Theodore G.H. Drake, MD (1891- 1959) 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 ...

pediatrician Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their youth ...

and one of three

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

s who developed

Pablum Pablum is a processed cereal for infants originally marketed and co-created by the Mead Johnson & Company in 1931. The product was developed at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto to combat infant malnutrition. Developers of Pablum inclu ...

Early life

Drake was born on September 16, 1891, in

Webbwood, Ontario Webbwood is an unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada. It is recognized as a designated place by Statistics Canada. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Webbwood had a population of 440 living in 20 ...

. He obtained his university degree from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

in 1914. He spent two years in residence at the

Toronto General Hospital The Toronto General Hospital (TGH) is a major teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the flagship campus of University Health Network (UHN). It is located in the Discovery District of Downtown Toronto along University Avenue (Toronto), ...

. Drake was a medical officer during

World War I 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 ...

. After the war, he returned to the Toronto General Hospital where he eventually became head of the research institute.

Medical accomplishments

In 1923, he, along with physicians Alan Brown and Frederick Tisdale, helped work out the formula for

, a processed cereal for children. The cereal marked a breakthrough in nutritional science as it helped prevent

rickets Rickets, scientific nomenclature: rachitis (from Greek , meaning 'in or of the spine'), is a condition that results in weak or soft bones in children and may have either dietary deficiency or genetic causes. Symptoms include bowed legs, stun ...

, a crippling childhood disease, by ensuring that children have enough

vitamin D Vitamin D is a group of structurally related, fat-soluble compounds responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate, along with numerous other biological functions. In humans, the most important compo ...

in their diet. Although Pablum was not the first food designed and sold specifically for babies, it was the first pre-cooked and thoroughly dried baby food. The ease of preparation made Pablum successful in an era when infant

malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...

was still a major problem in industrialized countries. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Drake designed nutritional diets for

RCAF The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canad ...

personnel as well as for POW parcels. After the war, he was named a member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

for his work.

Personal life

Drake met his first wife, Gerturd Salmond, overseas. She predeceased him by 15 years. His second wife was Nina Johnson. Interested in the history of pediatric care, Drake began a collection of art and artifacts related to the history of children's health. Over 3000 artifacts and 1000 prints formed a base of his collection. This collection is now in the hands of the

Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...

. Drake died on October 18, 1959.

External links

Bio from the Hospital for Sick Kids

About the collection

References

* Toronto ''Globe and Mail'', Feb 19, 1960 {{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, Theodore 1891 births 1959 deaths Canadian pediatricians Royal Ontario Museum People from Sudbury District University of Toronto alumni