From the soldier who just graduated from Basic Training to generals at the Pentagon, every soldier is an important member of the team. That being said, there is something special about one particular group: Army doctors. Whether it's taking care of soldiers when they get sick or performing miracles on the battlefield, Army doctors provide aid when it is needed most.
IHG® Army Hotels salutes the brave active-duty and veteran soldiers who have answered the call to serve as Army doctors. In celebration of the heroic efforts of these professionals, we have made a list of some of the notable Army doctors throughout history.
- Jonathan Letterman (1824–1872) – The Father of Battlefield Medicine
- Walter Reed (1851–1902) – Discovering the Cause of Yellow Fever
- William Gorgas (1854–1920) – Eradicating Disease in the Military
- Mary Edwards Walker (1832–1919) – The Only Female Medal of Honor Recipient
- Michael E. DeBakey (1908–2008) – Advancing Military Trauma Care
Dr. Jonathan Letterman
The American Civil War was a brutal conflict that took the lives of at least 620,000 people. Close to two-thirds of that number did not die from combat-related injuries but instead died as the result of various diseases. Improper medical care was a major cause of the spread of disease during the conflict. Dr. Jonathan Letterman, often called the Father of Battlefield Medicine, played a significant role in improving the medical system during this time.
As the Medical Director of the Army of the Potomac, Dr. Letterman recognized that the medical system was disorganized and inefficient. He knew many soldiers were unnecessarily dying due to preventable illnesses. He immediately implemented a system for better medical evaluations and treatments. His system would become the foundation of modern Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
One of Dr. Letterman's greatest contributions was the creation of the first organized ambulance corps. Before he created this, wounded soldiers were often left untreated on the battlefield for hours or even days. His teams were trained in first aid and to quickly remove casualties from the front lines.
He also set up a tiered system of field hospitals. This helped to bring soldiers to the appropriate level of care. Soldiers would first be treated locally at an aid station, then moved to a field hospital for surgery, and finally to a larger hospital for recovery. By doing this, survival rates increased significantly, and militaries around the world adopted the model, saving countless lives.
Dr. Walter Reed
It's not often that a doctor is responsible for drastically transforming the field of medicine, but that is exactly what Dr. Walter Reed did. Prior to the research of Dr. Reed and his team, many people refused to believe that mosquitoes were the main carriers of yellow fever.
In the late 1800s, yellow fever was killing large numbers of troops and civilians, especially in the tropics. Many people at the time were convinced the disease was transmitted by touching contaminated objects. Dr. Reed didn't think this was the case. After he and his team ran some experiments in Cuba, they were able to prove that, without a doubt, the disease was transferred solely through mosquito bites. This focused efforts on controlling the mosquito population and would later lead to great protection from the disease.
Additionally, Dr. Reed's efforts not only helped to develop tropical disease management but also influenced the fields of epidemiology and pest control. In honor of his contributions to Army medicine, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. was named after him.
Dr. William Gorgas
Medical science builds on the accomplishments of the past. One example is the work of Dr. William Gorgas, a U.S. Army physician whose work in controlling yellow fever and malaria reshaped military and public health practices. Armed with the work of Dr. Walter Reed's confirmation that yellow fever was a mosquito-borne disease, Dr. Gorgas used cutting-edge medical practices to combat both yellow fever and malaria, saving countless lives.
His greatest contributions were seen during the construction of the Panama Canal. A previous attempt by the French to build the canal failed after nine years of work and losing over 20,000 people, mostly due to disease. Gorgas designed and implemented a sanitation plan that helped make the building of the canal possible. He drained pools of stagnant water, fumigated structures, used mosquito netting, and improved waste disposal practices. As a result of his efforts, infection rates of yellow fever and malaria decreased drastically.
After the building of the Panama Canal, the sanitation practices of Dr. Gorgas were adopted by military and civilian health practices worldwide saving even more lives. His stance toward preventive medicine became the foundation of modern epidemiology and disease control.
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker
The nation's highest military honor is, of course, the Medal of Honor. Since the award's inception in 1861, over 3,500 have been awarded. All but one of these have been awarded to men. The only woman to receive the Medal of Honor is Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the first female Army surgeon during the Civil War.
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker was a pioneer of women's rights and made significant contributions to battlefield medicine and the care of prisoners of war. At a time when female doctors were not allowed in the Army, Mary volunteered to work on the frontlines while many of her male counterparts refused. As a civilian surgeon, she was able to save many lives.
In 1864, she was captured by Confederate forces and spent four months in a prisoner-of-war camp. Even as a prisoner, she continued to care for the sick and wounded. Once released, she continued to serve as a surgeon until the war ended. For her bravery, President Andrew Johnson awarded her the Medal of Honor in 1865.
Unfortunately, when the government revised the eligibility criteria for the medal in 1917, it was revoked. Dr. Mary Edwards Walker refused to surrender the medal and wore it with pride until her dying day. Thankfully, in 1977, President Carter reinstated her award, and she remains the only female to have been awarded the Medal of Honor.
Dr. Michael E. DeBakey
If you aren't familiar with Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, you might be familiar with one of his most memorable contributions, helping to establish MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) units. As an Army surgeon, Dr. DeBakey made significant contributions to battlefield medicine during WWII and the Korean War.
While serving as a cardiovascular surgeon in WWII, Dr. DeBakey recognized that many more lives could be saved if they were treated closer to the battlefield. The MASH units were designed to provide rapid, front-line surgical care to wounded soldiers, thereby improving survival rates by reducing the time between injury and treatment. MASH units were first used in the Korean War and were highly effective at providing timely, life-saving medical care.
In recognition of his groundbreaking work, Dr. DeBakey received numerous honors, including the Congressional Gold Medal, reflecting his profound impact on medicine and his enduring legacy in improving trauma care.
These outstanding examples of Army doctors only scratch the surface of this special group of people. The countless sacrifices of Army doctors have saved the lives of many soldiers both in and out of combat. Our entire team salutes the Army doctors past, present, and future.
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