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William Henry Welch (April 8, 1850 – April 30, 1934) was an American
physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
,
pathologist Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in th ...
,
bacteriologist A bacteriologist is a microbiologist, or similarly trained professional, in bacteriology -- a subdivision of microbiology that studies bacteria, typically pathogenic ones. Bacteriologists are interested in studying and learning about bacteria, ...
, and medical-school administrator. He was one of the "Big Four" founding professors at the
Johns Hopkins Hospital The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. It was founded in 1889 using money from a bequest of over $7 million (1873 ...
.Johns Hopkins Medicine:The Four Founding Professors
Hopkinsmedicine.org. Retrieved on 2012-03-12.
He was the first dean of the
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) is the medical school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1893, the School of Medicine shares a campus with the Johns Hopkins Hospi ...
and was also the founder of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, the first school of
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 country. Welch was more known for his cogent summations of current scientific work, than his own scientific research. The Johns Hopkins medical school
library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...
is also named after Welch. In his lifetime, he was called the "Dean of American Medicine" and received various awards and honors throughout his lifetime and posthumously.


Biography


Early life

He was born on April 8, 1850, to William Wickham Welch and Emeline Collin Welch in
Norfolk, Connecticut Norfolk () is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,588 at the 2020 census. The urban center of the town is the Norfolk census-designated place, with a population of 553 at the 2010 census. Norfolk is p ...
. He had a long family history of physicians and surgeons, starting with his grandfather Benjamin Welch. Benjamin was also on the medical forefront of his time, establishing his county's medical association. William H. Welch was educated at Norfolk Academy and the Winchester Institute, a boarding school. His father and a grandfather and four of his uncles were all physicians. William Henry entered
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
in 1866, where he studied
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and classics. Initially, Welch was not interested in becoming a physician; his primary ambition was to teach the Greek language. He received an AB degree in 1870. As an undergraduate, he joined the
Skull and Bones Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death, is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...
fraternity. Welch remained a lifelong bachelor. He was the uncle of Senator
Frederic C. Walcott Frederic Collin Walcott (February 19, 1869April 27, 1949) was a United States senator from Connecticut. Biography Born in New York Mills, Oneida County, New York, the son of William Stuart Walcott and Emeline Alice Welch Walcott, Walcott atte ...
.


Early career

After a short period of teaching high-school students in
Norwich, New York Norwich is a city and county seat of Chenango County, New York, United States. Surrounded on all sides by the Town of Norwich,. The name is taken from Norwich, England. Its population was 7,190 at the 2010 census. Lt. Warren Eaton Airpo ...
, Welch went to study medicine at the
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the graduate medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founded ...
, in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. In 1875, he received his MD. From 1876 to 1877, he studied at several German laboratories to work with, among others, Julius Cohnheim and
Rudolf Virchow Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow (; or ; 13 October 18215 September 1902) was a German physician, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist, writer, editor, and politician. He is known as "the father of modern pathology" and as the founder ...
. This experience abroad prompted Welch to model his plans for a new medical institute on the Institute of the History of Medicine at the
University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December ...
. He returned to America in 1877 and opened a laboratory at Bellevue Medical College (now a part of New York University Medical School).


