Charles Edward Fairman (28 December 1856 – 27 December 1934) was an American physician who published in the field of mycology. He was for many years the health officer of Yates, New York, and on the staff of the Medina (New York) Memorial Hospital. A charter member of the Mycological Society of America, Fairman published several papers relating to fungi including the pyrenomycetes, the Lophiostomataceae, and the fungi imperfecti.

Early life

Fairman was born on 28 December 1856 to parents Prof. and Mrs. Charles E. Fairman in Yates, New York, both of whom were teachers. He entered the senior class of the University of Rochester at the age of 16, and was at the time the youngest graduate the university produced. He graduated from that institution in 1873 with an A.M. degree and received his M.D. degree when he graduated from Shurtleff College in Alton, Illinois, in 1877. On 5 February 1878, he married Lois Warren, who died on 23 August 1912.

Fairman had returned to Lyndonville to practice medicine before his 21st birthday. He was a member of several medical societies and wrote for a number of medical periodicals. The fraternity journal Delta Upsilon Quarterly, in their 1890 alumni report, reports him as being employed as the Examining Surgeon for the United States Pension Department in Medina, New York. In July 1927, the Orleans County Medical Association gave him a testimonial dinner in celebration of his 50th year in the practice of medicine.

Fairman achieved worldwide renown as a mycologist. He began studying the fungi at about age 30, when his interest was piqued when he and his father-in-law (Dr. John D. Warren) undertook to cultivate mushrooms. He corresponded with various noted authorities in mycology, including Job Bicknell Ellis, Charles Horton Peck, Pier Andrea Saccardo, Heinrich Rehm, and Joseph Charles Arthur. Fairman accumulated a large personal collection of mycological books, as well as a personal herbarium of 23,000 various fungi, some of which has been incorporated in the Plant Pathology Herbarium at Cornell University. Fairman also collected specimens for the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium. Fairman was also noted as an authority on many plants.

Career

He spent the majority of his life in Lyndonville, New York, where he was one of the "best known and beloved physicians". He specialized in pyrenomycetous fungi, and mycologist Curtis Gates Lloyd once wrote "Dr. Fairman has probably the best critical knowledge of this difficult group of any one in our country." Fairman died suddenly of a heart attack on 27 December 1934, a day before he was to be honored for his 78th birthday. He is buried in Lynhaven cemetery in Lyndonville.

Taxa described

Fairman's taxonomical contributions were mostly related to pyrenomycetes and the fungi imperfecti. In his later years he specialized in the Lophiostomataceae. Taxa described by Fairman include:List obtained by performing an author search with the online taxonomic database MycoBank.

