Hugh H. Young

Who was Hugh H. Young?

Hugh Hampton Young, MD was an American surgeon, urologist, and medical researcher.

Hugh H. Young was born in San Antonio, Texas on September 18, 1870. He was the son of Confederate Brigadier General William Hugh Young and Frances Young.

Young graduated from the University of Virginia in 1891 after acquiring BA, MA, and MD degrees in just four years. As of 1895 he began teaching at Johns Hopkins Brady Urological Institute and by 1897 he was the head of their urology department, at an age of just 27. He remained there for most of his life, until 1940.

Among Young's contributions to the medical field are several inventions and discoveries, primarily relating to surgery. One such innovation was the "boomerang needle", a type of surgical needle designed for working with deep incisions. He also invented a device known as the Young punch, an instrument used in prostatectomy procedures. He and his associates also discovered the antiseptic merbromin, more popularly known as Mercurochrome, one of its brand names.

He is credited with conceiving of the use of radical perineal prostatectomy to treat prostate cancer and performed the first operation of that kind on April 7, 1904. He learned the procedure from Dr. George Goodfellow, who first performed the operation in 1891. Goodfellow's original purpose was to treat bladder problems caused by an enlarged prostate. Goodfellow traveled extensively across the United States for several years training other physicians in the operation, including Dr. Young. Goodfellow completed 78 operations and only two patients died, a remarkable level of success for the time period.