George Wills Comstock (January 7, 1915 – July 15, 2007) was a public health physician,

epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and risk factor, determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decision ...

, and educator. He was known for significant contributions to public health, specifically in the fields of

micronutrient Micronutrients are nutrient, essential dietary elements required by organisms in varying quantities throughout life to orchestrate a range of physiological functions to maintain health. Micronutrient requirements differ between organisms; for exam ...

deficiencies,

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, and

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

.Altman LK. "George W. Comstock, 92, dies; leader in fight against TB." ''The New York Times.'' Published 2007-07-18.
/ref>Szklo M. "Editorial: George W. Comstock - An appreciation." ''American Journal of Epidemiology.'' 2008;168(7):667
/ref> He served as the editor-in-chief for the ''

American Journal of Epidemiology The American Journal of Epidemiology (''AJE'') is a peer-reviewed journal for empirical research findings, opinion pieces, and methodological developments in the field of epidemiological research. The current editor-in-chief is Dr. Enrique Schist ...

''.

Early life

Born in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara ...

, on January 7, 1915, George W. Comstock was the son of

metallurgical Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the sc ...

engineer George Frederick Comstock and Ella Gardner Wills Comstock. He graduated from

Antioch College Antioch College is a private liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1852 as a non-sectarian institution; politician and education reformer Horace Mann was its f ...

in 1937 with honors in biology and chemistry, originally planning on becoming a metallurgist. He ultimately decided to pursue medicine and graduated from

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

with a doctor of medicine in 1941.

Career

Public Health Service

Comstock joined the

U.S. Public Health Service The United States Public Health Service (USPHS or PHS) is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services concerned with public health, containing nine out of the department's twelve operating divisions. The Assistant ...

in 1942 and served as a captain for 21 years. In this role, he ran the first trials of the

BCG vaccine Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine is a vaccine primarily used against tuberculosis (TB). It is named after its inventors Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin. In countries where tuberculosis or leprosy is common, one dose is recommended ...

for

in Georgia and Alabama (1947–1951), the findings of which were crucial to the decision not to implement this vaccine in the United States. It was also one of the first, if not the first, use of a cluster-randomized study design.

Public health education

He received a

Master of Public Health The Master of Public Health or Master of Philosophy in Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.), International Masters for Healt ...

from the

University of Michigan School of Public Health The University of Michigan School of Public Health is one of the professional graduate schools of the University of Michigan. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, UM SPH is one of the oldest schools of public health in the country and is also consid ...

(1951) and Doctorate of Public Health in Epidemiology from

Johns Hopkins Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland where he remained for most ...

(1956). He subsequently joined the faculty at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and taught there for more than 50 years.

Tuberculosis treatment research

In 1957, he led research in

Bethel, Alaska Bethel ( esu, Mamterilleq) is a city in Bethel Census Area, Alaska, United States. It is the largest community on the Kuskokwim River, located approximately upriver from where the river flows into Kuskokwim Bay. It is also the largest city in ...

, estimating the high burden of tuberculosis and demonstrating the drug

isoniazid Isoniazid, also known as isonicotinic acid hydrazide (INH), is an antibiotic used for the treatment of tuberculosis. For active tuberculosis it is often used together with rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and either streptomycin or ethambutol. For l ...

's effectiveness in preventing the disease.

Community-based research

In 1962, Comstock founded the Johns Hopkins Training Center for Public Health Research and Prevention in Hagerstown, Maryland. During this time, together with

Abraham Lilienfeld Abraham Morris Lilienfeld (November 13, 1920 – August 6, 1984) was an American epidemiologist and professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. He is known for his work in expanding epidemiology to focus on chronic disease ...

, he came up with the pioneering idea of using biologic samples in cohort studies. For the next 42 years, Comstock oversaw community-based research studies on numerous diseases including cancer and heart disease, including the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), the Campaign Against Cancer and Stroke (CLUE I), the Campaign Against Cancer and Heart Disease (CLUE II), and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. He also may have conducted, th
first case-cohort study reported in the literature
four decades ago, dealing with the relationships of maternal smoking to risks of neonatal and post-neonatal death.

''American Journal of Epidemiology''

Comstock also served as editor-in-chief of the ''

'' (''AJE'') from 1979 to 1988. He was subsequently the editor-in-chief, emeritus, from 1991 to 2007. Volume 167, issue 7 of ''AJE'' was dedicated entirely to Comstock following his death.

Research themes

In his 2006 curriculum vitae,Comstock GW. "Curriculum Vitae." jhsph.edu Version 2006-02. Accessed 2015-06-18.
/ref> Comstock summarized his research as follows:

Awards and contributions

Comstock authored hundreds of scientific papers and received numerous awards, including the John Snow Award from the American Public Health Association, the Edward Livingston Trudeau Medal from the

American Thoracic Society The American Thoracic Society (ATS) is a nonprofit organization focused on improving care for pulmonary diseases, critical illnesses and sleep-related breathing disorders. It was established in 1905 as the American Sanatorium Association, and ch ...

, the

Maxwell Finland Award The Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement is an award given annually by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases to a scientist who has made "outstanding contributions to the understanding of infectious diseases or public health, ...

for Scientific Achievement from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Career Research Award."Remembering George Comstock." ''Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.'' Published 2007-07-16. Accessed 2015-06-18.
/ref> His work influenced generations of students, many of whom now hold public health leadership positions throughout the world. His contributions to the science of epidemiology were notable. For example, Comstock often mentioned "compensating bias" and the difference between the external validity of a measure of frequency and that of a measure of association, years before this concept was reported in the literature. He was also responsible for the notion that case-control studies test effectiveness, not efficacy, of interventions. In 2005, the Hopkins center in Hagerstown, Maryland, was renamed The George W. Comstock Center for Public Health Research and Prevention. George Comstock frequently quoted these words from Horace Mann's 1859 commencement speech at Antioch College:
/ref> This struck him as the main purpose of living; as Comstock said,