Alfred Fabian Hess
Encyclopedia
Alfred Fabian Hess was an American
physician
known for his work on the role of nutrition in scurvy
and rickets
and for describing the Hess test
.
in 1897 and received his M.D.
from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
in 1901. He worked as an intern at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
for two and a half years, and spent a year studying in Prague
, Vienna
and Berlin
before starting practice in New York in 1905. He married Sara Straus, daughter of Isidor Straus
. He worked as a pediatrician at the Rockefeller University
before going into private practice. He also worked at the Beth Israel Hospital, New York
, and at the Hebrew Infant Asylum in New York, modernising the institution. He was able to study nutrition in patients who were admitted for long periods in those hospitals. His friends included Abraham Flexner
and Edwards Amasa Park
, who helped to publish Hess's works posthumously.
Hess suggested that rubella was caused by a virus
in 1914.
He showed that the missing factor in scurvy was present in citrus fruits and tomatoes, also demonstrating that some dried milk preparations were anti-scorbutic and that pasteurization
reduced this effect in fresh milk. Along with Mildred Fish, he conducted studies between 1914 and 1920 to elucidate the etiology of scurvey by withholding orange juice from institutionalized infants until they developed hemorrhages as a result of the disease; he conducted similar studies to elucidate the etiology of rickets. His work led him to state that the process of food manufacture and preservation should aim to preserve the nutritional value of fresh food in his 1921 Harvey lecture, a concept widely recognised today.
He determined that rickets could be prevented with cod liver oil or exposure to ultraviolet light, and that certain foods could be used to treat rickets after exposure to ultraviolet light. He ascertained that cholesterol
or a closely related compound also behaved in the same way, and he worked with Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus
and published a paper with Windaus in 1927 entitled Development of marked activity in ergosterol following ultraviolet irradiations, showing that rickets could be prevented in rats with irradiated ergosterol
. Windaus was awarded the Nobel Prize
in chemistry for this work in 1928. Windaus gave Hess credit for his part in the work, and shared the Nobel Prize money with him.
Hess was a member of the American Pediatric Society and the Association of American Physicians
, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science
degree by the University of Michigan
. He was given the John Scott Award
by the Franklin Institute
in 1927, and the John Mather Smith Award in 1931.
He continued to work despite warnings by his doctor about his hypertension
. He collapsed in his car and died after speaking at a graduation ceremony on 5 December 1933.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
known for his work on the role of nutrition in scurvy
Scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
and rickets
Rickets
Rickets is a softening of bones in children due to deficiency or impaired metabolism of vitamin D, magnesium , phosphorus or calcium, potentially leading to fractures and deformity. Rickets is among the most frequent childhood diseases in many developing countries...
and for describing the Hess test
Hess test
The Hess test or Rumpel-Leede test is a medical test used to assess capillary fragility. It is also called the Tourniquet test.To perform the test, pressure is applied to the forearm with a blood pressure cuff inflated to between systolic and diastolic blood pressure for 10 minutes...
.
Biography
Alfred Hess graduated from Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1897 and received his M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, often known as P&S, is a graduate school of Columbia University that is located on the health sciences campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan...
in 1901. He worked as an intern at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. In 2011-2012, Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S...
for two and a half years, and spent a year studying in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
before starting practice in New York in 1905. He married Sara Straus, daughter of Isidor Straus
Isidor Straus
Isidor Straus —a German Jewish American—was co-owner of the Macy's department store with his brother Nathan. He also served briefly as a member of the United States House of Representatives...
. He worked as a pediatrician at the Rockefeller University
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private university offering postgraduate and postdoctoral education. It has a strong concentration in the biological sciences. It is also known for producing numerous Nobel laureates...
before going into private practice. He also worked at the Beth Israel Hospital, New York
Beth Israel Medical Center
Beth Israel Medical Center is a 1,368-bed, full-service tertiary teaching hospital in New York City. Originally dedicated to serving immigrant Jews living in the tenement slums of the Lower East Side, it was founded at the turn of the 20th century. The main hospital location is the Petrie...
, and at the Hebrew Infant Asylum in New York, modernising the institution. He was able to study nutrition in patients who were admitted for long periods in those hospitals. His friends included Abraham Flexner
Abraham Flexner
Abraham Flexner was an American educator. His Flexner Report, published in 1910, reformed medical education in the United States...
and Edwards Amasa Park
Edwards Amasa Park
Edwards Amasa Park was an American Congregational theologian.He was the son of Calvin Park...
, who helped to publish Hess's works posthumously.
Hess suggested that rubella was caused by a virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
in 1914.
He showed that the missing factor in scurvy was present in citrus fruits and tomatoes, also demonstrating that some dried milk preparations were anti-scorbutic and that pasteurization
Pasteurization
Pasteurization is a process of heating a food, usually liquid, to a specific temperature for a definite length of time, and then cooling it immediately. This process slows microbial growth in food...
reduced this effect in fresh milk. Along with Mildred Fish, he conducted studies between 1914 and 1920 to elucidate the etiology of scurvey by withholding orange juice from institutionalized infants until they developed hemorrhages as a result of the disease; he conducted similar studies to elucidate the etiology of rickets. His work led him to state that the process of food manufacture and preservation should aim to preserve the nutritional value of fresh food in his 1921 Harvey lecture, a concept widely recognised today.
He determined that rickets could be prevented with cod liver oil or exposure to ultraviolet light, and that certain foods could be used to treat rickets after exposure to ultraviolet light. He ascertained that cholesterol
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a complex isoprenoid. Specifically, it is a waxy steroid of fat that is produced in the liver or intestines. It is used to produce hormones and cell membranes and is transported in the blood plasma of all mammals. It is an essential structural component of mammalian cell membranes...
or a closely related compound also behaved in the same way, and he worked with Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus
Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus
Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus was a German chemist who won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1928 for his work on sterols and their relation to vitamins. He was the doctoral advisor of Adolf Butenandt who also won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1939.Adolf Windaus was born in Berlin. His interest in...
and published a paper with Windaus in 1927 entitled Development of marked activity in ergosterol following ultraviolet irradiations, showing that rickets could be prevented in rats with irradiated ergosterol
Ergosterol
Ergosterol is a sterol found in fungi, and named for ergot, a common name for the members of the fungal genus Claviceps from which ergosterol was first isolated. Ergosterol does not occur in plant or animal cells...
. Windaus was awarded the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
in chemistry for this work in 1928. Windaus gave Hess credit for his part in the work, and shared the Nobel Prize money with him.
Hess was a member of the American Pediatric Society and the Association of American Physicians
Association of American Physicians
The Association of American Physicians is a medical society founded in 1885 by the Canadian physician Sir William Osler and six other distinguished physicians of his era, for "the advancement of scientific and practical medicine." Election to the AAP is an honor extended to individuals with...
, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
degree by the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He was given the John Scott Award
John Scott Award
The John Scott Legacy Medal and Premium, created in 1816, is a medal presented to men and women whose inventions improved the "comfort, welfare, and happiness of human kind" in a significant way...
by the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
in 1927, and the John Mather Smith Award in 1931.
He continued to work despite warnings by his doctor about his hypertension
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
. He collapsed in his car and died after speaking at a graduation ceremony on 5 December 1933.