Hugh H. Young

Hugh Hampton Young was born on September 18, 1870 in San Antonio, Texas, the son of General William H. Young. 

Dr. Young received his BA, MA and MD from the University of Virginia, all in four years.  He became an instructor in Genito-urinary surgery at Johns Hopkins University. By age 27, he was the head of the Johns Hopkins Brady Urological Institute. He remained there until 1940.

Among Young's contributions to the medical field are several inventions and discoveries, primarily relating to surgery. One such innovation was the "boomerang needle", a type of surgical needle designed for working with deep incisions. He also invented a device known as the Young punch, an instrument used in prostatectomy procedures. He and his associates also discovered the antiseptic merbromin, more popularly known as Mercurochrome, one of its brand names.

He is credited with conceiving of the use of radical perineal prostatectomy to treat prostate cancer and performed the first operation of that kind on April 7, 1904. He learned the procedure from Dr. George Goodfellow, who first performed the operation in 1891. Goodfellow's original purpose was to treat bladder problems caused by an enlarged prostate. Goodfellow traveled extensively across the United States for several years training other physicians in the operation, including Dr. Young. Goodfellow completed 78 operations and only two patients died, a remarkable level of success for the time period. Dr. Young became the President of the Medical & Chirurgical Faculty in 1912. 

In World War I Young was a Major in charge of the venereal health of the Doughboys in France. He fought prostitution near American bases vigorously and with the full cooperation of General Pershing. In 1917, he established The Journal of Urology and became its first editor-in-chief.

In addition to his pioneering medical work, Young had a personal interest in the burgeoning field of aviation and chaired a committee for planning what is now Baltimore-Washington International Airport, which at the time was to be named "Friendship Airport". He was also active in community affairs and was known to be a supporter of Albert Cabell Ritchie, a Maryland politician who made a bid for presidency in 1932 but lost the nomination to Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the Democratic Party convention in Chicago, where Young was among the delegates.

Young wrote an autobiography entitled Hugh Young, A Surgeon's Autobiography (published by Harcourt, Brace and company in 1940) as well as several urological texts. He died on August 23, 1945 and is buried in Druid Ridge Cemetery, in Baltimore, Maryland.

The American Urological Association presents an annual award called the Hugh Hampton Young Award named in his honor. For more information on Hugh H. Young, MD, click here.