John Gorrie

American-Nevisian physician and scientist, John B. Gorrie is credited with developing electromechanics. He was raised in South Carolina after being born on Nevis Island in the Leeward Islands of the West Indies on October 3, 1803, to Scottish parents. He earned his medical training at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Fairfield, New York. He relocated to the port city of Apalachicola on the Gulf Coast of Florida in 1833. Gorrie is involved in the community in addition to working as a resident at two hospitals. He held many positions throughout the years, including board member, postmaster, president of the Pensacola Bank's Apalachicola Branch, secretary of the Masonic Lodge, and one of the Trinity Episcopal Church's founders.

Tropical illnesses, particularly yellow fever, are the subject of Dr. Gorrie's medical studies. He pushed for the draining of wetlands and the cooling of wards based on the prevalent idea of the period because he claimed that foul air and malaria caused sickness. In 1844, he invented the first machine for making ice. Gorrie abandoned his medical profession after 1845 in order to focus on refrigeration goods. After achieving brick-sized stone production by 1850, Gorrie was given the patent 8080 for an ice maker. Jacob Perkins, known as the "father of the cabinet" cold, was an American inventor who received a patent for an "Appliance and means for the production of ice and cooling fluids" in England and Scotland in 1835. Because of his poverty, Gorrie tried to raise money to build his device, but the business failed when his partner passed away. Humiliated by criticism, financially destroyed, and in poor health, Gorrie went into seclusion and passed away on June 29, 1855. He was buried in Magnolia Cemetery.

The John Gorrie State Museum, his gravesite, and a memorial are all located in the Apalachicola neighborhood of today's Gorrie Square, which bears his name. In his honor, John Gorrie Middle School, which is now an apartment complex called The John Gorrie in Jacksonville, and John Gorrie Elementary School, which is located in Tampa, were both named. Additionally, the John Gorrie Award is given each year to a University of Florida School of Medicine alumnus who is thought to be the finest student overall with the potential to become a top-tier doctor.

In short, John Gorrie:

• was a Nevis-American physician and scientist.
• was the president of the Apalachicola Branch of the Bank of Pensacola, secretary of the Masonic Lodge, and one of the founders of Trinity Episcopal Church.
• studied tropical diseases, especially yellow fever.
• invented the first ice machine in 1844.
• gave up medicine after 1845 to focus on refrigeration, known as the "father of the refrigerator".
• was a recluse and died on June 29, 1855, buried in Magnolia Cemetery.
• today, there are many monuments, memorials, and awards named after him.