Rufus Cole

Rufus Cole (April 30, 1872 – April 20, 1966) was an American medical doctor and the first director of the Rockefeller University Hospital. Under his leadership significant advances in treatment of bacterial pneumonia and later against tuberculosis were made. In 1912 Cole and Alphonse Dochez developed a serum against Type 1 pneumococcus and also developed a method for testing whether an infection is caused by this or some other type of the bacterium. The New York Times in its obituary for Cole called him "a pioneer in clinical medicine" and "an authority on lobar pneumonia". The New York Times also wrote in the same obituary that Cole was President of Association of American Physicians in 1931, had honorary degrees from the University of Chicago and the National University of Ireland. Cole received Kober prize in 1938 for advances against tuberculosis. He is also credited by Franklin C. McLean for creating a blueprint for clinical studies.

Early life and education Cole was born in Rowsburg, Ohio. He graduated from the University of Michigan with an undergraduate degree and from Johns Hopkins University with a M.D. degree in 1899.

Career Cole became director of the Hospital of the Rockefeller Institute in 1908 and retired in 1937. During his retirement he wrote a two volume history of 17th century Britain: "Human History, the Seventeenth Century and the Stuart Family", Two Volumes by Rufus Cole (Hardcover – 1959). Cole died of pneumonia in a Washington hospital. He was 93 years old and lived in Mount Kisco, New York.

Distinctions, degrees and memberships Academic degrees University of Michigan, B.S., 1896 Johns Hopkins University, M.D., 1899 The University of Chicago, D.Sc. (Honorary), 1927 National University of Ireland, D.Sc. (Honorary), 1933

Professional appointments The Johns Hopkins Hospital Resident House Officer, 1899–1900 Assistant Resident Physician, 1900–1904 Instructor in Medicine, 1901–1904 Resident Physician and Associate in Medicine, 1904–1906 Assistant Physician in charge of the Biological Division of the Clinical Research Laboratory, 1906–1909 Research Student under Professor A. Wassermann, Robert Koch, Berlin, 1903–1904 Director of the Hospital of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research and Member of the Rockefeller Institute, 1908–1937; Member Emeritus, 1937–1966 Board of Managers, St Luke's Hospital, New York, 1938–1946 Board of Manager, Memorial Hospital, New York, 1938–1944 Advisory Committee, department of Welfare, Westchester County, 1935 Consultant in Bacteriology, New York State Department of Health, 1936 Consulting Physician, Willard Parker Hospital, 1912–1920

Awards Medaille d'Honneur de l'Assistance Publique de la Republique Francaise, 1926 Kober Medal, Association of American Physicians, 1938 Academy Medal, New York Academy of Medicine, 1953 Kovalenko Award, National Academy of Sciences, 1966 (Posthumously)