Britton D Evans, M.D.

NJGenWeb ~ Morris County, New Jersey

Biographical and Genealogical History of Morris County New Jersey. Illustrated. Vol. II., Lewis Publishing Company, New York and Chicago, 1899.

Rising above the head of the masses there have always been a number of individuals distinguished beyond others, who by reason of their great ability and powerful individuality have always commanded the homage of their fellow men, and who have revealed to the world those two bright virtues of a lordly race, —perseverance in purpose and a spirit of conduct that never fails. Such a one is the gentleman whose name introduces this review. He has gained distinctive preferment in the medical profession and is a recognized leader in thought in action. He now stands at the head of the New Jersey State Hospital, at Morris Plains, and his efforts in advancing that institution have made it the peer of any of the class in the entire country.

There is no class of men to whom greater gratitude is due than to those self-sacrificing, noble-minded men whose life work has been the alleviation of the burden of suffering that rests upon the world, thus lengthening the span of human existence. Their influence cannot be measured by any known standard; their helpfulness is as broad as the universe and their power goes hand in hand with the beneficent laws of nature that come from the source of life itself. Some one has said: "He serves God best who serves humanity most." The skilled physician, then, by the exercise of native talents and acquired ability, is not only performing a service for humanity, but is following in the footsteps of the teacher who said, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Dr. Evans is one of the most conspicuous and honored representatives of the medical profession in New Jersey, and yet has not attained the prime of life. He was born in Caroline county, Maryland, in 1858, and is a son of Dr. Louis W. Evans, who was born in Ohio, during a temporary residence of his parents in that state. His father. Colonel Britton Evans, had been sent there on a government commission. He was a direct descendant of Christmas Evans, the eminent Welsh divine. A gentleman of fine military attainments, he was commissioned lieutenant of artillery in the war of 1812 and served under General Harrison, taking an active part in the battle in which Colonel Johnson, afterward vice-president of the United States, is said to have killed the chief Tecumseh, and also in the battle of River Raisin, where he distinguished himself for bravery. He took part in the war with Mexico, the Florida war, and at the time of his death was organizing a company to go to Greece to help her in her struggle for independence, against Turkey. His original commission, signed by Presidents Monroe and Madison, and also the original credentials which enabled him to organize a company in aid of the Greeks, are in possession of his grandson. Dr. Evans, of Morris Plains.

The most active part of his life was spent in or near Philadelphia, but he owned summer residences in the lower counties of New Jersey, where his family spent much time and made many warm and devoted friends. He had five sons and four daughters, and three of his sons were physicians.

The second son, Dr. Louis Evans, father of our subject, was a graduate of two of the medical schools of Philadelphia and practiced for many years in that city. He was twice married, his first union being with Miss Patton, of Philadelphia. After her death he removed to Maryland, where he married Miss L. Boone, a direct descendant of Daniel Boone, the celebrated Kentucky pioneer. Their eldest child, born October 1, 1858, was christened Britton Duroc Evans. Under the parental roof he was reared and in Maryland acquired an academic education which served as an excellent foundation upon which to base his professional knowledge. Determining to make the practice of medicine his life work, he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Baltimore, where he was graduated in the class of 1885. His success in his chosen calling was marked and immediate. He first located in Millington, Kent county, Maryland, and after two years was appointed upon the staff of surgeons of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Without solicitation on his part, he was called to the position of assistant medical superintendent of the Maryland Hospital for the Insane, in which capacity he served for nearly five years. He then resigned, in order to accept the medical superintendency of the Maryland Institution for the Feeble Minded, and after a very short period he was offered the position of medical director of the New Jersey State Hospital, at Morris Plains. He had made no application for this position; it came as the spontaneous recognition of his superior ability and a desire to procure excellent service for the institution. His efficiency in other hospitals had gained him a reputation which had extended far and wide, and he was selected as the most capable man that could be chosen for the large hospital near Morristown.

