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{{Short description|British Doctor in Colonial India }}
Colonel '''Walter Gawen King''' {{postnominals|CIE}} (4 December 1851<ref name=":0">{{Citation |title=King, Col Walter Gawen, (4 Dec. 1851–4 April 1935) |date=2007-12-01 |url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-212369 |work=Who Was Who |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u212369 |isbn=978-0-19-954089-1 |access-date=2022-11-25|url-access=subscription }}</ref> – 4 April 1935) was a [[British Indian Army|British Indian army]] surgeon who served in the [[Madras Presidency]] as a sanitary officer and introduced a number of public health measures for the first time in India. The [[King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research]] in Chennai was named in his honour in 1905.

== Life ==

King was born in England, the son of J. H. King and Laura daughter of George William Marrett, engineer to the Nizam in Hyderabad. He studied medicine at the [[University of Aberdeen]], receiving an MB and CM in 1873 and joined the [[Indian Medical Service]] in 1874.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=J. |first=S. P. |date=1935 |title=Colonel W. G. King, C.I.E |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=135 |issue=3420 |pages=817 |doi=10.1038/135817a0 |s2cid=4065676 |issn=0028-0836|doi-access=free }}</ref> He served in the 31's and the 5th Burmah regiments and became a civil surgeon in 1877 at Madras. While posted here, he was a professor of hygiene at the [[Madras Medical College]]. During the famines of 1876-77 and 1896-97 in southern India, his services were recognized by the government. He served in Burma from 1906 to 1908.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1910 |title=The Medical Meeting in Burma |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=45 |issue=4 |pages=1–20 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5140551 |pmid=29004594}}</ref> He was made CIE in 1899. He retired to England in 1910 with the rank of colonel and lived in Hendon where he died in 1935.
[[File:King Institute.jpg|thumb|left|The King Institute c. 1914]]
King's major work was on vaccination and public health. He was involved in the introduction of rules to track movement of people during the plague outbreaks in Madras. He began research at Guindy in 1899 to produce vaccines which resulted in an institute that was formally named as the King Institute and opened on 11 March 1905.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |date=1914 |title=India |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25308801 |journal=The British Medical Journal |volume=1 |issue=2771 |pages=314–319 |jstor=25308801 |issn=0007-1447}}</ref>

== Vaccination and public health ==
[[File:King Institute vaccine production.jpg|thumb|Vaccine production building at the King Institute c. 1914]]
King was appointed inspector of vaccination in 1890 and used lanolin and vaseline as a medium for storage of [[smallpox vaccine]]. In 1892 he became Sanitary Commissioner for Madras and served in this position until 1905. He established a department of public health and developed courses in public health and had sanitary inspectors trained at the Madras Medical College. The Madras Registration of Births and Deaths Act of 1899 was the result of a proposal from King.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Russell |first=A.J.H. |date=1935 |title=Walter Gawen King, C.I.E., M.B., C.M., D.P.H., COLONEL I.M.S. 1851–1935 |url=https://academic.oup.com/trstmh/article-lookup/doi/10.1016/S0035-9203(35)90024-4 |journal=Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene |language=en |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=95–96 |doi=10.1016/S0035-9203(35)90024-4|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Plague management ==

In September 1896, the first case of [[plague in India]] was reported in Bombay. King immediately issued a circular to the medical officers of the port, warning them of its entrance to the Presidency and advised the local bodies in the Presidency to adopt plague passports, which would enable tracking movement of people from plague affected areas to other parts. In 1903 nearly 79500 plague passports were issued and tracked. He also produced management guidelines which included inspections of ships and transports.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |title=Plague and the Destruction of Rats |date=1910 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45162818 |journal=Journal of the Royal Institute of Public Health |volume=18 |issue=12 |pages=737–743 |jstor=45162818 |issn=0368-3982}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=King |first1=W. G. |last2=Taylor |first2=H. D. |date=1906 |title=Plague in Madras |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=41 |issue=11 |pages=459–465 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5180946 |pmid=29006074}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |title=The Hindu and Plague |date=1924-06-14 |journal=British Medical Journal |volume=1 |issue=3311 |pages=1071 |issn=0007-1447 |pmc=2304515}}</ref>

