princeps" by Samuel W. Francis (1865); "Eulogy on the Late Valentine Mott" by Alfred C. Post (1865), and "Memoir of Valentine Mott" by Samuel D. Gross (1868). He died in Hew York city, April 26, 1865.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor