Zabdiel Boylston, FRS (March 9, 1679 – March 1, 1766) was a physician in the Boston area. As the first medical school in North America was not founded until 1765, Boylston apprenticed with his father, an English-born surgeon named Thomas Boylston, and studied under the Boston physician Dr. Cutler. Boylston is known for holding several "firsts" for an American-born physician: he performed the first surgical operation by an American physician, the first removal of gall bladder stones in 1710, and the first removal of a breast tumor in 1718. He was also the first physician to perform smallpox inoculations in North America.
He was a great uncle of President John Adams,[1] as well as philanthropist Ward Nicholas Boylston.[2]
- ^ "John Adams autobiography, part 1, "John Adams," through 1776, sheet 2 of 53 [electronic edition]". Adams Family Papers: An Electronic Archive. Massachusetts Historical Society. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ^ Sparks, Robert V.; Burley, Sarah E.; Johnson, Benjamin; Martin, Susan. "Boylston Family Papers: 1688-1979". Collection Guides. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2019.