Formento, Dr. Felix Jr.

Submitted by Mike Miller

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.