William C. Gorgas

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Dr. William Crawford Gorgas (October 3, 1854, in Mobile, Alabama -- July 3, 1920, in London) was a United States physician and a Surgeon General of the U.S. Army. He is best known for his work in stopping the spread of yellow fever, malaria, and the mosquitoes that carry them.

Young William was the first of six children of Pennsylvania-born Confederate general Josiah Gorgas and Amelia Gayle Gorgas, daughter of Alabama governor John Gayle.

Dr. Gorgas was stationed in Cuba for a time, where he learned of the research of a Cuban doctor, Carlos Finlay, who suspected the connection between mosquitoes and disease transmission in 1881. In 1898 Sir Ronald Ross, an English scientist, showed that certain mosquito species transmit malaria to birds. Once Gorgas was transferred to Panama, he implemented far-reaching sanitation programs based on Finlay's research and that of another Army doctor, Walter Reed, who had capitalized on Finley's insight to prove mosquito transmission of yellow fever. Gorgas's work in stopping the spread of disease in the Isthmus of Panama was instrumental in the construction of the Panama Canal since it significantly prolonged the lifespans of the thousands of workers involved in the project. He went about stopping malaria and yellow fever by dredging out the nearby ponds and swamps.