author
Henry Hartshorne
1823–1897
A 19th-century Philadelphia physician who also wrote poetry, practical household guides, and speculative fiction, he brought a lively literary streak to medical and public-health writing. His career stretched from teaching in American medical schools to late work connected with Japan.
1 Audiobook
1931: A Glance at the Twentieth Century
by Henry Hartshorne
About the author
Born in Philadelphia in 1823, Henry Hartshorne came from a medical family and trained as a physician himself. Records from the University of Pennsylvania libraries describe him as a Philadelphia doctor, educator, and writer, and note that his medical practice began in 1848.
Hartshorne taught and wrote widely on medicine and health, with sources describing him as a professor at the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania. He was also an unusually versatile author: library records connect his name not only with medical manuals and domestic guides, but also with poetry such as Summer Songs and with the early future-looking novel A Glance at the Twentieth Century.
He died in 1897. Surviving archival and library records suggest a life that moved comfortably between science, teaching, and literary work, which makes him an especially interesting figure for listeners drawn to overlooked 19th-century authors.