John G. FitzGerald
Encyclopedia
Dr. John Gerald "Gerry" FitzGerald (December 9, 1882 in Drayton, Ontario
– June 20, 1940) was a Canadian physician
and public health
specialist who was instrumental in the control of diphtheria
, first by producing and freely distributing antitoxin
, and then in 1924 by using mass production
to enable widespread use of the vaccine
devised by Gaston Ramon
.
FitzGerald, the son of a pharmacist
, attended the University of Toronto Medical School, graduating in 1903. He initially studied psychiatry
, and did internships at Johns Hopkins Hospital
and Sheppard Pratt before becoming the clinical director and chief pathologist of the Toronto Asylum for the Insane in 1907, where he worked under Charles Kirk Clarke
. In 1909, he spent a year at Harvard University
studying bacteriology
, and in 1910 he married heiress Edna Leonard; they spent their honeymoon traveling Europe, where he worked with Emile Roux at the Pasteur Institute
.
In 1913, he became an associate professor of hygiene at the University of Toronto, in which position he prepared Canada's first locally-made rabies vaccine
, and in early 1914, he used money from his wife's inheritance to found the University of Toronto Anti-Toxin Laboratories (renamed Connaught Laboratories in 1917), where he led the production of diphtheria vaccines which were distributed for free: "within reach of everyone".
In 1927, FitzGerald founded the University of Toronto's School of Hygiene with sponsorship from the Rockefeller Foundation
. In 1931, the Foundation hired him as Scientific Director of their International Health Division (a position he retained until 1934), and in 1932 the University of Toronto named him Dean of Medicine (a position he retained until 1936). In 1936, he spent a year traveling the world, assessing medical schools in 24 countries for the League of Nations
.
On June 20, 1940, FitzGerald committed suicide. His funeral was held at the University of Toronto's Convocation Hall; Frederick Banting
and Charles Best were among his pallbearer
s.
The University of Toronto's FitzGerald Building, home of several departments associated with the faculty of medicine, is named for him, as is the FitzGerald Academy, a network of hospitals and health agencies providing undergraduate medical training.
In 2004, he was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
.
In 2010, FitzGerald's grandson, historian and author James FitzGerald
, published What Disturbs Our Blood, a family biography detailing the medical accomplishments of two generations of FitzGeralds, and the mental illnesses which led to their suicides.
Drayton, Ontario
Drayton is a community in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. It is a part of the township of Mapleton in North Wellington County. The village is on the corner of Wellington Road 8 and Wellington Road 11, geographically northwest of Fergus and southwest of Arthur.-Education:Drayton is in the Upper...
– June 20, 1940) was a Canadian physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and public health
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" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
specialist who was instrumental in the control of diphtheria
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...
, first by producing and freely distributing antitoxin
Antitoxin
An antitoxin is an antibody with the ability to neutralize a specific toxin. Antitoxins are produced by certain animals, plants, and bacteria. Although they are most effective in neutralizing toxins, they can kill bacteria and other microorganisms. Antitoxins are made within organisms, but can be...
, and then in 1924 by using mass production
Mass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
to enable widespread use of the vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
devised by Gaston Ramon
Gaston Ramon
Gaston Ramon was a French veterinarian and biologist best known for his role in the treatment of diphtheria and tetanus.He was born in Bellechaume and attended l'École vétérinaire d'Alfort from 1906 to 1910...
.
FitzGerald, the son of a pharmacist
Pharmacist
Pharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
, attended the University of Toronto Medical School, graduating in 1903. He initially studied psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
, and did internships at Johns Hopkins Hospital
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...
and Sheppard Pratt before becoming the clinical director and chief pathologist of the Toronto Asylum for the Insane in 1907, where he worked under Charles Kirk Clarke
Charles Kirk Clarke
Charles Kirk Clarke was a psychiatrist who was influential in Canadian politics.-Career:He graduated from University of Toronto in 1879 and went on to found the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene in 1914 with Dr...
. In 1909, he spent a year at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
studying bacteriology
Bacteriology
Bacteriology is the study of bacteria. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classification, and characterization of bacterial species...
, and in 1910 he married heiress Edna Leonard; they spent their honeymoon traveling Europe, where he worked with Emile Roux at the Pasteur Institute
Pasteur Institute
The Pasteur Institute is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who made some of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine at the time, including pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax...
.
In 1913, he became an associate professor of hygiene at the University of Toronto, in which position he prepared Canada's first locally-made rabies vaccine
Rabies vaccine
Rabies vaccine is a vaccine used to control rabies. Rabies can be prevented by vaccination, both in humans and other animals.-In animals:Currently, pre-exposure immunization has been used on domesticated and normal non-human populations...
, and in early 1914, he used money from his wife's inheritance to found the University of Toronto Anti-Toxin Laboratories (renamed Connaught Laboratories in 1917), where he led the production of diphtheria vaccines which were distributed for free: "within reach of everyone".
In 1927, FitzGerald founded the University of Toronto's School of Hygiene with sponsorship from the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
. In 1931, the Foundation hired him as Scientific Director of their International Health Division (a position he retained until 1934), and in 1932 the University of Toronto named him Dean of Medicine (a position he retained until 1936). In 1936, he spent a year traveling the world, assessing medical schools in 24 countries for the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
.
On June 20, 1940, FitzGerald committed suicide. His funeral was held at the University of Toronto's Convocation Hall; Frederick Banting
Frederick Banting
Sir Frederick Grant Banting, KBE, MC, FRS, FRSC was a Canadian medical scientist, doctor and Nobel laureate noted as one of the main discoverers of insulin....
and Charles Best were among his pallbearer
Pallbearer
A pall-bearer is one of several funeral participants who helps carry the casket of a deceased person from a religious or memorial service or viewing either directly to a cemetery or mausoleum, or to and from the hearse which carries the coffin....
s.
The University of Toronto's FitzGerald Building, home of several departments associated with the faculty of medicine, is named for him, as is the FitzGerald Academy, a network of hospitals and health agencies providing undergraduate medical training.
In 2004, he was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is a Canadian charitable organization, founded in 1994, that honours Canadians who have contributed to the understanding of disease and improving the health of people. It has a museum in London, Ontario, and has an annual induction ceremony.-2012:*Terry Fox*John...
.
In 2010, FitzGerald's grandson, historian and author James FitzGerald
James FitzGerald (writer)
James FitzGerald is a Canadian writer, who won the 2010 Writers' Trust Non-Fiction Prize for his book What Disturbs Our Blood: A Son's Quest to Redeem the Past....
, published What Disturbs Our Blood, a family biography detailing the medical accomplishments of two generations of FitzGeralds, and the mental illnesses which led to their suicides.
External links
- Biography of Dr. FitzGerald, prepared at the behest of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, on the occasion of his 2004 induction (at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
) - Dr. John Gerald FitzGerald, a Heritage MinuteHeritage MinuteHeritage Minutes, also known officially as Historica Minutes: History by the Minute, are sixty-second short films, each illustrating an important moment in Canadian history. They appear frequently on Canadian television and in cinemas before movies...
- Obituary in the British Medical JournalBritish Medical JournalBMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
- Obituary in the Journal of the American Medical AssociationJournal 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 ...