Dr. John B. Harmon had many ‘firsts’ at Warren practice

Our Heritage Trumbull County history

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is part of a weekly series on our region's history coordinated by the Trumbull County Historical Society.

By KATE PFOUTS

Trumbull County Historical Society archivist

Dr. John B. Harmon was the first doctor to have a physical office in Warren.

But, before we get to that story, we must start at the beginning. His father, Reuben Harmon, had bought 500 acres of land in the Salt Springs area from the Connecticut Land Company around 1796. Reuben began making his money from producing salt from the springs.

Around this time, John B. Harmon was studying medicine in Vermont. In 1800, the Harmon family were living on the Salt Springs land they had purchased. According to Harriet Taylor Upton's book, John B. was just like his father, Reuben, in looks and personality.

In 1806, Reuben had to return to Vermont to settle some unfinished business and took John B. with him so that he could finish his studies in medicine.

John B. and his father eventually returned to Salt Springs, and John B. finished his studies under Dr. Enoch Leavitt. In 1808, Dr. John B. Harmon opened a practice on High Street in Warren. During the early years of his practice, he would travel by horseback to places like Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula, as well as many places in Trumbull County.

Once, while traveling to see a patient, he fell from his horse, injuring his back. He lay in the snow for hours before help arrived. Harmon also had an operation for a tumor, from which he almost died.

However, he survived and continued helping others through his medical practice. But as always, things were not always good; he was sued for malpractice in 1838 by Dr. John W. and Sylvanus Seely. Joshua R. Giddings, Benjamin F. Wade, Sutliff (most likely Milton) and Ranney were on the prosecution. David Tod and R. P. Spaulding were the lawyers defending Harmon. It is said that there was never a case tried in Trumbull County for malpractice, especially one where all the people involved were prominent men in society.

In the end, the lawsuit was dropped because of lack of evidence. Harmon paid more lawyer fees than he had ever made from surgeries. Harmon died of pleuro-pneumonia in 1858. Not only was Dr. John B. Harmon the first to have his own medical office in Warren, but he was also the first to be sued for malpractice.