George W. Hunter III
Encyclopedia
George W. Hunter III, PhD was a parasitologist and educator with the US Army Sanitary Corps and Army Medical School
. He is best known for his work with Schistosoma
control and with the Tropical Medicine Course
at the Army Medical School
(now the course is known as the Walter Reed Tropical Medicine Course
). The textbook he helped create for the Tropical Medicine Course now is the leading reference text for Tropical Medicine
and the title bears his name.
, which expanded from 23 to 200 students. The course prepared medical officers to combat the diseases to which soldiers were exposed in the Army's worldwide operations.
Hunter suggested using the outline of the course as the basis for a textbook. It was published by the National Research Council in 1945 as the Manual of Tropical Medicine and became the standard reference in its field. Hunter's name was not listed first among the principal authors because the company believed that a physician's name would improve sales, but it was retitled Hunter's Tropical Medicine in later editions. With the printing of the sixth edition in 1984, Hunter, then a professor in the School of Medicine, University of California
, San Diego, was recognized as "the glue that has held this book together from the very first edition."
. United States forces occupying Japan required food handlers to be free of parasites, and Hunter fielded a mobile laboratory outfitted in railroad cars that tested nearly nineteen thousand Japanese over a four-month period in 1949. The researchers found that 93.2 percent of those tested were infected with some form of intestinal parasite
. Demand always creates a supply, and the team also found that there was a black market for parasite-free stools.
One of the parasitic diseases was schistosomiasis
, a disabling and potentially fatal disease. Hunter concentrated his research effort on that endemic problem, and by 1951 his team had eliminated it in the Nagatoishi district of Kurume City
, Japan
, using a landmark program of molluscicides to control the snail host. Japan adopted Hunter's methods and by 1970 had virtually eliminated the disease. Hunter became a public figure in Japan, and in 1952 the townspeople of Kurume erected a bust of him as a permanent tribute to their "great benefactor."
Army Medical School
Founded by U.S. Army Brigadier General George Miller Sternberg, MD in 1893, the Army Medical School was by some reckonings the world's first school of public health and preventive medicine...
. He is best known for his work with Schistosoma
Schistosoma
A genus of trematodes, Schistosoma, commonly known as blood-flukes and bilharzia, includes flatworms which are responsible for a highly significant parasitic infection of humans by causing the disease schistosomiasis, and are considered by the World Health Organization as the second most...
control and with the Tropical Medicine Course
Walter Reed Tropical Medicine Course
The Walter Reed Tropical Medicine Course at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is one of the many Tropical Medicine Training Courses available in the US and worldwide . It is an intensive 5-day course created to familiarize students with tropical diseases they may encounter overseas...
at the Army Medical School
Army Medical School
Founded by U.S. Army Brigadier General George Miller Sternberg, MD in 1893, the Army Medical School was by some reckonings the world's first school of public health and preventive medicine...
(now the course is known as the Walter Reed Tropical Medicine Course
Walter Reed Tropical Medicine Course
The Walter Reed Tropical Medicine Course at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is one of the many Tropical Medicine Training Courses available in the US and worldwide . It is an intensive 5-day course created to familiarize students with tropical diseases they may encounter overseas...
). The textbook he helped create for the Tropical Medicine Course now is the leading reference text for Tropical Medicine
Tropical medicine
Tropical medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with health problems that occur uniquely, are more widespread, or prove more difficult to control in tropical and subtropical regions....
and the title bears his name.
Work with the Tropical Medicine Course
George W. Hunter III, PhD, was commissioned as a captain in the Sanitary Corps in 1942 and joined the faculty of the Tropical and Military Medicine CourseWalter Reed Tropical Medicine Course
The Walter Reed Tropical Medicine Course at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is one of the many Tropical Medicine Training Courses available in the US and worldwide . It is an intensive 5-day course created to familiarize students with tropical diseases they may encounter overseas...
