University and spent a year in studying at first-hand tropical conditions of life in China and Japan. Then he became John Lucas Walker exhibitioner of Cambridge University, and was appointed assistant director of the London County laboratories. At this period he spent some time in Heidelberg and other continental universities. The British Government sent him, in 1899, to the Malay states to study beriberi and other tropical diseases and there he remained for four years, founding an institute for medical research. Several more years of research work in the United States as honorary fellow of Johns Hopkins University and in Europe were followed by appointment as American delegate to and acting chairman of, the International Opium Commission which met at Shanghai, China, in 1909.
Dr. Wright was also prominent in the second and third opium conferences at The Hague in 1913 and 1914. He worked successfully to have the Harrison Narcotic Law and three other similar acts passed suppressing the abuse of narcotics in this country, and forbidding citizens of the United States from engaging in trade in narcotics with China. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Senator Washburn, by whom he had five children.
From 1915 until he was injured in a motor accident he devoted himself to relief work in France. His writing are in the form of papers and monographs.
Wright, John (1811–1846)
Wright was born in Troy, New York, February 2, 1811, the son of John Wright. His early education was secured at Allen Fish's School in Troy, where he was prepared for admission to the Rensselaer Institute, where he graduated. His education was further completed at Yale College, where he graduated in medicine in 1833.
He was an ardent student of Natural History. At one time he had a museum of birds and animals which he had procured and mounted himself. Rafinesque and Audubon were his friends and each visited him at Troy. He referred in after years to Mount Rafinesque which he named in honor of his friend, but which is known now as Bald Mountain, about five miles northeast of Troy. Dr. Wright had a pet raccoon, a remarkably fine specimen, of which Audubon made a sketch while on his visit to Troy, reproducing it in his great work on the animals of North America.
Dr. Wright was professor of natural history in the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute from 1838–1845; had published a Flora of Troy and vicinity, and was associated with Prof. Amos Eaton in publishing the "North American Botany," (eighth edition).
He was also on the state survey of Michigan in 1837 as state botanist and continued in that work about two years.
For several years he was associated in practice with Dr. Thomas C. Brinsmade of Troy, a combination of talent that gave them the best kind of practice. Dr Wright attended to the surgical cases.
On April 11, 1838, he married Mary Cottrell who died April 10, 1841. They had one son who died September 18, 1841. He married again, Catherine Wyant, December 5, 1844. He died of tuberculosis of the lungs, April 11, 1846, at Aiken, South Carolina. He was a member of the Rensselaer County Medical Society.
The full title of his book was:
"A Catalogue of Plants Growing Without Cultivation in the Vicinity of Troy," by John Wright, M. D., and James Hall, A. M., Troy, 1836.
Wright, Joseph Jefferson Burr (1801–1878)
Brevet Brigadier General Joseph Jefferson Burr Wright was born in Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania, where his parents had long lived, in May, 1801. He received the degree of A. B. from Washington College, Pa., in 1821 and M. D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1825. Subsequently Jefferson Medical College conferred on him an honorary M. D. in 1836. After practising medicine in his native town until 1833 he entered the Army as assistant surgeon and during the first ten years of his service was stationed at many posts on the frontiers, participating in the operations against the Seminole Indians in Florida, 1841–42, and finally becoming attached to General Zachary Taylor's "army of occupation" in 1846. He was present at the battles of Palo Alto, and Resaca de la Palma, and received special commendation from his commanding officer for efficiency and zeal in the performance of his duties; next he had charge of the general hospital at Matamoras and in the campaign from Vera Cruz to Mexico City he was medical purveyor to the army. Following the
