Journal of William C Gorgas, Chairman, Yellow Fever Commission by William Crawford Gorgas

Journal of William C Gorgas, Chairman, Yellow Fever Commission by William Crawford Gorgas

William Crawford Gorgas

1854-1920

William Crawford Gorgas was born in Mobile, Alabama. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of the South in 1875 and then graduated from Bellevue Medical College in 1879. In 1880, Gorgas was appointed a surgeon in the Army Medical Corps. Because he survived an attack of yellow fever in Texas, Gorgas was immune to the disease and was often stationed at posts where it was prevalent. In 1901, he served as chief sanitation officer of Havana and, acting upon Walter Reed's demonstration of the transmission of yellow fever by the mosquito, destroyed breeding places of mosquitos, halting the epidemic. A few years later, he became chief sanitary officer for the Panama Canal project and succeeded in eliminating yellow fever from the Canal Zone within a year. In 1914, Gorgas was promoted to brigadier general and appointed Surgeon General of the US Army. He retired in 1918 with rank of major general and then served as president of the American Medical Association. Gorgas was knighted by King George V in 1920 and passed away later that year.

Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://alabamaauthors.org

1919-1920

Journal of William C Gorgas, Chairman, Yellow Fever Commission. sl; sn, 1919-1920.

AL Book Collection

Gorgas, William Crawford, “Journal of William C Gorgas, Chairman, Yellow Fever Commission by William Crawford Gorgas,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed November 8, 2026, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/24877.