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It is possible that WSJ and Norris were friends and served together in the Army of the Potomac. WSJ consults Dr Norris during one of Fanny's illnesses in 1866. Norris also attended to WHS and treated him after the assassination attempt.

It appears that From Basil Norris's obituary in the San Francisco Call: "DEATH OF DOCTOR NORRIS A Distinguished Retired Surgeon of the Army Passes Away. Attended Seward for Wounds Received the Day of Lincoln's Assassination. Dr. Basil Norris died last evening at the Occidental Hotel from an affection of the brain. This news will be a shock to a great many friends of the distinguished army surgeon all over the United States. There were few men who stood higher in the medical corps of the army than Dr. Norris, and none were more universally loved and respected. The deceased was in his sixty-eighth year, having been born in Maryland in 1828. He was appointed to the regular service as first lieutenant and surgeon in 1852, and retired four years ago with the rank of colonel. He served through the war, and was on duty in Washington twenty-one years, part of the time as the attending surgeon at the White House during the administrations of Johnson and Grant. He served in the West until 1862, when he was appointed medical inspector of hospitals. In December of that year he reported to General Franklin as medical director of the left grand division of the Army of the Potomac, when he was promoted to a majority. In February, 1863, Dr. Norris was ordered to Washington to report to the surgeon-general as attending , surgeon, and he remained there until i October, 1884, when he was ordered to San Francisco as medical director of the Department of California. While in Washington during the war he attended Secretary Seward for injuries caused by the fall from his carriage, April 4, 1865, end for wounds inflicted by Payne on the day of Lincoln's assassination. Colonel Smedberg of this City was wounded at the battle of the Wilderness, and Dr. Norris amputated his leg afterward in Washington. At the Occidental, where Dr. Norris has lived for ten years, he will be mourned by the servants of the house, to whom he has always ministered in sickness free of charge. His courteous manners and kindly nature endeared to him all who j met him, rich and poor. Dr. Norris had no immediate relatives. Basil Ricketts, a son of his old comrade, General Ricketts, was his godson and ward. The deceased was a member of the Loyal Legion. The funeral will take place at the Presidio, with military honors, probably to-morrow."

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Biography and Citation Information:
Biography: 

It is possible that WSJ and Norris were friends and served together in the Army of the Potomac. WSJ consults Dr Norris during one of Fanny's illnesses in 1866. Norris also attended to WHS and treated him after the assassination attempt.

It appears that From Basil Norris's obituary in the San Francisco Call: "DEATH OF DOCTOR NORRIS A Distinguished Retired Surgeon of the Army Passes Away. Attended Seward for Wounds Received the Day of Lincoln's Assassination. Dr. Basil Norris died last evening at the Occidental Hotel from an affection of the brain. This news will be a shock to a great many friends of the distinguished army surgeon all over the United States. There were few men who stood higher in the medical corps of the army than Dr. Norris, and none were more universally loved and respected. The deceased was in his sixty-eighth year, having been born in Maryland in 1828. He was appointed to the regular service as first lieutenant and surgeon in 1852, and retired four years ago with the rank of colonel. He served through the war, and was on duty in Washington twenty-one years, part of the time as the attending surgeon at the White House during the administrations of Johnson and Grant. He served in the West until 1862, when he was appointed medical inspector of hospitals. In December of that year he reported to General Franklin as medical director of the left grand division of the Army of the Potomac, when he was promoted to a majority. In February, 1863, Dr. Norris was ordered to Washington to report to the surgeon-general as attending , surgeon, and he remained there until i October, 1884, when he was ordered to San Francisco as medical director of the Department of California. While in Washington during the war he attended Secretary Seward for injuries caused by the fall from his carriage, April 4, 1865, end for wounds inflicted by Payne on the day of Lincoln's assassination. Colonel Smedberg of this City was wounded at the battle of the Wilderness, and Dr. Norris amputated his leg afterward in Washington. At the Occidental, where Dr. Norris has lived for ten years, he will be mourned by the servants of the house, to whom he has always ministered in sickness free of charge. His courteous manners and kindly nature endeared to him all who j met him, rich and poor. Dr. Norris had no immediate relatives. Basil Ricketts, a son of his old comrade, General Ricketts, was his godson and ward. The deceased was a member of the Loyal Legion. The funeral will take place at the Presidio, with military honors, probably to-morrow."

Citation Notes: 
http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18951111.2.135 San Francisco Call, Volume 78, Number 164, November 11, 1895.
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