John Elmer Weeks was born on August 9, 1853 in Painesville, Ohio. In 1881 he received a medical degree from the University of Michigan and completed an internship at the Alms House and Workhouse Hospital on Welfare Island, New York. He became a clinical assistant in 1882 and later became a resident physician in 1885 and an assistant surgeon in 1887 at the Opthalmic and Aural Institute under Dr. Herman Knapp. In 1884 he spent a year taking postgraduate studies at the University of Berlin. In 1886 he identified a bacteria, causative in acute epidemic conjunctivitis, named in his honor, Koch-Weeks bacillus.
After serving as chief of clinic at the Vanderbilt Clinic, College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1888, he maintained a position as surgeon with the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary until his retirement in 1920 at which time he became a consulting surgeon. He was one of the founders of the Board of Opthamology and authored numerous articles and two textbooks, Diseases of the Eyes Ears Nose and Throat: A Manuel for Students and Practitioners, 1892 and Diseases of the Eye, 1910.
Dr. Weeks traveled extensively as a much sought after lecturer. He received wide acclaim for his manual dexterity and for his method of reconstructing the orbital socket and surgical treatment of glaucoma and cataracts. He received many honors and held chairmanships and memberships in many professional and secular clubs and societies and was known for his diligence, honesty and modesty.
He married Jennie Post Parker April 29, 1890. She was his constant companion and devoted her life to his care. They had one daughter, Eveline Weeks Mount. After his retirement in 1924, he moved to Portland, Oregon to be near her and his grandchildren. While living in Portland he spent a great deal of time at the University of Oregon Medical School. He advised in the Department of Ophthamology and supported research. Seeing the need for a medical library, he donated $100,000 for its construction. After a long illness he died in La Jolla, California, February 2, 1949.
From the guide to the John E. Weeks Collection, 1880-1954, (Oregon Health & Science University Historical Collections & Archives)
