William Hallock Park
William Hallock Park (December 30, 1863 – April 6, 1939) was an American
Biography
Park was born on December 30, 1863, in New York City.
In June 1883, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from City College of New York and entered the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons to study medicine. He studied pathology with Theophil Mitchell Prudden, planning to become a nose and throat specialist. After Park graduated in 1886, he interned at Roosevelt Hospital and had a year of post-graduate study in Vienna, Austria. On his return to the United States in 1890, Park worked on the bacteriology of diphtheria with Prudden.[2][3][4]
In 1893,
Highlights of Park's career included the establishment of the first municipal bacteriological diagnostics laboratory in the United States, the application of toxin-antitoxin vaccines to prevent diphtheria, the demonstration of the persistence of Corynebacterium diphtheriae in the throats of people who recovered from diphtheria and its importance in the spread of the disease to others, and the publication of the widely used textbook Pathogenic Microorganisms, co-authored with Anna Williams.[2][5]
In addition to his work on diphtheria for which he was best known, his scientific inquiries also included studies on
Although he did work on pathophysiology and immunity, his reputation in the field of microbiology was mainly for his contributions to public health and prevention of diseases.[5]
Park retired as director of the research laboratories of the Public Health Department of New York City in September 1936. He died in New York City on April 6, 1939.[4][7]
References
- PMC 2601116.
- ^ PMID 18015042.
- ^ Ramon, G. (September 1, 1939). "William Hallock Park an Eminent Microbiologist and a Great American Public Health Officer (1863–1939)". Journal of Immunology. 37 (3): 179–183.
- ^ a b c "Dr. W.H. Park Dies; Health Authority - 'American Pasteur' Is Credited With Responsibility for Conquest of Diphtheria - Purified New York's Milk - Former Head of Laboratories of Health Department Won International Honors". New York Times. April 7, 1939. p. 21. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ PMID 16560242.
- ^ "Public Welfare Award". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
- ^ New York City Department of Health death index, 1939.
- "The Man who Lived for Tomorrow" W.W. Oliver, E.P. Dutton, New York 1941