| Herbert Clay Scurlock | |
| Birth Date: | 11 March 1875 |
| Birth Place: | Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States |
| Death Place: | Washington, D.C., US |
| Alma Mater: | |
| Occupation: | biochemist |
| Employer: | Howard University |
| Known For: | Pioneer in the use of radiation therapy on the treatment of cancer and in the use of X-rays for dental diagnosis |
| Spouse: | Mabel S. Scurlock |
| Children: | 5 |
Herbert Clay Scurlock (March 11, 1875 – September 26, 1952) was an American biochemist and a pioneer in the application of radiation therapy for treating cancer and the use of X-rays for dental diagnosis.
Scurlock was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 1875. In 1895, he graduated in chemistry at Livingstone College. In 1900, he got a degree in medicine from Howard University, and a master of arts from Columbia University, in 1915.[1] [2]
From 1900 to 1905, Scurlock worked as an assistant in chemistry and lecturer in electrotherapy and X-ray at Howard University College of Medicine. He taught chemistry and physics for a brief stint, returning later to the College of Medicine as full professor of the department of physiological chemistry.[1] [2]
He was a member of the Medico-Chirurgical Society of the District of Columbia, and even its president in 1916. He was also a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Medical Association.[1] [2]
After two years of struggling with an illness, Scurlock died on September 26, 1952, in Washington D.C., at 77 years old,[1] [2] having worked for 40 years at Howard University.[3] Herbert and his wife, Mabel S. Scurlock, had a son, Herbert S. Scurlock, and four daughters, Dorothea Dedmon, Helen Brown, Nina E. Mundy and Mabel E. Lewis.[4]