John Howard Cook, M.S., F.R.C.S. was a British physician, missionary, lecturer, and disease consultant. With his brother he is known for the formation of the Mengo Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. Working alongside his brother, he carried his family's tradition of medical work overseas to Uganda where he focused on the surgical aspect of medical treatment. He spent 20 years spreading European medicine in Uganda and continued medical missionary service well beyond his years abroad.
Early life
John Howard Cook was born on 30 May 1872 in Hampstead, England. He was born to William Henry Cook, a medical officer in the Hampstead parish, and Mrs. Harriet Cook. John Howard Cook came from a large family and had 13 siblings during his childhood. Unfortunately, he was one of only 5 of the children who survived beyond their father's lifetime. Many of Cook's siblings died during childhood as a result of diseases like diphtheria, pneumonia, and typhoid fever. John Howard Cook's younger brother,, went on to become a prominent medical missionary in his own regard.
Education
Cook's early schooling took place at the St. Paul's School, where he won several merits and scholarships, before he went on to study medicine at University College Hospital. In 1895 Cook was accepted into the and, and that same year earned a Bachelor of Medicine degree at University College London. Only two years later he earned a Master of Surgery degree and became a member of the . In addition to his many degrees prior to starting his missionary work, John Howard Cook earned a diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from Cambridge after working for several years in Uganda.
Early adulthood
John Howard Cook was married to Ethel Maddox in 1898 and had three sons. In the early years of his medical career he served as an ophthalmic assistant at University College Hospital. In addition, he spent time as an assistant to the throat and ear department of the College and as a demonstrator of anatomy.
Missionary work
John Howard Cook pursued medical mission work through the Church Missionary Society, an Anglican mission group which had a base in London. Cook's younger brother Albert was also a medical missionary through the CMS. Albert Cook arrived in Uganda shortly before the Ugandan Mutiny, during which he played a large role in providing medical treatment to injured Ugandans in a time of heavy casualties and violence. Following in his older brother's footsteps, John Howard Cook arrived in Uganda in 1899, shortly after the Ugandan Mutiny.
Mengo Hospital
Evangelical emphasis
Toro Hospital
Career post-missionary work
Church Missionary Society in London
Other positions
Death and legacy
John Howard Cook died in Kilburn, England on 19 September 1946 at the age of 75. As a doctor, Cook left behind a legacy as a skilled surgeon and ophthalmologist. John Howard and his brother Albert also earned a reputation as some of the first doctors to focus on sleeping sickness and were highly respected by their peers. The Mengo Hospital remains a thriving hospital in Uganda with different wings of the building named after the several Cook family members who contributed to the hospital's success. The Mengo Hospital cites perseverance of the Cook brothers in the face of great difficulty as an essential component in hospital's formation. John Howard Cook is often overshadowed by his brother Sir Albert Cook, who was knighted for his work in Uganda, and his brother Professor Arthur Cook, an esteemed archaeology professor at Cambridge. Despite this, John Howard Cook left behind a legacy of medical missionary work that attests to his ability to serve the communities in which he worked, whether in Uganda or England.
