Ward J. MacNeal

Born in Michigan in 1881, Ward J. MacNeal built an unusually broad medical-scientific education at the University of Michigan, earning an A.B. in 1901, a PhD in 1904, an MD in 1905, and later an honorary ScD in 1939. He became known as a specialist in bacteriology and pathology, with work connected to bacteria, phage, and cancer research.

From 1912 until his death in 1946, he served as professor of bacteriology and director of the Bacteriology Service at New York Post-Graduate Medical School and Hospital. He also wrote technical books for medical readers, including Pathogenic Micro-Organisms, a textbook intended for physicians and students of medicine.

MacNeal died in 1946, but his legacy continued through the Ward J. MacNeal Educational and Scientific Memorial Trust. At the University of Michigan, the MacNeal Distinguished Dissertation Award still honors his contribution to microbiology and medical education.