Harry Gideon Wells (21 July 1875–26 April 1943) was an American pathologist and immunologist.

Early life and education

Wells was born on 21 July 1875 in New Haven, Connecticut to a family of old New England stock.Long, Esmond R.
"Harry Gideon Wells, 1875-1943"

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

, pg. 233 His parents were Romanta Wells, a partner in a wholesale drug company, and Emma Townsend Tuttle."Quindecennial Record of the Class of 1895, Sheffield Scientific School"
pp. 135-6 He was a descendant of Thomas Welles, colonial governor of Connecticut, and a relation of the similarly named Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy in the Lincoln administration. Wells graduated in 1895 from Yale University, where he studied chemistry under Russell Henry Chittenden and Lafayette Mendel.Cannon, Paul R.
"Obituary: H. Gideon Wells, 1875-1943"
/ref> He then graduated from Rush Medical College in 1898 and completed his internship at Cook County Hospital. He completed his fellowship in pathology at Rush, under the direction of Ludvig Hektoen."H. Gideon Wells, M.D., Ph.D."
American Association of Immunologists During his fellowship, he worked alongside

Howard T. Ricketts Howard Taylor Ricketts (February 9, 1871 – May 3, 1910) was an American pathologist after whom the family Rickettsiaceae and the order Rickettsiales are named. He was born in Findlay, Ohio. In the early part of his career, Ricketts undertook ...

and was awarded the Benjamin Rush Medal for a paper on the thyroid gland.Long
pg. 236

Early career

After his fellowship, Wells returned to Chicago to join the faculty of the University of Chicago, where he would remain part of the staff for his entire career. He led the Department of Pathology and from 1911 until his retirement also headed the Otho S. A. Sprague Memorial Institute for Medical Research. He continued to further his education, studying chemistry under

Julius Stieglitz Julius Oscar Stieglitz (May 26, 1867 – January 10, 1937) was an American chemist of German Jewish origin. He was a teacher and organic chemist with a major interest in pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry. He is known for the Stieglitz rearran ...

, earning a PhD from the University of Chicago in 1903,"Quindecennial Record of the Class of 1895, Sheffield Scientific School"
pp. 236 and traveling to Europe to study in Berlin. His European tour included working with

Ernst Leopold Salkowski Ernst Leopold Salkowski (October 11, 1844 – March 8, 1923) was a German biochemist who was a native of Königsberg. He received his education at the University of Königsberg, later working in Berlin as an assistant in the chemical labora ...

, Emil Fischer, and Emil Abderhalden, among others, and on his way home, he assisted an American pathologist in Paris in the identification of the preserved remains of John Paul Jones.Long
pp. 236-8 In 1907, he published his greatest work, ''Clinical Pathology'', which would be reprinted in several editions and greatly influenced the future practice of pathology.

Red Cross commissions

During and in the aftermath of World War I, Wells led two Red Cross commissions to Romania, which was fighting famine as well as epidemics of typhoid, typhus, and other contagions. The first commission, in 1917, involved crossing through Russia during the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

to reach Romania. The following year, Wells returned with a second commission, arriving after the armistice. During this second commission, Wells was the liaison with Herbert Hoover's United States Food Administration. For his efforts fighting famine and disease, Wells was awarded the

Order of the Star of Romania The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the defunct Order of Michael the Brave. It is awarded by the President of Romania. It has five r ...

by the king.Long
pp. 243-5

Later life

After his work in Europe, Wells resumed his position at the University of Chicago. He continued to publish significant books on the practice of pathology, as well as many research articles; at the time of his death, he had published (as either sole author or co-author) more than two hundred scientific papers, the last of which was published the month that he died. He retired in 1940 and died in 1943.

Medical honors

Wells earned many honors during his career. He was president of the

American Association for Cancer Research The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's oldest and largest professional association related to cancer research. Based in Philadelphia, the AACR focuses on all aspects of cancer research, including basic, clinical, and t ...

in 1915–1916 and 1920–1921, president of the American Association of Pathologists and Bacteriologists in 1920, and president of the American Association of Immunologists in 1924. He was made a member of the

in 1925.

References

External links

* Harry Gideon Wells Papers. Historical Library, Harvey Cushing / John Hay Whitney Medical Library, Yale University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Harry Gideon 1875 births 1943 deaths Yale College alumni Rush Medical College alumni University of Chicago faculty Recipients of the Order of the Star of Romania 20th-century American physicians Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences American pathologists American medical researchers American immunologists