Thomas Morgan Rotch
American physician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Morgan Rotch (1849–1914) was the president of the American Pediatric Society for 1890–91[1] and America's first full professor of pediatrics.[2] He was the great-grandson of Samuel Powel Griffitts.[3][4]
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Thomas Morgan Rotch | |
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| Born | December 9, 1849 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | March 9, 1914 (aged 64) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Education | Harvard Medical School |
| Occupation | Pediatrician |
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Biography
Thomas Morgan Rotch was born in Philadelphia on December 9, 1849.[4] He graduated from Harvard College in 1870, and from Harvard Medical School in 1874.[3] He then spent two years at the Universities of Berlin, Vienna, and Heidelberg to complete his medical education before returning to Boston.[5]
Prior to Rotch, there had been no physician in New England devoted to child health.[5] Rotch was instrumental in creating a department of pediatrics at Harvard, and in 1893 he became the first Professor of Pediatrics in the United States.[5] He was also involved with the founding of the Boston Children's Hospital.[5]
Rotch invented an incubator for premature infants, which was presented to the American Pediatric Society in 1895.[5]
He was a founding member of the American Pediatric Society and served as its president from 1890 to 1891.[5]
Legacy
The Rotch sign is named after him.
