Cecil K. Drinker

Cecil Kent Drinker (1887-1956) was Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health from 1935 to 1942. Prior to 1935, Drinker was Professor of Physiology at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, and specialized in industrial medicine and hygiene. His research at Harvard chiefly focused on the lymphatic system, tissue fluid exchange, blood circulation, industrial and work-related poisoning and hygiene, as well as methods of artificial respiration. Drinker was one of the first physicians to stress the importance of the respiratory tract as the route of absorption of toxic dust and fumes, and after he completed research on manganese inhalation, he became one of the leading experts in treating manganese poisoning in the United States.

During World War II, Drinker conducted respiratory physiological research for the United States Armed Forces' National Defense Research Committee, which contributed to the development of high-altitude oxygen masks and goggles for allied aviators. His research focused both on the development of the artificial respiration system in these masks and on human skin exposure to the rubber masks. Drinker's work in artificial respiration at Harvard led to collaborations with American, British, and Canadian military specialists seeking to create innovative high-altitude oxygen masks, as well as deep-sea diving goggles and cures for submarine illnesses for allied troops. In Drinker's correspondence, notes, and Harvard School of Public Health administrative records, the gas mask project is referred to as 'Anonymous Research Under CKD,' in an effort to protect its secrecy.