McDowell portait by Patrick Davenport. Ephraim McDowell (1771-1830) was an American physician. On Christmas morning, 1809, he made medical history be becoming the first doctor to successfully remove an ovarian tumor. The surgery was performed without benefit of anesthetic or antisepsis. The tumor removed weighed 22.5 pounds. He determined that it would be difficult to remove it completely. So he tied a ligature around the fallopian tube near the uterus and cut open the tumor. The whole procedure took 25 minutes. Mrs. Crawford made an uncomplicated recovery and lived another 32 years. One of his most famous patients was James K. Polk, for whom he removed a urinary stone and repaired a hernia. In 1830 Dr. McDowell was stricken with an acute attack of violent pain, nausea, and fever. He died shortly thereafter most likely a victim of appendicitis.