Roger Brooke
Encyclopedia
Brigadier General
Roger Brooke, M.D.
(June 14, 1878, Sandy Springs, Maryland – December 18, 1940) was a surgeon and U.S. Army medical corps
officer. Brooke Army Medical Center
in San Antonio, Texas
, is named for him.
in Newton, Pennsylvania
, and later entered the University of Maryland Medical School in Baltimore
, where he graduated in 1900. He joined the Medical Corps, United States Army, June 29, 1901, as a First Lieutenant. After graduating from the Army Medical School
in 1902, he was assigned to the Philippine Islands for a tour of duty. He married Grace M. Macomb in 1905 and became a specialist in infectious disease
s, especially tuberculosis
.
Other tours of duty included Fort Bayard
, New Mexico
, Fort Leavenworth
, Kansas
, and Attending Surgeon in Washington, D.C.
. He spent the period of the World War in instruction work, serving from September 1917 to December 1918, first as Senior Instructor and later as Commanding Officer of the Medical Officers' Training Camp, Camp Greenleaf, Georgia
, where 10,000 officers and 70,000 enlisted men were prepared for service with the armed forces. For this he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal
.
Later tours of duty included the office of the Surgeon General, Washington and the Division of Medicine of the Veterans Bureau, Gorgas Hospital
, Canal Zone
. In 1929, Brooke assumed command of the Station Hospital, Fort Sam Houston
, San Antonio, Texas
, a position he held until 1933. He is credited with instituting the first routine chest X-ray
in military medicine
. In 1935 Brooke was ordered to Washington in charge of the Professional Service Division. His next tour was at Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, where he was in command when he received his promotion to brigadier general
(January 29, 1938). He was transferred to the Medical Field Service School, Carlisle Barracks
, Pennsylvania
, where he remained on duty as commandant until his death in 1940.
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Roger Brooke, M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
(June 14, 1878, Sandy Springs, Maryland – December 18, 1940) was a surgeon and U.S. Army medical corps
Army Medical Department (United States)
The Army Medical Department of the U.S. Army – known as the AMEDD – comprises the Army's six medical Special Branches of officers and medical enlisted soldiers. It was established as the "Army Hospital" in July 1775 to coordinate the medical care required by the Continental Army during the...
officer. Brooke Army Medical Center
Brooke Army Medical Center
Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio is part of the United States Army Medical Command. It is a University of Texas Health Science Center and USUHS teaching hospital and contains the Army Burn Center....
in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, is named for him.
Biography
Brooke was the son of Roger and Louisa (Thomas) Brooke. He attended George SchoolGeorge School
George School is a private Quaker boarding and day high school located on a rural campus near Newtown, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded at its present site in 1893, and has grown from a single building to over 20 academic, athletic, and residential buildings...
in Newton, Pennsylvania
Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Newtown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,248 at the 2010 census. It is located just west of the Trenton, New Jersey metropolitan area, and is part of the larger Philadelphia metropolitan area. It is entirely surrounded by Newtown Township, from which...
, and later entered the University of Maryland Medical School in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, where he graduated in 1900. He joined the Medical Corps, United States Army, June 29, 1901, as a First Lieutenant. After graduating from the Army Medical School
Army Medical School
Founded by U.S. Army Brigadier General George Miller Sternberg, MD in 1893, the Army Medical School was by some reckonings the world's first school of public health and preventive medicine...
in 1902, he was assigned to the Philippine Islands for a tour of duty. He married Grace M. Macomb in 1905 and became a specialist in infectious disease
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
s, especially tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.
Other tours of duty included Fort Bayard
Fort Bayard
Fort Bayard may refer to:* Fort Bayard, the city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong province, China*Fort Bayard Historic District, a frontier fort in New Mexico* Fort Bayard National Cemetery, at Fort Bayard, New Mexico...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, and Attending Surgeon in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. He spent the period of the World War in instruction work, serving from September 1917 to December 1918, first as Senior Instructor and later as Commanding Officer of the Medical Officers' Training Camp, Camp Greenleaf, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, where 10,000 officers and 70,000 enlisted men were prepared for service with the armed forces. For this he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious service to the government of the United States in either a senior government service position or as a senior officer of the United...
.
Later tours of duty included the office of the Surgeon General, Washington and the Division of Medicine of the Veterans Bureau, Gorgas Hospital
Gorgas Hospital
Gorgas Hospital was a U.S. Army hospital in Panama City, Panama named for Army Surgeon General William C. Gorgas .Built on the site of an earlier French hospital called L'Hospital Notre Dame de Canal, it was originally christened Ancon Hospital by the Americans. It was originally built of wood,...
, Canal Zone
Canal Zone
Canal Zone may refer to:* Panama Canal Zone, the former United States territory* Suez Canal Zone, the informal zone around the Suez Canal in Egypt...
. In 1929, Brooke assumed command of the Station Hospital, Fort Sam Houston
Fort Sam Houston
Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston....
, San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, a position he held until 1933. He is credited with instituting the first routine chest X-ray
Chest X-ray
In medicine, a chest radiograph, commonly called a chest X-ray , is a projection radiograph of the chest used to diagnose conditions affecting the chest, its contents, and nearby structures...
in military medicine
Military medicine
The term military medicine has a number of potential connotations. It may mean:*A medical specialty, specifically a branch of occupational medicine attending to the medical risks and needs of soldiers, sailors and other service members...
. In 1935 Brooke was ordered to Washington in charge of the Professional Service Division. His next tour was at Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, where he was in command when he received his promotion to brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
(January 29, 1938). He was transferred to the Medical Field Service School, Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is part of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command and is the site of the U.S. Army War College...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, where he remained on duty as commandant until his death in 1940.
Accolades
- Fellow, American College of SurgeonsAmerican College of SurgeonsThe American College of Surgeons is an educational association of surgeons created in 1913 to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice.-Membership:...
- Fellow, American College of PhysiciansAmerican College of PhysiciansThe American College of Physicians is a national organization of doctors of internal medicine —physicians who specialize in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illnesses in adults. With 130,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty organization and second-largest physician group in...
- Member, American Medical AssociationAmerican Medical AssociationThe American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
- Member, American Society of Tropical Medicine
- Member, National Tuberculosis Association
- Member, Association of Military Surgeons
- On September 4, 1942, the Station Hospital was renamed Brooke General Hospital in Brooke's honor. In 1946 the facility was expanded to become Brooke Army Medical CenterBrooke Army Medical CenterBrooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio is part of the United States Army Medical Command. It is a University of Texas Health Science Center and USUHS teaching hospital and contains the Army Burn Center....
.