Rufus Cole

Who was Rufus Cole?

Rufus Cole was an American medical doctor and the first director of the Rockefeller University Hospital. Under his leadership significant advances in treatment of bacterial pneumonia and later against tuberculosis were made. In 1912 Cole and Alphonse Dochez developed a serum against Type 1 pneumococcus and also developed a method for testing whether an infection is caused by this or some other type of the bacterium. The New York Times in its obituary for Cole called him "a pioneer in clinical medicine" and "an authority on lobar pneumonia". The New York Times also wrote in the same obituary that Cole was President of Association of American Physicians in 1931, had honorary degrees from the University of Chicago and the National University of Ireland. Cole received Kober prize in 1938 for advances against tuberculosis. He is also credited by Franklin C. McLean for creating a blue print for clinical studies.