Albert Freeman Africanus King
Encyclopedia
Albert Freeman Africanus King (born 1841; died 1914) was a bystander physician who was pressed into service during the assassination of Abraham Lincoln
. In addition, King was one of the earliest to suggest the connection between mosquitos and malaria
.
, a town in the Cherwell District
of north-eastern Oxfordshire
in England. His father was a doctor interested in the colonization of Africa. He was named Africanus "because of his father's admiration" for that continent King was ten when his family emigrated
from the United Kingdom to the United States.
(MD
). He attended both the Columbia Medical College
(now George Washington University Medical School) and the University of Pennsylvania
. In 1861, he graduated from Columbia at age twenty. In 1865, he graduated from Pennsylvania at the age of twenty-four.
, King was in Washington, DC, and in the audience at Ford's Theatre
when Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth
. Some suggest King was the first physician to reach Lincoln. But the accounts of the other physicians present, Dr. Charles Augustus Leale
and Dr. Charles Sabin Taft
, suggest that King was second or third.
in Washington, DC.
In 1882, King proposed a method to eradicate malaria from Washington, DC. His method was to encircle the city with a wire screen as high as the Washington Monument
. Many people took this as a jest, partly because the link between malaria and mosquitoes had, at that time, been hypothesized by only a few physicians. It was not until 1898 that Ronald Ross
proved mosquitoes were a vector for malaria (he won the Nobel Prize
for the discovery just four years later). However impractical, King was on the right track for malaria control, well in advance of the rest of the medical profession.
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. In addition, King was one of the earliest to suggest the connection between mosquitos and malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
.
Early life
On January 18, 1841, King was born in BicesterBicester
Bicester is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and...
, a town in the Cherwell District
Cherwell (district)
Cherwell is a local government district in northern Oxfordshire, England. The district takes its name from the River Cherwell, which drains south through the region to flow into the River Thames at Oxford....
of north-eastern Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
in England. His father was a doctor interested in the colonization of Africa. He was named Africanus "because of his father's admiration" for that continent King was ten when his family emigrated
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
from the United Kingdom to the United States.
Education
King was a degreed Doctor of MedicineDoctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
(MD
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
). He attended both the Columbia Medical College
George Washington University Medical School
The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences was established in 1824 due to the need for doctors in the District of Columbia but formally opened its doors a year later in 1825. It is the eleventh oldest medical school in the country and the first medical school...
(now George Washington University Medical School) and the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. In 1861, he graduated from Columbia at age twenty. In 1865, he graduated from Pennsylvania at the age of twenty-four.
Lincoln assassination
During the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, King was in Washington, DC, and in the audience at Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre is a historic theater in Washington, D.C., used for various stage performances beginning in the 1860s. It is also the site of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865...
when Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
. Some suggest King was the first physician to reach Lincoln. But the accounts of the other physicians present, Dr. Charles Augustus Leale
Charles Leale
Dr. Charles Augustus Leale M.D. was a surgeon in the Union Army during the American Civil War.He was the first doctor to be admitted into the presidential box at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865 after John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln in the back of the head with a Philadelphia...
and Dr. Charles Sabin Taft
Charles Sabin Taft
Charles Sabin Taft, M.D. was a bystander physician who was pressed into service during the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.-Lincoln's assassination:...
, suggest that King was second or third.
Later life
King later became a professor of obstetricsObstetrics
Obstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...
in Washington, DC.
In 1882, King proposed a method to eradicate malaria from Washington, DC. His method was to encircle the city with a wire screen as high as the Washington Monument
Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington...
. Many people took this as a jest, partly because the link between malaria and mosquitoes had, at that time, been hypothesized by only a few physicians. It was not until 1898 that Ronald Ross
Ronald Ross
Sir Ronald Ross KCB FRS was a British doctor who received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1902 for his work on malaria. He was the first Indian-born person to win a Nobel Prize...
proved mosquitoes were a vector for malaria (he won the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
for the discovery just four years later). However impractical, King was on the right track for malaria control, well in advance of the rest of the medical profession.
See also
- Abraham Lincoln assassinationAbraham Lincoln assassinationThe assassination of United States President Abraham Lincoln took place on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, as the American Civil War was drawing to a close. The assassination occurred five days after the commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee, and his battered Army of...
- Anderson Ruffin AbbottAnderson Ruffin AbbottAnderson Ruffin Abbott, M.D. was the first Black Canadian to be a licensed physician. His career included participation in the American Civil War and attending the death bed of Abraham Lincoln.-Early life:...
- Joseph K. BarnesJoseph BarnesJoseph K. Barnes, M.D. was an American physician and the 12th Surgeon General of the United States Army .-Career and early life:...
- Charles H. CraneCharles H. CraneCharles Henry Crane B.A. M.A. M.D. was an American physician and the 13th Surgeon General of the United States Army . He was the son of Colonel Ichabod B. Crane...
- Robert K. StoneRobert K. StoneRobert K. Stone, was a 19th century professor at Columbia Medical College and was considered “the dean of the Washington medical community.” As the personal physician to President Abraham Lincoln and his family, Stone was present at Lincoln's death bed and at his autopsy.-See also:* Abraham...
- History of malariaHistory of malariaThe history of malaria predates humanity, as this ancient disease evolved before humans did. Malaria, a widespread and potentially lethal infectious disease, has afflicted people for much of human history, and has affected settlement patterns...
Sources
- Honigsbaum, Mark. The Fever Trail: In Search of the Cure for Malaria, Picador, 2003. ISBN 0-312-42180-X
- Kunhardt, Dorothy MeserveDorothy KunhardtDorothy Kunhardt was an American children's-book author, best known for the baby book Pat the Bunny. She was also a historian and writer about the life of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln....
, and Kunhardt Jr., Phillip B. Twenty Days: A Narrative in Text and Pictures of the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the Twenty Days and Nights That Followed. New York: Castle Books, 1965. - McCullough, DavidDavid McCulloughDavid Gaub McCullough is an American author, narrator, historian, and lecturer. He is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award....
. The Path Between the SeasThe Path Between the SeasThe Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870—1914 is a 1977 book by noted historian David McCullough that details the people and places involved in building the Panama Canal...
. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1977. - Roos, Charles A. Physicians to the Presidents, and Their Patients: A Biobibliography, Bulletin of the Medical Library Association. 1961.