Walter Reed
Encyclopedia
Major
Walter Reed, M.D.
, (September 13, 1851 – November 22, 1902) was a U.S. Army
physician who in 1900 led the team that postulated and confirmed the theory that yellow fever
is transmitted by a particular mosquito
species, rather than by direct contact. This insight gave impetus to the new fields of epidemiology
and biomedicine
, and most immediately allowed the resumption and completion of work on the Panama Canal
(1904–1914) by the United States. Reed followed work started by Carlos Finlay
and directed by George Miller Sternberg
("first U.S. bacteriologist").
, to Lemuel Sutton Reed (a Methodist minister) and Pharaba White.
classes at the University of Virginia
, Reed completed the M.D. degree in 1869, five months before he turned 19 (he was the youngest then, and is still today the youngest student of the University of Virginia to receive an MD degree). He then enrolled at the New York University
's Bellevue Hospital Medical College
in Manhattan, New York, where he obtained a second M.D. in 1870. After interning at several New York City hospitals, he worked for the New York Board of Health until 1875. He married Emilie (born Emily) Lawrence on April 26, 1876 and took her West with him. Later, Emilie would give birth to a son and a daughter and the couple would adopt a Native American girl while posted in frontier camps.
With his youth apparently limiting his influence, Reed joined the U.S. Army Medical Corps, both for its professional opportunities and the modest financial security it could provide. He spent much of his Army career until 1893 at difficult postings in the American West, at one point, looking after several hundred Apache Native Americans, including Geronimo
. During one of his last tours, he completed advanced coursework in pathology and bacteriology in the Johns Hopkins University Hospital Pathology Laboratory
.
Reed joined the faculty of the George Washington University School of Medicine and the newly-opened Army Medical School in Washington, D.C. in 1893, where he held the professorship of Bacteriology and Clinical Microscopy. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he actively pursued medical research projects and served as the curator of the Army Medical Museum, which later became the National Museum of Health and Medicine
(NMHM).
Reed first traveled to Cuba
in 1899 to study disease in U.S. Army encampments there. Yellow fever became a problem for the Army during the Spanish-American War
, felling thousands of soldiers in Cuba.
In May 1900, Reed, a major, returned to Cuba when he was appointed head of the Army board charged by Surgeon General George Miller Sternberg
to examine tropical diseases including yellow fever. Sternberg was one of the founders of bacteriology
during this time of great advances in medicine due to widespread acceptance of Louis Pasteur
's germ theory of disease
, as well as the methods of studying bacteria developed by Robert Koch
.
During Reed's tenure with the U.S. Army Yellow Fever Commission in Cuba, the board both confirmed the transmission by mosquitoes and disproved the common belief that yellow fever could be transmitted by clothing and bedding soiled by the body fluids and excrement of yellow fever sufferers – articles known as fomite
s.
The board conducted many of its dramatic series of experiments at Camp Lazear, named in November 1900 for Reed's assistant and friend Jesse William Lazear
, who had died two months earlier of yellow fever while a member of the Commission.
The risky but fruitful research work was done with human volunteers, including some of the medical personnel such as Lazear and Clara Maass
who allowed themselves to be deliberately infected. The research work with the disease under Reed's leadership was largely responsible for stemming the mortality rates from yellow fever during the building of the Panama Canal
, something that had confounded the French attempts to build in that region only 30 years earlier.
Although Dr. Reed received much of the credit in history books for "beating" yellow fever, Reed himself credited Dr. Carlos Finlay
with the discovery of the yellow fever vector, and thus how it might be controlled. Dr. Reed often cited Finlay's papers in his own articles and gave him credit for the discovery, even in his personal correspondence
Following Reed's return from Cuba in 1901, he continued to speak and publish on yellow fever. He received honorary degrees from Harvard and the University of Michigan in recognition of his seminal work.
In November 1902, Reed's appendix
ruptured; he died on November 22, 1902, of the resulting peritonitis
, at age 51. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery
.
May 1, 1909: Opens the Walter Reed Army general hospital in Washington, D.C. develops a mosquitoes vaccine.
