William C. Gorgas

William Crawford Gorgas
Gorgas during World War I
Born	(1854-10-03)October 3, 1854 Toulminville, Alabama, US
Died	July 3, 1920(1920-07-03) (aged 65) London, England
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1880–1918
Rank	Major General
Commands held	Surgeon General of the US Army
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal Public Welfare Medal (1914)
Relations	Josiah Gorgas (father) Amelia Gayle Gorgas (mother) John Gayle (grandfather)

William Crawford Gorgas KCMG (October 3, 1854 – July 3, 1920) was a United States Army physician and 22nd Surgeon General of the U.S. Army (1914–1918). He is best known for his work in Florida, Havana and at the Panama Canal in abating the transmission of yellow fever and malaria by controlling the mosquitoes that carry these diseases, for which he used the discoveries made by the Cuban doctor Carlos J. Finlay. At first, Finlay's strategy was greeted with considerable skepticism and opposition to such hygiene measures. However, the measures Gorgas put into practice as the head of the Panama Canal Zone Sanitation Commission saved thousands of lives and contributed to the success of the Canal's construction.

He was a Georgist and argued that adopting Henry George's popular 'Single Tax' would be a way to bring about sanitary living conditions, especially for the poor.^[1]