Edward Bright Vedder

Edward Bright Vedder (June 28, 1878 – January 30, 1952 ) was a U.S. Army physician, a noted researcher on deficiency diseases, and a medical educator. He studied beriberi, a deficiency disease affecting the peripheral nerves, and established an extract of rice bran as its proper treatment.

Early life and education Vedder was born in New York City to Henry Clay Vedder, a professor of church history, and Minnie Lingham Vedder. He was educated at the University of Rochester (Ph.B., 1898) and the University of Pennsylvania (M.D., 1902 and M.S., 1903). At Penn he did research on dysentery with Simon Flexner.

In 1919, Vedder became director of the Southern Department Laboratory at Fort Sam Houston, Texas and later chief of medical research (1922–25) at the Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland.

In 1925, Vedder returned to Manila as senior member of the Army Board for Medical Research. Four years later, he returned to Washington and in the following year assumed command of the AMS (now called the Army Medical Center).

After his retirement from the Army in 1933 he became professor of experimental medicine at George Washington University. In 1942 he was appointed Director of Medical Education at the Alameda County Hospital (California) and laboratory director of the Highland County Hospital (Oakland), posts that he retained until his retirement in 1947.

Vedder is interred at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Legacy The North Pavilion of Building 40 on the campus of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center was named the Vedder Pavilion in his honor.

Vedder's papers were donated to the University of Rochester Edward G. Miner Library in 1997 by Martha Vedder Cullinane, the widow of Vedder's son Henry Clay Vedder II.

An essay written by Lt Col Nathan Johnson about the scientific accomplishments of Dr. Vedder won the 2006 AMSUS history of medicine essay award.