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Walter Reed, M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, (September 13, 1851 – November 22, 1902) was a U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
physician who in 1900 led the team that postulated and confirmed the theory that yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
is transmitted by a particular mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
species, rather than by direct contact. This insight gave impetus to the new fields of epidemiology
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
and biomedicine
Biomedicine
Biomedicine is a branch of medical science that applies biological and other natural-science principles to clinical practice,. Biomedicine, i.e. medical research, involves the study of physiological processes with methods from biology, chemistry and physics. Approaches range from understanding...
, and most immediately allowed the resumption and completion of work on the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
(1904–1914) by the United States. Reed followed work started by Carlos Finlay
Carlos Finlay
Carlos Juan Finlay was a Cuban physician and scientist recognized as a pioneer in yellow fever research.- Early life and education :...
and directed by George Miller Sternberg
George Miller Sternberg
Brigadier General George Miller Sternberg was a U.S. Army physician who is considered the first U.S. bacteriologist, having written Manual of Bacteriology...
("first U.S. bacteriologist").
Biography
Walter Reed was born in Belroi, VirginiaBelroi, Virginia
Belroi is an unincorporated community in Gloucester County, in the U. S. state of Virginia.-References:...
, to Lemuel Sutton Reed (a Methodist minister) and Pharaba White.
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, Reed completed the M.D. degree in 1869, five months before he turned 19 (he was the youngest then, and is still today the youngest student of the University of Virginia to receive an MD degree). He then enrolled at the New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
's Bellevue Hospital Medical College
Bellevue Hospital Center
Bellevue Hospital Center, most often referred to as "Bellevue", was founded on March 31, 1736 and is the oldest public hospital in the United States. Located on First Avenue in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, Bellevue is famous from many literary, film and television...
in Manhattan, New York, where he obtained a second M.D. in 1870. After interning at several New York City hospitals, he worked for the New York Board of Health until 1875. He married Emilie (born Emily) Lawrence on April 26, 1876 and took her West with him. Later, Emilie would give birth to a son and a daughter and the couple would adopt a Native American girl while posted in frontier camps.
With his youth apparently limiting his influence, Reed joined the U.S. Army Medical Corps, both for its professional opportunities and the modest financial security it could provide. He spent much of his Army career until 1893 at difficult postings in the American West, at one point, looking after several hundred Apache Native Americans, including Geronimo
Geronimo
Geronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly, "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident...
. During one of his last tours, he completed advanced coursework in pathology and bacteriology in the Johns Hopkins University Hospital Pathology Laboratory
Johns Hopkins Hospital
The Johns Hopkins Hospital is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland . It was founded using money from a bequest by philanthropist Johns Hopkins...
.
Reed joined the faculty of the George Washington University School of Medicine and the newly-opened Army Medical School in Washington, D.C. in 1893, where he held the professorship of Bacteriology and Clinical Microscopy. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he actively pursued medical research projects and served as the curator of the Army Medical Museum, which later became the National Museum of Health and Medicine
National Museum of Health and Medicine
The National Museum of Health and Medicine is a museum in Silver Spring, Maryland, near Washington, D.C., USA. An element of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, the NMHM is a member of the National Health Sciences Consortium....
(NMHM).
Reed first traveled to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
in 1899 to study disease in U.S. Army encampments there. Yellow fever became a problem for the Army during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, felling thousands of soldiers in Cuba.
In May 1900, Reed, a major, returned to Cuba when he was appointed head of the Army board charged by Surgeon General George Miller Sternberg
George Miller Sternberg
Brigadier General George Miller Sternberg was a U.S. Army physician who is considered the first U.S. bacteriologist, having written Manual of Bacteriology...
to examine tropical diseases including yellow fever. Sternberg was one of the founders of bacteriology
Bacteriology
Bacteriology is the study of bacteria. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classification, and characterization of bacterial species...
during this time of great advances in medicine due to widespread acceptance of Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist born in Dole. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of diseases. His discoveries reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and he created the first vaccine for rabies and anthrax. His experiments...
