Dr C. H. von TAGEN (1835-?) – PHOTOTHÈQUE HOMÉOPATHIQUE présentée par Homeopathyforce.com

Prof. Hahmenan Medical
College – Chicago – 1877.

VON TAGEN, C.
H., M. D., of Cleveland, Ohio, was born at Easton, Northampton county,
Pa., July 26th 1835. He was educated at Bethlehem, Allentown, and
Philadelphia. Leaving school in 1852, he engaged in mercantile pursuits,
partly in Charleston, S. C., but principally in Philadelphia, in a large
importing house. He, however, nourished a desire to become a doctor,
availed himself of every opportunity of attending the Jefferson College
clinics, and eventually, in 1855, having witnessed numerous operations,
both minor and major, he entered the office of Dr. J. G. Howard, and
began the study of medicine systematically. He matriculated at the
Pennsylvania Homœopathic College in 1855, and, having regularly
attended the Blockley and Pennsylvania Hospitals, and the Wills Eye
Infirmary clinics, he graduated in the spring of 1858. During the
session of 1857-’58 he filled the chair of Surgery in the Hahnemannian
Institute, and was one of the physicians of the dispensary, both
institutions being connected with the college.

     He
began practice in 1858 at Brantford, Brant county, Canada West, as a
pioneer of homœopathy ; labored successfully, despite opposition,
for three years, and on the outbreak of the war sought military duty.
After in vain applying for a commission, he recruited, in Boston, a
company for engineer duty, agreeably to instructions from a regiment
commander, serving in General J. A. Dix’s department. Arriving at
headquarters with the men, he found that the officer in question had
deceived him, having no authority to raise men for other than ordinary
infantry duty. General Dix not only absolved Dr. Von Tagen from all
blame, but gave him a letter to the War Department, which secured him a
commission as second lieutenant in a cavalry regiment, doing duty on the
Potomac. After serving in that capacity for five months, he answered the
call for army surgeons, passed examination, and was appointed Acting
Assistant Surgeon United States Army, arriving at his station in time to
care for the wounded at the battle of Seven Pines, or Fair Oaks. From
that time down to the spring of 1864, he served in various capacities in
the medical department with much distinction, manifesting much
patriotism and surgical skill. Then, for some unexplained reason being
superseded, he joined the service of the Sanitary Commission, and
discharged, down to the fall of that year, responsible duties, in
connection with the charge of hospitals.

     During
his army career, he gained valuable surgical experience, and carefully
observed the treatment of hospital gangrene, and its kindred diseases,
pyemia, erysipelas, thrombus, etc., tabulating the cases to show the
percentage of loss ; four hundred cases were treated by him with
marked success, the percentage of loss being reduced from 40 down to 3
per cent. In “Resections” he won much success ; one case,
in which he saved a mangled foot, torn by a Minie hall, was considered
worthy of report in the United States Medical and Surgical Journal
of Chicago, vol. i., No. 3, P. 271.

     In
1867, he was appointed lecturer of Surgical Anatomy and Demonstrator at
the Hahnemann Medical College, and held it for eighteen months,
assisting in filling the chair of Clinical Operative Surgery. Resigning,
he went to Harrisburg, practiced until the winter of 1872, when he was
appointed Professor of Ophthalmology and Ototomy in the Cleveland Homœopathic
Medical College, of which he is also Registrar. In connection with these
duties, he has already secured a large practice as a specialist in the
surgical treatment of eye, ear, and throat diseases.

     Dr.
Von Tagen has contributed valuable papers on operative surgery and other
subjects to the North American, the United States Medical and Surgical
Journal of Chicago, Ohio Medical and Surgical Reporter, and American
Journal of Homœopathic Materia Medica of Philadelphia.

     He
was married on June 3d, 1863, to Lucia W. Mitchell, of Roxborough, Pa.,
who died in February, 1865, after a lingering illness. On the first day
of October, 1873, shortly before settling in Cleveland, he married Miss
Hattie E. Fouts of that city.

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