Hunter Watt Scarlett (October 16, 1885 – December 23, 1954) was a notable
ophthalmologist
Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders.
An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...
, and is best known for his
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
career for the
Penn Quakers
The Penn Quakers are the athletic teams of the University of Pennsylvania. The school sponsors 33 varsity sports. The school has won three NCAA national championships in men's fencing and one in women's fencing.
School colors
There are se ...
from 1904 to 1908. 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 ...
, he worked in both
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
and
American military hospitals. In 1970, he was elected into the
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
.
Biography
Background
Hunter was born in
Erie Pennsylvania
Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...
on October 16, 1885. He was the seventh son of John and Nancy Bell Scarlett. His mother was born near
Cookstown
Cookstown ( ga, An Chorr Chríochach, IPA: anˠˈxoːɾˠɾˠˈçɾʲiːxəx is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the fourth largest town in the county and had a population of 11,599 in the 2011 census. It, along with Maghe ...
in
County Tyrone
County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...
, in what is now
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, while his father was born in
Liverpool, England.
After graduating from
Erie High School in 1902, Hunter enrolled in the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
.
College football career
He played four years of varsity football at Penn, as an
end. In an era in which players were more likely to become injured, Hunter was never taken out of a game due to an injury. In 1908, he and halfback
Bill Hollenback
William Marshall "Big Bill" Hollenback (February 22, 1886 – March 12, 1968) was an American football player and coach. He played football at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was selected as an All-American fullback three straight year ...
led the Quakers to an 11-0-1 record and the
National Championship
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...
. During the season, the Quakers out-scored their opponents, 215-18, and their perfect record was marred only by a 6-6 tie against the
Carlisle Indians
The Carlisle Indians football team represented the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in college football, intercollegiate football competition. The program was active from 1893 until 1917, when it was discontinued. During the program's 25 years, th ...
.
Hunter was awarded consensus
All-American honors that season. Hollenback lavished praise upon Scarlett after the 1908 campaign, saying: "He's one of college football's greatest ends. He's a superlative defensive end, quick to get down-field on punts and an exceptional diagnostician."
Early medical career
Scarlett graduated from the
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1911. He then interned at the
Pennsylvania Hospital. A year later, he was appointed
Chief Resident of the
American Hospital of Paris
The American Hospital of Paris (''Hôpital américain de Paris''), founded in 1906, is a private, not-for-profit hospital that is certified under the French healthcare system. Located in Neuilly-sur-Seine, in the western suburbs of Paris, France, ...
. There he began the study of ophthalmology under Dr.
Victor Morax
Victor Morax, Paris, 1920
Victor Morax (16 March 1866 – 14 May 1935) was an ophthalmologist born in Morges, Switzerland.
He studied in Freiburg (Germany) and Paris, and from 1891 to 1903, he worked at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. From 19 ...
, who was then the Professor of Ophthalmology at
Lariboisière Hospital
Lariboisière Hospital (french: Hôpital Lariboisière) is a hospital in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, France.
The hospital was one of several built following the second cholera pandemic, which had reached Paris in 1832, and which led to a ...
, and later became his assistant. One of Scarlett's articles on a form of diplobacillus "not yet described," causing corneal infection, was titled "Diplobacilli scarletti".
World War I
On August 1, 1914, World War I broke out in Europe; The American Hospital of Paris, with the encouragement of the French Government opened a second, much larger military hospital in the Lyceé Pastuer school building located at Neuilly-sur-Seine in Paris Dr. Scarlett then became one of the many founders of this hospital. The American Ambulance Hospital was financed by donations from the wealthy American Colony of Paris as well as contributions from the United States. Dr. Scarlett was appointed as an ophthalmologist to the American Ambulance and held that position until 1916.
He was also appointed Ophthalmologist to the Whitney War Hospital (American Ambulance Hospital B), located on the
Marne River. The Whitney Hospital was entirely financed by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, wife of wealthy financier Harry Payne Whitney and Great-Grand Daughter of "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt. The Whitney Hospital which was a branch of the American Ambulance Hospital on the
Marne battlefield, during this time. In order to operate at the Whitney War Hospital, he was usually forced to leave Paris at sundown in an unlighted automobile. His vehicle could only be seen by a low
red cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
on the radiator and he had to drive between the battle's shell holes and debris. Operating was done there at night with inadequate lighting and equipment, and his return trip to Paris was made just before dawn. Dr. Scarlett was also ophthalmologist to the "Phare", a Paris branch of the New York Light House for the Blind, caring for patients blinded by the war.
In 1916, after two years of acting chief of two war hospitals and assistant at a third, Scarlett was taken seriously ill with what appeared to be
meningitis
Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...
, but was later thought to be
sleeping sickness. At this time, he had been caring for a group was a part of
General Gallieni's "taxicab army" that held the front line at the Marne river, during the first weeks of the war. He was sent back to the United States and after six months of rest, he began practicing again in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
.
In 1918, he volunteered in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
and served at U. S. Hospital No. 11, in
Cape May, New Jersey, as an assistant ophthalmologist. In 1920, the French government awarded him the
Médaille de la Reconnaissance française
The Medal of French Gratitude (french: "Médaille de la Reconnaissance française") was a French honour medal created on 13 July 1917 and solely awarded to civilians. The medal was created to express gratitude by the French government to all t ...
.
Post-war activities
In 1920, Scarlett was appointed ophthalmologist at
Bryn Mawr Hospital
Bryn Mawr Hospital, part of Main Line Health, is a 264-bed acute care hospital located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1893, Bryn Mawr Hospital has been named among ''U.S. News & World Report’s'' Best Hospitals in the Philadelphia region ...
and held a similar appointment at Pennsylvania Hospital. Finally in March 1939, he was forced to retire due to health issues. During this time he wrote many articles for several American ophthalmological journals.
Hunter Scarlett died on December 23, 1954, at age 69.
References
Obituary from the American Medical Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scarlett, Hunter
1885 births
1954 deaths
American football ends
All-American college football players
College Football Hall of Fame inductees
Penn Quakers football players
Players of American football from Pennsylvania
United States Army personnel of World War I
French military personnel of World War I