Julian Elvis Ward Jr.
Captain (Dr.) Julian Ward, MD (March 15, 1927 - August 13, 1962 ) was an American
Biography
On March 15, 1927, Julian Elvis Ward Jr. was born in Wichita Falls, Texas. In 1952, he received M.D., M.S. (pathology, cum laude) degrees from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed an internship at San Francisco City-County Hospital.[1]
In 1953 Ward entered
Contribution to Mercury space program
In a 1958 North Carolina newspaper article, "Medical Men Say Space Flight Might Be Safer Than Columbus", Ward described weightlessness as the biggest mystery in space medicine.[6] Ward's involvement in the space program should be seen in the context of the Cold War in which the United States was engaged following WWII and President Kennedy's dramatic announcement of US commitment to the goal of landing a man on the Moon before the end of the 1960s.[1]
Ward explored the unknown as a scientist and pioneer, initially using Earth-bound isolation chambers and short flights into the
Ward authored thirteen professional papers and co-author two others on a diversity of topics.[1][5][7][8] One publication that achieved widespread attention was "The True Nature of the Boiling of Body Fluids in Space",[5] a paper presented at a symposium on Medical Problems of Space Flight at the US Air Force School of Aviation Medicine, January 19–20, 1956. The paper was published in Aviation Medicine in October 1956. It introduced the term "space ebullism" for the vaporization of body fluids in space at body temperatures.[1]
Death
On August 13, 1962, Ward died at age 35 as a result of injuries from a plane crash in Germany.[1]
Julian E. Ward Memorial Award
The Julian E. Ward Memorial Award was established and sponsored by the Society of US Air Force Flight Surgeons in memory of its first member to lose their life in an aircraft accident, and to honor all flight surgeons whose lives are lost in the pursuit of flying activities related to the practice of aerospace medicine. The award is given annually for superior performance and/or outstanding achievement in the art and science of aerospace medicine during residency training.[9]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1532696329.
- ISBN 978-1494740962.
- ^ Milles Link, Mae (1965). Space Medicine In Project Mercury. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (PDF). Published as NASA Special Publication-4003 in the NASA History Series. pp. 14, 177, 179.
- ^ "Project Mercury Aeromedical Flight Controllers' Training Class, NASA Space Task Group, Langley Field, Virginia, May 1960. Picture - Person number 27" (PDF).
- ^ PMID 13366883.
- ^ "Medical Men Say Space Flight Might Be Safer Than Columbus". The Greensboro Record. May 1, 1958.
- ^ H W Randel; J E Ward (December 1954). "Aircrew indoctrination in the air force partial pressure suit and accessory equipment; medical aspects". J Aviat Med. 25 (6): 637–650.
- PMID 24546320.
- ^ "AsMA | Aerospace Medical Association". www.asma.org. Retrieved 1 August 2023.