Colonel Bailey Kelly Ashford (September 28, 1873 – November 1, 1934) was an American physician who had a military career in the United States Army, and afterward taught full-time at the
School of Tropical Medicine in Puerto Rico, which he helped establish in San Juan.
A pioneering physician in the treatment of anemia, Ashford organized and conducted a parasite treatment campaign against
hookworm while stationed in Puerto Rico. This cured approximately 300,000 persons (one-third of the Puerto Rico population) and reduced the death rate from associated
anemia
Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, t ...
by 90 percent. He was a founding member of the Puerto Rico Anemia Commission.
Early years
Ashford was born in
Washington D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
as one of five children in the family of Francis Ashford, a prominent physician, and his wife. His general education was obtained at the public schools and at Columbian University in Washington D.C. (now
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...
). In 1896, he graduated from the
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Georgetown University School of Medicine, a medical school opened in 1851, is one of Georgetown University's five graduate schools. It is located on Reservoir Road in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC, adjacent to the University's ...
. He served as a resident physician in several area hospitals.
As a recently commissioned lieutenant in the
United States Army Medical Corps
The Medical Corps (MC) of the U.S. Army is a staff corps (non-combat specialty branch) of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD) consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an M.D. or a D.O. degree, at least one ...
, Ashford accompanied the military expedition to
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
in 1898 during the Spanish–American War.
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Personal life
Ashford made Puerto Rico his adopted home, marrying a local woman, María López Nussa. They had three children: Mahlon, Margarita, and Gloria María.
Professional life
Hookworm treatment
Serving as the medical officer in the general military hospital in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.
Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...
, in 1899 he was the first to describe and successfully treat North American hookworm. He was a tireless clinician and conducted an exhaustive study of the anemia
Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, t ...
caused by hookworm infestation, which was the leading cause of death and responsible for as many as 12,000 deaths a year. From 1903–1904, together with his colleague Pedro Gutiérrez Igaravídez, he organized and conducted a parasite treatment and education campaign, which treated approximately 300,000 persons (one-third of the Puerto Rico population). This work reduced the death rate from this anemia by 90 percent. Through Ashford's professor, Charles Wardell Stiles, his work also led to the creation of a seminal campaign to fight hookworm in the American South that was funded by John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He has been widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. Rockefeller was ...
.
Anemia treatment
Captain Ashford was a founding member of the Puerto Rico Anemia Commission. By special authority of the Secretary of War, he served on the Commission from 1904–1906.
School of Tropical Medicine
In 1911, his proposal for an Institute of Tropical Medicine (Later renamed School of Tropical Medicine) in Puerto Rico was approved by Antonio R. Barceló
Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular mal ...
, the president of the Puerto Rican Senate. He pushed for passage of the legislation to authorize the school, and Governor Horace Mann Towner
Horace Mann Towner (October 23, 1855 – November 23, 1937) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa's 8th congressional district and appointed the governor of Puerto Rico. In an ...
and his cabinet proceeded to create it.[''Puerto Rico Por Encima de Todo: Vida y Obra de Antonio R. Barceló, 1868–1938''; by: Delma S. Arrigoitia; Publisher: Ediciones Puerto (January 2008); ] After serving as a commander of the Army Medical Department's First Division during World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Colonel Ashford was assigned to San Juan. He campaigned for the development of "a real school of tropical medicine in the American tropics".
The School of Tropical Medicine of Puerto Rico was formally dedicated in 1925. It was affiliated with Columbia University in New York and became part of the University of Puerto Rico.
After a 30-year Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
career as a military doctor, Ashford assumed a full-time faculty position at the School, where he continued his interest in tropical medicine. Together with doctors Isaac González Martínez and Ramón M. Suárez Calderon, he continued to carry out experiments related to anemia. The University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...
campus at Rio Piedras, the building of the Institute of Tropical Medicine (see drawings) in Puerta de Tierra
Puerta de Tierra is a ''subbarrio'' (subdistrict) occupying the eastern portion of the Islet of San Juan and the ''barrio'' of San Juan Antiguo in the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The name Puerta de Tierra (Spanish for ''land gate'') ...
, San Juan, is one of the few examples of the Neo-Plateresque architectural style in the Island.
Legacy and honors
In his honor, the main avenue in the San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the juri ...
district of "El Condado
Condado is an oceanfront, tree-lined, pedestrian-oriented upper middle to upper class community in Santurce. It is one of the forty subbarrios of Santurce in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Setting
Condado is an upscale neighborhood located on the bea ...
", bears his name as does the Ashford Presbyterian Community Hospital as well as the Ashford Medical Center, also in Condado. His home in Condado is being preserved and renovated.
In 1941, The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene established the "Bailey K. Ashford Medal". This is awarded for distinguished work in tropical medicine to a worker in his or her early or mid-career. The first person to receive the award was Lloyd E. Rozeboom. The medal is awarded every year, and more than one award may be given.Bailey K. Ashford Medal
, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Ashford died on November 1 1934, in his home in San Juan. His remains were interred in
Puerto Rico National Cemetery
Puerto Rico National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery located in the city of Bayamón, in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It encompasses of land, and at the end of 2005, had 44,722 interments. Until 2021, it was the only United St ...
in the city of
Bayamón.
Bibliography
His writings include: ''Anemia in Puerto Rico'' published in 1904; ''Uncinariasis in Puerto Rico'' published in 1911; and a memoir, ''A Soldier in Science,'' published in 1934.
See also
*
List of Puerto Ricans
References
External links
Walter Reed Army Medical Center - Bailey K. AshfordAshford Presbyterian Community Hospital
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashford, Bailey
1873 births
1934 deaths
American male non-fiction writers
American medical academics
American medical writers
American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences alumni
Founders of schools in the United States
Georgetown University School of Medicine alumni
Military personnel from Washington, D.C.
People from San Juan, Puerto Rico
People from Washington, D.C.
Physicians from Washington, D.C.
Puerto Rican tropical physicians
United States Army personnel of World War I