John Gorrie The Ice Maker

Picture yourself covered in dirt, dripping with sweat, as you have just finished mowing your yard and did some gardening on a hot, late spring or early summer day. Upon completing your yard work, you decide to sit in the shade of your back porch, admire what you have accomplished and cool down with a nice tall, refreshing summer drink. You grab a glass tumbler, proceed to fill it with a couple scoops of ice cubes and top it off with thirst quenching lemonade. As you satisfy your thirst and ponder what you have done, the thought of where, why, or how the much overlooked development of the ice cube came from most likely escapes you. Actually, it doesn’t even earn a second thought; the ice came from the ice maker and that is about it. However, there is a little known fact of Floridian history that allowed you to cool off on this hot day. That ice we take for granted was the result of the dedication and hard work of John Gorrie, a physician, scientist, and humanitarian who developed the first ice maker to treat several tropical medical conditions, rather than for just the convenience of having a cool drink. …show more content…
John Gorrie is considered the father of air conditioning and refrigeration. He was also a physician, scientist, inventor, and humanitarian.”1 He was born in Charleston, S.C. on Oct. 3, 1803. His parents were of Scottish-Irish descent from the West Indies and must have been financially secure, as they provided him with a sound education. During this time period, basic education was minimal and only affluent and wealthy people could afford any form of higher learning. “His early education was received in the schools of Charleston and he graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City, in 1833.”2 At the completion of