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1847 - 1922

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George Gray Ward

Physician

Centurion, 1915–1950

born August 15, 1868
London, England
died September 21, 1950
New York (Manhattan), New York
elected March 6, 1915
Age forty-six
Member portrait of George Gray Ward
Member Photograph Albums CollectionAlbum 10, Leaf 7
To inquire about image use and/or publication, contact the Archivist.

Century Memorial

Dr. Ward was born in London; and when he was but a year old his father and mother brought him to St. Pierre, Miquelon, on the steamship “Great Eastern.” His father worked for the French Atlantic Cable Company, and the general expectation was that when Ward grew up he would go to work there, too. But he became enormously interested in medicine, and in 1891 he took a medical degree on graduating from the Long Island College of Medicine. Later he studied at the University of Berlin, and in London and Paris, as a graduate student.

His field was obstetrics and gynecology, and he taught these subjects as Professor in Cornell Medical College. In 1918 he became Chief Surgeon of the Woman’s Hospital, and he filled that post till 1938, when he was made Surgeon Emeritus. He was a first-class organizer and the excellent operation of the Hospital today is founded on his systematic records and audits.

He was a skilful and conscientious surgeon, particularly expert in the field of cancer. He introduced radium at the Woman’s Hospital, and was the first to use blood transfusions for ward patients there.

Like every good teacher, Dr. Ward was a never-failing source of inspiration to medical students, while his patients knew him for his gentleness and kindness. He was a distinguished physician, and a modest and humble man.

George W. Martin
1951/1952 Century Association Yearbook

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