Henry Draper

Henry Draper (1837 to 1882) was an American medical doctor and amateur astronomer, best known today as a pioneer of astrophotography. He was the son of John William Draper, a doctor, chemist and professor at New York University, and he graduated from the New York University School of Medicine at the age of 20 in 1857. He worked first as a physician at Bellevue Hospital and later as both a professor and dean of medicine at New York University, and in 1862 served for a few months as a surgeon with the 12th New York Infantry Regiment. He resigned his chair in 1873 to give more time to original research and in 1872 took a stellar spectrum showing absorption lines. This entry records his medical career alongside his astronomy; it is not medical advice.