Samuel Hollingsworth Stout was born in Nashville, Tenn., March 3rd, 1822; his father, Samuel VanDyke Stout, was in the Revolutionary army, as was also Capt. Josiah Tannehill, his wife's father; prepared for college under Moses Stevens, a distinguished classical teacher in the Mississippi Valley; graduated A. B. in October, 1839, and A. M. in October, 1842, from the Nashville University—then presided over by Philip Lindsley, D. D.,  LL.  D.; studied medicine with Drs. R. C. K. Martin and Josiah Stout (his brother), filling the position meantime, for two years, of assistant teacher in the Seminary of his former preceptor in the arts—a position tendered him; attended lectures in the Medical Department, University of Pennsylvania, in 1842-3; in 1844, having been invited to take charge of a classical and mathematical Seminary at Elkton, Tenn., a liberal salary being guaranteed—he accepted it and conducted that institution three years; in 1847, returned to Philadelphia and entered the private class of Dr. Gerhard, physician, and Dr. E. Pearce, surgeon to the Pennsylvania Hospital; February, 1848, passed examination for Assistant Surgeon in the United States Navy, (ranking number one in a class of over fifty applicants)—a premature examination for the degree of M. D. having been granted him, he was appointed and commissioned by President Polk, March 8th following. The date of his diploma as a graduate of the Medical Department, University of Pennsylvania was April 8, 1848. Dr. Stout has been a student of medicine fifty years, and an M. D. and an active practitioner about forty-two years. He was married April 6th, 1848, to Miss Martha M., daughter of Thomas E. Abernathy, Esq., of Giles county Tennessee, and immediately resigned his commission without entering the naval service; entered into copartnership in the practice of medicine with his brother, Dr. J. W. Stout, in Nashville, where up to the end of 1849, he had an extensive experience in the treatment of Asiatic cholera—which disease then raged in that city; retired with his family in 1850 to his farm at Midbridge, Giles county, where he practiced until May, 1861, when he entered the Confederate army as Surgeon of Colonel (afterwards Major-General) John C. Brown's 3rd Tennessee Regiment. In October, 1861, was transferred to hospital service, and placed in charge of Gordon Hospital in Nashville; retired with General A. S. Johnson's army on the approach of the Federal army; and in March, 1862, was assigned to the charge of the Hospitals at Chattanooga, Tennessee. General Bragg when en route to Kentucky in July, 1862, appointed him Surgeon in charge of all the general hospitals of the Army of Tennessee; in February, 1863, was assigned by the War Department to the position of Medical Director of Hospitals of the Department and Army of Tennessee, which position he held till the final surrender.

             Dr. Stout's responsibilities as a Medical Director, by the exigencies of the service, finally swelled into enormous proportions, both in extent of territory and number of medical officers under his direction; his department having, in succession, superceded the Hospital Departments of East Tennessee and Mississippi; during Hood's campaign in Tennessee, he directed the hospitals in all the territory within the Confederate lines, from Savannah to the Mississippi river, save two territorially small directorships in and around Savannah and Mobile.

             In June, 1864, his consolidated report showed more than 23,000 remaining in Hospital. All this department he so mobilized that it could advance or retreat without confusion or disorder, as the needs of the army in front demanded; no Hospital Director, so far as the writer is aware, ever so mobilized his department. When Richmond fell the general hospitals of that region having been so scattered and broken up as to be useless, Surgeon-General S. P. Moore ordered Dr. Stout, by telegraph, to report to him with as many of his hospital organizations as he could find transportation for. While in Atlanta awaiting transportation, the surrender of the Army of Tennessee, then under command of General J. E. Johnston, occurred.

             Dr. Stout returned to his impoverished family, arriving at Midbridge in Giles county, exactly four years from the date of his entering the service, thirty-two months of which time he never saw his home, though both armies had "see-sawed" over it three times.

             In 1865, he was tendered the Chair of Surgery and Pathological Anatomy in the Atlanta (Ga.) Medical College; after delivering two courses of lectures, he resigned, his large family requiring his presence and guidance; his family consisted of his wife, three sons, two daughters and two orphaned nephews.

             In 1869, removed to Atlanta and engaged in general practice; but a member of his family becoming an invalid, he removed to Roswell in 1873. Here he found a fertile field for the observation of diseases of the female organism, and the reflected nervous abnormalities that are consequent thereon, such diseases being rife amongst the numerous factory operatives in that manufacturing town; and treated successfully while there, twenty severe cases of hystero-epilepsy of long standing, and without resorting to the knife. He is skeptical as to the necessity of resorting to the so-called "Batley's operation," believing that the majority of cases are amenable to medical and moral treatment. Dr. Stout has never practiced a specialty; regarding the office of general practitioner and family physician as the position of the highest dignity and usefulness known to the profession. He is regarded, and justly, by his confreres, as one of the best informed members of the profession, a reputation earned by fifty years of laborious and constant study and careful clinical observation, together with an unabated enthusiasm in bedside application of his learning; his success in the practice of obstetrics and the treatment of the diseases of women and children has been peculiarly gratifying. In this connection, the writer cannot refrain from mentioning the remarkable fact that Dr. Stout has attended eleven hundred women in child-birth, at full time, and never lost a mother—never had to eviscerate the fetus because of mal-position—in any case originally his own.* Of nine cases of puerperal eclampsia treated by him, or where he aided in the treatment, all had a good recovery. Venesection, in his opinion, is the sine qua non of success in this malady. Immediately on the occurrence, or of threatening of convulsions, and as a preliminary to the administration of drugs, or the use of instruments, blood-letting should be resorted to. In the treatment of diseases of children, he has been very successful, and attributes it in part to his fondness for, and influence on children; winning their confidence, he makes moral influence adjuvant to medicinal treatment. In surgery, he has performed almost all of the major operations; and has been eminently successful in fractures and dislocations.

