Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (1809–1894) was an American physician, poet, essayist, and Harvard professor known for “Old Ironsides” and The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table.

Harvard Medical School: A Boston medical school founded in 1782 and part of Harvard University. Holmes studied medicine there and later taught anatomy and physiology.
Old Ironsides: An 1830 poem by Holmes that helped spur public opposition to the dismantling of USS Constitution. The poem made Holmes nationally known while campaigning for the ship's preservation.
Ralph Waldo Emerson: An American essayist, lecturer, and poet who became a leading figure in transcendentalism. Emerson and Holmes belonged to overlapping New England literary and intellectual circles.
USS Constitution: A United States Navy frigate launched in 1797 and nicknamed “Old Ironsides.” Holmes's poem helped mobilize public sentiment to preserve this ship.
Harvard University: A private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, founded in 1636. Holmes's education and academic career were closely tied to Harvard.
The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table: An 1858 series of essays by Holmes, framed as conversation among a boardinghouse's breakfast-table companions. Its witty, conversational form became one of Holmes's best-known literary achievements.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: An American poet whose works include “Paul Revere's Ride” and The Song of Hiawatha. Longfellow was a fellow New England poet and contemporary in American letters.
Puerperal fever: A serious postpartum infection, historically a major cause of maternal death. Holmes argued that attendants could carry the infection between women in childbirth.
American Romanticism: A nineteenth-century literary movement emphasizing individual experience, imagination, and the natural world. Holmes's poetry and essays emerged amid this broad literary movement.
The Contagiousness of Puerperal Fever: A 1843 medical essay arguing that physicians could transmit puerperal fever between patients. Holmes used medical evidence to challenge accepted practice and urge precautions against transmission.

Linked from 6 pages