Harrison Allen

author

Harrison Allen

1841–1897

A Philadelphia physician and anatomist, he combined medical practice with deep research into comparative anatomy and the study of mammals. His work helped build 19th-century American science while he also taught medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

1 Audiobook

Report of an autopsy on the bodies of Chang and Eng Bunker, commonly known as the Siamese twins

Report of an autopsy on the bodies of Chang and Eng Bunker, commonly known as the Siamese twins

by Harrison Allen

About the author

Born in Philadelphia in 1841, Harrison Allen trained at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 1861. During the Civil War he served as a surgeon in the United States Army, then returned to academic and medical work in Philadelphia.

Allen became known as both a physician and an anatomist. He taught at the University of Pennsylvania and wrote scientific studies on anatomy, especially comparative anatomy and the structure of mammals, including bats. His career blended teaching, research, and clinical practice in a way that made him a respected figure in American medicine of the 1800s.

He died in 1897. Although not widely remembered by general readers today, Allen stands out as one of those 19th-century scholars whose careful research helped shape the scientific foundations later generations would build on.