John Beekman Potts, MD, 1919

5 January 1919

John Beekman Potts, MD, was born in Morrisonville, Illinois, in 1876. He received his degree from UNMC in 1907, after which he went into the practice of otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat). He became a faculty member of UNMC in 1912 as a clinical assistant in ophthalmology and otology. In January 1918, Captain Potts was the first physician connected with Base Hospital No. 49 to be called to active service. He reported to Fort Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, while awaiting the base hospital to open in Allerey, France, where he would oversee the otolaryngology department. Under Dr. Potts’ leadership, Base Hospital No. 49’s otolaryngology team cared for all ear, nose, and throat wounds in the hospital complex at Allerey. Potts was a professor of Otorhinolaryngology at UNMC until retirement in 1937.

From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives