title: The legacy of William Henry Welch.
abstract: This paper is a brief biography of William Henry Welch, generally considered not only the father of American pathology but also the dean of medicine in the United States during the first quarter of the 20th century. This biography emphasizes Welch's seldom-recognized contribution to the development and understanding of wound and surgical infection that resulted in the delayed universal acceptance of aseptic procedure by surgeons.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Malkin
mesh_terms: D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D010336:Pathology / Q000266:history*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000266:history; D014481:United States