John Benjamin Murphy

John Murphy

John Benjamin Murphy (1857 - 1916) American physician and pioneer surgeon, noted particularly for his contributions to abdominal surgery. William James Mayo, co-founder of the Mayo clinic called him "the surgical genius of our generation." Murphy's live clinical lectures in surgery attracted worldwide audience. He is also known for contributing many eponymous terms to medicine such as Murphy's sign (tenderness in the right hypochondrium on inspiration, felt when the hand is placed over the gallbladder area, indicative of acute cholecystits), Murphy's punch (tenderness on gentle tapping in the costovertebral angle over the renal area at the back in cases of perinephric abscess), Murphy's button (a mechanical device for intestinal anastomosis), and Murphy's drip (device used to administer fluids by proctoclysis in patients with peritonitis). He was one of the first surgeons to actively manage cases of appendicitis by surgery. He is also credited with the first to successfully suture the femoral artery and pioneered bone grafting techniques.