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Biographical NoteDr. Ogden Carr Bruton (b. 1908) was born in Mount Gilead, NC. He entered Trinity College (later to become Duke University) at age 16, and graduated from the School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University in the Class of 1933 with honors. All the medical doctors that graduated with Dr. Bruton became outstanding physicians with renowned accomplishments. Dr. Bruton served three separate tours of duty at Walter Reed Hospital. He went to Europe during World War II briefly and to Tripler General Hospital from 1955-1958 and finally back to Walter Reed for the final time in 1958. He also spent 1946 in private practice in Winston-Salem, NC., where he also acted as a consultant to the Army Surgeon General's Office. During this time he worked on improving care and health conditions offred by the U.S. military for European "war brides" and their babies during their journies to America. A patient study was first conducted on Joseph S. Holtoner, Jr. and 8-year-old boy in 1951 who Dr. Bruton, Chief of the Pediatric Ward 17, studied for the past 5 years at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C. who lacked gamma globulin in human serum. This congenital desease deprives the body of antibodies needed to counter infections. Its discoverery was likened in importance to the discovery of yellow fever by Walter Reed as an epoch-making contribution to medicine. Dr. Bruton started the Pediatric Ward at Walter Reed Army Hospital on the second floor (see color photograph) in the oversize Map Case. "The disease, also called Bruton's syndrome, a condition existing in children from birth, is one in which gamma globulin is absent in the blood, thereby rendering them unable to destroy harmful bacteria in certain diseases". Dr. Bruton sent a form quiz to all the chiefs of the medical schools in the United States of America where they had a pediatric service if they had a patient with any symbols of agammaglobulinemia. His findings were published in June 1952 "Pediatrics". Also Time magazine featured his outstanding medical discovery in May 18, 1953, and numerous other newspaper articles throughout the United States. Return to the Table of Contents Collection SummaryThe collection focuses on Dr. Bruton's medical career as a distinguished Pediatric Chief of Pediatric Service at Walter Reed Army Hospital from 1946-1959 and Army Major Colonel, who first reported a children's disease in 1951 which he named agammaglobulinemia. Many black and white photographs and color ones of Dr. Bruton's family and his career with the patient, Joseph S. Holtoner, Jr. the only patient to submit a photograph of himself with this disease. Family Correspondence and magazine articles highlight Dr. Bruton's outstanding achievements in high school, college, medical school and medicine. Return to the Table of Contents RestrictionsRestrictionsCollection is not restricted. Contact the Reference Staff for information regarding access. For online customer service, please visit custserv@nlm.nih.gov. CopyrightNLM does possess copyright to the collection. Contact the Reference Staff for information regarding use. For online customer service, please visit custserv@nlm.nih.gov. Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents Administrative InformationPrefered Citation[Call Number, Collection Name, Series Number], Modern Manuscripts Collection, History of Medicine Division, National Library of Medicine, USA. ProvenanceGift, 1/1/1995. Accession 817. Return to the Table of Contents Series Descriptions
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Last reviewed: 04 January 2008
Last updated: 02 November 2006
First published: 18 June 2004
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