John Somers Buist was born in Charleston, S.C. on November 20, 1839. His father was George Buist, and his grandfather was the Reverend George Buist, D.D. John Buist graduated from the College of Charleston in 1859, and from the Medical College of the State of South Carolina in 1861. Dr. Buist joined the Confederate Army in 1861, and served as assistant surgeon, and later, surgeon, until the end of the Civil War. Following the war, Dr. Buist began his private surgical practice. Dr. Buist aided in both the reorganization of Charleston hospitals in 1871 and the organization of the Charleston Health Department in 1877. Dr. Buist served as secretary and president of the Medical Society of South Carolina, and was also a member of the South Carolina Medical Association and the American Medical Association. He was an assistant professor of material medica and professor of general surgery at the Medical College of the State of South Carolina from 1870-1873. He also served as physician to the city of Charleston, Roper Hospital, the U.S. Marine Hospital, the South Carolina State Orphan Asylum, and the Ursuline Convent. Dr. Buist married Margaret Johnston in 1867, and had six children. He died in 1910.
From the description of John Somers Buist, M.D. Midwifery Questionnaire Completed By Thomas F. Wood, M.D. 1881 (Medical University of South Carolina Library). WorldCat record id: 213880790