== Promotion of soya ==

King recognised the nutritional value of soya beans and promoted their cultivation in India. In 1897 he provided seeds to officials in [[South India]] to introduce soya bean cultivation in India.<ref>{{cite book |editor1=Shurtleff, William |editor2=Aoyagi, Akiko |year= 2016|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=12dnDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA165 |title=History of Soybean Crushing: Soy Oil and Soybean Meal (980-2016):: Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook |publisher=Soyinfo Center |isbn=9781928914891}}</ref>

== Publications ==
King published numerous papers and also published annual reports on vaccination in the Madras Presidency for 1902-03, 1903-04.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1902 |title=The Introduction of Vaccination into India |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=37 |issue=10 |pages=413–414 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5156148 |pmid=29003634}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1905 |title=The Antiquity of Hindu Vaccination |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=40 |issue=6 |pages=234 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5163083 |pmid=29004863}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1913 |title="Flaming" in Prevention of Plague and Kala-Azar |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=48 |issue=3 |pages=124 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5177265 |pmid=29005873}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1914 |title=Itinerating Dispensaries |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=49 |issue=9 |pages=370 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5181399 |pmid=29006337}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |title=Cholera Epidemiology |date=1930-12-27 |journal=British Medical Journal |volume=2 |issue=3651 |pages=1101–1102 |issn=0007-1447 |pmc=2452810}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |title=The Outlook in Tropical Hygiene |date=1922 |journal=British Medical Journal |language=en |volume=1 |issue=3206 |pages=935–936|doi=10.1136/bmj.1.3206.935-c |pmc=2416308 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=Colonel W. G. |title=Politics and Sanitation |date=1923 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43431175 |journal=Science Progress in the Twentieth Century (1919-1933) |volume=18 |issue=69 |pages=113–125 |jstor=43431175 |issn=2059-4941}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |title=The Penalties of Research |date=1924 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43430693 |journal=Science Progress in the Twentieth Century (1919-1933) |volume=18 |issue=72 |pages=628–634 |jstor=43430693 |issn=2059-4941}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1910 |title=Operation Rooms in the Tropics |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=45 |issue=6 |pages=201–207 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5140633 |pmid=29004655}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |title=Rice in Relation to Beri-Beri |date=1924-04-12 |journal=British Medical Journal |volume=1 |issue=3302 |pages=688–689 |issn=0007-1447 |pmc=2304203}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |title=Assets of the I.m.s |date=1925-01-31 |journal=British Medical Journal |volume=1 |issue=3344 |pages=241 |issn=0007-1447 |pmc=2196813}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1912 |title=Air Movement in Association Wards |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=47 |issue=2 |pages=60–64 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5168047 |pmid=29005307}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1901 |title=Beri-Beri in the Northern Circars |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=36–39 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5164185 |pmid=29004202}}</ref>
* Cultivation of Animal Vaccine (1891)
* Plague Inspector's Manual (1902)
* Sanitary Rules for the Prevention of Plague in Municipalities (1903)
* Simple Sanitary Rules during Cholera Epidemics.
* {{Cite journal |last=King|first=W. G. |date=1912 |title=The prevention of plague in the Madras Presidency (Continued) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45202903 |journal=The Journal of State Medicine |volume=20 |issue=4 |pages=220–254 |jstor=45202903 |issn=2633-5468}}
* {{Cite journal |last=KING |first=W. G. |title=The Prevention of Plague in the Madras Presidency |date=1912 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45202896 |journal=The Journal of State Medicine |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=100–111 |jstor=45202896 |issn=2633-5468}}
* {{Cite journal |last=King |first=W.-G. |date=1904 |title=Commonsense Policy of Plague |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=39 |issue=12 |pages=447–450 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5162504 |pmid=29003787}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=King |first1=W. G. |last2=Simpson |first2=W. J. |date=1913 |title=Indian Sanitary Reforms |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=48 |issue=4 |pages=163 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5177209 |pmid=29005834}}
