Dr. Samuel Jay Crumbine (September 17, 1862 – July 12, 1954) was an American physician and public health official who introduced numerous initiatives to stop the spread of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, mostly in the state of Kansas.

Upon completion of his studies, he moved to Spearville, Kansas, and acquired a stake in a local drug store as well as continuing his medical practice.

Additionally, Crumbine helped do away with pest houses within the town, instead advocating for the sick to stay home and for the rest of the population to get vaccinated.

[2] In 1900, Crumbine saved the life of the sick child of Ford County Attorney Edmond Madison, who held powerful connections within state Republican circles.

As thanks, Madison convinced governor William Eugene Stanley to appoint him to the nine-man State Board of Health, which Crumbine accepted.

Soon after the campaign started, Frank Rose of Weir, Kansas, made "fly bats" out of leftover pieces of window screen which they attached to metersticks.

[1] In 1907, Crumbine pursued a vigorous public health campaign throughout the state of Kansas, targeting communicable diseases such as tuberculosis.

[3] That year, after noticing tuberculosis patients spitting on the floors of trains and sharing drink cups without first rinsing them, Crumbine pursued various different campaigns against so-called "public health nuisances."

He regularly sent samples from various food and medicine products into research labs to be examined, and oftentimes hazardous materials were found.

The law allowed strong enforcement for the crime of mislabeling food and drug labels, resulting in heavy fines or jail time for offenders.

[1] As executive officer, he oversaw efforts to keep Kansans educated and well aware of both the Spanish flu epidemic and preventative measures people can take to avoid the spread.

[4] Soon after, he moved to New York City to serve as a head of the American Child Health Association, led by then-Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover.

In his final years, he served as a consultant to the New York-based Paper Cup and Container Institute and the Save the Children Federation.