Amblyosporiopsis Fairm. 1922 Amblyosporiopsis parasphenoides Fairm. 1922 Amphisphaeria abietina Fairm. 1906 Amphisphaeria aeruginosa Fairm. 1906 Amphisphaeria bertiana Fairm. 1906 Amphisphaeria nucidoma Fairm. 1921 Amphisphaeria polymorpha Fairm. 1906 Amphisphaeria vestigialis Fairm. 1910 Amphisphaeria xera Fairm. 1910 Anthostomella endoxyloides Fairm. 1922 Apiosporella cornina Fairm. 1918 Aplosporella calycanthi Fairm. 1910 Ascochyta agropyrina Fairm. 1931 Ascochyta boutelouae Fairm. 1918 Ascochyta phlogina Fairm. 1910 Ascochyta phlogis var. phlogina Fairm. 1910 Ascochyta symphoricarpophila Fairm. 1910 Ascochytula agropyrina Fairm. 1918 Camarosporium elaeagnellum Fairm. 1910 Camarosporium eriocryptum Fairm. 1923 Camarosporium estrelti Fairm. 1918 Camarosporium wistarianum Fairm. 1918 Camarosporium yuccaesedum Fairm. 1918 Caryospora cariosa Fairm. 1905 Chorostate ailanthi var. megaceraphora Fairm. 1906 Cladosporium punctulatum var. xylogenum Fairm. 1922 Cladosporium vincae Fairm. 1911 Clasterosporium larviforme Fairm. 1922 Coniosporium nucifoedum Fairm. 1921 Coniothyrium chionanthi Fairm. 1913 Coniothyrium leprosum Fairm. 1923 Coniothyrium marrubii Fairm. 1923 Coniothyrium olivaceum var. salsolae Fairm. 1918 Coniothyrium olivaceum var. thermopsidis Fairm. 1918 Coniothyrium praeclarum Fairm. 1922 Coniothyrium sepium Fairm. 1918 Cryptodiscus araneocinctus Fairm. 1913 Cryptostictis utensis Fairm. 1918 Cucurbitaria rimulina Fairm. 1922 Cylindrium gossypinum Fairm. 1921 Cylindrocolla faecalis Fairm. 1920 Cytospora nyssae Fairm. 1922 Dendrophoma nigrescens Fairm. 1922 Diaporthe ailanthi var. megacera Fairm. 1906 Diaporthe elaeagni var. americana Fairm. Diaporthe hamamelidis Fairm. 1922 Diatrype standleyi Fairm. 1918 Dicaeoma nemoseridis Fairm. 1923 Dictyochora gambellii Fairm. 1918 Didymaria arthoniaespora Fairm. 1906 Didymella eurotiae Fairm. 1918 Didymella nucis-hicoriae Fairm. 1921 Didymella ramonae Fairm. 1923 Didymochaeta columbiana Fairm. 1922 Didymosphaeria lonicerae-ripariae Fairm. 1922 Didymosphaeria nuciseda Fairm. 1921 Didymosporium propolidioides Fairm. 1922 Diplodia akebiae Fairm. 1913 Diplodia hamamelidis Fairm. 1910 Diplodia heteromelina Fairm. 1923 Diplodina epicarya Fairm. 1921 Discella zythiacea Fairm. 1922 Discosia poikilomera Fairm. 1923 Dothiorella nucis Fairm. 1921 Dothiorella phomopsis Fairm. 1918 Eutypella brunaudiana var. ribis-aurei Fairm. 1918 Eutypella ceranata Fairm. 1923 Eutypella domicalis Fairm. 1923 Excipula dictamni Fairm. 1910 Exosporium scolecomorphum Fairm. 1922 Gamonaemella Fairm. 1922 Gamonaemella divergens Fairm. 1922 Gibberidea arthrophyma Fairm. 1918 Gloniopsis lathami Fairm. 1922 Gloniopsis lathami var. asymetrica Fairm. 1922 Glonium vestigiale Fairm. 1923 Graphium sordidiceps Fairm. 1922 Helotium vitellinum var. pallidostriatum Fairm. 1904 Hendersonia arundinariae Fairm. 1922 Hendersonia coccolobina Fairm. 1913 Hendersonia eriogoni Fairm. 1918 Hendersonia foliorum-hamamelidina Fairm. 1922 Hendersonia hortilecta Fairm. 1918 Hendersonia hydrangeae Fairm. 1910 Hendersonia hypocarpa Fairm. 1913 Hendersonia leucelenes Fairm. 1918 Hendersonia petalostemonis Fairm. 1918 Hendersonia stanleyellae Fairm. 1918 Hendersonia subcultriformis Fairm. 1918 Heteropatella acerina Fairm. 1922 Hypoderma ptarmicola Fairm. 1906 Hysterium standleyanum Fairm. 1918 Karschia crassa Fairm. 1904 Karschia elaeospora Fairm. 1921 Lasiosphaeria ovina var. aureliana Fairm. 1904 Leptosphaeria cacuminispora Fairm. 1921 Leptosphaeria coleosanthi Fairm. 1918 Leptosphaeria eustoma f. leguminosa Fairm. 1906 Leptosphaeria exocarpogena Fairm. 1921 Leptosphaeria galiorum var. gnaphaliana Fairm. 1923 Leptosphaeria hamamelidis Fairm. 1922 Leptosphaeria lyciophila Fairm. 1922 Leptosphaeria lyndonvillae Fairm. 1906 Leptosphaeria nigricans var. grindeliae Fairm. 1918 Leptosphaeria physostegiae Fairm. 1906 Leptosphaeria pseudohleria Fairm. 1922 Leptosphaeria quamoclidii Fairm. 1918 Leptospora stictochaetophora Fairm. 1906 Leptostroma mitchellae Fairm. 1922 Lophiostoma cephalanthi Fairm. 1904 Lophiostoma triseptatum var. acutum Fairm. Lophiostoma triseptatum var. diagonale Fairm. Lophiostoma triseptatum var. pluriseptatum Fairm. Lophiotrema halesiae Fairm. 1910 Macrophoma fitzpatriciana Fairm. 1921 Melanomma nigriseda Fairm. 1922 Melanopsamma amphisphaeria var. carpigena Fairm. 1921 Melanopsamma subrhombispora Fairm. 1921 Merulius leguminosus Fairm. 1906 Merulius lyndonvillae Fairm. 