William Shainline Middleton Papers

William Shainline Middleton (1890-1975) was born in Norristown, PA, and earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1911. After interning at Philadelphia General Hospital, he joined the University of Wisconsin Medical School in 1912. He became assistant professor on 1915, professor in 1933, and finally serving as Dean of the Medical School from 1935 to 1955.

Middleton served in both World War I and II in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He served with the American and British Expeditionary Forces during World War I, receiving the Victory Medal and several battle clasps. During World War II, he was Chief Medical Consultant in Medicine for the European Theater of Operations (1942-1945). He received the Distinguished Service Medal and Legion of Merit, among others, for his military service. Finally, he was Special Advisor to the Surgeon General of the Army during the Korean War.

Middleton left the University of Wisconsin in 1955 to become Chief Medical Director of the Veteran's Administration, returning to a connection he first established in 1922 when he served as a tuberculosis specialist for the Veteran's Bureau. He was also a member of the VA Special Medical Advisory Group, established after World War II to advise on the care and treatment of disabled veterans. His contributions to the VA medical program include improved access to rehabilitation services, and mental health and hypertension treatment. He also guided the development of the VA's hospital and clinic research programs. The establishment of long-term patient care was also one of his VA program initiatives. He retired from the VA in 1963.

Dr. Middleton's many professional activities included presidencies of the American College of Physicians, the Central Society for Clinical Research and the American Association for the History of Medicine. He was an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and the Royal College of Physicians in London.