Medical Pioneer. A native of Ireland, he received his formal education at Trinity College in Dublin, and earned his M.D. at Leyden University in Holland. He then served first as Surgeon General of the British colony of Barbados, then as Surgeon-Major of the Dutch colony of Demerara. In Demerara he developed theories about insects spreading disease-bearing microbes. In 1780 he immigrated to America, settling in Baltimore, Maryland, securing a position as a Professor of Natural History at the University of Maryland. In 1800 he introduced the practice of vaccination to the citizens of Baltimore during an outbreak of smallpox. Crawford's humanitarian tendencies also took other forms during his career in Baltimore - he was the first physician to join the city board of health and was instrumental in the founding and opening of the Baltimore Penitentiary. He then founded the Baltimore General Dispensary, where he worked until his death in 1813. Towards the end of his career and life he worked to spread his theories on microbes spreading disease, but those theories were discredited and would not receive proper acceptance until Louis Pasteur and other bacteriologists in the 19th century proved them to be correct.
Medical Pioneer. A native of Ireland, he received his formal education at Trinity College in Dublin, and earned his M.D. at Leyden University in Holland. He then served first as Surgeon General of the British colony of Barbados, then as Surgeon-Major of the Dutch colony of Demerara. In Demerara he developed theories about insects spreading disease-bearing microbes. In 1780 he immigrated to America, settling in Baltimore, Maryland, securing a position as a Professor of Natural History at the University of Maryland. In 1800 he introduced the practice of vaccination to the citizens of Baltimore during an outbreak of smallpox. Crawford's humanitarian tendencies also took other forms during his career in Baltimore - he was the first physician to join the city board of health and was instrumental in the founding and opening of the Baltimore Penitentiary. He then founded the Baltimore General Dispensary, where he worked until his death in 1813. Towards the end of his career and life he worked to spread his theories on microbes spreading disease, but those theories were discredited and would not receive proper acceptance until Louis Pasteur and other bacteriologists in the 19th century proved them to be correct.
Bio by: Izzebella
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