Austin Flint in New Orleans and the origins of evidence-based medicine

The famous nineteenth century American physician and medical educator, Austin Flint, Sr., was a professor at the New Orleans School of Medicine and a visiting physician at Charity Hospital in New Orleans from 1858 to 1861. Best remembered for the heart murmur that bears his name, Flint was also responsible for advances in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases in the era that preceded the germ theory and the discovery of antibiotics. His experiences at Charity Hospital and his exposure to the French style of medicine as practiced by the Creole physicians of New Orleans encouraged him to advocate conservative treatment for pneumonia, in contrast to the bloodletting and other heroic measures that were popular at the time. His recommendations, based on statistical analysis of his clinical data from Charity Hospital, were one of the earliest examples of evidence-based medicine in America.