Noted physician and bacteriologist William H. Welch died on this date in 1934. He gained fame during his lifetime for discovering the bacterium that causes gas gangrene, since named Bacillus welchii. Welch also studied other diseases; these included pneumonia, diphtheria, and problems with immunity and infection. Born in Connecticut in 1850, Welch graduated first from Yale University and then from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Welch later was pathologist-in-chief of the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Eventually, he also held senior administrative posts at the Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, the Hopkins hospital and the Institute of the History of Medicine. In 1910, Welch served as president of the American Medical Association.

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