BOYD, JAMES THOMAS – Cleave’s Biographical Cyclopædia of Homoeopathic Physicians and Surgeons By E. Cleave

OYD,
JAMES THOMAS, M. D., of Indianapolis, Ind., was born in Albany, N.
Y., April 23d, 1823. His parents were Scotch-Irish. His early education
was conducted in the Cherokee Academy, where he studied the languages
and mathematics. In 1845, he commenced the study of medicine with Dr. A.
P. Lord, and in 1846, went to Cincinnati and placed himself under the
instruction of Professor George Mendenhall of that city. He attended the
colleges at Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati -six consecutive courses
in all- graduating at the Starling Medical College in 1850, and
receiving the adeundem degree, in 1854, from the College of Medicine and
Surgery in Cincinnati. After practicing allopathy until 1857, his
attention was drawn to homœopathy by a newspaper controversy with a
member of that school. One of the articles which he wrote gave so much
satisfaction to his allopathic brethren that he was requested to make a
more thorough investigation of the subject, and to expose the fallacies
of homœopathy. With this view he commenced the study of homœopathy,
securing the best authorities on the subject. The issue was not what he
had anticipated ; for, like all other scientific men who have
carefully investigated it, he soon became convinced of its truth, and
honestly confessed before the public his conversion to the new system,
and -to use his own expressive words- “made his ‘declaration of
independence’ of the old school in the same paper in which he had
lampooned homœopathy before.” He has traveled and lectured on
homœopathy, discussing the subject “with all comers,”
especially with allopathic physicians.

     During the war he was
sent to the South as Special Surgeon to look after the wants of the sick
and wounded in the hospitals ; and, according to the report made by
the Medical Director, made the best and most correct report that had
been forwarded upon the subject.

     While he was an
allopathic physician he was a member, and at different times Censor,
Vice-President and President of the Central Ohio Medical Association,
and was chosen to represent that Society in the National Medical
Association. He is at present editor of the

Western
Independent,
and engaged in the practice of medicine.

Source
: Cleave’s Biographical Cyclopædia of Homœopathic Physicians and
Surgeons By Egbert Cleave