Quick Facts
Born:
May 5, 1881, Paines Hollow, N.Y., U.S.
Died:
Sept. 24, 1953, New York City (aged 72)
Subjects Of Study:
paresis
trench fever
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Homer Fordyce Swift

American physician

Homer Fordyce Swift (born May 5, 1881, Paines Hollow, N.Y., U.S.—died Sept. 24, 1953, New York City) was a physician who, in collaboration with an English colleague, Arthur W.M. Ellis, discovered the Swift-Ellis treatment for cerebrospinal syphilis (paresis), widely used until superseded by more effective forms of therapy.

Swift specialized in the treatment of syphilis, rheumatic fever, streptococcus infections, and trench fever and served on many study commissions devoted to these diseases. He was one of many contributors to Trench Fever, a report written in 1918 for the American Red Cross Commission. Between 1914 and 1948 he also contributed articles to books on internal medicine and infectious diseases.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.