Ernest Black Struthers

Ernest Black Struthers (April 28, 1886 – May 22, 1977) was a Canadian physician, researcher, educator and medical missionary who worked in the Far East. He is described as a remarkable man, and a kind, outgoing, and endearing intellectual. Specifically, he was born on Rose Street in the town of Galt. Although the Ontario Register states that he was born on May 28, 1886, his birthday was recorded as April 28, 1886, in his family's Bible. He was given the middle name Black after his great-grandfather Robert Black. and they were a religious family. Struthers was exposed to missionaries at a young age, since his family would often host them at their home. After graduating, Struthers made prints for his father's business, "The Galt Electric and Gas Fixture Company," and decided to go to England in 1912,thumb University of Toronto Medical Building, university that Ernest Black Struthers received his M.B. from in 1912

Personal life Struthers became engaged to Margaret Walks on October 5, 1915, and they married on May 10, 1916. Their first child, Gilchrist Struthers, was born on April 11, 1917, and their second child, David Struthers, was born February 22, 1922. Mary Struthers, their third child, was born June 6, 1926. Margaret died December 3, 1948. Struthers married Elda Daniels on July 20, 1957 in England. Altogether, he had 12 grandchildren. In addition to practicing medicine, he taught pharmacology, therapeutics, tropical medicine, and internal medicine. In the summer of 1924, he went on furlough and did deputation work in Canada. He also spent six weeks doing clinical experience with Dr. Peabody at the Boston City Hospital. In 1928, fighting occurred between the Chinese Nationalist troops and the Japanese in the Shandong province before the Nationalists gained control a year later. During this time, Struthers reported on the terrors that occurred, specifically at the Chinese military hospital. Life was dangerous and fearful during this time. Along with William McClure and George M. Ross, Struthers sent a cable to Dr. A. E. Armstrong, of the United Church Foreign Missionary Board, on May 7, 1928, stating "Expect aid. All well." On December 22, 1956, New York financier John Hay Whitney gave Struthers $5,000 for his tuberculosis control project of the Korean Church Works service. Whitney told Struthers that this money was the first installment of $15,000 that he and his wife hoped to give to Struthers. Struthers believed about 6.5% of the population in Korea had tuberculosis. at the Cheeloo University there. They worked together until her death in 1927. In 1928, Dr. Russell LaFayette Cecil of the Cornell Medical School in New York asked him to author the chapter on Leishmaniasis for his Textbook on Medicine, a notable achievement. On his furlough in 1930, Struthers studied kala-azar at the School of Tropical Medicine in Calcutta. Struthers also worked with Dr. Lionel E. Napier and his colleagues at this school. In 1933 and 1934, they promoted the hypothesis that the sand fly was the transmission vector for the disease.

To diagnose patients, Struthers performed spleen punctures to confirm the presence of Leishman-Donovan bodies. He began treating patients with potassium antimony tartrate. Later, he used an organic preparation of antimony. Over time, about 80–95% of treated patients were cured, and the treatment time dramatically decreased from eight months to three weeks.

Death Struthers died on May 22, 1977, aged 91. He is buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, Ontario.

Publications Source:

Struthers primarily published in the Chinese Medical Journal, and his most notable publication includes his chapter titled "The Leishmaniases" in Cecil's Textbook of Medicine. "The Leishmaniases" – Cecil's Textbook of Medicine, 1929 "Kala-azar, Criterion of Care" – Chinese Medical Journal, 1924 (March) "The Globulin Precipitation Test and Formol Gel Test in the Diagnosis of Kala-azar", Chinese Medical Journal, March, 1924 "Neostam – Stibamine Glucoside in the Treatment of Kala-azar", Chinese Medical Journal, January, 1927 "The Treatment of Kala-azar by Stibosan (Hayden 471) and Anti-mosan (Hayden 661)", Chinese Medical Journal, September, 1927 "Splenomegaly in the Diagnosis of Kala-azar", Chinese Medical Journal, August, 1929 "Neostibosan in the Treatment of Kala-azar", Chinese Medical Journal, January, 1931 "Antimony in the Treatment of Kala-azar and its Toxic Effects", Chinese Medical Journal, Vol. 47: 1421–33, 1933 "The Treatment of Kala-azar with Solustibosan", Chinese Medical Journal, Vol. 52: 335–338, September, 1937 "Nephritis with Edema Caused by Malignant Nephritis", Chinese Medical Journal, April, 1928 "Report on Medical Relief for Flood Refugees", Chinese Medical Journal, Vol, 50: 1670, 1936 "Acute Leukemia, Seven Cases", Chinese Medical Journal, Vol. 51: 471–478, 1937 "Relation of Medical Schools to the Rural Health Program", Chinese Medical Journal, Vol. 52: 447, 1937 "Tuberculosis in Korea – a Control Project", Journal American Medical Association, April 12, 1958 "Tuberculosis Contacts in Seoul, Korea – an Analysis of 3002 Household Contacts", American Review of Respiratory Diseases, Vol. 83, June, 1961 "Tuberculosis in Korea", Korea Calling, July 1962 "Treating Tuberculosis in Korea", The Medical Graduate, Vol. 10 No. 2, 1963–1964 U.S. Army War Department Technical Bulletin – Medical Sanitary Data on Southeastern China" – June 1945 – 94 pages, Washington, D.C. – produced with the assistance of Dr. A.R. Turner