Merritte Weber Ireland (May 31, 1867 - July 5, 1952) was the 23rd U.S. Army Surgeon General, serving in that capacity from October 4, 1918 to May 31, 1931, Ireland was born on May 31, 1867 in Columbia City, Indiana, a town in the upper end of the Wabash Valley in Whitley County, Indiana. His father, Dr. Martin Ireland, was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, and his mother, whose maiden name was Sarah Fellers, came from Waynesboro, Virginia.