Martin Henry Dawson (6 August 1896 – 27 April 1945) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

researcher who made important contributions in the fields of infectious diseases. Dawson was born in

Truro, Nova Scotia Truro (Scottish Gaelic: ''Trùru'') is a town in central Nova Scotia, Canada. Truro is the shire town of Colchester County and is located on the south side of the Salmon River (Nova Scotia), Salmon River floodplain, close to the river's mouth ...

, a grandson of John Barnhill Dickie and educated at

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

and

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, ...

. His research included studies on the transformation of pneumococci and on the biological variants of the

streptococcus ''Streptococcus'' is a genus of gram-positive spherical bacteria that belongs to the family Streptococcaceae, within the order Lactobacillales (lactic acid bacteria), in the phylum Bacillota. Cell division in streptococci occurs along a sing ...

and other

microorganism A microorganism, or microbe, is an organism of microscopic scale, microscopic size, which may exist in its unicellular organism, single-celled form or as a Colony (biology)#Microbial colonies, colony of cells. The possible existence of unseen ...

s. Dawson's studies on the nature and treatment of

arthritis Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, Joint effusion, swelling, and decreased range of motion of ...

made him a recognized authority in this disorder. He was a pioneer in

penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of beta-lactam antibiotic, β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' Mold (fungus), moulds, principally ''Penicillium chrysogenum, P. chrysogenum'' and ''Penicillium rubens, P. ru ...

therapy, and was the first in the world to prepare it and use it in human disease. This included the successful treatment of bacterial

endocarditis Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. It usually involves the heart valves. Other structures that may be involved include the interventricular septum, the chordae tendineae, the mural endocardium, o ...

with penicillin, and the use of gold salts in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Dawson became the first person in history to administer an antibiotic (penicillin) to a patient, on October 16, 1940.

Military career

After he had graduated Dalhousie University in Halifax with a BA in 1916 he started serving in the Canadian forces in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Pte. M. Henry Dawson was with No. 7 Stationary Hospital at La Harve,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. He became a Capt. in the Nova Scotia Reg’t of

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

Medical Corps. He was wounded in 1917 and again in 1918 and was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

in 1917.

Career as a researcher

Following the war Dawson attended McGill University in Quebec and received his

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

degree in 1923. After graduating in

Medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

he worked at the Royal Victoria Hospital in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. In 1926 he was appointed a National Research

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

, assigned to the Rockefeller Institute in New York. As a National Research Council fellow he worked with

Oswald Avery Oswald Theodore Avery Jr. (October 21, 1877 – February 20, 1955) was a Canadian-American physician and medical researcher. The major part of his career was spent at the Rockefeller Hospital in New York City. Avery was one of the first molecu ...

at the Rockefeller Institute. Over Avery's strong objections, Dawson recreated Fred Griffith's discovery that a soluble substance from dead bacteria of one type can effect a repeatable and inheritable change in bacteria of another type – a process Dawson termed '' transformation'' in his six articles on the subject – in which he was the first person in history to put the substance to work in a test tube and even to partially extract it. The phrase stuck and eventually Avery along with

Colin Munro MacLeod Colin Munro MacLeod (January 28, 1909 – February 11, 1972) was a Canadian-American geneticist. He was one of a trio of scientists who discovered that deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA is responsible for the transformation of the physical char ...

proved the substance was in fact

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

. In 1929 Dawson became associated with the Presbyterian Hospital and the Department of Medicine at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. In 1942 Dawson became the victim of

myasthenia gravis Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a long-term neuromuscular junction disease that leads to varying degrees of skeletal muscle weakness. The most commonly affected muscles are those of the eyes, face, and swallowing. It can result in double vision, ...

, a chronic progressively disabling disease. He died in 1945 at Columbia University Medical Center.

Career

*1916 B.A. Dalhousie University *1923 M.D. McGill University *1923 C.M. McGill University *1923-1924 Demonstrator in Pathology and Bacteriology, McGill University. Externe in Pathology, Royal Victoria Hospital. *1924-1925 Instructor in Pathology and Bacteriology, University of Louisville. *1925-1926 Assistant Resident Physician, Royal Victoria Hospital. *1926-1928 National Research Council Fellow in Medicine. Rockefeller Institute. *1928-1929 Assistant, Rockefeller Institute. *1929-1930 Associate in Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons. *1929- Assistant Attending Physician, Presbyterian Hospital. *1930- Assistant Professor of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons.

References

External links

Murray Matters , Vol. 10 #2
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Martin Henry Canadian expatriate academics in the United States Canadian medical researchers Canadian microbiologists Canadian people of Scottish descent Dalhousie University alumni Canadian molecular biologists History of genetics People from Truro, Nova Scotia 1896 births 1945 deaths McGill University Faculty of Medicine alumni Canadian expatriates in France