Surgeon to Washington: Dr. John Cochran, 1730-1807

Abstract

John Cochran was an 18th century surgeon who, although not at all well known today, was a substantial figure in the last half of the 18th century and played a fairly prominent part in the American Revolution. With exemplary diligence Dr Saffron has gathered a considerable amount of evidence that bears on the life and times of Cochran, his medical training and personal life, his close relationship to George Washington, and his role in the medical affairs of the army during the Revolution. The medical conduct of the Revolution was indeed a confused episode in the struggle for independence and one that has attracted the attention of many historians. Dr Saffron casts new light on a period that is still obscure. In the first part of the book, he presents his evidence and tells his story with meticulous documentation. The last two thirds of the volume consists of collected letters,