Walter Channing

Who was Walter Channing?

Walter Channing was an American physician and professor of medicine. He was the brother of preacher William Ellery Channing and of fellow Harvard professor, Edward Tyrrel Channing. He was also the father of the poet William Ellery Channing.

Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Channing entered Harvard College in 1804, but left in 1807 on account of the “rebellion” of that year, and afterward received his degree out of course. After studying medicine in Boston and Philadelphia, he received his diploma from the University of Pennsylvania, and then studied in the University of Edinburgh, receiving a degree there as well. He also studied at Guy's and St. Thomas's hospitals in London. He began to practise in Boston in 1812, and in the same year became lecturer on obstetrics at Harvard. He was the first Professor of Obstetrics and Medical Jurisprudence at Harvard University, a position he held from 1815 to 1854. He became, in 1821, Dr. James Jackson's assistant as physician of the newly established Massachusetts General Hospital, and continued there for nearly twenty years.