Father of the famous jurist of the same name. Holmes was a physician, poet, and humorist, notable for his research into puerperal fever, which was a fever that sometimes occurred during childbirth, for his work against homeopathy, an alternative system of medical treatment, and for his lectures at Harvard Medical School, where he eventually became dean.
As author of what was known as the “Breakfast-Table” series of essays, much of his humor was directed toward medical charlatanism, then prevalent in the United States.