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Walter J. Lear, MD

Walter J. Lear is with the Institute of Social Medicine and Community Health, Philadelphia, Pa.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Walter J. Lear, MD, 206 N 35th St, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

WILLIAM MONTAGUE COBB was born on October 12, 1904, the son of William Elmer and Alexzine Montague Cobb. He grew up in Washington, DC, and graduated from Dunbar High School in 1921. He received his bachelor's degree from Amherst College in 1925 and his MD from Howard University in 1929. In 1932, he received his PhD in anatomy and physical anthropology from Western Reserve University.

Dr Cobb returned to Howard University in 1932 as assistant professor of anatomy in the College of Medicine. He rose through the ranks, and over the next 41 years taught more than 6000 medical students at Howard, most of them African Americans. From 1942 to 1969, Cobb served as chair of the Department of Anatomy, and in 1970 he was appointed Howard's first Distinguished University Professor.

Dr Cobb was active on the national scene, serving as president of the National Medical Association (NMA) and of its Washington, DC chapter. He was editor of the Journal of the National Medical Association from 1949 to 1977. He achieved eminence as a scholar in several fields, including medical history and physical anthropology, and he was especially interested in the relevance of these fields for African Americans. He published over 600 scientific articles, editorials, biographical sketches, pamphlets, book reviews, and monographs.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Dr Cobb initiated and led the protracted and difficult fight for the admission of Black physicians to Washington's predominantly White hospitals and to the Medical Society of the District of Columbia; he was admitted to the latter in 1953. Beginning in 1957, he organized 7 annual national conferences on hospital discrimination and integration. These conferences documented racial policies and practices in the health field nationwide and advocated equal access for African American physicians and patients to all health care facilities. He served as president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1976 to 1982.

Dr Cobb served on the boards of many local and national organizations and was the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees. His erudition, energy, courage, perseverance, and commitment to education were an inspiration to several generations of medical students and health professionals in their efforts to achieve justice and improve the health and welfare of their patients. Dr Cobb died on November 20, 1990, at the age of 86.

Accepted for publication November 7, 2001.

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