Stevens, Charles Wistar, -1901

Charles W. Stevens practiced medicine in Boston and his native New Hampshire throughout much of the 19th century. A Harvard graduate, Stevens cultivated relationships with several important 19th century figures. He exchanged letters with prominent Boston area physicians including Jacobi Abraham, a leading figure in the study of pediatrics. He was personally endorsed by the famed Fireside poet, James Russell Lowell. He also corresponded with the biblical scholar Osmon C. Baker and his family. Finally, Stevens conversed with the less well-off: the street dregs, the unemployed, and the undesired. He published a book, Revelations of a Boston doctor (1882), where he described his encounters with poverty. Several chapters highlighted the plight of orphans, pregnant women, and tuberculosis victims. Well-born and well-off, Stevens' concern for society's less fortunate suggests the complexity of 19th century class relations.

From the description of Papers of Charles Wistar Stevens, 1823-1888. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 714357951