Rupert Blue
Rupert Blue (born March 30, 1868 in Richmond County , North Carolina , † April 12, 1948 in Charleston , South Carolina ) was an American medic and from 1912 to 1920 Surgeon General of the United States . The Spanish flu outbreak occurred during his tenure . Today he is accused of taking inadequate measures to at least slow down the spread of the disease.
Blue attended the University of Virginia from 1889 to 1890 and received his medical training from the University of Maryland , from which he graduated in 1892. He first came across the Public Health Service in 1892. From June 11, 1892 to March 2, 1893, he completed an internship in this organization. He received a permanent position there from March 3, 1893. He stood out for his competence and vigorous action in plague and cholera epidemics in San Francisco and was appointed head of the Public Health Service and the Organización Panamericana de la Salud because of these successes .
With the United States' participation in World War I in 1917, Blue faced an increasing shortage of doctors and nurses. The Spanish flu , a particularly aggressive and deadly form of influenza , also broke out around this time . Although warned early of the devastating effects, Blue reacted very negligently and late. The Public Health Service was warned of the disease as early as the beginning of 1918, during the so-called first wave, but the first half-hearted quarantine efforts were not ordered until August, when the once more deadly second wave killed thousands.
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- Biography (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Blue, Rupert |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American physician, Surgeon General of the United States |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 30, 1868 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Richmond County , North Carolina |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 12, 1948 |
| Place of death | Charleston , South Carolina |