Biography of 	Formento, Dr. Felix Jr., Orleans Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by 	Mike Miller August 2001

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His son and namesake, Dr. Felix Formento Jr., was born in New Orleans, March 16,
1837, and was educated in Jefferson college in this city under Prof. G. L. Lord,
and left that institution in 1851, to accompany his parents to Italy, and for
some years they resided in Turin, where lived some of their relatives.  It was
in the celebrated Royal University of Turin that he graduated with honors in
1852 as "Bachelier Es Sciences and Es-Lettres."  In 1857, after six years of
assiduous study, he received his diploma of doctor of medicine from the same
university, at which time he was twenty years of age.  He then went to Paris and
spent most of his time at the "Ecole Pratique" in dissections and operations on
the cadaver and in the cliniques.  He was still in Paris, deeply engaged in his
studies, when war was declared, between Austria on one side and France and
Piedmont on the other, in 1859.  Availing himself of the opportunity he, at the
request of his father, whose medical career had begun on the battlefield,
promptly left Paris for Turin and there took service as surgeon in the Sardinian
army which was massed with the French army under command of Napoleon III.  The
young surgeon was assigned to the staff of the Third division, under General
Durando at first and later under General Mollard.  He took an active part in the
abort and glorious Italian campaign of 1859, which gave rise to the unity and
independence of Italy.  In the spring of 1860 the whole family returned to New
Orleans, after an absence of nine years.  He then began seriously to attend to
the practice of his profession and became a visiting surgeon to the Charity
hospital.  At the beginning of the Civil war the Louisiana Soldiers' Relief
association appointed Dr. Formento to accompany Drs. Foster and Nicholls and a
few medical students to Missouri to organize a hospital for the relief of
Louisiana soldiers serving in that state.  As Missouri was abandoned by the
confederate troops, the object of the association was not carried out.  A few
days after his return Dr. Formento was appointed chief surgeon to the Louisiana
hospital, in Richmond, Va.  He was untiring in his efforts to promote the
welfare of those of his countrymen confided to his care, and on several
occasions the Louisiana hospital was quoted in the confederate congress as one
of the best organized.  In September, 1864, Dr. Formento lost his health from
his constant and arduous duties in the hospital and he was forced, on this
account and owing to the ill health of his young wife and his brother Edward, to
resign from the position he had so honorably held to that time.  He was
furnished with a very flattering passport by Mr. Randolph, secretary of war.  It
was his intention on leaving Richmond to go to Europe, where his father had
returned after the fall of New Orleans, but he found his financial affairs so
badly mixed upon his return that it was impossible for him to carry out his
plans.  There was nothing left him but to quietly settle down and to resume the
practice of his profession in his native city.  He published as a souvenir of
Richmond, his "Notes and Observations of Army Surgery," which at the time
received very flattering notices from the profession and from the press.  In the
following years he was appointed successively physician of the Italian, the New
Lusitanos, the Old Portuguese, and the Firemen's Charitable associations.  In
the epidemics of yellow fever of 1867 and 1878, the Doctor was, as usual,
untiring in his efforts to discharge his duties and obligations.  He was
particularly kind to the needy Italian,, and in recognition of this the Italian
government bestowed on him the order of St. Mauritius and Lazzarus, as a just
and legitimate appreciation of his services.  The Doctor also received the
commemorative medals for the Italian campaign of 1859, from both the French and
Italian governments.  He was associated for many years with Dr James Trudeau, in
the management of the Baronne Street and afterward the Circus Street infirmary. 
In March, 1880, he was appointed by Gov. Alfred Wilts, a member of the state
board of health, and was reappointed for the term of four years in March, 1890,
as a member of the board of health by the city council and served on the most
important committees.  He introduced many excellent measures toward promoting
the public health, among which may be mentioned the flushing of street gutters
and the creation of a chemical laboratory for the board of health.  This
laboratory secures to the citizens the advantage of pure and wholesome articles
of food and drink, pure medicines, etc.  His reports of diphtheria registration
of physicians, cremation, water supply, and other important sanitary subjects
are very interesting.  He was the one to propose that the period of detention
for ships from quarantine ports be reduced from five to three days, after
disinfection, which measure was adopted by the board.  He has made for himself
quite a reputation as a sanitarian, hygienist and cremationist, having published
numerous valuable papers on hygiene.  He was appointed by the board of health as
a delegate to the Fourth International Congress of Hygiene and Demography, which
met at Geneva,. September 4, 1882, and of which he was one of the
vice-presidents.  He has received diplomas of corresponding member from the most
renowned societies of hygiene in Europe.  He is an active member of the Orleans
Parish Medical society, of which he was once president, and of the American
Medical association, and the Louisiana State Medical association.  At the
meeting of the American Public Health association, held in Kansas City, Mo.,
October 23, 1891, Dr. Formento was elected president of this great national
organization--an honor one can justly be proud of.  The next meeting is to take
place November 30, 1892, in the city of Mexico, Dr. Formento has been married
twice, the first time in 1861 to Miss Celestine Voorhies, daughter of the late
Bennett Pemberton Voorhies.  The young wife did not live long to share her
husband's success.  She died at Nice in 1875, leaving one son who is now a
promising young lawyer.  Dr. Formento's present wife is the accomplished Louise
Chiapella, daughter of the late Achile Chiapella.

Biographical and Historical Memoires of Louisiana, (vol. 1), pp. 411-412. 
Published by the Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1892.