Dr. John Crawford, pioneer in burn treatments

John Douglas Crawford II of Lincoln, who as chief of pediatrics at Shriners Burns Institute in Boston for almost two decades was at the forefront in preventing and treating burns of children, died April 19 at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Crawford died three days after suffering a stroke after celebrating his 85th birthday.

''He felt very strongly that the patients came first. He was really wonderful in relating to children, and he realized how children's situations affected whole families," said Dr. Paul Boepple of MGH. ''He was very much a scholar and a scientist when it came to being a doctor -- and didn't give up easily on a patient. He was definitely a cut above."

Known to many as Jack, Dr. Crawford was born in Boston. The second of three children, he grew up in Randolph and on Beacon Hill and spent summers in Westport. He attended Dexter School in Brookline and Milton Academy.

The boy who would become a leading figure in the treatment of burn victims struggled through elementary school, said his son, John D. III of Wayland. He had to repeat several grades, and more than one teacher thought his future held little promise.

His interest, however, was sparked by moths and butterflies. He amassed an impressive collection of specimens, classifying them by genus and species. His parents fostered the interest but redirected him into studying medicine.

''He was a biologist from the earliest days in his life," said his son.

Dr. Crawford entered Harvard College in 1938, studying biology and literature. A member of the Harvard Ski Team, he helped build the Harvard Cabin, still in use in Jackson, N.H. With the same group of friends, he cofounded the Drifters Ski Club.

Dr. Crawford graduated early from Harvard College and entered Harvard Medical School. In November 1942, while a medical student, he volunteered to help the victims of one of Boston's greatest tragedies -- the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire, which killed 492 people. The experience helped shape his career.

After graduating from Harvard Medical School and completing his residency in pediatrics at MGH, he joined the Army in 1946.

A captain, he supervised the care of adults with contagious diseases in Berlin.

Dr. Crawford had married Caroline Smith in 1943 and she gave birth to the couple's first child, Margo, in the States in July 1946 while he was stationed in Europe. Two months later, mother and child set out to surprise Dr. Crawford in Germany but their plane crashed in Newfoundland, killing both.

Shortly afterward, a case of arthritis in his knee was incorrectly diagnosed as tuberculosis. He was administered the wrong dosage of an antibiotic, which caused permanent damage to the inner ear and his sense of balance. He later anonymously published a medical description of the experience: ''Living without a balancing mechanism," in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1952. It has since been widely used as a firsthand account of the debilitating loss of a major sense as experienced by a physician.

''People talk about New Englanders being very reserved -- not ones to talk to about emotions," said his son. ''My father was quite the New Englander. He was very stoic and just somehow dealt with things."

After returning to Boston in 1947, Dr. Crawford began courting Joanna Winship, the daughter of Laurence Winship, then editor of The Boston Globe. In 1949, they were married and moved to Lincoln.

In the early 1950s, Dr. Crawford began his career in pediatric research. His specialties included research on kidney function and diabetes, as well as treatments for severely burned children.

''He was an excellent listener and very compassionate," said Boepple. ''He realized that on many occasions, the way to approach a patient is not very textbook. He came up with novel ways to solve very hard problems."

Dr. Crawford was instrumental in the founding of the Shriners Burns Institute and served as chief of pediatrics from 1968 to 1986.

His campaigns to prevent burns in children led to legislation governing the flammability of pajamas and public education on the common causes of pediatric burns.

Relatives and colleagues said Dr. Crawford never officially retired. He stopped practicing medicine as emeritus chief of pediatric endocrinology at MGH and professor of pediatrics emeritus at Harvard Medical School in 2003.

Dr. Crawford published more than 230 medical papers and several books and was recently working on a history of pediatrics in Boston, his wife said.

''He was a man of integrity and was strong in his belief about what was right," she said. ''He was a tremendous support for hundreds of parents by encouraging them to take charge in their children's care."

In addition to his wife and son, Dr. Crawford leaves another son, Thomas White of Ellensburg, Wash.; a daughter, Rebecca Crawford Tracy of Holmes Beach, Fla.; a sister, Alice M. T. Coolidge of Lincoln; and three grandchildren.

A funeral service was held. A memorial service is being planned.