Ritchie A. Ireland, M. D.

The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume II,
pg. 265-266

	Ritchie A. Ireland, M. D.  With an extensive private practice to look
after Doctor Ireland is also city health commissioner of Charleston.  No
position in any community offers greater potential opportunities for a
really vital service that this office.
Doctor Ireland is full sensible of his duties and opportunities, and has
courage, public spirit and professional abilities requisite of such an
official.  It is in an important sense to his credit that Charleston has
become known for the efficiency of its Health Department and the
carefulness with which the public health is guarded.  a large part of his
time is devoted to such subjects as milk inspection and testing, sewage and
garbage disposal, water supply.  He has put in force a ruling requiring all
cows supplying milk for Charleston be tested for tuberculosis, and is
gradually enforcing all the standard requirements recommended by the United
States Bureau of Animal Industry.  A number of articles from his pen have
been contributed to Public Health Magazines on garbage and sewage disposal.
 Doctor Ireland organized the Public Health Nursing Association in
Charleston for teaching child welfare and spreading knowledge of better
living conditions among the poor.  This association furnishes free nursing
services to those who cannot afford to pay for private nurses.  Through
this association also has been developed a social welfare organization for
the confidential exchange of information among the various charity and
civic welfare bodies of Charleston and near vicinity.  through these
activities Doctor Ireland is undoubtedly one of  the foremost men in the
state whose time and talents are enlisted in the great public health
movement.
	He was born in Ritchie County, West Virginia, in 1884, son of George M.
and Mary (Law) Ireland, and is of English ancestry.  His father's mother
was a descendant of Alexander Lowther, a Revolutionary patriot.  Thomas
Ireland, father of George M. Ireland, cleared the land in the wilderness
for his pioneer home in Ritchie County.    George M. Ireland was a Union
soldier, serving as captain of Company E, Sixth West Virginia Infantry.
	Dr. Ritchie A. Ireland was liberally trained in preparation for his
profession.  He attended the public schools, graduated in 1905 from the
Wesleyan University at Buckhannon, spent the year 1906 in the University of
West Virginia, and from there entered the College of Physicians and
Surgeons at Baltimore, now a department of the University of Maryland,
graduating in 1912.   For one year he remained as an intern in Mercy
Hospital at Baltimore.  For about four months he had an experience with Dr.
James McClung, mine surgeon, at Richwood, West Virginia, and in the spring
of 1913 moved to Charleston, where he has been engaged in practice, his
chief work being as a specialist in internal medicine.  Doctor Ireland is a
member of the County, State, and American Medical associations, is
president of the Kanawha Medical Society, embracing the counties of
Kanawha, Clay, Putnam and Boone, belongs to the Dispensary staff of Union
Mission, is consulting internist at Charleston General Hospital, and is on
the Nurses Teaching Staff at St. Francis Hospital.  He is also a member of
the chamber of Commerce, of the Official Board of the First Methodist
Episcopal Church, and is affiliated with the Masons and Elks.  Doctor
Ireland married Miss Ada Scott, daughter of H. J. Scott, of Pennsboro, West
Virginia.  They have one son, James Dudley.



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