Biography:

Dr. Douglas Absalom Quick was born near Harrow, Ontario on the 10th of November, 1891.  Dr. Quick was the only child of Frederick Quick and the former Mary Clark.  His parents were farmers.  Dr. Quick was educated in local schools and graduated from Harrow District High School prior to entering university.

Dr. Quick graduated from The University of Toronto School of Medicine in 1914.  He was an outstanding student and served as the secretary of the Medical Society in his final year.

Dr. Quick practiced medicine in Bothwell, following his graduation from university.  However, he did not stay long in Bothwell before moving to Harrow and then to New York on the 30th of November 1914.  On a United States passport application completed on the 13th of March, 1924 he was described as 5’9″, with brown hair and grey eyes.

Dr. Quick married Abbie Marion Usher on the 23rd of October, 1915 in Port Jefferson, New York.  Mrs. Quick was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on the 14th of July, 1895.  She was the youngest of 3 children born to William A. Usher and the former Gertrude L. Brown.  Mrs. Quick grew up in a home of privildge located at 30 Broad Street in Newburyport.  Her father and grandfather owned shoe stores and manufactured shoes.  Mrs. Quick’s siblings were Bertha Annie Usher (born on the 29th of November, 1886 and died 8 months later on the 21st of August, 1887 of cholera) and Helen Gertrude Usher who was born on the 22nd of December, 1888.  Helen married an obstetrician named Dr. Harold Williams Wiley and they had 4 children.  Her 4th child, Helen Usher Wiley was born by caesarean section on the 17th of June, 1930.  Sadly Helen Gertrude (Usher) Wiley died of peritonitis 8 days later on the 25th of June.  She was 41 years old.

Dr. Quick enlisted in the United States Military during WWI on the 5th of June, 1917.  He resided at 375 Park Ave in New York when he enlisted.

Dr. and Mrs. Quick had a daughter Peggy Quick born to them in New York City on the 7th of August, 1926.

Dr. Quick served as the President of the American Board of Radiology and in 1926 he was the President of the American Radium Society.  In 1937, he gave the Janeway lecture titled “Carcinoma of the Larynx” at the Janeway Memorial Lecture in New York City, which was a prestigious honour.   Dr. Quick wrote a number of articles on the treatment of cancer and was considered an authority on the treatment of cancer.

Dr. Quick was drafted during WWII, while residing at 4525 Livingston Avenue in New York.  His medical office was located 350 Park Avenue.

Mrs. Quick died in Manhattan, New York on the 27th of September, 1963.

Dr. Quick died in Utica, New York on the 30th of January,1966.

*Dr. Quick’s brother-in-law, Dr. Harold Williams Wiley practiced medicine in Lansing, Michigan.  Dr. Wiley served with the United States Military during WWI and WWII.  He died on the 15th of July 1956.