Rivers, Thomas Milton 1888-1962

VIROLOGIST

Life and Work.

Known for his research in the area of viral disease, Thomas Milton Rivers was also a compassionate physician and gifted administrator. Born in Jonesboro, Georgia, he graduated from Emory College in 1909 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Immediately following graduation, Rivers was admitted to the Johns Hopkins Medical School. Although a talented student, Rivers's dream of becoming a physician was not to be soon realized. He was diagnosed with an often fatal neuromuscular degeneration and left medical school to become a laboratory assistant at a hospital in the Panama Canal Zone. By 1912 the illness had not progressed, and Rivers returned to Johns Hopkins and graduated in 1915.

An Interest in Virology Develops.

After an internship and residency in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins, Rivers spent time investigating an outbreak of pneumonia as a member of the army medical corps. This may have...

[The entire page is 596 words long]

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