, which expanded from 23 to 200 students. The course prepared medical officers to combat the diseases to which soldiers were exposed in the Army's worldwide operations.
Hunter suggested using the outline of the course as the basis for a textbook. It was published by the National Research Council in 1945 as the Manual of Tropical Medicine and became the standard reference in its field. Hunter's name was not listed first among the principal authors because the company believed that a physician's name would improve sales, but it was retitled Hunter's Tropical Medicine in later editions. With the printing of the sixth edition in 1984, Hunter, then a professor in the School of Medicine, University of California
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
, San Diego, was recognized as "the glue that has held this book together from the very first edition."
Work with Schistosomiasis and Applied Parisitology
Col. George W. Hunter III, MSC, gained international recognition for his work with schistosomiasisSchistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by several species of trematodes , a parasitic worm of the genus Schistosoma. Snails often act as an intermediary agent for the infectious diseases until a new human host is found...
. United States forces occupying Japan required food handlers to be free of parasites, and Hunter fielded a mobile laboratory outfitted in railroad cars that tested nearly nineteen thousand Japanese over a four-month period in 1949. The researchers found that 93.2 percent of those tested were infected with some form of intestinal parasite
Intestinal parasite
Intestinal parasites are parasites that populate the gastro-intestinal tract in humans and other animals. They can live throughout the body, but most prefer the intestinal wall. Means of exposure include: ingestion of undercooked meat, drinking infected water, and skin absorption...
. Demand always creates a supply, and the team also found that there was a black market for parasite-free stools.
One of the parasitic diseases was schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by several species of trematodes , a parasitic worm of the genus Schistosoma. Snails often act as an intermediary agent for the infectious diseases until a new human host is found...
, a disabling and potentially fatal disease. Hunter concentrated his research effort on that endemic problem, and by 1951 his team had eliminated it in the Nagatoishi district of Kurume City
Kurume, Fukuoka
is a city located in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan.The city has an estimated population of 303,277 and a population density of 1,319.51 persons per km²...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, using a landmark program of molluscicides to control the snail host. Japan adopted Hunter's methods and by 1970 had virtually eliminated the disease. Hunter became a public figure in Japan, and in 1952 the townspeople of Kurume erected a bust of him as a permanent tribute to their "great benefactor."
Legacy
- Hunter’s Tropical Medicine: "Hunter’s Tropical Medicine grew out of a World War II Army Medical SchoolArmy Medical SchoolFounded by U.S. Army Brigadier General George Miller Sternberg, MD in 1893, the Army Medical School was by some reckonings the world's first school of public health and preventive medicine...
tropical and military medicine course taught at the Walter Reed Army Medical CenterWalter Reed Army Medical CenterThe Walter Reed Army Medical Center was the United States Army's flagship medical center until 2011. Located on 113 acres in Washington, D.C., it served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military...
in Washington, D.C. The first edition, entitled a Manual of Tropical Medicine, was published in 1945 by three of the course instructors, Colonel Thomas T. MackieThomas T. MackieThomas T Mackie, MD was a research/public health physician in the United States Army during World War II. He was involved in the creation of the first tropical medicine course at the US Army Medical School in 1941...
, Major George W. Hunter III, and Captain C. Brooke WorthC. Brooke WorthCharles Brooke Worth, MD was a naturalist and virologist who worked as a professor at Swathmore College, with the US Army during WWII, and then with the Rockefeller Foundation during the post-war period...
. A second edition was published by the same authors in 1954. Colonel Hunter was joined by co-authors from the Louisiana State University School of MedicineLouisiana State University School of MedicineLouisiana State University School of Medicine refers to two separate medical schools in Louisiana: LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans and LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport.-See also:* LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans...
for the third, fourth, and fifth editions, published in 1960, 1966, and 1976, respectively. George Hunter’s contribution was acknowledged by adding his name to the book title in the sixth edition, edited in 1984."