Dr. Augustus Thorndike
1896 - 1986
Augustus Thorndike (1896–1986), was the chief of surgery at Harvard University from 1931 to 1962 and a pioneer in sports medicine.
The history of sports medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital begins with Augustus Thorndike, MD, a general surgeon who is regarded as the father of sports medicine in the United States. Dr. Thorndike joined the staff at the MGH in 1921, and in 1926, he began lending his services to the Harvard University Athletic Department. In those days, athletic competition, particularly in contact sports, was far more dangerous than it is today. Athletes did not have the benefit of protective equipment and they regularly played with serious, and often undiagnosed, injuries. Dr. Thorndike recognized the special risks and dangers athletes faced, and so he set out to improve medical care for athletes.