William T. Sedgwick

William Thompson Sedgwick (December 29, 1855 – January 25, 1921) was an American epidemiologist, bacteriologist, teacher, and a key figure in shaping public health in the United States.

Focused on eliminating typhoid, Sedgwick helped create the Sedgwick–Rafter method, a way to count the prevalence of waterborne microorganisms. He later advocated for the United States' first citywide sand filter for water purification, installed in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

He was president of many scientific and professional organizations during his lifetime, including president of the American Public Health Association in 1915. He was one of three founders of the joint MIT-Harvard School of Public Health in 1913. The Sedgwick Memorial Medal is named after him.

Early life and education

William Thompson Sedgwick was born on December 29, 1855, in West Hartford, Connecticut, the son of William Sedgwick and Anne Thompson Sedgwick. In 1877, he received his Bachelor of Science in biology from the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale University. He studied for two years at the Yale School of Medicine, where he was also an instructor in physiological chemistry in 1878–79. He left Yale to take up studies at Johns Hopkins University in physiology. He became interested in biology and changed his course of study, graduating with a PhD in biology in 1881. He remained at Hopkins for two years as an associate in biology.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

In 1883, Sedgwick was appointed to the faculty at MIT. He was promoted to associate professor in 1884 and to full professor in 1891. He became head of what ultimately became known as the Department of Biology at MIT.