Thomas William Salmon, M.D. (1876-1927) was a leader of the mental hygiene movement in the United States in early twentieth century. Formative Years and Early CareerSalmon was born in Lansingburg (now Troy, New York), the son of a physician. He graduated from the local school academy in 1894, taught school for one year, and entered the Albany Medical College. He received his M.D. in 1899. He began his medical practice in Brewster, New York but left it after several years to enter the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) in 1901. At the same time, he worked at the Willard Asylum for the Insane (Willard State Hospital; New York Inebriate Asylum) to investigate a diphtheria epidemic, which he helped end successfully. The two years he spent at Willard gave him entry into the world of psychiatry.