William Thompson Sedgwick (December 29, 1855 – January 25, 1921) was a teacher, epidemiologist, bacteriologist, and a key figure in shaping
public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. He was president of many scientific and professional organizations during his lifetime, including president of the American Public Health Association in 1915. He was one of three founders of the joint MIT-Harvard School of Public Health in 1913.
Early life and education
William T. Sedgwick was born on December 29, 1855, in West Hartford, Connecticut. He was the son of William Sedgwick and Anne Thompson Sedgwick. In 1877, he received his undergraduate degree from the
Sheffield Scientific School
Sheffield Scientific School was founded in 1847 as a school of Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut, for instruction in science and engineering. Originally named the Yale Scientific School, it was renamed in 1861 in honor of Joseph E. Sheffield, ...
at Yale University. He studied for two years at the Yale School of Medicine, where he was also an instructor in physiological chemistry (1878–1879).Marquis, Albert N. ed. (1910). “William T. Sedgwick.” Who’s Who in America. Vol. 6, Chicago:A.N. Marquis, 1710. He left Yale to take up studies at Johns Hopkins University in physiology. He became interested in biology and changed his course of study graduating with a PhD in biology in 1881. He remained at Hopkins for two years as an associate in biology.Garraty, John A. and Mark C. Carnes eds. (1999). William T. Sedgwick: American National Biography. Vol.10, 586–7. New York City, N.Y.: Oxford University Press.Whipple, George C. (1921). “The Public Health Work of Professor Sedgwick.” American Journal of Public Health. 11:4, 361–7.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
In 1883, Sedgwick was appointed to the faculty at MIT. He was promoted to associate professor in 1884 and to full professor in 1891. He became head of what ultimately became known as the Department of Biology at MIT.
In 1888, Sedgwick began giving lectures in bacteriology to students in the civil engineering curriculum. His students became the spokesmen and practitioners who brought the principles of public health into the practice of engineering beginning in the 1890s and lasting well into the 20th century.
While he has been hailed as the first scientific American epidemiologist, Sedgwick was also described as not having a mathematical mind. He taught ideas and principles to his students. He instilled in his students the need to develop three basic behaviors: a vision of the subject in relation to the broader world, an honest method of working to seek the truth and an enthusiasm for service to the profession the public.Jordan, E. O., George C. Whipple, and Charles-Edward A. Winslow (1924). A Pioneer of Public Health: William Thompson Sedgwick. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press.
In 1902, he published the groundbreaking book ''Principles of Sanitary Science and the Public Health'', which was a compilation of his lectures from the courses he taught at MIT and a distillation of his experience working in the field.
Sedgwick influenced many practitioners in the field of public health. Among the best known are
Charles-Edward Amory Winslow Charles-Edward Amory Winslow (February 4, 1877 – January 8, 1957) was an American bacteriologist and public health expert who was, according to the ''Encyclopedia of Public Health'',"Winslow, Charles-Edward Amory.", ''Encyclopedia of Public He ...
,
Samuel Cate Prescott
Samuel Cate Prescott (April 5, 1872 – March 19, 1962) was an American food scientist and microbiologist who was involved in the development of food safety, food science, public health, and industrial microbiology.
Early life
Prescott was bo ...
, and
William Lyman Underwood
William Lyman Underwood (1864 – January 24, 1929) was an American photographer who was also involved in the research of time-temperature canning research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1895 to 1896.
Biography
A na ...
. He played a key role in Prescott's choice to go into
bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classificat ...
as a career, and was instrumental in Prescott's selection in the
canning
Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although u ...
research with Underwood in 1895 – 6 that would lead to the growth of
food technology
Food technology is a branch of food science that deals with the production, preservation, quality control and research and development of the food products.
Early scientific research into food technology concentrated on food preservation. Nic ...
.
