Educated at the University of Pennsylvania and Jefferson Medical College, Mitchell received his M.D. degree in 1850. He specialized in neurology and during the Civil War was in charge of nervous injuries and maladies at Turners Lane Hospital in Philadelphia. In 1863, he contributed a short story, The Case of George Dedlow, to the Atlantic Monthly magazine which was well-received and convinced Mitchell to divide his time between medicine and writing. In 1872, he published Injuries of Nerves and Their Consequences, a highly regarded treatise which is still read today. His recommendations for rest cures for patients suffering from neuroses and hysteria resulted in the popular work, Fat and Blood (1877). His research in erythromelalgia resulted in the malady being renamed Weir Mitchell disease. From the 1880's, Mitchell concentrated more on literary pursuits and his historical novels are highly regarded. His works include In War Time (1885), Roland Blake (1886), Far in the Forest (1889), Characteristics (1892), Hugh Wynne: Free Quaker (1896), Adventures of Francois (1898), Circumstance (1901), New Samaria (1902), Constance Trescot (1905), Red City (1908), Comfort of the Hills (1909) and Westaways (1913). |
