Chapter 6

Within a year after his settling in Peoria, he opened a dissecting room, secured a class of students and a number of medical men of the place, to whom he delivered lectures upon Anatomy, accompanied with demonstrations upon the dead subject. His life, as I well remember, was, at that time, a constant gala-day of enthusiasm, - whilst his genius seemed to be ever enlivened by the selectest influences of the brightest stars of hope, which, mingled with their animating inspirations of a lively ambition, painted the future in all those gorgeous tintings which hold in rapture the youthful heart. At that time, he seemed to be almost wholly neglectful of the present, and to live with an eye only to the future. For, during the first three years after his locating in Peoria, he gave but little attention to private practice, his time being mainly devoted to a careful study of the great principles of Medicine and, more especially, to that branch of it, Surgery, which he had chosen as his future sphere of action. During this time, I am able to bear witness that, in no case, have I ever seen such devotion as a student. Day, as well as the greater portion of the night, one might ever find him within his study, or analyzing the textures of the cadaver. When fatigued from the confinement of study, his habit was to rise up, and pace the room for some moments, and sing with great vivacity some lively song; - the happy energy which pervaded his manner at such times, showed that his ardent genius was constantly feasting upon the inspirations which were furnished by his studies and researches. At this time, he usually retired between three and four in the morning, and rose between seven and eight, apparently as much refreshed as those who spend the whole night in sleep. The motto which he had inscribed on the wall, at his bedside, was that of the old Greek painter Appelles - Nulla dies sine linea (No day without a line).

The zeal with which Dr. Cooper pursued his researches in Medicine and Surgery, early indicated him as one who would soon win for himself the highest laurels which can be awarded in our profession; his reputation at Peoria was at once established by a brilliant series of operations for the removal of deformities of the eye and face, of which each case was crowned by success. His first operation was in a case of strabismus, in which he was entirely successful. Now, as is usual, the sight of one so rapidly outstripping his peers, soon created a jealousy on the part of the older members of the profession towards him. As it was at once seen that nothing in his profession could be brought to bear against him which would sully his reputation, or obstruct his upward advancement, so it seems to have been decided, on the part of his enemies, that the vulnerable point in which they might most advantageously assail him, would be in respect to his dissections. At first, the aid of the press, with its many arms, was brought to bear against him. Article after article of a sensational character, appeared daily, until, finally the worse passions of the public were kindled to such a pitch, that a popular move was set on foot, the aim of which was to compel him to leave the city. For this purpose, flaming handbills, headed with the title, "Rally to the Rescue of the Graves of Your Friends," etc., were posted in all parts of the city, calling for an indignation meeting of the people. Nowise daunted by the threatening aspect of affairs, the Doctor himself attended the meeting, accompanied by a few of his friends; by a management of some of the latter, a gentleman was selected as Chairman, who was publicly recognized to be of the opposition party, but who, in reality, was a "Cooperite," as his friends were then called. This gentleman, by assuming to be partly intoxicated and the use of a large fund of Irish wit, soon wrought so much upon the risible faculties of the audience, that few felt like taking any violent measures. One old gentleman, the post-master of the city, thinking the matter of too great gravity to be disposed of in so light a manner, made a motion that, as the President did not appear to be in a condition suited for discharging, with due decorum, the duties of his office, that Mr. Mc--y be requested to resign his place, and that another should be chosen in his stead. Mr. Mc--y, with that intuitive readiness of reply that is so characteristic of his nation, rose up instantly and said, "A drunken man may get sober, but a native-born fool will never have any sense, by G-d." The audience, who had already become properly prepared for the enjoyment of such a scene, now burst into a deafening roar of laughter, which turned the whole affair into a mere farce and matter of ridicule, so that the audience broke up and went home, in the most perfect good humor.

As every effort to sully the doctor's reputation, or damp his enthusiasm in the prosecution of the profession which he so passionately loved, had proved wholly abortive, - the press, in all its attempts to injure him, so far from reaching its object, had tended rather to increase his reputation, - the next resort on the part of his enemies, was to invoke to their aid the strong arm of the law against him. In hunting up evidence as grounds for a legal prosecution, there was an amount of energy and malevolent bitterness on the part of his opponents which certainly would have succeeded in its purpose, had it not been directed against one of that class of minds whose innate courage and self reliance ever gathers force co-equally with the circumstances which strive to oppose them. Though prosecution after prosecution during the space of three years, were at the meeting of each court being waged against him for dissecting, - as quick as one indictment failing to be sustained, another, without delay, being brought forward on other grounds, - still, all this availed not: no charge ever brought against him was proven to the satisfaction of the jury, by whom, in all cases, he was honorably acquitted. The unwavering steadiness and singleness of purpose with which, amidst all these harassing circumstances, he continued his professional pursuits, now wrought a change among his opponents, so that, soon afterwards many who had borne towards him an intense malevolence and bitter antagonism, gradually, one by one, became his friends, and, by their subsequent strong devotion to him, they seemed to wish to make amends for their previous injustice to him. He meanwhile, on his part, so far from keeping awake a remembrance of past hatreds, seemed to blot at once from his memory the previous course of his enemies, and as soon as they made advances towards him, he received them with as much openness and cordiality, as though of their past acts he were wholly unconscious.

