Bruns, Henry Dickson M.D.

Submitted by Mike Miller

Bruns, Henry Dickson, M. D., was born at Charleston, S. C., June 15, 1859. He was the son of Dr. J. Dickson Bruns and Sara (Dickson) Bruns, both of Charleston, S. C. His mother was the daughter of Samuel Henry Dickson, of Charleston, professor of medicine in the Charleston Medical college, also of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, and Jefferson Medical college, Philadelphia. He was author of Dickson's "Practice of Medicine," a poet, public man, splendid orator, and was deeply interested in politics. Dr. J. Dickson Bruns, father of the this sketch, was a graduate of Jefferson Medical college and practiced for a short time at Charleston. He enlisted in the service of the Confederacy, was present at the fall of Fort Sumter, became a surgeon in the Southern army, and served until the end of the war in 1865. Following that he studied in London and Paris and came to New Orleans to take the chair of physiology in the Charity Hospital Medical college, from which place he passed to the chair of practice of medicine. He was an intimate friend of Drs. Samuel Choppin, J. C. Beard and Warren Brickell, with whom he founded the New Orleans infirmary. All 4 men were identified with the movement against black and tan government in Louisiana. Drs. Bruns and Beard were among the speakers at the mass meeting at Clay statue, in Sept., 1874, and took part in the fight of Sept. 14, that year, which resulted in the downfall of the radical administration of Louisiana. Dr. Bruns was acting adjutant general on the staff of Gen. P. N. Ogden. At his death he willed his gold watch to Gen. Ogden. When the general died, the watch was returned to Dr. H. D. Bruns, who treasures it more highly than any of his other possessions. Two children were born of Dr. J. Dickson Bruns' first marriage: Henry Dickson Bruns, M. D., and the late Mrs. (Margaret Steward) Lawrason, of Shreveport. In 1870 Dr. Bruns' father married Miss Mary Peirce. Two sons were born, and they are residents of Baltimore with their mother, who is a daughter of Levi Peirce, relative of the former president of the United States. Henry Dickson Bruns was educated in private schools of New Orleans until 1876, when he entered the University of Virginia, for 2 years. Returning to New Orleans in the fall of 1878, he began the study of medicine in the University of Louisiana, now Tulane. In April, 1879, by competitive examination, he was admitted as resident student at the Charity hospital. In the fall of 1880 he attended Jefferson Medical college, where he graduated in 1881. He next studied ophthalmology in schools of New York and Philadelphia and came back to New Orleans in 1880 to practice ophthalmology, becoming connected with the Charity hospital as specialist and in 1889-92 as pathologist. In 1892 he was appointed surgeon in charge of the eye department of the Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat hospital and he still fills that position, besides acting as surgeon-in-chief. In 1888 Dr. Bruns aided in establishing the New Orleans polyclinic, now the postgraduate medical department of Tulane university. He was in 1890 managing editor of the New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal. About 1910 he became emeritus professor of diseases of the eye. He is professor for the term 1913-14 in the Tulane postgraduate medical department. In 1895 Dr. Bruns was president of the State Medical society; in 1901, member of the American Ophthalmological society. He has contributed many articles to various medical journals and in 1886 he translated from the French brochure by Francisque Sarcey, "Mind Your Eyes." He is a member of the Parish, State and National Medical associations. Dr. Bruns took an active part in the political campaign against the Louisiana state lottery, and was chairman of the parish coinmittee of the anti-lottery wing of the Democratic party. He was one of the original members, and on the executive committee of the Good Government league in 1911, and was chairman of the registration committee which caused the striking off the registration lists of 15,000 names. He was chairman in 1888 of the executive committee, Young Men's Democratic association. During that campaign there was waged the first successful fight against the city ring. Dr. Bruns had personal charge of the campaign and was at the head of 3,000 armed men at the polls for over 3 days until the last ballot-box was brought in. During the Citizens' league campaign, in 1896, he was member of the executive committee. Oct. 17, 1888, Dr. Bruns married Miss Kate Logan, daughter of Gen. T. M. Logan, of Charleston, S. C., and New York, who was the youngest general in the Confederate army, serving under Gen. Wade Hampton most of the time and was with Gen. Johnston at Atlanta. He surrendered to Gen. Sherman. Dr. Bruns and wife, Kate (Logan) Bruns, have 4 sons: T. M. L. Bruns, law student at Tulane university, and B. A. graduate of the University of Virginia; John Dickson Bruns, educated at the University of Virginia and now a business man; James Henry Bruns, law student at Tulane university; Thomas Nelson Carter Bruns, in the public schools. Dr. Bruns is a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, which he joined while at the University of Virginia, and in which he still takes an active interest. He is a member of the National Municipal league, of the American Free Trade league, and a large number of societies.

Source: Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 74-75. Edited by Alcee Fortier, Lit.D. Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.