James Ewing Mears

Who was James Ewing Mears?

James Ewing Mears, also J. Ewing Mears M.D., LL.D. was a surgeon and author. He was a pioneer in jaw and mouth surgeries. He was the first to propose the use of Gasserian ganglionectomy for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. He was the first surgeon in the United States to successfully perform a subcutaneous osteotomy for the relief of old dislocations. He was the first to open the peritoneal cavity to drain pus. He was professor of anatomy and clinical surgery at the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery and demonstrator of surgery at Jefferson Medical College. He was a charter member of the American Surgical Association and became its president in 1894.