Page:A cyclopedia of American medical biography vol. 2.djvu/66

 JOHNSTON

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JOHNSTONE

'• In Momoriam, Boanl of Directors, Children's Hospital, WaahinRton, 1876."

Trans. Amor. Mod. Assoc, 1S7S, xxix.

Busoy, Komiiiisccnccs.

Johnston, Wyatt Gait, (1859-1902).

^^ viitt dalt Johnston died June 19, 1902, in the forty- third year of his age. He was the son of Dr. J. B. Johnston of Sherbrooke, Quebec, and in December, 1905, married Juha, daughter of the late Michael Turnor of Rugely, England. He received his early education at Bishop's College, Lennoxville, and began to study med- icine in McGill University in 1880, graduating in 1884. As a student he showed especial aptitude for pathology and was a constant associate of William Osier. After graduating he was resi- dent medical officer in the Montreal General Hospital for one year and in 1885 he worked in Virchow's laboratory in Berlin, the following year carrying on research into pernicious anemia with Prof. Grawitz at Greifswald, upon a subsequent visit to Germany working at comparative pathology in Munich. Returning to England, he continued his studies at the Zoological Gardens in London. His first univer- sity appointment was demonstrator of pathology at McGill, where he did the work unaided for four years. For personal reasons he resigned this post but continued to work in the Montreal General Hospital devoting himself to bacteriology and medico-legal work.

Dr. Johnston's first important public work was a bacteriological study of the water supply of Montreal and of surface water generally. In 1895 he was appointed lecturer in bacteriology in McGill University; bacteriologist for the provincial board of health; and medico-legal expert for the district of Montreal, in 1897 being made as- sistant professor in public health and lecturer in medico-legal pathology.

His death on June 19, 1902, when only forty-three, was due to septic poisoning acquired in the autopsy room of the Montreal General Hospital

in February. He received a second infection in April, when a thrombus appeared in the internal saphenous vein of the left leg. This was followed by extensive coagulation which extend- ed to the iliac veins of both sides and the immediate cause of death was pul- monary embolism.

I'rof. Johnston had a full knowledge of the whole literature of pathology and allied subjects, his success laying in his originality, inventiveness, and discovery of the simplest and most direct methods. When any new one was announced he often found a new and a better one. For example, he de- vised a rapid and convenient method for collecting samples of water at various depths in such a way as to exclude the possibility of contamination and one of distinguishing and counting the various animalculse found in surface water. He used hard-boiled eggs for the diagnosis for diphtheria. His modifi- cation of the Widal reaction for the diagnosis of typhoid fever by means of dried serum is well known.

For twenty years Dr. Johnston was connected with the medical faculty of McGill University and with the Montreal General Hospital. His status among scientific men as a trustworthy investigator in bacteriology, prevent- ive and legal medicine added greatly to the reputation of his university and hospital, but his written work amounted to some fifty short papers. He was a member of the American Medico-Legal Association.

A. M.

Johnstone, Arthur Weir (1853-1905).

Arthur Weir Johnstone, was born at Paint Lick, near Danville, Kentucky, July 15, 1853. His father was the son of the Rev. Alexander Johnstone, a Presbyterian, well known as a man of extreme Calvinistic views, and a strong upholder of antislavery principles.

Arthur's early education was received at the public schools. He then entered Center College, Danville, where he