RICHMOND, John L. - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Attempt to build the Indiana Central Canal near Anderson concerning which an article appeared in The Herald recently, also apparently resulted in coming of several physicians to the county because of a large increase in population a medical history published in 1911 states.  The volume, “A Medical History of the State of Indiana" (note: this is a longer article), by Dr. GWH Kemper, a Muncie physician.  It covered the medical history of the territory and state from 1799 to early 1911.  The location of the first physicians at Alexandria, Elwood, Perkinsville, Fishersburg and New Columbia, all occurred about the same year at least within 12 months of the years 1839 and 1840” it stated.  This was incident to the large increase of population during those years, most probably included by the work on the Indiana Central Canal, then in construction but never completed.  The medical history also reveals that the doctor who is believed to have performed the first recorded Caesarean operation in the US away back in 1827 at Newton, Ohio practiced at Pendleton for several years.  This was John L. Richmond, who was born in Massachusetts in 1785 and died in Covington, Ind in 1855.  Dr. Richmond saved the mother but lost the child in what was then an exceedingly rare operation.  After starting practice at Newton, Ohio, Dr. Richmond came to After starting practice at Newton, Dr. Richmond came to Pendleton in the early 1830s where he was a Baptist Church pastor as well as a physician.  He later moved to Indianapolis.  Dr. Richmond, whose early operation has been the subject of several historical papers is buried at Lafayette.    --- transcribed by  kbz