World War I Physicians from Galveston
Galveston, Galveston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
When the United States entered World War I in 1917, people across the nation quickly signed up to serve in the military. While the Council of National Defense advised medical students and faculty to continue their education and teaching on the homefront, faculty, staff and students at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) put country before self to provide medical expertise during the war. Stationed across the U.S. and Europe, UTMB facilty, including Drs. Scott Stuart Fay (1882-1980), Jess Autry Flautt (1884-1937), Allen George Heard (1881-1926), Ethel Lyon Heard (1876-1933), Herbert Lee McNeil (1890-1950) and Estill Lee Rice (1892-1963), served in various medical capacities. The doctors treated wounded soldiers and helped care for victims of the 1918 influenza pandemic, or "Spanish Flu." Drs. Faym Flautt, Allen Heard, Reading, McNeil, Rice and Smith enlisted in the Medical Corps in 1917, many of them achieving higher ranks and receiving military honors for their service. McNeil, serving in France, died of influenza in 1918. Ethel Heard joined the Red Cross and worked at a maternity hospital in Chalons-Sur-Marne, France. At home, UTMB formed the Student Army Training Corps in 1918. Among the thousands of Americans who served in World War I, UTMB faculty, staff and students risked their lives to contribute to the war effort, illustrating their selfless dedication to their profession and country. (2018)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the United States entered World War I in 1917, faculty, staff, and students at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston volunteered their medical skills for the war effort even as national policy urged many to keep teaching at home. Stationed across the U.S. and Europe, UTMB physicians treated wounded soldiers and cared for victims of the 1918 influenza pandemic; one, Dr. Herbert Lee McNeil, died of influenza in France, while Dr. Ethel Heard served with the Red Cross at a French maternity hospital. At home, UTMB formed a Student Army Training Corps in 1918.
Why it matters
The marker honors the medical profession's sacrifice in the Great War and the double crisis of battlefield wounds and the deadly Spanish flu that doctors faced side by side.
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Related people
- · Herbert Lee McNeil
- · Ethel Lyon Heard
- · Scott Stuart Fay
Related events
- · World War I
- · 1918 influenza pandemic
Themes & tags
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