Harvard-MIT School for Public Health Officers
Sedgwick’s courses at MIT and his influence on civil engineering students there can be considered the first instructions in the field of public health.Winslow, Charles-Edward A. (1953). “They Were Giants in Those Days.” American Journal of Public Health. 43 (June): 15-9. However, he and two colleagues felt that a more formal academic structure was needed. In 1913, he joined with George C. Whipple and Milton J. Rosenau to establish the Harvard-MIT School for Public Health Officers. This was the first formal academic program designed to train public health professionals. The joint program lasted until 1922 when Harvard University decided to launch th Harvard School of Public Health
Lawrence Experiment Station
Beginning in 1888, Sedgwick was appointed as consulting biologist to the Massachusetts State Board of Health. He directed bacteriological research at the Lawrence Experiment Station and sent his brightest engineering students to work there—including
George W. Fuller
George Warren Fuller (December 21, 1868 – June 15, 1934) was an American sanitary engineer who was also trained in bacteriology and chemistry. His career extended from 1890 to 1934 and he was responsible for important innovations in water and ...
and
Allen Hazen
Allen Hazen (August 28, 1869 – July 26, 1930) was an expert in hydraulics, flood control, water purification and sewage treatment. His career extended from 1888 to 1930 and he is, perhaps, best known for his contributions to hydraulics with the ...
. Even though he was not known for his laboratory research studies, he was responsible, along with George W. Rafter in 1889, for developing the enumeration procedure and apparatus for examining microscopic organisms in surface water bodies.
The Sedgwick-Rafter counting cell is still in use today.
The Lawrence Experiment Station annual reports highlighted Sedgwick’s role as an epidemiologist. “In epidemiology, Sedgwick played a more direct and personal role and he was, indeed, the first scientific American epidemiologist.” Sedgwick used the annual report covering the work done in 1891 as a vehicle to publish his epidemiological studies of typhoid fever. “In the Annual Report of the State Board of Health of Massachusetts for 1892, Sedgwick presented studies on typhoid fever epidemics at Lowell and Lawrence, at Springfield and at Bondsville, which were classics in the field and which make this one of the most outstanding volumes in the history of epidemiology.”Sedgwick, William T. (1891). “Typhoid Fever in Its Relation to Water Supplies.” In State Board of Health of Massachusetts, Twenty-Second Annual Report. Boston:State of Massachusetts, 525-43.
Water quality and the Jersey City trials
At the end of the 19th century, the water supply for
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Rockaway River, which included a dam, reservoir and 23-mile pipeline.McGuire, Michael J. (2013). ''The Chlorine Revolution: Water Disinfection and the Fight to Save Lives.'' Denver, CO:American Water Works Association. The project was completed on May 23, 1904; however, no treatment was provided to the water supply, because the contract did not require it. The city, claiming that the contract provisions were not fulfilled, filed a lawsuit in the Chancery Court of New Jersey. Jersey City officials complained that the water served to the city was not "pure and wholesome." Sedgwick testified as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in both trials. In the first trial, he testified that the water that was supplied to the city was contaminated with bacteria from sewage discharges in the watershed above the reservoir.
In the second trial, Sedgwick disagreed strongly with the proposal by John L. Leal to treat the water from the reservoir with
calcium hypochlorite
Calcium hypochlorite is an inorganic compound with formula Ca(OCl)2. It is the main active ingredient of commercial products called bleaching powder, chlorine powder, or chlorinated lime, used for water treatment and as a bleaching agent. Thi ...
, which was called chloride of lime at that time. Instead, he believed that the construction of sewers in the watershed and a sewage disposal plant would be the preferable course of action. He also testified that chlorination did not remove organic matter, particulates and other filth, which could weaken the vital resistance of water consumers. However, the chlorination system was found to be safe, effective and reliable by the Special Master, William J. Magie, and was judged capable of supplying Jersey City with water that was "pure and wholesome."
Personal life
Sedgwick lived his entire life in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
. He married Mary Katrine Rice of New Haven, Connecticut, on December 29, 1881. They had no children.
Sedgwick was a supporter of many causes that furthered the betterment of the public, and he volunteered his time for numerous charitable institutions, including his position of curator of the
Lowell Institute
The Lowell Institute is a United States educational foundation located in Boston, Massachusetts, providing both free public lectures, and also advanced lectures. It was endowed by a bequest of $250,000 left by John Lowell Jr., who died in 1836. ...
beginning in 1897.”William Thompson Sedgwick.” 1921. Obituary Record of Yale Graduates. New Haven:Yale University, 203-6. However, he opposed women’s suffrage and anything that smacked of equality of the sexes. In a long article in ''The New York Times'', Sedgwick stated his views plainly. He believed that women’s suffrage and feminism "...would mean a degeneration and degradation of human fibre which would turn back the hands of time a thousand years."