In the City of Peoria, he established an Infirmary for the treatment of diseases of the eye and ear, and the removal of deformities of the lower extremities, especially club-foot. In six months after opening his institution, the applications for admission were so numerous, that his building, though a large one, was quite inadequate to contain them, so that he purchased a second one, and the two buildings were constantly crowded with patients. His reputation as an oculist and orthopaedic surgeon soon extended into the adjacent States of Indiana, Kentucky and Iowa, so that his practice became, at once, very lucrative.

Near the period when he opened this institution, I recollect an incident or two illustrative of his cheerfulness and constant good humor, which I will mention. Being summoned into an adjacent county to perform a surgical operation, I accompanied him. Our route, at one place, lay through a deep forest, of some miles in width; when part of the way through this, the road divided into two branches, when, as we afterwards found, we took the wrong one; this we pursued for some miles, when, at length, it disappeared, whereupon, the doctor, with his characteristic happy laugh, remarked: "We have at least learned two points, - the first is, that this road does not lead to the place of our destination, and, secondly, that we have made the discovery of its termination" On another occasion, he was called into the country, to operate for a deformity of the eye; the distance was long, and the day bitterly cold; on arriving at the farmer's house, a panic seemed to have seized on the family, and they had decided to defer the operation. After arriving home, upon my remarking that the results of our day's work were anything but encouraging, he replied, that he was very well satisfied with it, and that never did he allow himself to be discouraged in the case of failure of any undertaking, where he was conscious of having used all proper endeavors for its accomplishment.

As I have remarked, he had secured on extensive and lucrative practice in the West, yet this did not satisfy his ambition; money, with him, was but a secondary object, - he had yet a fonder, a more darling thought at heart, - this was, connection with a medical school, and one at the laying of whose cornerstone he had mainly assisted.

In 1854, he visited Europe, and though in ill-health at the time, he made the acquaintance of most of the eminent medical men in Edinburgh, London and Paris; he also made many observations in respect to the institutions pertaining to Medicine located in these cities. Immediately after his return from Europe, in May, 1855, he came to California, and located in San Francisco.

My own personal recollection of the Doctor is necessarily limited to very youthful impressions since I was but a boy at the time (when) I was compelled (by some ear trouble) to be one of the Doctor's patients My mental picture (of him as) a very stern and unrelenting tyrant is likely to be considerably warped. However, my brother-in-law . . . knew Dr. Cooper very well from the standpoint of an office attendant for more than a year, and he gave me in the past years much information regarding the man, Doctor Cooper, who had managed to stir up much interest in himself and his work. . . .

Dr. Cooper's office was located in the very centre of town in one of the few three story brick structures of the time. He occupied the second floor for the reception and examination of patients, and the entire third story as a sort of anatomical museum and dissecting room. All along one side of the long hall against the wall were arranged in orderly fashion human skeletons ranging in age from the infant to adult life. The general knowledge of that fact appears to have become somewhat repugnant to a considerable number of the hypersensitive (citizens of Peoria).

(All evidence indicates) the indefatigability of the man as a worker. In fact, from all I have ever known or heard, Dr. E.S. Cooper was a tireless toiler while a resident practitioner of this City of then unusually able competitors, nearly all of whom were distinctly jealous of Dr. C.'s enterprising energy. He burned the midnight oil, and the dim light to be seen in his dissecting room at unseemly hours bespoke for him the reputation of an enthusiastic and self-sacrificing seeker of the truth preparing for an untimely grave.

Dr. Cooper's address (which was not published along with this commentary) shows energy of character in the author; and the plan for pursuing anatomical studies he has marked out, by forming a private class, is a good one. It would be well for the profession if private preceptors generally devoted more time to the instruction of students, as it would improve both. The Doctor is a little mistaken in reference to his character as a pioneer in the work of giving private courses, with dissections. Classes were assembled for such purposes in different places in the west, within our knowledge several years ago.

In setting forth the advantages offered by his course, Dr. Cooper says the dissections will continue as long as weather will permit, which will enable them to acquire a proficiency seldom met with, and "during the course you will have an opportunity of witnessing and assisting in the performance of most of the important surgical operations on the dead subject, which will not only give you a delight in surgery, taking it as science, but it will overcome any natural repugnance which you have to cutting human flesh, which is indispensable to your success as operative surgeons."

Offers his services in operating for the removal of all varieties of DEFORMITIES, such as CROSS-SIGHTEDNESS, CLUB-FOOT, CICATRIX from burns; restoring LOST NOSES and LIPS, by the plastic method, &c., &c.

The COURSE OF LECTURES ON ANATOMY & SURGERY, delivered by Dr. Cooper, in which Medical Students and Country Practitioners are enabled to pursue a thorough course of study in these two branches, will commence on the 4th of Nov. next, and continue as heretofore, during the winter season. These Lectures embrace extensive anatomical demonstrations both by preparations and the cadaver. The surgical student, especially, can reap the full benefits of a private course, by being able to witness and assist in the performance of every variety of operation upon the dead subject. March 1st, 1851.