On the 1st of June, 1892, Dr. Evans entered upon his duties, and for more than five years has remained in charge, during which time he has raised the standard of the institution until it ranks with the best in the country. The patients are the insane of New Jersey, and as a specialist in this line Dr. Evans has gained great eminence. He has studied closely, thought deeply and carried his investigation far and wide into the realms of medical science, thus becoming cognizant of many valuable truths hitherto unknown to the profession, the practical utility of which he has demonstrated in successful practice. Among the distinguishing feature of his administration at Morris Plains is the reduction of the use of mechanical restraints among the patients, and the number of patients now under such restraint is less than one per cent. Outdoor amusements have been established on a broader plane and have become a potent factor in the treatment of the insane. A pathological laboratory has also been organized under the direction of Dr. Evans and is now second to none in the world. He also established a training school for nurses, which has proved an important factor. He became convinced that the ill in the hospital needed the attention of a higher grade of nurses and a more intelligent service than he was able to command, unless some means should be established which would give his nurses and attendants a thorough course of training. After carefully investigating the matter and giving it due consideration, in the early part of 1894, he presented the subject to the board of managers for their approval and support, which was obtained, and in the following autumn classes were organized and a course of lectures arranged, whereby the nurses could be instructed and thus better qualified for the important work which is given to their charge. This meant additional work for Dr. Evans and his staff, but it was needed, and he did not stop at the personal sacrifice that it would require. The institution is already reaping the benefit of the system. The course of training necessary to graduation in this school is two years, and fifty-two have thus far received diplomas, of which number forty-eight are still at their posts, rendering to the hospital a service noble and commendable.

Dr. Evans was also instrumental in causing the removal of some high board fences which shut out the sunlight and also cut off the public view, making it possible for the nurses to neglect their charges, leaving them sometimes untidy in dress, and oftentimes leaving them to their own devices, which is often injurious to a disordered mind, which should be occupied by healthful, bright thoughts. The Doctor did away with these abuses by the removal of the fences, and thus brought about a more careful supervision by the nurses. The medical library of the hospital also received his attention and has been greatly improved; in fact, advancement and beneficial progress have marked every department of the institution.

Dr. Evans has won an enviable reputation as an expert on insanity and his ability on its medico-legal aspect has for years been recognized by the legal fraternity of this and other states. He has been employed on numerous important trials in New Jersey and New York since his connection with the state hospital at Morris Plains, in all of which his work gave evidence of a thorough knowledge of his subject and justly made for him a place among the first in this specialty. His contributions to the medical literature of the world on nervous and mental diseases have been numerous and valuable. He is a member of the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of the state of Maryland, one of the oldest and most prominent medical organizations in that state, including in its membership the most honored scientific men of the Johns Hopkins University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, University of Maryland and most of the leading private practitioners of the state. He belongs to the American Medical Association, the Medical Society of New Jersey, the Medico-Legal Society of New York, the American Medico-Psychological Association, the National Society for the Study and Care of Epileptics or Insane, the National Conference of Charities and Corrections, is ex-president of the Morris County Medical Society and an honorary member of the Temperance Reform League of Boston, a society organized for the scientific study and cure of inebriety.

Of various benevolent and social organizations Dr. Evans is also a member. He is a Royal Arch and Knight Templar Mason, a Noble of the Mystic Shrine and is past sachem of the Improved Order of Red Men and a member of the Royal Arcanum. In politics he is thoroughly conservative, believing in good government and in advocating the candidates who will labor most earnestly for that end. He never allows political or religious preferences to bias him in the selection of a member of the hospital corps of physicians or attendants.

In 1889 the Doctor was united in marriage to Miss Addie E. Dill, a native of Maryland, but at that time a resident of Wilmington, Delaware. They now have two daughters and a son. Mrs. Evans is a daughter of a Methodist minister and she and her husband are members of the Methodist church. Outside of his office, as well as in, the Doctor is found to be a man of pleasing personality and many social graces, of kindly generous nature and superior mental endowments, and his many agreeable traits of character have won him a host of warm and admiring friends. His life work is one of immeasurable usefulness and his labors have made him worthy to be numbered among the benefactors of the race.

Transcribed by Brianne Kelly-Bly