A distinguished authority on tropical diseases, Stanton was born near here and educated at Trinity Medical College, Toronto. In 1907, after serving as house surgeon at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London, England, he accepted a position at the Institute for Medical Research in present day Malaysia. There, working with Henry Fraser, the institute's director, Stanton made the revolutionary discovery that beriberi, a debilitating and fatal disease, was caused by a dietary deficiency. He also advanced anti-malaria studies and found the cure for an infectious disease contracted by rubber workers. Appointed Chief Medical Adviser in the British Colonial Office in 1926, Stanton worked tirelessly to promote awareness of medical issues among government officials. For his outstanding contributions to medical science, he was knighted in 1934.

Location

On the grounds of the Clarke Museum and Archives, off Highway 35/115, Kirby

Themes

• People
• Scientific and technological innovations