Kenneth Merrill Lynch was born November 27, 1887 in Hamilton County, Texas. He attended the University of Texas where he earned his M.D. in 1910. He then moved to Philadelphia to attend graduate school and become a Resident Pathologist at Philadelphia General Hospital from 1910-1911. Lynch also earned honorary degrees from the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, and the College of Charleston. Post Philadelphia General, Lynch became an Instructor in Pathology at the University of Pennsylvania from 1911-1913; during that time he was also an Assistant Pathologist at Philadelphia General Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. In 1913, Lynch moved to Charleston, South Carolina to become a Professor of Pathology at the Medical College of South Carolina from 1913-1921 and 1926-1960; only taking a break to have a Private Practice in Dallas, Texas. In 1918, contributing to the war effort, Lynch was a Captain in the Medical Corps of the United States Army. After his return to the Medical College, Lynch was named Vice-Dean in 1935 and held that position until 1943 when he was named Dean. In 1949 Lynch added the title of President of the Medical College of South Carolina to the title of Dean until 1960 when he was named Chancellor. During his years, after his return to Charleston, Lynch was a Consulting Pathologist for the hospitals of the area from 1926-1960. Throughout his lifetime Lynch accumulated a lengthy list of accomplishments. Lynch served as the Secretary of the Medical Education Section of the Southern Medical Association in 1920 and from 1928-1931; a Councilor of the Southern Medical Association from 1935-1940; the Vice President of the American Medical Association from 1935-1936; the President of the American Society of Tropical Medicine 1930-1931; the President of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists from 1930-1931; the President of the South Carolina Medical Association from 1930-1931. Lynch was awarded the Gold Medal from the American Medical Association in 1921, the Research Medal from the Southern Medical Association in 1921, the First Award from the Southern Medical Association in 1920, the Distinguished Service Award of the Southern Medical Association in 1957, the Distinguished Service Citation and Medal for Distinguished Service to Medicine from the University of Texas in 1967. Lynch also received the honor of being named American Editor of Green's Manual of Pathology, published in England and the United States, and was an editor for the American Journal of Tropical Medicine, American Journal of Clinical Pathology, and Journal of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition. Lynch was also awarded the Sesquicentennial Distinguished Faculty Award a short time before his death in 1974. Lynch was actively conducting research until his retirement and published over one hundred and twenty papers and wrote or co-authored six books. In Lynch's own opinion, his research breaks down into three major accomplishments: his being "credited with the first in vitro culturing of a parasite flagellate, Trichomonas hominis," his acknowledgement of the increase of Granuloma Inguinale cases in the United States and the helping to control that disease, and his being on the forefront of industrial dust diseases research; particularly asbestos. In 1944, Lynch, now with the title of President of the Medical College of South Carolina, devised a plan to expand the College to incorporate the ideas of medical education, research, and community medical service. This expansion not only expanded the grounds of the campus, but also incorporated an increase in faculty for the medical, pharmacy, and nursing education departments to accommodate the increase in student enrollment; dormitories to house those students were also built. The plan also established a dentistry department and graduate school program; enacted in 1953. Lynch also pushed for a reform in the education of those working with medical technology. Lynch died at his home in Summerville the morning of November 29th, 1974 only two days after his eighty-seventh birthday.
From the description of Kenneth Merrill Lynch Collection 1910-1974 (Medical University of South Carolina Library). WorldCat record id: 681556663