             His contributions to medical literature have been numerous, extending over two score years. They are hard to enumerate; and yet he has not been one to "rush into print," except for the accomplishment of some useful purpose, or to give to humanity the benefit of his observations, and his convictions, arrived at by long and careful study and reflection. Often being beyond reach of a well supplied pharmacy, he has frequently been thrown on his own resources and compelled to improvise appliances, or utilize such means as were at hand; thus, the wire-loop used by him in extracting retained placenta in early abortions is a device of his own; and his paper describing it, and its use, published in Daniel's Texas Medical Journal, attracted general attention. To the 9th International Congress he contributed two papers; one on "The Transportation of the Sick and Wounded, of Armies"; the other on "Temporary Military Hospitals." These papers were printed with accompanying drawings by the author, in the Transactions of the Congress; they attracted wide attention, Dr. Stout having been known throughout Europe, as the head of the Hospital Department of the Confederate Armies. Many more papers by him have appeared in the journals of America, during the last forty years.

         *Called in to two cases in the hands of ignorant midwives; arm presentation— and where he found the fetus dead and arm delivered several hours—he had to eviscerate in order to effect delivery.— ED. {Note at the bottom of page 312

             During his residence in Tennessee he was a member of the Giles County Medical Society, and was its first President; of the Tennessee State Medical Association, once its Secretary. In Georgia he was a member of the Atlanta Academy of Medicine, once its President, and of the Georgia State Medical Association —one year Secretary; is an honorary member of the Southern Dental Association, a compliment to him as being the first to officially recognize the importance of the profession of Dentistry in military practice; is a member of the Texas State Medical Association, and has contributed a number of valuable papers to that body all of which have appeared in the yearly Transactions.

             In every community in which he has lived he has been a public spirited citizen, and has done much to advance civilization and all its concomitants. He was one of the incorporators of the Tennessee Historical Society and is now an honorary member,— it was organized half century ago ; one of the first to advocate the building of the Nashville & Decatur railroad, contributing time, influence and money to the work; was a Director of the company; was Secretary to the Giles County Fair Association, etc.

         But, next in importance to his record as a physician, are his labors in the cause of education. The impress of his advice and methods is to-day on many institutions of learning; notably in Giles county, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia. In the later in 1870, he, with the aid of others pushed to completion the plan upon which the free schools are now conducted.

             Immediately on settling at Cisco, Texas, (May, 1882) he begun to urge the establishment of a city system of public schools, similar to that in Atlanta, and upon a basis to meet the requirements of increased population. It has now been in successful operation eight years, and is regarded as a standard of excellence. Dr. Stout has given much attention to this subject and has visited a large number of public schools and high educational institutions, and has investigated every system, and is regarded as one of the best posted men in the South as to the theory and practice of education. He has had large experience as a practical educator.

             In 1885, May 25th, his Alma Mater in the arts, the Nashville University, conferred upon him the honorary degree of LL,. D., "in recognition of his services in the cause of humanity, as a medical man and an educator." He is now, and for some years has been President Board Trustees of the Cisco public schools. He is also President Eastland County Association of ex-Confederates, organized thee years ago.

             Dr. Stout is a devoted student, not only of medicine but also of law, politics, theology, literature, history, education, etc., and ever earnest in the application of his knowledge for useful purposes. Whatever honors he wears were thrust upon him. Familiar with the Greek and Latin classics and mathematics, he takes much pleasure in reading the former, which he does with facility, and in working problems of the latter.

             Retiring and modest in his disposition, his friends have often expressed surprise at his lack of self-assertion. Though approaching the scriptural allowance of years— three-score and ten — he is apparently as vigorous of body and mind as he was a quarter of a century ago; he sowed no wild oats in youth. Dr. Stout become a Free Mason in 1844, at Elkton, Tennessee, and was Worshipful Master for about eight year of Lodge No. 24 ; took all the intermediate degrees and was made a Knight Templar in Nashville Commandery No. 1, in 1846. He has been Medical Examiner for a number of insurance companies, but on account of the meagre fees allowed by most of them, latterly he has refused them his services. He is local Surgeon of the Texas & Pacific Railway Company's hospital department, and has filled the position several years.

             The following are the names and addresses of his living children, viz : Thomas E. Stout, Teller Fourth National Bank, Chattanooga, Tennessee ; Burwell A. Stout, a permanent invalid ; Samuel V. D. Stout, Atlanta, Georgia; Miss Maggie Stout, Cisco, and Miss Katie Stout, Dallas.

         Industrious and energetic to a wonderful degree for a man of his years, and enshrined in the affections of his family and friends, possessing the good will of his neighbors, the subject of the above imperfect sketch is spending the evening of his life in the far western little city of Cisco, where he has purchased a quiet little home and surrounded himself with those things he loves best,—a good library being a prominent feature,—and passes his life with more rational enjoyment than most men of his age.