Later career at Johns Hopkins

In 1884, he was the first physician recruited to be a professor at the newly forming Johns Hopkins Hospital and Medical School 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
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
. By 1886, he had 16 graduate physicians working in his laboratory – the first postgraduate training program for physicians in the country. He helped the trustees recruit the other founding physicians for the hospital –
William Stewart Halsted William Stewart Halsted, M.D. (September 23, 1852 – September 7, 1922) was an American surgeon who emphasized strict aseptic technique during surgical procedures, was an early champion of newly discovered anesthetics, and introduced several ...
,
William Osler Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet, (; July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919) was a Canadian physician and one of the "Big Four" founding professors of Johns Hopkins Hospital. Osler created the first residency program for specialty training of phys ...
, and
Howard Kelly Howard Kelly may refer to: * Howard Kelly (Royal Navy officer) - (1873-1952) Royal Navy admiral * Howard Atwood Kelly Howard Atwood Kelly (February 20, 1858 – January 12, 1943) was an American gynecologist. He obtained his B.A. degree and M ...
. Welch became head of the Department of Pathology when the hospital opened in 1889. In 1893, he also became the first dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and in 1916, he established and led the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, the first school of
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 country. During this time, Welch was also involved in creating a new medical library for Johns Hopkins. He embarked on a
sabbatical A sabbatical (from the Hebrew: (i.e., Sabbath); in Latin ; Greek: ) is a rest or break from work. The concept of the sabbatical is based on the Biblical practice of '' shmita'' (sabbatical year), which is related to agriculture. According ...
in Europe, where he visited the University of Leipzig's Institute and various other universities, as well as libraries and bookstores. These German institutions influenced Welch's design for the Institute of the History of Medicine at Johns Hopkins, which was established in October 1929. The new institute also built on the already existing Johns Hopkins Hospital Historical Club (est. 1890), of which Welch had been a co-founder. Welch is also the founding editor-in-chief of the ''
American Journal of Epidemiology The American Journal of Epidemiology (''AJE'') is a peer-reviewed journal for empirical research findings, opinion pieces, and methodological developments in the field of epidemiological research. The current editor-in-chief is Dr. Enrique Schis ...
''. Graduates of Welch's training programs were highly coveted as academic physicians. Medical schools and institutes across the country vied for Welch's former students and graduate scientists to fill top posts. Many of his residents went on to become highly prominent physicians, including Walter Reed, co-discoverer of the cause of
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. ...
, Simon Flexner, founding director of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, and future Nobel laureates George Whipple and
Peyton Rous Francis Peyton Rous () (October 5, 1879 – February 16, 1970) was an American pathologist at the Rockefeller University known for his works in oncoviruses, blood transfusion and physiology of digestion. A medical graduate from the Johns Hopk ...
. Welch's research was principally in
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 ...
, and he is the discoverer of the
organism In biology, an organism () is any living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells ( cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and fu ...
that causes
gas gangrene Gas gangrene (also known as clostridial myonecrosis and myonecrosis) is a bacterial infection that produces tissue gas in gangrene. This deadly form of gangrene usually is caused by '' Clostridium perfringens'' bacteria. About 1,000 cases of gas ...
. It was named ''Clostridium welchii'' in recognition of that fact, but now the organism usually is designated as '' Clostridium perfringens''. From 1901 to 1933, he was founding president of the Board of Scientific Directors at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. He was an instrumental reformer of medical education in the United States, as well as a president of the
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 Nat ...
from 1913–1917. He also was president of the
American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016. The AMA's sta ...
, the Association of American Physicians, the
History of Science Society The History of Science Society (HSS) is the primary professional society for the academic study of the history of science. It was founded in 1924 by George Sarton, David Eugene Smith, and Lawrence Joseph Henderson, primarily to support the publi ...
, the Congress of American Physicians and Surgeons, the Society of American Bacteriologists, and the Maryland State Board of Health. Welch was a founding editor of the '' Journal of Experimental Medicine''. Welch served in the
U.S. Army Medical Corps The Medical Corps (MC) of the U.S. Army is a staff corps (non-combat specialty branch) of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD) consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an M.D. or a D.O. degree, at least one ...
during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, and played a major role in the response to the
1918 Influenza Pandemic The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...
. He remained in the Reserve Corps for three years thereafter, attaining the rank of
brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...
(O7). For his service during the war, Welch received the
Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...
.


Death

Welch died on April 30, 1934, at the age of 84, of prostatic
adenocarcinoma Adenocarcinoma (; plural adenocarcinomas or adenocarcinomata ) (AC) is a type of cancerous tumor that can occur in several parts of the body. It is defined as neoplasia of epithelial tissue that has glandular origin, glandular characteristics, o ...
at
Johns Hopkins Hospital The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. It was founded in 1889 using money from a bequest of over $7 million (1873 ...
.


Honors and awards

* Welch was awarded the Royal Order of the Crown of Prussia in 1911. * In 1927, Welch received the Kober Medal from the American Association of Physicians. * The William H. Welch Medical Library at Johns Hopkins, which opened in 1929, was decided on March 5, 1928, to be named after him. * In 1931, Welch received the Harben Medal from the
Royal Institute of Public Health Royal Institute of Public Health merged in 2008 with the Royal Society for Health to form Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH). History The institute was the amalgamation of a few societies. The Metropolitan Association of Medical Officers of ...
for his professorship in the history of medicine. * In 1950, the first William H. Welch Medal was awarded by American Association for the History of Medicine to honor authors in field of medical history * Welch Road, in the vicinity of
Stanford University Medical Center Stanford University Medical Center is a medical complex which includes Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health. It is consistently ranked as one of the best hospitals in the United States and serves as a teaching hospital for the S ...
in Stanford, California, is named in his honor.


See also

* William H. Welch House


References


Further reading


Chronology of the Life of William Henry Welch

Bench and Bedside, December 2007, "Honoring the Past"
* (This book covers a great deal of Welch's life as well as other medical people of the era.) *Donald Fleming (1954). ''William H. Welch and the Rise of Modern Medicine''. The Johns Hopkins University Press. . * {{DEFAULTSORT:Welch, William H. 1850 births 1934 deaths American pathologists American medical researchers Yale University alumni Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni Johns Hopkins University faculty United States Army Medical Corps officers United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army generals Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Presidents of the United States National Academy of Sciences People from Norfolk, Connecticut Deaths from adenoid cystic carcinoma Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Presidents of the American Society for Microbiology Deaths from cancer in Maryland Presidents of the American Medical Association