William Allen Brooks Jr.[1] (August 15, 1864 – May 20, 1921) was an American surgeon, college football player, coach, referee, and rower.

During this time, he was also a highly-respected sports official and served one season as Harvard's head football coach, compiling an 11–2 record.

Around that time, he also became a faculty member of the Tufts University School of Medicine and made several medical inventions.

When the Spanish flu pandemic began in 1918, Brooks devoted much time towards combating the virus and had established an emergency tent hospital in Brookline.

His research showed that sunshine and fresh air were the best treatments for the disease, and his tent hospital had significantly lower death rates than most others, despite taking in most of the worst cases.

[4] He also participated in rowing and was mentioned in The Phillips Exeter Academy: A History as one of the players in the declining era of school boating who went on to "shine as college oarsmen.

[4] "Gifted by nature for any sort of heavy work," he played football and rowing and served as "an immense help to both," according to the magazine Outing.

[4] He "set to work in dead earnest" in the fall, and helped develop a team that "did wonders" and "was the first in years to do real credit to Harvard.

[19] An article from 1892 wrote that Brooks "is to-day a favorite referee for all football matches–his firmness, knowledge of the game and honesty of purpose being proverbial.

[29][30][31] Other schools he officiated games for included Michigan,[32] Andover,[28] Penn,[33] Cornell,[33] MIT,[34] Brown,[35] Amherst,[36] Williams,[37] and Dartmouth, among others.

[46] At the start of 1894, Brooks was appointed to serve on the college football rules committee, with a goal of improving how the sport was played (due to several accidents and severe injuries that occurred in 1893),[47] along with Walter Camp (Yale), John C. Bell (Penn), and Alexander Moffat (Princeton), later being joined by P. J. Dashiell (Lehigh).

During the winter a committee consisting of Dr. W. A. Brooks, Harvard; Walter Camp, Yale; Alexander Moffat, Princeton; Paul J. Dashiell, Lehigh; and John C. Bell, Pennsylvania, met in New York and drafted a revision of the rules, which, it was supposed, would do away with the dangerous features of the game and also prevent brutality.

[53] The Brooks-led Crimson started the season by shutting out Dartmouth (22–0),[54] Phillips Exeter (48–0),[55] and Andover (46–0),[56] followed by an 18–4 victory against Brown, which was considered a "big surprise" as they were expected to continue their shutout streak.

[64] The match was played before 25,000 fans in Springfield, Massachusetts, and despite the recent rule changes to make football safer, proved to be one of the most violent games in the history of the sport.

[27] Various newspaper reports described the violence in detail: "Hayes [of Harvard] gained two yards around right end, and [Frank] Hinkey [of Yale], in attempting to stop him, hit him a blow right in the face with his fist"[27]"It seemed to be Hinkey's main object to disable the best players of Harvard"[27]"In one of the quick line ups Murphy [of Yale] gave Hallowell [of Harvard] a quick smash in the eye that escaped the notice of both umpire and referee"[27]"Butterworth [of Yale] had grown worse and was staggering about the field weak and useless"[27]"In one of the fierce rushes [Murphy] was knocked senseless.

He did not even know which was his goal, and between each two plays had to have the situation explained to him"[27]Yale eventually won, 12–4, but there was much debate over the violence of the game and some called for the sport to end altogether.

"[66] The controversy over this game, escalated by Brooks' criticisms of Yale and a published letter attacking Hinkey,[43][67] led to all sports between the schools being discontinued.

Win or lose, the doctor has always been on hand, with his courage never failing and oftentimes scenting victory because of his deep loyalty to Harvard.

[15] At the end of 1906, Brooks became one of the Massachusetts General Hospital's "Visiting Surgeons," being appointed to fill the vacancy left by John W. Elliot, who resigned.

It has been felt for some time that institutions for the medical and surgical treatment of diseases of the appendix would prove advantageous and it is believed Dr. Brooks' experiment will be crowned with success.

"[89] It said: [I]nvented by Dr. William A. Brooks, one of Boston's leading surgeons[,] [i]t has the advantages of being light, handy, etc., and while it answers every purpose of a regulation ambulance.

[90] Two wards of eight beds each were devoted to industrial accident cases for the Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, and the second floor consisted of private rooms, while the Sias Laboratories were also headquartered there.

[93][94] In 1918, Brooks sent letters urging for more hospital facilities, with the Spanish flu pandemic and injuries from the war placing a strain on the services.

[94] By September, Brooks, who had also been named a medical director for the United States Shipping Board, had established at Corey Hill an emergency tent hospital, believing through his studies that sunshine and fresh air were the most effective at combating the virus.

[96] A later article from the American Journal of Public Health described its conditions: The treatment at Camp Brooks Hospital took place outdoors, with "a maximum of sunshine and of fresh air day and night."

The medical officer in charge, Major Thomas F. Harrington, had studied the history of his patients and found that the worst cases of pneumonia came from the parts of ships that were most badly ventilated.

Anyone in contact with them had to wear an improvised facemask, which comprised five layers of gauze on a wire frame covering the nose and mouth.

The frame was made out of an ordinary gravy strainer, shaped to fit the face of the wearer and to prevent the gauze filter from touching the nostrils or mouth.

Extensive use was made of mouthwash and gargle, and twice daily, the proprietary silver-based antimicrobial ointment Argyrol was applied to nasal mucous membranes to prevent ear infection.

[97] In October, after the camp closed, Brooks published an article in the American Journal of Public Health discussing "The Open Air Treatment Of Influenza.