San Francisco County
Biographies
ISAAC JONES, M.D.
Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh,
Licentiate of the faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow Licentiate in
Midwifery of Edinburgh; a member of the American Medical Association, a member
of the American Public Health Association, surgeon for five years in his
Majesty’s Army in India; and formerly surgeon in the National Steamship Company
of Liverpool, and Assistant Surgeon of South Wales Iron and Coal Company. Dr.
Jones now makes a specialty of office practice in the treatment of the eye,
ear, nose, throat and skin diseases, as well as in rectal, urethral and
orthopedic surgery, prior to coming to California.
He was a general practitioner for twenty-five years, fifteen of which were
passed at Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Jones was born at Fremadoe, Caernarvonshire, North Wales,
September 24, 1844, the son of Robert and Martha (Roberts) Jones. The father is
still living in that Country, at the age of eighty-one years a chemist and druggist
in his native town, and has occupied the same store since 1836; is well known
to Welsh-speaking people throughout the world as a poet and litterateur, under
the nom de plume of “Alltud Eifion”. On his fathers side he descended from a
race of distinguished surgeons known throughout Wales
for centuries. On his mothers side he comes from a race of yeomanry, as he now
has two brothers practicing as physicians, while one uncle and at least one member
of the family for many generations back have been members of the profession. As
a boy Dr. Jones attended the national schools of his native town, and later
went through a preparatory course at Rushly’s grammar school at Farndon, near Chester,
England, where he
continued until the age of fifteen years. He was then apprenticed to his
profession, studying under the preceptor ship of his uncle, Dr. Jones, of North
Wales. Meanwhile he passed his preliminary examination at Glasgow,
Scotland, and entered upon
his medical course at the university at that city, graduating there in 1866,
with the degree above mentioned. He then entered the British Government
Emigration service as Surgeon, acting as such with the National Steamship
Company between Liverpool and New York,
remaining in that service from 1866 to 1868. He then competed for the
appointment of surgeon in his Majesty’s India Medical service, in which he was
successful after six days’ examination Dr. Jones was then sent to the Royal
Victoria Hospital
at Nutley, England,
where he had a four months’ course of hospital practice in the treatment of
military diseases. After a second competitive examination, he received a
commission from Queen Victoria as surgeon and set sail
for Madras, India,
were he spent nearly five years as surgeon, in both civil and military
departments of the India Government. Failing health compelled a change of
climate, and he returned to England
on leave. After visiting his native town the Doctor made a tour of the Amsted,
and met and married his wife in Brooklyn, New
York, deciding thereupon to resign his position in India
and remain in the United States.
He at once identified himself with the medical profession in this country by
taking the degree of M.D. at the Western Reserve
University, at Cleveland,
Ohio. He at first practiced in Brooklyn for
a short time and then went to Scranton, Pennsylvania,
where many of his countrymen resided. There he practiced his profession about
fifteen years. Having decided to devote himself to special branches of the
profession, to which he already devoted considerable study, he made two trips
to Europe, one in 1885 and one in 1887, visiting the hospitals in Berlin
and Vienna. In 1888 Dr. Jones sold
out his practice in Scranton, Pennsylvania,
and proceeded to New York, where he took a course at the
post-graduate Medical School
in the Specialties to which he had determined to devote himself in some of the
larger cities. He finally decided upon California and San
Francisco as offering inducements of climate and
surroundings the most congenial. He came to this coast in March, 1889, and
proposes making this his future home. Having retired from the more severe work
of his profession, Dr. Jones will devote merely the office hours of the day to
his selected specialty.
Transcribed by Kim Buck.
Source: "The Bay of San
Francisco," Vol. 2, Page
604, Lewis Publishing Co,
1892.
© 2006 Kim Buck.
California
Biography Project
San
Francisco County
California
Statewide
Golden
Nugget Library