Publications
Sedgwick was a prolific writer who published several hundred papers and other writings. His two most influential books were ''Principles of Sanitary Science and the Public Health'' and ''A Short History of Science''. In the book ''A Pioneer of Public Health'' the authors include a complete list of Sedgwick's publications.
Professional associations and assignments
He joined the New England Water Works Association in 1890 and was elected president of that organization in 1905. In 1902, he joined the American Public Health Association and became its president in 1915. He helped found the Society of American Bacteriologists (now
American Society for Microbiology
The American Society for Microbiology (ASM), originally the Society of American Bacteriologists, is a professional organization for scientists who study viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa as well as other aspects of microbiology. It ...
) and was chosen as president in 1900. He was also president of the American Society of Naturalists in 1900.
Sedgwick became a member of the Advisory Committee of the U.S. Public Health Service in 1902 and was involved in the adoption of the first national standards on drinking water quality—elimination of the common cup in 1912 and bacteriological standards for interstate carriers in 1914. After World War I, he was commissioned as Assistant Surgeon General in the reserves of the U.S. Public Health Service. Also, in 1914, Sedgwick was appointed a member of the Massachusetts Public Health Council, which was a component of the State Department of Public Health. He served on the Committee on Sanitary Engineering and he was Chairman of the Committee on Food and Drugs.
Honors and awards
In 1904, he was made an honorary member of the New England Water Works Association. He was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1901 and became vice president of that organization in 1905. In 1906, sixty of his former students gathered to honor Sedgwick at a dinner and symposium in Boston, MA. A middle school has been named in his honor in West Hartford, CT.
In 1909, Yale University conferred upon him the honorary degree of Sc.D. and the University of Cincinnati gave him an honorary LL.D. in 1920.
The American Public Health Association established the
Sedgwick Memorial Medal
The Sedgwick Memorial Medal, given by the American Public Health Association, was established in 1929 for distinguished service and advancement of public health knowledge and practice. It is considered the APHA's highest honor.
The medal is esta ...
in 1929 in his honor, for distinguished service and advancement of public health knowledge and practice. It is considered the APHA's highest honor.
Selected publications
*Sedgwick, William T. (1890). “The Data of Filtration: I. Some Recent Experiments on the Removal of Bacteria from Drinking Water by Continuous Filtration Through Sand.” In Technology Quarterly Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Boston:MIT 69-75.
*Sedgwick, William T. (1891). “Typhoid Fever in Its Relation to Water Supplies.” In State Board of Health of Massachusetts, Twenty-Second Annual Report. Boston:State of Massachusetts, 525-43.
*Sedgwick, William T. (1892). “The Purification of Drinking Water by Sand Filtration: Its Theory, Practice, and Results; with Special Reference to American Needs and European Experience.” Journal New England Water Works Association 7:2 (December 1892): 103-30.
*Sedgwick, William T. (1893). “On Recent Epidemics of Typhoid Fever in the Cities of Lowell and Lawrence Due to Infected Water Supply: With Observations on Typhoid Fever in Other Cities and Towns of the Merrimack Valley, Especially Newburyport.” In State Board of Health of Massachusetts, Twenty-Fourth Annual Report. Boston:State of Massachusetts, 667-704.
*Sedgwick, William T. (1902). Principles of Sanitary Science and the Public Health: With Special Reference to the Causation and Prevention of Infectious Diseases. New York:McMillan.
*Sedgwick, William T. and J. Scott MacNutt. (1910). “On the Mills-Reincke Phenomenon and Hazen’s Theorem Concerning the Decrease in Mortality from Diseases Other Than Typhoid Fever Following the Purification of Public Water-Supplies.” Journal of Infectious Diseases. 7:4 (August 24, 1910): 489-564.