's germ theory of disease
Germ theory of disease
The germ theory of disease, also called the pathogenic theory of medicine, is a theory that proposes that microorganisms are the cause of many diseases...
, as well as the methods of studying bacteria developed by Robert Koch
Robert Koch
Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch was a German physician. He became famous for isolating Bacillus anthracis , the Tuberculosis bacillus and the Vibrio cholerae and for his development of Koch's postulates....
.
During Reed's tenure with the U.S. Army Yellow Fever Commission in Cuba, the board both confirmed the transmission by mosquitoes and disproved the common belief that yellow fever could be transmitted by clothing and bedding soiled by the body fluids and excrement of yellow fever sufferers – articles known as fomite
Fomite
A fomite is any inanimate object or substance capable of carrying infectious organisms and hence transferring them from one individual to another. A fomite can be anything...
s.
The board conducted many of its dramatic series of experiments at Camp Lazear, named in November 1900 for Reed's assistant and friend Jesse William Lazear
Jesse William Lazear
Jesse William Lazear was an American physician.He was the son of William and Charlotte née Pettigrew...
, who had died two months earlier of yellow fever while a member of the Commission.
The risky but fruitful research work was done with human volunteers, including some of the medical personnel such as Lazear and Clara Maass
Clara Maass
Clara Louise Maass was an American nurse who died as a result of volunteering for medical experiments to study yellow fever.-Early life:...
who allowed themselves to be deliberately infected. The research work with the disease under Reed's leadership was largely responsible for stemming the mortality rates from yellow fever during the building of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
, something that had confounded the French attempts to build in that region only 30 years earlier.
Although Dr. Reed received much of the credit in history books for "beating" yellow fever, Reed himself credited Dr. Carlos Finlay
Carlos Finlay
Carlos Juan Finlay was a Cuban physician and scientist recognized as a pioneer in yellow fever research.- Early life and education :...
with the discovery of the yellow fever vector, and thus how it might be controlled. Dr. Reed often cited Finlay's papers in his own articles and gave him credit for the discovery, even in his personal correspondence
Following Reed's return from Cuba in 1901, he continued to speak and publish on yellow fever. He received honorary degrees from Harvard and the University of Michigan in recognition of his seminal work.
In November 1902, Reed's appendix
Vermiform appendix
The appendix is a blind-ended tube connected to the cecum , from which it develops embryologically. The cecum is a pouchlike structure of the colon...
ruptured; he died on November 22, 1902, of the resulting peritonitis
Peritonitis
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane that lines part of the abdominal cavity and viscera. Peritonitis may be localised or generalised, and may result from infection or from a non-infectious process.-Abdominal pain and tenderness:The main manifestations of...
, at age 51. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
Legacy
Reed's breakthrough in yellow fever research is widely considered a milestone in biomedicine, opening new vistas of research and humanitarianism.- Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH), Washington, D.C. was opened on May 1, 1909, seven years after his death.
- Walter Reed Army Medical CenterWalter Reed Army Medical CenterThe Walter Reed Army Medical Center was the United States Army's flagship medical center until 2011. Located on 113 acres in Washington, D.C., it served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military...
(WRAMC) opened in 1977 as the successor to WRGH; it is the worldwide tertiary care medical center for the U.S. Army and is utilized by congressmen and presidents. - Walter Reed Army Institute of ResearchWalter Reed Army Institute of ResearchThis article is about the U.S. Army medical research institute . Otherwise, see Walter Reed .The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is the largest biomedical research facility administered by the U.S. Department of Defense...
(WRAIR), near Washington, D.C., is the largest biomedical research facility administered by the DoDUnited States Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
. - Walter Reed National Military Medical CenterWalter Reed National Military Medical CenterThe Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is a tri-service military medical center located on the Bethesda, Maryland, USA campus of the former National Naval Medical Center.-Leadership:Commander:Rear Admiral Alton L. Stocks, MD...
, a new hospital complex to be constructed on the grounds of the National Naval Medical CenterNational Naval Medical CenterThe National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, USA — commonly known as the Bethesda Naval Hospital — was for decades the flagship of the United States Navy's system of medical centers. A federal institution, it conducted medical and dental research as well as providing health care for...
