Slaughter, Frank Gill

▪ 2002

      American author and physician (b. Feb. 25, 1908, Washington, D.C.—d. May 17, 2001, Jacksonville, Fla.), was a surgeon-turned-writer who wrote some 56 best-selling novels, many of which dealt with medical issues. After earning a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md., Slaughter worked as a surgeon in Florida from 1934 to 1942. He published his first novel, That None Should Die, a book about socialized medicine, in 1941, and after service in the U.S. Army during World War II, he devoted himself to writing full-time. Other novels with medical themes included Doctors' Wives (1967) and No Greater Love (1985). He was also noted for his historical novels, including Constantine: The Miracle of the Flaming Cross (1965), about the Roman emperor. Slaughter's books, though not highly regarded by critics, sold more than 60 million copies worldwide.

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