Levi Myers
Jewish physician (1767–1822)
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Levi Myers (1767-1822) was a physician known for being the first Jewish medical graduate from the University of Glasgow.[1] He was the father of Mordecai Myers.
Early life and education
Myers was born on 26 October 1767 in Jacksonboro, South Carolina.[2] His father was Mordecai Myers (1727-1788), a merchant from Rhode Island, and his mother was Esther Cohen, the daughter of a rabbi.[2]
At the age of fifteen, Myers began apprenticing to physicians in Charleston, including David Ramsay.[2][3] His medical education continued at the University of Edinburgh, where he matriculated in 1785.[2] He was examined at the University of Glasgow, first privately by William Hamilton and Alexander Stevenson, then publicly before the Senate on 21 September 1787.[4] He was subsequently awarded the degree of MD, and spent a further year completing his studies in Edinburgh.
Career
In 1789, Myers returned to South Carolina, where he settled in Georgetown.[2] He operated medical practices both there and in Charleston.[1] He also ran an apothecary, which is thought to have been his primary source of income.[3]
In 1796, Myers was elected to the State Legislature.[2] He was appointed Apothecary General of the State in 1799, a post he held for the rest of his life.[5][6] He became the first Jewish doctor to be member to the Medical Society of South Carolina.[1] He was also a member of the Library Society of Georgetown.[7]
Debilitated by illness, Myers generally retired from practicing medicine after 1815.[2]