Calvin Cutter

Born in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, in 1807, Calvin Cutter trained as a physician after studying at New Ipswich Academy and spending time as a teacher. He practiced medicine in several New Hampshire towns, including Rochester, Nashua, and Dover, and became known as a lecturer who traveled widely to speak on medical subjects.

Cutter is best remembered for Cutter's Physiology, a school textbook on anatomy, physiology, and hygiene that became extremely successful in the 19th century. Contemporary accounts say the book sold in very large numbers before 1871 and was translated into several Asian languages, reflecting how widely it circulated for its time.

His life also included public service and military work. Accounts of his later years describe his involvement in the Kansas conflicts of the 1850s and his service in the Civil War as a surgeon with the 21st Massachusetts Infantry, where he was wounded and spent time as a prisoner after Bull Run. He died in Greene, Maine, on March 25, 1872.