Dade County FlArchives Biographies.....Gammage, Tom R. 1881 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/flfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Nancy Rayburn http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00025.html#0006128 January 28, 2016, 11:37 pm Source: Vol. II pg.162-163 The Lewis Publishing Co. 1923 Author: History of Florida, Past and Present TOM ROGERS GAMMAGE, M. D. When he located at Miami in 1919 Doctor Gammage had already achieved something more than a local prominence and reputation as a physician and surgeon. He had been in practice for several years at Kansas City, Missouri, and had served nearly two years as a medical officer in the army during the war. Doctor Gammage was born in London, England, in 1881, his parents having come to this country when their son was about 16 years old. He attended the grammar and high school in New York City and later in Kansas City after completing his education he began the preparation for the profession of his choice in Kansas City University. He graduated M. D. in 1903 from Hahnemann Medical College of that city and in the course of a few years his skill had brought him a high place in his profession in his native city. Doctor Gammage went to London in 1909 for post-graduate work in the London Post-Graduate Association. He remained there from May 10, 1909, to June 6, 1910, and during this time he held a clerkship (internship) in St. Thomas’ and St. Marks’ hospitals, units of this association. On his return to America he did special work in surgery and gynecology during 1910 in the New York Post hospitals, units of this association. On his return to America he did special work in surgery and gynecology during 1910 in the New York Post-Graduate School. At Kansas City Doctor Gammage founded and conducted the Mabel E. G Gammage Hospital. Here in addition to general medical and surgical work, he made for himself a reputation as a plastic surgeon. Several quite notable cases of successful plastic surgery were handled by him. One of these, that of REBA HAINDS, a young girl, attracted wide notice both with the public and in the profession. This girl's head and face and upper part of body had been severely burned, necessitating the replacement of the skin over a large portion of her scalp and face. It was one of the earlier of a number of notable cases of skin grafting that have received much publicity in the general class within recent years. To accomplish the purpose Doctor Gammage called for volunteers among girls who would agree to contribute portions of skin to be grafted onto the young patient. There were a number of such volunteers, and the operation was skillfully performed. After about six months of healing the girl was entirely cured with very little, if any, disfiguration. A number of other cases of skin grafting in the hospital were handled with equal success. Doctor Gammage in the summer of 1917 was commissioned by the Governor of Missouri to organize and train one of the four Ambulance Companies that were to be contributed to the War Department of that state. With a commission as captain he organized the Kansas City Ambulance Company No. 2. This was mustered in at Nevada, Missouri, and completed its training under Captain Gammage at Camp Doniphan, Oklahoma, where it was made a unit of the Medical Corps of the United States Army with the designation One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Ambulance Company, One Hundred and Tenth Sanitary Train, Thirty-fifth Division. As a captain in the Medical Corps, Doctor Gammage was subsequently transferred to the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Field Hospital, and later he trained a medical unit of the One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Field Artillery. The last months of the war he spent on duty in charge of the Field Hospital at Camp Greenleaf, Tennessee, and was granted his honorable discharge December 28, 1918. Early in January, 1919, Doctor Gammage came to Miami, and chose this city as his permanent location for practice. He does a general practice of medicine and surgery, but his specialty is gynecological surgery and diseases of woman. He is a member of the American Society of Orificial Surgery, and the American Institute of Gynecological Surgery. In the notable case of skin grafting at Kansas City above noted, one of the girl volunteers was Miss MURIEL SCURLOCK, who was born in Kansas City and who had just graduated from the public schools of that city, when she consented to this unique act of charity. In that way her acquaintance with the young surgeon began, and then followed the romance that ended with her marriage to Doctor Gammage. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/fl/dade/bios/gammage290bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/flfiles/ File size: 5.0 Kb