Armstrong – Table of Contents

me; but among this group there were very few truly heroic figures. Dr. Charles
Armstrong was one of my heroes. During the height of his career when he was
investigating deadly outbreaks of virulent disease causing infectious organisms with great
personal risk to himself, he became infected repeatedly with these microbes some of
which caused life-threatening illnesses. The media, especially the newspapers, printed
day-by-day accounts of his laboratory activities and the status of his health during the
illnesses he acquired when he was studying some of these dangerous organisms. His
investigative exploits were also the subject of magazine articles and book chapters by
medical science writers such as Paul DeKruif. In the 21st century, like the Biblical
Pharaoh of the Book of Exodus “who knew not Joseph”, the modern public and scientific
community “knows not” Dr. Charles Armstrong. I have, therefore, undertaken to write
his biography in order to keep alive the record of his accomplishments and the memory
of him as an innovative scientist and as a remarkable human being.