* {{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |title=Inoculation and the Incubation Stage of Plague |date=1902-02-08 |journal=British Medical Journal |volume=1 |issue=2145 |pages=365 |issn=0007-1447 |pmc=2511965}}
* {{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1900-12-15 |title="Haffkinine." |journal=British Medical Journal |volume=2 |issue=2085 |pages=1750–1751 |issn=0007-1447 |pmc=2464021}}
* {{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1893 |title=Vaccine Lymph—Its Origin and Cultivation |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=28 |issue=3 |pages=65–68 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5171965 |pmid=29000968}}
* {{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1896 |title=Extract from an Account of Experiments for the Preservation of Animal Lymph Conducted |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=31 |issue=12 |pages=440–443 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5146175 |pmid=29002659}}
* {{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1922-02-18 |title=FATS AND GOITRE |journal=British Medical Journal |volume=1 |issue=3190 |pages=287 |issn=0007-1447 |pmc=2415620}}
* {{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1896 |title=The Preservation of Animal Lymph, Vaseline or Lanoline |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=31 |issue=12 |pages=438–440 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5146173 |pmid=29002657}}
* {{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1893 |title=Animal Vaccine: Its Origin and Cultivation |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=28 |issue=7 |pages=209–218 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5172071 |pmid=29001031}}
* {{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1898-06-25 |title="Extraneous Organisms" in Preserved Vaccine |journal=British Medical Journal |volume=1 |issue=1956 |pages=1686 |issn=0007-1447 |pmc=2412015}}
* {{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1914 |title=Asino-Vaccine |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=49 |issue=5 |pages=206 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5181488 |pmid=29006394}}
* {{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1904 |title=Sanitary Inspectors in Madras |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=39 |issue=11 |pages=437–438 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5162464 |pmid=29003756}}
* {{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |title=Sanitation in India |date=1923-12-15 |journal=British Medical Journal |volume=2 |issue=3285 |pages=1183 |issn=0007-1447 |pmc=2317603}}
* {{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |date=1895 |title=Presidential Address in Public Health |journal=The Indian Medical Gazette |volume=30 |issue=1 |pages=14–20 |issn=0019-5863 |pmc=5142931 |pmid=29002019}}
* {{Cite journal |last=King |first=W. G. |title=Sanitary Law in India |date=1911 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45162845 |journal=Journal of the Royal Institute of Public Health |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=91–107 |jstor=45162845 |issn=0368-3982}}
* {{Cite journal |last=King |first=W.G |title=Madras City Water-Supply |date=1914 |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0140673600545759 |journal=The Lancet |language=en |volume=183 |issue=4720 |pages=497–498 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(00)54575-9}}
* {{Cite journal |last=KING |first=W. G. |title=A Latrine for the Tropics |date=1910 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45162187 |journal=Journal of the Royal Institute of Public Health |volume=18 |issue=7 |pages=402–405 |jstor=45162187 |issn=0368-3982}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.madrasmusings.com/vol-25-no-9/the-pioneers-of-the-king-institute/ The Pioneers of the King Institute]
* [https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/kings-prescription/article4550980.ece King's prescription]
* [https://thefederal.com/features/wg-king-the-englishman-who-banished-plague-from-madr King's work on plague]
* [https://hamletram.blogspot.com/2015/01/bamboo-and-butterflya-malabar-woman-for.html On King's Burma career and life]
* [https://www.s-asian.cam.ac.uk/archive/papers/item/king-papers/ Archives at Cambridge]

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Walter Gawen}}

[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:19th-century English medical doctors]]
[[Category:20th-century English medical doctors]]
[[Category:People from the Madras Presidency]]
[[Category:Indian Medical Service officers]]
[[Category:1851 births]]
[[Category:1935 deaths]]

Walter Gawen King - Revision history

DeangeloSchwing: added new data