World War I Physicians from Galveston

World War I Physicians from Galveston. . 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 faculty, 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 (1887-1918), Benjamin Franklin Smith, Jr. (1887- 1954), William Boyd Reading (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. Fay, 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.