On December 29, 1837, Henry Brooks Baker was born in Brattleboro. Baker would enjoy a lifelong fascination with science, and studied medicine at the University of Michigan. He settled in Michigan upon graduation.

Baker served as an assistant surgeon during the Civil War, and worked as a surgeon in the private sector when the war was over. He maintained vital statistics for the state of Michigan, and in 1878 became secretary of the State Board of Health.

Baker wrote extensively on conditions of personal and professional hygiene. His studies examined the causes of diptheria, typhoid fever, cholera and pneumonia.

Photograph courtes the Vermont Historical Society.