Dooley, Thomas Anthony, III (1927-1961), an American physician, became famous in the 1950’s as the jungle doctor of Laos. As a medical officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, he served on a ship that carried Southeast Asian refugees. He also organized refugee camps in Vietnam. He left the Navy in 1956 to start a private, mobile medical unit in Laos. In 1957, Dooley helped found MEDICO (Medical International Cooperation Organization). He helped finance MEDICO with funds from lecture tours and books he wrote.
Dooley was born on Jan. 17, 1927, in St. Louis. Dooley’s three books–Deliver Us from Evil (1956), The Edge of Tomorrow (1958), and The Night They Burned the Mountain (1960)–describe his experiences in Southeast Asia. On Jan. 18, 1961, at the age of 34, Dooley died of cancer. After his death, Congress awarded him a gold medal for his humanitarian work.
