William Thomas Councilman (January 1, 1854 – May 26, 1933) was an American

pathologist Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

. He is remembered for his contribution in a monograph on

amoebic dysentery Amoebiasis, or amoebic dysentery, is an infection of the intestines caused by a parasitic amoeba '' Entamoeba histolytica''. Amoebiasis can be present with no, mild, or severe symptoms. Symptoms may include lethargy, loss of weight, coloni ...

(1891) which described detailed observations of it and its parasite. He is even better known for his work on Yellow Fever. William Thomas Councilman served as the first pathologist-in-chief at

Peter Bent Brigham Hospital Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH or The Brigham) is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with Massachusetts General Hospital, it is one of the two ...

(PBBH). Councilman had arrived in Harvard Medical School earlier in 1892 and was an expert in the study of amebiasis, diphtheria, smallpox, and yellow fever. His vivid morphologic description of changes seen in the liver of yellow fever lives on today as "

Councilman body In pathology, a Councilman body, also known as a Councilman hyaline body or apoptotic body, is an eosinophilic globule of apoptosis, apoptotic hepatocyte cell fragments. Ultimately, the fragments are taken up by macrophages or adjacent parenchymal ...

Biography

William Thomas Councilman was born in

Pikesville, Maryland Pikesville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Pikesville is just northwest of the Baltimore city limits. It is the northwestern suburb closest to Baltimore. The population ...

on January 1, 1854. He graduated from the Medical School of the University of Maryland in 1878.Cushing, Harvey
"William Thomas Councilman 1854-1933"
Reprinted from ''Science'', June 30, 1933, Vol. 77, No. 2009, pages 613-618 In 1916, he went with the Rice Expedition, led by Alexander H. Rice Jr., to the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

and

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. With Robert Archibald Lambert, he wrote a report and book on the expedition which was published in 1918. Councilman was an elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

, the United States

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

, and the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

. By invitation, two years after his retirement at Harvard, he temporarily joined the staff of the

Peking Union Medical College Peking Union Medical College, also as Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, is a national public medical sciences research institution in Dongcheng, Beijing, Dongcheng, Beijing, China. Originally founded in 1906, it is affiliated with the Nationa ...

in China. A gifted horticulturist, Councilman always found time to care for his garden outside his office. He died in

York Harbor, Maine York Harbor is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of York in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,033 at the 2010 census. York Harbor is a distinguished former Gilded Age summer colony noted for its resort architect ...

on May 26, 1933.

Selected works

* Councilman, W.T.
''Disease And Its Causes''
New York : Henry Holt and Company, 1913 * Councilman, W.T. and R.A. Lambert
''The Medical Report of the Rice Expedition to Brazil''
Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1918

References

External links

* *
National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir
{{DEFAULTSORT:Councilman, William Thomas American pathologists 1854 births 1933 deaths People from Pikesville, Maryland Harvard Medical School faculty Members of the American Philosophical Society

Biography

Selected works

See also

References

External links