Holmes, Oliver Wendell

American humorist, poet and physician. Holmes is renowned for his "Breakfast-Table" essays as well as his medical research. His literary writings are marked by humour and vivacity. His first popular work was Old Ironsides (1830). His fame increased manifold with the publication of "Breakfast-Table" papers. The notable works of this series are The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table (1858), The Professor of the Breakfast-Table (1860), and The Poet of the Breakfast-Table (1872). He also earned repute as a poet and his most popular poems are The Chambered Nautilus (1858), and The Deacon's Masterpiece (1858). His other writings include the novel Elsie Venner (1861), and the biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1885). Holmes greatest contribution to the medical field was his essay, The Contagiousness of Puerperal Fever (1843).;

American humorist, poet and physician. Holmes is renowned for his "Breakfast-Table" essays as well as his medical research. His literary writings are marked by humour and vivacity. ;