Louise Reiss
Encyclopedia
Louise Marie Zibold Reiss (February 23, 1920 – January 1, 2011) was an American physician who coordinated what became known as the Baby Tooth Survey
, in which deciduous teeth
from children living in the St. Louis, Missouri
area who were born in the 1950s and 1960s were collected and analyzed over a period of 12 years. The results of the survey showed that children born after 1963 had levels of strontium-90
in their teeth that were 50 times higher than those found in children born before the advent of widespread nuclear weapons testing. The findings helped convince U.S. President John F. Kennedy
to sign the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with the United Kingdom
and Soviet Union
, which ended the above-ground testing of nuclear weapons that placed the greatest amounts of nuclear fallout
into the atmosphere.
borough of New York City
on February 23, 1920, Reiss contracted polio
as a child. She originally planned to study art in college, but decided to switch to science after the outbreak of World War II.
She earned her medical degree at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (now part of the Drexel University College of Medicine
) and performed her internship and residency
at Philadelphia General Hospital, where she met her future husband, the physician Eric Reiss. The couple first moved to San Antonio, Texas
, then relocated to St. Louis after Eric Reiss received an appointment at the Washington University School of Medicine
. Hired by the St. Louis city health department, Louise Reiss was involved in inoculating children with the polio vaccine
.
and others to create the Greater St. Louis Citizens' Committee for Nuclear Information, which initiated the Baby Tooth Survey in conjunction with Saint Louis University
and the Washington University School of Dental Medicine
as a means of determining the effects of nuclear fallout on the human anatomy. Louise Reiss led the project from 1959 to 1961. The research focused on detecting the presence of strontium-90, a cancer-causing radioactive isotope created by the more than 400 atomic tests conducted above ground before 1963. Due to its chemical similarity to calcium
, the radioactive strontium isotope is absorbed from water and dairy products into the bones and teeth of children, as their growing bodies need calcium. Visiting local schools and organizations, Louise Reiss convinced parents to have their children send in their lost baby teeth, in return for which they were sent a button reading "I gave my tooth to science". The team sent collection forms to area schools, and teeth were initially sent to the Reiss home, where they were sorted. In all, some 320,000 teeth from children of various ages were collected before the project was ended in 1970.
The results of the thousands of teeth analyzed, published in the November 24, 1961, issue of the journal Science
, revealed elevated levels of radioactive compounds in the first sets of teeth that had been collected. President John F. Kennedy was made aware of the research results while he was negotiating a treaty with the United Kingdom and Soviet Union to place controls on nuclear testing. His call to the Reiss home was answered by her son; the person on the other end of the phone said, "This is John Kennedy, can I talk to your mom?" Further analysis by the team led to the conclusion that children born in 1963 had absorbed levels of strontium-90 that were 50 times higher than those found in children born a decade earlier. Her husband, Eric Reiss, testified before the United States Senate
when it was considering ratification of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Later research showed that levels of strontium-90 in the cohort born in 1968, after the treaty had gone into effect, had declined by 50 percent.
, Reiss died at the age of 90 at her home on January 1, 2011, after suffering a myocardial infarction
two months earlier. She was survived by her son, Eric Reiss
, as well as by two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Baby Tooth Survey
The Baby Tooth Survey was initiated by the Greater St. Louis Citizens' Committee for Nuclear Information in conjunction with Saint Louis University and the Washington University School of Dental Medicine as a means of determining the effects of nuclear fallout in the human anatomy by examining the...
, in which deciduous teeth
Deciduous teeth
Deciduous teeth, otherwise known as reborner teeth, baby teeth, temporary teeth and primary teeth, are the first set of teeth in the growth development of humans and many other mammals. In some Asian countries they are referred to as fall teeth as they will eventually fall out, while in almost all...
from children living in the St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
area who were born in the 1950s and 1960s were collected and analyzed over a period of 12 years. The results of the survey showed that children born after 1963 had levels of strontium-90
Strontium-90
Strontium-90 is a radioactive isotope of strontium, with a half-life of 28.8 years.-Radioactivity:Natural strontium is nonradioactive and nontoxic, but 90Sr is a radioactivity hazard...
in their teeth that were 50 times higher than those found in children born before the advent of widespread nuclear weapons testing. The findings helped convince U.S. President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
to sign the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, which ended the above-ground testing of nuclear weapons that placed the greatest amounts of nuclear fallout
Nuclear fallout
Fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, so called because it "falls out" of the sky after the explosion and shock wave have passed. It commonly refers to the radioactive dust and ash created when a nuclear weapon explodes...
into the atmosphere.
