Stuart Close was born on November 24, 1860, in Brooklyn, New York, a native of Oakfield, Wisconsin. He belonged to an ancient English family of agricultural origin though he spent his life in America. His parents were David and Sophronia Wells Close. Dr. Stuart Close was the eldest of three children. He received his education through his parent’s encouragement in the country district schools.
He used to assist his father in his farm work until fourteen years of age. In 1874, the family removed to California and settled in Napa City. Here Stuart Close did various works to support his family and simultaneously continued his education. In 1879, he started his study of law in the office of a Napa City attorney, in the same year he lost his father.
Because of the second marriage of his mother with Dr. J. Pitman Dinsmore, he could not continue his education in law. Dr. J. Pitman Dinsmore was one of the leading homeopathic physicians of San Francisco and he encouraged and trained Close in Hahnemann’s Organon. In 1882, Stuart Close entered the Medical College of the Pacific in San Francisco (now the Cooper Medical College) and completed the course.
In 1885, he entered the New York Homeopathic Medical College and completed two more courses. Dr. Close on leaving college took up a long course of advanced study in philosophy and practiced under the late Dr. Phineas Park Hurst Wells of Brooklyn, an eminent American homeopath.
Dr. Close married on April 21, 1885, to madam Evangeline L. Lewis. After his marriage, Dr. Close established his home in Brooklyn, where he resided till the end. Close had three children with this lady. In 1897, Dr. Close organized Brooklyn Hahnemannian Union. This union used to conduct regular monthly physician’s meetings at his house to discuss upon the principles and practice of pure homeopathy.
Close was an expert in materia medica and strictly practiced on Hahnemannian lines. He devoted himself largely to treating chronic and complicated diseases. He even used to treat a large number of cases by correspondence in all parts of the United States. He contributed extensively to the homeopathic literature on philosophical subjects and has delivered addresses before many medical societies.
On April 11, 1905, he delivered the commencement address before Hering Medical College of Chicago on the occasion of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Hahnemann’s birth. The subject of his address on this occasion was “The Simple Life in Medicine.” Many of the papers presented at these meetings have appeared in the medical journals of the day.
He possesses a complete library of homeopathic books and a general library, numbering over ten thousand books. Stuart Close had a great interest in music and painting, and many of the works he exhibited at his home. The remarkable honor of Dr. Close’s career happened on June 24, 1905, when he was unanimously elected as president of the International Hahnemannian Association.
Unfortunately, we lost Dr. Clause in the year of 1929.
Contributions
1. Stuart Close wrote his famous publication, “The Genius of Homeopathy” a compiled work of Lectures and Essays on Homeopathic Philosophy.
2. He worked as a professor at New York Homeopathic Medical College and flowers hospital.
3. Close was the editor, of the department of homeopathic philosophy of the “homeopathic recorder”.
4. He was the consulting physician, at Prospect heights hospital, Brooklyn, New York.
5. Member of the American institute of homeopathy.
6. Member, senior, President of the International Hahnemannian Association 1906.
7. Member of Kings county medical society.
8. Founder of Brooklyn Hahnemannian union.
9. Member national, New York state, and long island historical associations.
10. Advisor, American foundation for homeopathy