Wright Post

Article summary

Wright Post (February 19, 1766 – June 14, 1828) was an American surgeon. Post was born at North Hempstead, Long Island on February 19, 1766. He studied medicine for six years in New York and London, and began to practice in New York in 1786. In London he became one of favorite pupils of the revolutionary surgeon John Hunter. During the 1788 doctor's riot, he was attacked by a mob of angry citizens, only to be saved by the intervention of mayor James Duane. In 1790, he married Mary Magdalen Bayley, daughter of Richard Bayley and sister of Elizabeth Ann Seton (later known as Mother Seton, and the first native-born citizen of the United States to be declared a saint). In 1792, he became a professor of surgery, and afterward of anatomy and physiology, in Columbia College. He visited the celebrated schools of Europe, and returned in 1793 with a splendid anatomical cabinet. In 1813 he became a professor of anatomy in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and was its president from 1821 to 1826. Post was one of the pioneers among American surgeons, and was long remembered as a successful operator, especially in the ligation of vital arteries. He died at his home in Throggs Neck, New York on June 14, 1828.

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1766-02-19 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of death: 1828-06-14 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1766-02-19". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of death is "1828-06-14". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

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