Herbert Windsor Wade (born Haddonfield,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, November 23, 1886; died

Culion Culion, officially the Municipality of Culion (), is a municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 23,213 people. Culion consists primarily of Culion Island as well as 41 minor sur ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, June 8, 1968) was an American medical doctor notable for his work on

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

. He served as Medical Director of the Culion leper colony from 1922 to 1959.

Early career

Starting in 1906, Wade trained as a tissue pathologist with

Frank Burr Mallory Frank Burr Mallory (November 12, 1862 – September 27, 1941) was an American pathologist at the Boston City Hospital and professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School, after whom the Mallory body is named. The Pathology Department at B ...

at the Boston City Hospital. In 1908 he moved to Montreal to assist Charles Duval, an associate of Mallory's. He began medical studies at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

there, and continued at

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

when Duval moved there in 1909. Wade received his medical degree from Tulane in 1912 and remained there for three more years as an instructor in pathology and a resident at the Charity Hospital at New Orleans. During his time at Tulane Wade became interested in leprosy research, which was an interest of his mentor Duval. Wade developed a relationship with the leprosy colony at Carville,

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, then known as the Louisiana Leper Home.

Philippines

In 1915, Wade married Dorothy Paul of New Orleans and accepted a job as a pathologist-bacteriologist at the Bureau of Science in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. Once he arrived in 1916 he was quickly appointed the chairman of the Leprosy Examining Committee of the Board of Health of Manila. In the course of his duties he developed the "scraped incision" method of making skin smears, an important advance in detection. In 1918 Wade was appointed head of the Department of Pathology and Bacteriology at the College of Medicine and Surgery at the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

. In 1922 Wade and his wife moved to Culion, where he had been appointed chief physician. He was to be engaged in research there for the rest of his life. In 1925 Governor

Leonard Wood Leonard Wood (October 9, 1860 – August 7, 1927) was a United States Army major general, physician, and public official. He served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, List of colonial governors of Cuba, Military Governor of Cuba, ...

sent Dorothy Wade back to the United States to raise money for leprosy treatment and research; in association with fundraiser Perry Burgess, they founded an organization which became (after Leonard Wood's death in 1927) the Leonard Wood Memorial for the Eradication of Leprosy, with Dr. Wade as the chief medical officer. The funds raised supported the Leonard Wood Memorial Research Laboratory at Culion, which Wade headed. Wade was the chairman of the Leonard Wood Memorial Conference on Leprosy in Manila in 1931, which resulted in the founding of the International Leprosy Foundation. Wade became the first editor of the Foundation's ''International Journal of Leprosy'' and remained involved with it until 1963. From 1946 to 1963 he was the president of the International Leprosy Foundation.

Legacy

The palm Cycas wadei, found near the Culion colony, was named in Wade's honor.http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/PALMS_AND_CYCADS/Family/Cycadaceae/28842/Cycas_wadei The Encyclopedia of Palms and Cycads entry on Cycas wadei

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wade, Herbert Windsor 1886 births 1968 deaths American people in the American Philippines American expatriates in Canada People from Haddonfield, New Jersey Tulane University School of Medicine alumni Culion leper colony American leprologists