Ephraim McDowell

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Ephraim McDowell (November 11, 1771 – June 25, 1830) was an American doctor and a pioneer in surgery. He is famous for performing the first successful removal of an ovarian tumor, earning him the title “father of ovariotomy” and a key figure in abdominal surgery.

McDowell was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, the ninth child of Samuel and Mary McDowell. His family moved to Danville, Kentucky in 1784. He studied medicine in Staunton, Virginia, and then in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1793–1794, learning from John Bell. He never earned a formal medical degree, but the University of Maryland later awarded him an honorary MD in 1825.

He settled in Danville in 1795 as a surgeon and helped improve techniques for removing bladder stones. One notable patient was James K. Polk, whom he treated for a urinary stone and hernia. McDowell later developed his approach to ovariotomies, based on experiments with patients he cared for, including enslaved women.

The landmark operation occurred on December 13, 1809. Jane Todd Crawford, a woman in Green County who traveled 60 miles to seek help, was found to have a large ovarian tumor. Against the prevailing belief that such operations were impossible, Crawford agreed to surgery. Without modern anesthesia or antisepsis, McDowell removed a tumor weighing about 22.5 pounds after tying off the fallopian tube. The procedure lasted about 25 minutes, and Crawford recovered well, returning home after 25 days and living another 32 years. This was the first successful ovarian tumor removal in the world.

From 1809 to 1818, McDowell performed several more ovariotomies, including procedures on enslaved women. The ethics and consent involved in these cases are part of the historical record. He also continued his medical work, improved his record-keeping, and published his findings later in his career.

In his personal life, McDowell married Sarah Shelby in 1802, and they had two sons and four daughters. He was a slaveholder and played a significant role in his community, helping found Centre College in Danville and serving on its board. He joined the Philadelphia Medical Society in 1817 and later helped establish Trinity Episcopal Church in Danville, donating land for its first building.

McDowell died in June 1830, likely from appendicitis, and was buried near Danville. He left a lasting legacy as a pioneering surgeon who opened the way for modern abdominal surgery and the treatment of ovarian disease. He was the great-great-grandfather of General John Campbell Greenway and cousin to Madeline McDowell Breckinridge.