The James W. McLaughlin Endowment was established in 1952 by Mr. A.C. McLaughlin in honor of his father. The purpose of the fund is to establish and maintain fellowships for the investigation of infection and immunity.
Dr. James W. McLaughlin served as professor of medicine at The University of Texas Medical Department in Galveston from 1897 to 1905. During his 26 years as a family physician and as a faculty member of the Medicine Department, he maintained an active interest in immunity and infectious disease and was the author of a number of publications on the subject. Dr. McLaughlin had a state-wide reputation as a physician and was highly regarded by his students as a teacher. He was one of the first members of the faculty to recognize the need for combining laboratory investigation with clinical medicine.
In addressing the students at the opening of the Medical Department in 1899, Dr. McLaughlin outlined his views concerning the attributes of an ideal physician by stating that one should have a broad general sympathy with humanity, a fund of technical knowledge and quick, accurate powers of inductive reasoning.
In 1905, Dr. McLaughlin returned to the practice of medicine in Austin where he served on the Board of Regents of The University of Texas from 1907 until his death in 1909.