Myrnie Ade Gifford (1892–1966) was an American medical physician. She was the first to identify that San Joaquin Valley Fever was the primary stage of

coccidioidomycosis Coccidioidomycosis (, ), commonly known as cocci, Valley fever, as well as California fever, desert rheumatism, or San Joaquin Valley fever, is a mammalian fungal disease caused by '' Coccidioides immitis'' or ''Coccidioides posadasii''. Coccid ...

Early life and education

Gifford was born to Charles Clinton and Augusta Leona Gifford in

National City, California National City is a city located in the South Bay region of the San Diego metropolitan area, in southwestern San Diego County, California. The population was 58,582 at the 2010 census, up from 54,260 at the 2000 census. National City is the ...

. She completed her bachelor's degree at Mount Holyoke College and graduated in 1915. She attended Stanford University to study medicine and earned her

medical degree A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...

in 1920. She moved to the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

for her doctoral studies. Gifford was an intern and house officer at San Francisco General Hospital. She completed a Certificate in Public Health at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

in 1934.

Career

Gifford was the first doctor to investigate a Californian disease called San Joaquin Valley Fever; a disease that cause joint pain and

erythema multiforme Erythema multiforme (EM) is a skin condition that appears with red patches evolving into target lesions, typically on both hands. It is a type of erythema possibly mediated by deposition of immune complexes (mostly IgM-bound complexes) in th ...

Coccidioidomycosis Coccidioidomycosis (, ), commonly known as cocci, Valley fever, as well as California fever, desert rheumatism, or San Joaquin Valley fever, is a mammalian fungal disease caused by '' Coccidioides immitis'' or ''Coccidioides posadasii''. Coccid ...

was first identified by an Argentinian medical student, Alejandro Posadas, in 1892, the year Gifford that was born. It was once considered to be lethal and rare, but was shown by Gifford to be frequent and manageable. She was an Assistant Health Officer for

Kern County, California Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield. Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area. The county s ...

from 1934. Whilst there, she reported that

valley fever A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

patients developed a skin sensitivity (

erythema nodosum Erythema nodosum (EN) is an inflammatory condition characterized by inflammation of the fat cells under the skin, resulting in tender red nodules or lumps that are usually seen on both shins. It can be caused by a variety of conditions, and typi ...

) when injected with a

coccidioides ''Coccidioides'' is a genus of dimorphic ascomycetes in the family Onygenaceae. Member species are the cause of coccidioidomycosis, also known as San Joaquin Valley fever, an infectious fungal disease largely confined to the Western Hemisphere ...

antigen. She began to conduct

skin test A skin test is a medical test in which a substance is injected into the skin. Examples * Casoni test * Corneometry * Dick test * Fernandez reaction * Frei test * Hair perforation test * Kveim test * Leishmanin skin test * Lepromin * Patch t ...

s on all patients who had

; and found that whilst some were symptomless, they were all positive for

. Gifford was the first person to recognise that desert fever and

were caused by the

fungus. This work received national recognition. She was the first to demonstrate that

were the primary stages of the

infection. In 1938, Gifford joined E. C. Dickson to explain that the infection resembles primary tuberculosis and a full clinical recovery is possible. She continued to work on

and found that it occurred more often in men than in women and people of ethnic minorities. Over 80% of the patients who died had been engaged in agriculture or work where dust could have been involved. She continued to advocate for migrant communities and found that 25% of the Arvin Federal Labor Camp were positive for

. Gifford retired in 1954 and lived with her sister Myrtle Glifford. She died in 1966. There is a library dedicated to her honor at

Kern County Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield. Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area. The county sp ...

Public Health Services Department.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gifford, Myrnie American medical academics American public health doctors Stanford University alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni 1892 births 1966 deaths 20th-century American physicians 20th-century American women physicians Mount Holyoke College alumni Women public health doctors