, Bethesda, MarylandBethesda, MarylandBethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
by 2011. - Riverside Walter Reed Hospital in Gloucester, Virginia (near Reed's birthplace) opened on September 13, 1977.
- Walter Reed MedalWalter Reed MedalThe Walter Reed Medal is a military decoration of the United States Army which was created by an act of the United States Congress on February 28, 1929...
(1912 to present) was awarded posthumously to Reed for his yellow fever work. - Walter Reed Middle SchoolWalter Reed Middle SchoolWalter Reed Middle School is located in North Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, United States. Originally called North Hollywood Junior High School, it was later renamed in honor of U.S. Army Major Walter Reed....
, North Hollywood, California is named in Reed's honor. - Reed was portrayed by Lewis StoneLewis StoneLewis Shepard Stone was an American actor.Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, son of Bertrand Stone and Philena Heald Ball. Stone's hair grew gray by the time he was twenty. He fought in the Spanish-American War, then returned to a career as a writer. He soon began acting...
in a 1938 Hollywood movie, Yellow JackYellow Jack (play and film)Yellow Jack is a 1934 play and a 1938 Hollywood movie, both co-written by Sidney Howard and Paul de Kruif ....
(from a 1934 play). The same storyline was again presented in television episodes (both titled "Yellow Jack") of Celanese Theatre (1952) and of Producers' ShowcaseProducers' ShowcaseProducers' Showcase is an American anthology television series that was telecast live during the 1950s in compatible color by NBC. With top talent, the 90-minute episodes, covering a wide variety of genres, aired under the title every fourth Monday at 8 p.m. ET for three seasons, beginning October...
(1955), in the latter of which Reed was portrayed by Broderick CrawfordBroderick CrawfordBroderick Crawford was an Academy Award-winning American stage, film, radio and TV actor, often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his starring role in the television series "Highway Patrol."-Early life:...
. - PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
's American ExperienceAmerican ExperienceAmerican Experience is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service Public television stations in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American history...
series broadcast a 2006 episode, The Great Fever, on the Reed yellow fever campaign. - Philip S. Hench Walter Reed Yellow Fever Collection at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Library
- Walter Reed Army Medical Center Firefighters Washington D.C. IAFF F151
- The Walter Reed Tropical Medicine CourseWalter Reed Tropical Medicine CourseThe Walter Reed Tropical Medicine Course at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is one of the many Tropical Medicine Training Courses available in the US and worldwide . It is an intensive 5-day course created to familiarize students with tropical diseases they may encounter overseas...
- Reed appears in sculpture on the great stone chancel screen at Riverside ChurchRiverside ChurchThe Riverside Church in the City of New York is an interdenominational church in New York City, famous for its elaborate Neo-Gothic architecture—which includes the world's largest tuned carillon bell...
, NYC. (Section 4: "Humanitarians", rather than Section 1: "Physicians".)
May 1, 1909: Opens the Walter Reed Army general hospital in Washington, D.C. develops a mosquitoes vaccine.
Other sources
- Bean, William B.William Bennett BeanWilliam Bennett Bean was a well-known internist, medical historian and teacher.-Biography:...
, Walter Reed: A Biography, Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1982. - Bean, William B., "Walter Reed and Yellow Fever", JAMAJournal of the American Medical AssociationThe Journal of the American Medical Association is a weekly, peer-reviewed, medical journal, published by the American Medical Association. Beginning in July 2011, the editor in chief will be Howard C. Bauchner, vice chairman of pediatrics at Boston University’s School of Medicine, replacing ...
250.5 (August 5, 1983): 659–62. - Pierce J.R., J, Writer. 2005. Yellow Jack: How Yellow Fever Ravaged America and Walter Reed Discovered its Deadly Secrets. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 0-471-47261-1
External links
- Video: Reed Medical Pioneers Biography on Health.mil – The Military Health System provides a look at the life and work of Walter Reed.
- WRAMC Website Reed History
- WRAIR Website Reed History
- University of Virginia, Philip S. Hench – Walter Reed Yellow Fever Collection: Walter Reed Biography