Flick was born August 10, 1856, on a farm near
Carrolltown, Pennsylvania, to John Flick and Elizabeth Sharbaugh. His family had immigrated to Pennsylvania to avoid religious persecution in Strasbourg, France, following Prince Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin to Cambria County so that the family could freely practice their Catholic faith. He attended
Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and
Jefferson Medical College in
Philadelphia. Graduating from medical school in 1879, he started a general practice in medicine. He started his specialization in tuberculosis treatment and research in Philadelphia in 1882. He married Ella Stone in 1885, and they had seven children. A complete biography of Flick, including how his family came to America, how he entered the medical field and what led to the study of tuberculous, is contained in
The Beloved Crusader, a book written by his daughter Ella, who was a novelist in her own right. In September 1890, he incorporated Rush Hospital for Consumption and Allied Diseases. He formed the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Tuberculosis, the first organization of this type in the world, in 1892. He was one of the first people to theorize that TB was an airborne contagious disease, and not hereditary or a social scourge. In 1898, Dr. Flick first discussed the creation of a national association. The National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis, which later became the
American Lung Association, was formed in 1904. Flick chaired the second annual meeting in 1906 when the society adopted the double-barred
Lorraine Cross as its symbol. In 1901, he founded the White Haven Sanatorium for the treatment of tuberculosis; and served as its director until 1935. In the first year of operation, the sanatorium was visited by industrialist and philanthropist
Henry Phipps Jr. In 1903 with a generous donation, Flick opened the Henry Phipps Institute for the Study, Treatment, and Prevention of Tuberculosis in Philadelphia. He served as its Director of the Institute until 1910 when it became part of the
University of Pennsylvania. He was one of the founders of the
American Catholic Historical Society and served as its president from 1893 to 1896 and again from 1913 to 1914. He was a co-founder of the
American Catholic Historical Association in 1919 and served as its first president in 1920. Flick was the recipient of the
Laetare Medal in 1920 from the
University of Notre Dame. He considered this one of his greatest honors. Flick died at his home in Philadelphia on July 7, 1938. He is buried with his family at
Old Saint Mary's Church, 5th & Locust Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the cemetery in a family plot which sits along the wall of the Church. == Legacy ==