John Gorrie
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(December 2015) |
John Gorrie | |
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| Born | October 3, 1803 |
| Died | June 29, 1855(aged 52) |
| Occupation(s) | Physician, scientist, inventor |
John B. Gorrie(October 3, 1803 – June 29, 1855) was aNevisian-born Americanphysician and scientist, credited as the inventor of mechanicalrefrigeration.[1][2]
Born on the Island ofNevisin theLeeward Islandsof theWest IndiestoScottishparents on October 3, 1803, he spent his childhood inSouth Carolina.He received his medical education at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Western District of New York inFairfield, New York.
In 1833, he moved toApalachicola, Florida,a port city on theGulfcoast. As well as being resident physician at two hospitals, Gorrie was active in the community. At various times he served as a council member, postmaster, president of the Bank of Pensacola's Apalachicola Branch, Secretary of hisMasonicLodge, and one of the founding vestrymen ofTrinity Episcopal Church.
Gorrie's medical research involved the study of tropical diseases, particularlyyellow fever.At the time thetheorythat bad air — mal-aria — caused diseases was a prevalent hypothesis, and based on this theory, he urged draining the swamps and the cooling of sickrooms.[3]For this he cooled rooms withicein a basin suspended from the ceiling. Cool air, being heavier, flowed down across the patient and through an opening near the floor.
Experiments with artificial cooling[edit]
Since it was necessary to transport ice by boat from the northern lakes, Gorrie experimented with making artificial ice.[2]
He first mechanically produced ice in 1844.[4]After 1845, Gorrie gave up his medical practice to pursue refrigeration products. By 1850 he was able to routinely produce ice the size of bricks.[5]On May 6, 1851, Gorrie was grantedPatentNo. 8080 for a machine to make ice.The original model of this machine and the scientific articles he wrote are at theSmithsonian Institution.In 1835, patents for "Apparatus and means for producing ice and in cooling fluids" had been granted in England and Scotland to American-born inventorJacob Perkins,who became known as "the father of the refrigerator". Impoverished, Gorrie sought to raise money to manufacture his machine, but the venture failed when his partner died. Humiliated by criticism, financially ruined, and his health broken, Gorrie died in seclusion on June 29, 1855. He is buried in Magnolia Cemetery.[6][7]: 195
Another version of Gorrie's "cooling system"[citation needed]was used when PresidentJames A. Garfieldwas dying in 1881. Naval engineers built a box filled with cloths that had been soaked in melted ice water. Then by allowing hot air to blow on the cloths it decreased the room temperature by 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The problem with this method was essentially the same problem Gorrie had. It required an enormous amount of ice to keep the room cooled continuously. Yet it was an important event in the history of air conditioning. It proved that Gorrie had the right idea, but was unable to capitalize on it.[8]The first practical refrigeration system in 1854, patented in 1855, was built byJames HarrisoninGeelong,Australia.[9]
Monuments and memorials[edit]
- InApalachicola,Gorrie Square is named in his honor. The square contains his grave site, a monument, and theJohn Gorrie State Museum.
- TheJohn Gorrie Bridge,acrossApalachicola Bay,connects Apalachicola withEastpoint.
- In 1914, the state of Florida gave astatue of Gorrieby sculptorC. Adrian Pillarsto theNational Statuary Hall Collection.[2]
- John Gorrie Junior High School, now an apartment building named The John Gorrie, inJacksonvilleandJohn Gorrie Elementary SchoolinTampais named in his honor.
- John Gorrie Dog Park at Riverside Park in Jacksonville, Florida opened in the summer of 2016.
- TheWorld War IILiberty ShipSSJohn Gorriewas named in his honor.
- The John Gorrie Award is awarded each year to a graduate of theUniversity of Florida College of Medicinebelieved to be the "best all-around student showing promise of becoming a practitioner of the highest type."
References[edit]
- ^Ice and Refrigeration.Nickerson & Collins Company. 1919. p. 235.
- ^abc"John Gorrie".Architect of the Capitol.
- ^Burke, James (2003).Circles: Fifty Round Trips Through History Technology Science Culture.Simon and Schuster. p. 111.ISBN978-0-7432-4976-8.
- ^[1],Florida Historical Marker F-413; accessed April 15, 2022.
- ^[2],John Gorrie Museum Florida State Park; accessed April 15, 2022.
- ^Federal Writers' Project (1939).Florida. A Guide to the Southernmost State.New York: Oxford University Press. p. 490.
- ^Schafer, Daniel L. (2013).Zephaniah Kingsley Jr. and the Atlantic World. Slave Trader, Plantation Owner, Emancipator.University Press of Florida.ISBN9780813044620.
- ^Gorrie's fridge,ufl.edu; accessed December 20, 2015.
- ^Bruce-Wallace, L. G."Harrison, James (1816–1893)".Australian Dictionary of Biography.Canberra: National Centre of Biography,Australian National University.ISBN978-0-522-84459-7.ISSN1833-7538.OCLC70677943.Retrieved27 November2016.
Further reading[edit]
- Raymond B. Becker.John Gorrie, M.D.: Father of Air Conditioning and Mechanical Refrigeration,Carlton Press, 1972.
- John Gladstone.John Gorrie, the Visionary,ASHRAEJournal, December 1998.PDF file
- V. M. Sherlock.The Fever Man: a Biography of Dr. John Gorrie,Medallion Press: 1982.
- Elli Morris, "Cooling the South: The Block Ice Era, 1875-1975", Wackophoto, 2008.[3]Archived2019-06-08 at theWayback Machine
- Linda Hansen Caldwell,He Made Ice and Changed the World: The Story of Florida’s John Gorrie,Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc., 2020.https:// hemadeice /Archived2021-01-17 at theWayback Machine
- Minna Scherlinder Morse,Chilly Reception"Dr. John Gorrie found the competition all fired up when he tried to market his ice-making machine" smithsonianmag, Smithsonian magazine, July 2002
External links[edit]
- John Gorrie Museum State Park
- Patent model for ice machinefree image at Smithsonian
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