Appointment of Henry Perkins Shattuck
Another public outcry revolved around a homeopathic practitioner, Henry Perkins Shattuck (1844-1902), an 1866 graduate of Harvard Medical School, who was appointed Medical Director of the First Brigade of Massachusetts Volunteer Militia in 1871. Brigadier-General William J. Dale, the Surgeon-General of Massachusetts, refused to approve the appointment of a homeopath, and the State Medical Commission supported his decision. The Brigadier-General of the First Brigade, Isaac S. Burrell, in turn, refused to withdraw the Shattuck appointment. Both the Massachusetts Homeopathic Medical Society and the Boston Academy of Homeopathic Medicine published resolutions condemning Dale's actions and petitioned the Governor to intervene and approve the appointment. Even the public press became involved, siding for the most part with the homeopathic faction. Shattuck's appointment was not approved, but he went on to become a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1873.