1906 Metasphaeria leguminosa Fairm. 1906 Metasphaeria lyndonvillae Fairm. 1906 Microdiplodia anograe Fairm. 1918 Microdiplodia diervillae Fairm. 1918 Microdiplodia galiicola Fairm. 1918 Microdiplodia ilicigena Fairm. 1922 Microdiplodia leucelenes Fairm. 1918 Microdiplodia mimuli Fairm. 1923 Microdiplodia ramonae Fairm. 1923 Microdiplodia valvuli Fairm. 1910 Mollisia lanaria Fairm. 1911 Monosporium avellaneum Fairm. 1921 Mucor taeniae Fairm. 1890 Mycosphaerella chlorogali Fairm. 1923 Mycosphaerella nemoseridis Fairm. 1923 Mycosphaerella weigelae Fairm. 1910 Myriangium catalinae Fairm. 1923 Oospora sceliscophorus Fairm. 1906 Ophiobolus gnaphalii var. lanaria Fairm. 1911 Ophiobolus sceliscophorus Fairm. 1906 Patellea oreophila Fairm. 1918 Pestalotia nuciseda Fairm. 1921 Pestalotia truncata var. septoriana Fairm. 1913 Phialea phaeoconia Fairm. 1911 Phialea vitellina var. pallidostriata Fairm. Phoma albovestita Fairm. Phoma cercidicola Fairm. 1911 Phoma dioscoreae Fairm. 1922 Phoma estrelti Fairm. 1918 Phoma lanuginis Fairm. 1910 Phoma lyndonvillensis Fairm. 1890 Phoma megarrhizae Fairm. 1923 Phoma regina Fairm. 1911 Phoma rudbeckiae Fairm. 1890 Phoma sidalceae Fairm. 1918 Phoma verbascicarpa Fairm. 1918 Phoma weldiana Fairm. Phomopsis carposchiza Fairm. 1921 Phomopsis ericaceana Fairm. 1918 Phomopsis fraterna Fairm. 1922 Phomopsis nicotianae Fairm. 1923 Phomopsis rubiseda Fairm. 1922 Phomopsis trillii Fairm. 1922 Phyllachora blepharoneuri Fairm. 1918 Phyllachora nuttalliana Fairm. 1923 Phyllosticta dictamni Fairm. 1910 Phyllosticta kalmicola var. berolinensiformis Fairm. 1910 Phyllosticta mortonii Fairm. 1913 Phyllosticta pitcheriana Fairm. 1910 Phyllosticta rhoiseda Fairm. 1923 Physalospora eucalyptina Fairm. 1923 Physalospora heteromelina Fairm. 1923 Platystomum phyllogenum Fairm. 1918 Pleospora aureliana Fairm. 1906 Pleospora chlorogali Fairm. 1923 Pyrenochaeta fraxinina Fairm. 1913 Pyrenochaeta nucinata Fairm. 1921 Pyrenopeziza cephalanthi Fairm. 1904 Pyrenophora leucelenes Fairm. 1918 Rhabdospora baculum var. nucimaculans Fairm. 1921 Rhabdospora cryphosporopsis Fairm. 1922 Rhabdospora dumentorum Fairm. 1918 Rhabdospora dumetorum Fairm. 1918 Rhabdospora gauracea Fairm. 1918 Rhabdospora ilicigena Fairm. 1922 Rhabdospora translucens Fairm. 1918 Rhynchosphaeria nucicola Fairm. 1921 Rhynchostoma nucis Fairm. 1921 Schizocapnodium Fairm. 1921 Schizocapnodium sarcinellum Fairm. 1921 Scolicosporium transversum Fairm. 1922 Septocylindrium nuculinum Fairm. 1921 Septoria carricerae Fairm. 1913 Septoria lanaria Fairm. 1911 Sphaerographium avenaceum Fairm. 1923 Sphaeronaema epicaulon Fairm. 1922 Sphaeropsis coccolobae Fairm. 1913 Sphaeropsis diervillae Fairm. Sphaeropsis elaeagnina Fairm. 1910 Sphaeropsis nebelina Fairm. 1923 Sphaeropsis opuntiae Fairm. 1922 Sphaeropsis pallidula Fairm. 1921 Sphaeropsis rhodocarpa Fairm. 1913 Sphaeropsis subconfluens Fairm. 1922 Sphaeropsis wistariana Fairm. 1918 Sporidesmium leguminosa Fairm. 1906 Sporormia leguminosa Fairm. 1906 Sporormia ourasca Fairm. 1922 Stagonospora humuli-americani Fairm. 1918 Stagonospora nucicidia Fairm. 1921 Stagonospora nuciseda Fairm. 1921 Stagonospora nyssicola Fairm. 1922 Stemphylium subsphaericum Fairm. 1922 Stictis lanuginicincta Fairm. 1923 Strickeria catalinae Fairm. 1923 Tapesia rhois Fairm. 1900 Tapesia secamenti Fairm. 1910 Teichosporella lonicerina Fairm. 1923 Trichopeziza interpilosa Fairm. 1906 Trichosphaeria interpilosa Fairm. Valsa holodiscina Fairm. 1923 Valsaria acericola Fairm. 1905 Vermicularia exocarpinella Fairm. 1921 Vermicularia phlogina Fairm. 1887 Vermicularia putaminicrustans Fairm. 1921 Vermicularia solanoica Fairm. Volutella caryogena Fairm. 1921 Volutella vincae Fairm. 1911 Zignoëlla nucivora Fairm. 1921

Publications

Fairman, C.E. (1887). "A method of staining Peziza specimens". Botanical Gazette 12(4): 85. ___________ (1887). "Ash in basket work". Botanical Gazette. 12(3): 64–65. ___________ (1887). "Vermicularia phlogina Fairm. n. sp.". Botanical Gazette 12(3): 67. ___________ (1889). "Black spot of asparagus berries". Journal of Mycology 5(3): 157–158. ___________ (1889). "Notes on rare fungi from western New York". Journal of Mycology 5(2): 78–80. ___________ (1890). "Observation on the development of some fenestrate sporidia". Journal of Mycology 6(1): 29–31. ___________ (1890). "The fungi of western New York". Proceedings of the Rochester Academy of Sciences 2: 154–167.