G. Frank (George Frank) Lydston

Born on March 3, 1858, in Jacksonville, California, George Frank Lydston became a U.S. doctor best known for his work in urology and for his prolific medical writing. He died on March 14, 1923, in Hollywood, California.

Alongside his medical career, he wrote extensively on public health, sex, crime, and social problems. His nonfiction reflects the concerns and assumptions of his era, while his reputation in medical history also includes early and highly unusual experiments involving gland transplants.

Lydston also wrote fiction from time to time. One of his best-known literary works is Over the Hookah: The Tales of a Talkative Doctor (1896), a linked story collection built around medical and club-style anecdotes, with some tales noted for speculative elements.