Mayo, William Worrall (1819-1911), a surgeon, made important contributions to American medicine. With his sons William and Charles, he founded the world famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Mayo was born on May 31, 1819, in Manchester, England, and studied at Owens College there. He came to the United States in 1845. He graduated from the University of Missouri in 1854. Mayo began practicing medicine in Minnesota in 1855 and soon became the leading physician and surgeon in the area. He was one of the first doctors in the West to use a microscope in diagnosis.
Mayo also took an active part in organizing the Minnesota Territory. In 1862, he served as a volunteer surgeon during an outbreak of fighting with Sioux Indians. He became provost surgeon for southern Minnesota in 1863. In 1883, after a cyclone struck Rochester, Mayo was placed in charge of an emergency hospital. Sisters of the Order of St. Francis assisted him and then built a permanent hospital in Rochester. This hospital, called St. Marys Hospital, opened in 1889, and Mayo served as its chief of staff until he was succeeded by his sons. Together, the three Mayos built up the practice that eventually became known as the Mayo Clinic. Mayo died on March 6, 1911.
