Wade Hampton Frost (March 3, 1880 – May 1, 1938) was born in

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. He was the son of a country doctor. Before college, he was first homeschooled by his mother, and then spent the final two years in boarding school. He received his B.A. in 1901 and his M.D. in 1903, both from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

. He was the first resident lecturer at the

Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is the public health graduate school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. As the second independent, degree-granting institution for research in epi ...

and was later professor of

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

. Frost served as Chair of the Department of Epidemiology from 1919 until 1938 and served as Dean of the School from 1931 until 1934. His work included studies of the epidemiology of poliomyelitis, influenza,

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

, and

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, i ...

. In 1906, Frost assisted in the first successful arrest of a

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

epidemic in the United States. He also helped field investigations regarding typhoid outbreaks and water pollution by applying his knowledge of microbiology laboratory techniques. Frost's personal life is rarely touched on, but one of the presumed reasons that he focused on tuberculosis was because he was diagnosed with incipient pulmonary tuberculosis when he was in his thirties. He had to spend several months in a sanatorium when diagnosed. He is often considered the father of modern epidemiology. Frost's bibliography consists of 57 scientific publications.He died in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Maryland on May 1, 1938, of esophageal cancer.

References

External links

"A Guide to the Wade Hampton Frost Collection."
Claude Moore Health Sciences Library,

1880 births 1938 deaths University of Virginia alumni Johns Hopkins University faculty People from Marshall, Virginia American public health doctors University of Virginia School of Medicine alumni Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Members of the American Epidemiological Society {{US-physician-stub