Early life and education
Born in the QueensQueens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
borough of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on February 23, 1920, Reiss contracted polio
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route...
as a child. She originally planned to study art in college, but decided to switch to science after the outbreak of World War II.
She earned her medical degree at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (now part of the Drexel University College of Medicine
Drexel University College of Medicine
Drexel University College of Medicine is the medical school of Drexel University. The medical school has the nation's largest enrollment for a private medical school, and represents the consolidation of two medical schools: the nation's first medical school for women and the first U.S. college of...
) and performed her internship and residency
Residency (medicine)
Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree , Podiatric degree , Dental Degree and who practices...
at Philadelphia General Hospital, where she met her future husband, the physician Eric Reiss. The couple first moved to San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, then relocated to St. Louis after Eric Reiss received an appointment at the Washington University School of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine , located in St. Louis, Missouri, is one of the graduate schools of Washington University in St. Louis. One of the top medical schools in the United States, it is currently ranked 4th for research according to U.S. News and World Report and has been listed...
. Hired by the St. Louis city health department, Louise Reiss was involved in inoculating children with the polio vaccine
Polio vaccine
Two polio vaccines are used throughout the world to combat poliomyelitis . The first was developed by Jonas Salk and first tested in 1952. Announced to the world by Salk on April 12, 1955, it consists of an injected dose of inactivated poliovirus. An oral vaccine was developed by Albert Sabin...
.
Baby Tooth Survey
In 1959, Reiss and her husband joined environmental scientist Barry CommonerBarry Commoner
Barry Commoner is an American biologist, college professor, and eco-socialist. He ran for president of the United States in the 1980 US presidential election on the Citizens Party ticket. He was also editor of Science Illustrated magazine.-Biography:Commoner was born in Brooklyn...
and others to create the Greater St. Louis Citizens' Committee for Nuclear Information, which initiated the Baby Tooth Survey in conjunction with Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
and the Washington University School of Dental Medicine
Washington University School of Dental Medicine
Washington University School of Dental Medicine was the Dental School of Washington University in St. Louis that operated from 1866-1991. Over 5,000 dentists were educated at WUSDM. Conceived several years before the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, WUSDM was pioneer in the practice of...
as a means of determining the effects of nuclear fallout on the human anatomy. Louise Reiss led the project from 1959 to 1961. The research focused on detecting the presence of strontium-90, a cancer-causing radioactive isotope created by the more than 400 atomic tests conducted above ground before 1963. Due to its chemical similarity to calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
, the radioactive strontium isotope is absorbed from water and dairy products into the bones and teeth of children, as their growing bodies need calcium. Visiting local schools and organizations, Louise Reiss convinced parents to have their children send in their lost baby teeth, in return for which they were sent a button reading "I gave my tooth to science". The team sent collection forms to area schools, and teeth were initially sent to the Reiss home, where they were sorted. In all, some 320,000 teeth from children of various ages were collected before the project was ended in 1970.
The results of the thousands of teeth analyzed, published in the November 24, 1961, issue of the journal Science
Science (journal)
Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
, revealed elevated levels of radioactive compounds in the first sets of teeth that had been collected. President John F. Kennedy was made aware of the research results while he was negotiating a treaty with the United Kingdom and Soviet Union to place controls on nuclear testing. His call to the Reiss home was answered by her son; the person on the other end of the phone said, "This is John Kennedy, can I talk to your mom?" Further analysis by the team led to the conclusion that children born in 1963 had absorbed levels of strontium-90 that were 50 times higher than those found in children born a decade earlier. Her husband, Eric Reiss, testified before the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
when it was considering ratification of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Later research showed that levels of strontium-90 in the cohort born in 1968, after the treaty had gone into effect, had declined by 50 percent.
Death
A resident of Pinecrest, FloridaPinecrest, Florida
Pinecrest is a suburban village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States of America. The population was 19,055 as of the census of 2000. Pinecrest is governed by a five-member Village Council and operates under the Council-Manager form of government....
, Reiss died at the age of 90 at her home on January 1, 2011, after suffering a myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
two months earlier. She was survived by her son, Eric Reiss
Eric Reiss
Eric Reiss is the author of Practical Information Architecture and Web Dogma '06. He has also contributed to several other books and publications, including Designing Web Navigation , Pervasive Information Architecture and commentary to the online Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction...
, as well as by two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.