Theodore Drake

Drake was born on September 16, 1891 in Webbwood, Ontario. He obtained his university degree from the University of Toronto in 1914. He spent two years in residence at the Toronto General Hospital. During World War I, Drake was a medical officer. After the war he went back to the Toronto General Hospital where he eventually became head of the research institute.

In 1923, he, along with Dr. Alan Brown and Dr. Frederick Tisdale, helped work out the formula for Pablum. The cereal marked a breakthrough in nutritional science: it helped prevent rickets, a crippling childhood disease, by ensuring that children have enough vitamin D in their diet. Although Pablum was not the first food designed and sold specifically for babies, it was the first baby food to come pre-cooked and thoroughly dried. The ease of preparation made Pablum successful in an era when infant malnutrition was still a major problem in industrialized countries.

During World War II, Drake designed nutritional diets for RCAF personnel as well as for POW parcels. After the war, he was named a member of the Order of the British Empire for his work.

Drake met his first wife, Gerturd Salmond, overseas. She predeceased him by 15 years. His second wife was Nina Johnson.

Drake was interested in the history of pediatric care. He began a collection of art and artifacts related to the history of children's health. Over 3000 artifacts and 1000 prints formed a base of his collection. This collection is now in the hands of the Royal Ontario Museum.

Drake died on October 18, 1959.

• Bio from the Hospital for Sick Kids
• Bio from Mount Allison University
• About the collection

• Toronto Globe and Mail, Feb 19, 1960