| Benjamin Duffield | |
| Occupation: | Physician |
| Birth Date: | November 3, 1753 |
| Birth Place: | Bucks County, Pennsylvania |
| Death Date: | December 13, 1799 |
| Death Place: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Parents: | Edward Duffield and Catherine (Parry) Duffield |
Benjamin Duffield (November 3, 1753 – December 13, 1799) was an American physician and one of the founding members of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia (1787).[1]
Born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania on November 3, 1753, Benjamin Duffield was a son of clockmaker Edward Duffield and Catherine (Parry) Duffield. He studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1774.[2] Immediately thereafter, he went to Edinburgh to complete his studies, and brought with him a letter of introduction to a local Lord, penned by his father's friend, Benjamin Franklin.[3]
Upon his return from Scotland, he began working as a surgeon in a military hospital in Reading, Pennsylvania before opening a private practice in Philadelphia. He was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1786.[4] Duffield's large practice established himself in the city's medical field and not long after he became a founding member of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia (1787).[5] He also worked at the Bush Hill yellow fever hospital upon the outbreak of that disease (1793), held lectures on midwifery, and served as a physician to the Walnut street prison.[6]
He died on December 13, 1799, and was buried at the Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia.[7]