William Henry Welch

American physician and scientist (1850–1934)

In the history of medicine, William Henry Welch is one of the names that keeps returning.

The record lists William Henry Welch as American physician and scientist (1850–1934).

William Henry Welch was born at Norfolk in 1850. His recorded nationality is United States. He trained at Columbia University and Yale University.

Anaesthesia, antisepsis and germ theory arrived within fifty years and made modern surgery possible for the first time.

His posts were held at Johns Hopkins University and Bellevue Hospital Medical College.

The test of medical work is whether practice changed, not whether the argument was elegant.

That the work was done from United States matters: hospitals, training and research funding are unevenly distributed, and they decide which questions can be asked.

William Henry Welch died in 1934, aged 84. What survives is the change in practice, which is how a medical life is actually measured.

Achievements

Compare with the greats

Claude Monet vs Henri PoincarEnrico Fermi vs Max PlanckBill Gates vs Thomas AquinasBlaise Pascal vs Pythagoras
See the IQ Rankings →All comparisons →

Child prodigies

Colin CarlsonColin CarlsonBegan university courses at nine and now forecasts the next…Rayssa LealRayssa LealViral 'Fairy of Skate' who won Olympic street silver at age 13Jacob BarnettJacob BarnettAutistic Physics Prodigy — IUPUI Master's at 14, Perimeter…Yusra MardiniYusra MardiniSwam Refugees to Safety Across the Aegean — Olympic Athlete on…
Child prodigies →

Play & come back tomorrow

Daily Genius Challenge · Guess the genius
19th-century mathematician who wrote the first algorithm for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine.
Tap your answer ↓
Which Genius Are You? Free IQ Test