William Wallace Seely, A.M., M.D.

WM. WALLACE SEELY was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, in 1838. His literary education was obtained at Phillip's Academy, Andover, Mass., and Yale College. He graduated at Yale in 1862, admittedly the best all-round Yale graduate of that year. He excelled in literature and in the sciences and was a versatile athlete. He studied medicine at the Medical College of Ohio, graduating in 1864. The following year he filled the position of demonstrator of anatomy. In 1865 a chair of ophthalmology and otology was created and Seely was appointed to fill it. He resigned in 1899. During his service as a member of the faculty he served as the latter's secretary for a number of years. He was dean of the faculty from 1881 to 1900. He died suddenly in 1903.

Seely was a man of great ability. As an oculist he enjoyed a vast reputation. He was a wonderfully dexterous operator and, during the early part of his career, a frequent contributor to the literature of his specialty. Seely was liberally endowed with worldly goods, which fact redounded to the disadvantage of the profession because it deprived the latter of the work which this brilliant man would have given to medicine, if the attractions of social position had not absorbed so much of his time and position had not absorbed so much of his time and energy. His persistent advocacy of the yellow oxide of mercury ointment in ophthalmology has become thoroughly identified with his name.

[Son of John Holcroft SGS # 3146 – William Wallace, John Holcroft; Thomas, Abijah; John S.; Obadiah; Obadiah; Obadiah]

Pages 269 – 270, “Daniel Drake and His Followers, Historical and Biographical Sketches,” by Otto Juettner, A.M., M.D., Harvey Publishing Company, Cincinnati, 1909.