Augustus Thorndike

Who was Augustus Thorndike?

Augustus Thorndike, was the chief of surgery at Harvard University from 1931 to 1962 and a pioneer in sports medicine.

Thorndike served in World War I and was a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Medical School. He pioneered many advancements in sports medicine, including the rules that a physician must be present at every sports event and that a doctor must decide if an injured athlete should play. He also designed advanced equipment for football players and was the first to insist that hockey players wear helmets.

Thorndike began working at the Massachusetts General Hospital in 1921 as a general surgeon before also offering his medical services to the Harvard University Athletic Department in 1926. It was based upon his experiences working with athletes during this period that he determined there to be a specific need to improve medical care for athletes and later that specialization in the field was necessary.

One of the principal reasons for which Dr. Thorndike is regarded as a "pioneer" in the industry was his insistence that only a physician was qualified to determine whether an athlete was healthy enough to compete or play their sport and that this decision should not be left to coaches.