A Century Early (1813)

The story of the operation on young, Joseph for osteomyelitis usually revolves around Joseph's stoicism. Less mentioned is the amazing surgical procedure by one of the foremost surgeons in the country. Doctor Nathan Smith of Dartmouth Medical School was probably the only surgeon capable of such a pioneering procedure at a time when surgery was not a medical specialty. Much could be deduced about a seven-year-old future prophet from an impoverished family ending up in the hands of such a skilled medical pioneer at that time, but it is a fact that such work as he performed on young Joseph would not be successfully repeated until the early twentieth century.

Wirthlin, LeRoy S., "Joseph Smith's Boyhood Operation: An 1813 Surgical Success." BYU Studies, Spring 1981, pp. 131-154.

Bookmark: