Item 03 - Letter to William Osler, January 2, 1901

Thomas Almond Ashby was born on November 18, 1848, in Warren County, Virginia.

He was an American surgeon, writer, and politician. He attended Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, studying the classics, modern languages, and chemistry. He graduated from the University of Maryland (M.D., 1873) and practiced as a gynecologist. In 1877, he was one of the founders of the Maryland Medical Journal. He held various positions at the University of Maryland Medical Department before leaving in 1878. Under Ashby's leadership, the Women's Medical College was established in Baltimore in 1882. He served as Chair of Obstetrics (1882-1897) and as Chair of Diseases of Women and Children (1889-1897) at Baltimore Medical College. In 1897, Ashby became Professor of Diseases of Women at the University of Maryland. He was active in various professional medical associations. He was a Fellow of the American Medical Association, the American College of Surgeons, and the American Gynecological Society. Ashby was president of the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland. In 1909, he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, where he focused on health issues. Ashby was chairman of the Hygienic Committee and introduced bills in the health field, including those concerning pure food, the care of the insane, and increasing the powers of the State Board of Health. He received an honorary LL.D. from Washington and Lee in 1912. Ashby wrote several books on the United States Civil War.

In 1877, he married Mary Cunningham (1855-1938). He died on June 26, 1916, in Baltimore, Maryland.