Donald Low (May 2, 1945 - September 18, 2013) was a Canadian

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and some types of par ...

noted for his role in battling the SARS outbreak of 2003. He was microbiologist-in-chief at

Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH) is a hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mount Sinai is part of Sinai Health. Sinai Health was formed through the voluntary amalgamation of Mount Sinai Hospital (including the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute) ...

, from 1985 to 2013. Low graduated from medical school at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

. Low became a familiar face to the Canadian public during 2003's SARS crisis; although he had no official role, he was seen as calm and effective in press conferences about the response to the outbreak.Branswell, Helen (September 19, 2013).
Dr. Donald Low, the face of Toronto’s response to SARS, dies at 68
. ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

''. Retrieved September 21, 2013. He was one of several physicians who were required to quarantine themselves at home during part of the outbreak. In 2005 he took on the role of medical director of public health laboratory of the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion. Low was also a noted expert in

necrotizing fasciitis Necrotizing fasciitis (NF), also known as flesh-eating disease, is an infection that kills the body's soft tissue. It is a serious disease that begins and spreads quickly. Symptoms include red or purple or black skin, swelling, severe pain, fever ...

due to

Group A streptococcus Lancefield grouping is a system of classification that classifies catalase-negative Gram-positive cocci based on the carbohydrate composition of bacterial antigens found on their cell walls. The system, created by Rebecca Lancefield, was histori ...

. Low's wife was

CBC News CBC News is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC ...

reporter

Maureen Taylor Maureen Taylor is a Canadian television and radio personality. She graduated from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in 1983, with a degree in journalism. Taylor first worked for the CBC as a reporter based in Windsor, Ontario. She also worked in CBC ...

. He had three children from a previous marriage. Low was diagnosed with a brain tumour in February 2013, and died on September 18, 2013, at age 68. In a video published after his death, Low calls for Canada to allow

assisted suicide Assisted suicide, sometimes restricted to the context of physician-assisted suicide (PAS), is the process by which a person, with the help of others, takes actions to end their life. Once it is determined that the person's situation qualifie ...

, saying "I’m just frustrated with not being able to have control of my own life, not being able to make the decision myself when enough is enough."McDiarmid, Jessica (September 24, 2013).
Dr. Donald Low, face of the SARS crisis, pleads for ‘dying with dignity’
.

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

. Retrieved September 24, 2013

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Low, Donald 1945 births 2013 deaths Deaths from cancer in Ontario Deaths from brain cancer in Canada Canadian microbiologists University of Manitoba alumni History of Toronto