Isaac Arthur Abt

Isaac Arthur Abt (1867–1955) was an American pediatrician and the first president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He was one of the first U.S. physicians to specialize in pediatrics and he authored an influential textbook in the first part of the 20th century.

Isaac Arthur Abt
Born(1867-12-18)December 18, 1867
Wilmington, Illinois
DiedNovember 22, 1955(1955-11-22) (aged 87)
Chicago, Illinois
Burial placeRosehill Cemetery
NationalityAmerican
OccupationPediatrician
Known forFounding president of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Signature

Biography

Abt was born on December 18, 1867, to Levi and Henrietta Hart Abt in Wilmington, Will County, Illinois. He was a twin; the twins had two older brothers and three younger sisters. Abt's parents were German immigrants who had come to the United States almost 20 years before Isaac's birth. His father was a grocery store owner and postmaster.[1]

As a small child, Abt lost a sister to diphtheria and a cousin to scarlet fever, which impacted his interest in medicine. As a teenager, Abt worked in a pharmacy, where his interest in medicine intensified.[2] He attended West Division High School in Chicago, then went to Johns Hopkins University. At Johns Hopkins, Abt received guidance from pathologist William H. Welch. He then studied medicine at Chicago Medical College.[3]

Abt completed an internship at Michael Reese Hospital. After that year, Abt went to Europe for postgraduate study at the same time as several of his medical school classmates, including Joseph DeLee. Abt worked with highly regarded physicians and scientists in Europe, including Theodor Escherich and Otto Heubner.[1] He then worked at Rush Medical College and Northwestern University.[1] He was heavily involved in the establishment of Sarah Morris Children's Hospital.[4]

In 1897, he married a nurse from Michael Reese Hospital named Lina Rosenberg. They lived on Grand Avenue in Chicago, in an apartment above their friend Albert Henry Loeb, who was on his way to becoming a prominent attorney.[1] Abt had two children, Arthur and Lawrence.[4]

Abt's grave at Rosehill Cemetery

Abt served as president for several medical and scientific organizations, including the American Association for Teachers of the Diseases of Children, the American Pediatric Society and the Chicago Medical Society. He was the founding president of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1931.[3]

He died at his home in Chicago on November 22, 1955, and was buried at Rosehill Cemetery.[5]

As of 2014, the medical school at Northwestern awards a named professorship in his honor, the Isaac A. Abt, MD, Professor of Kidney Diseases.[6]

Works
  • Abt, Isaac A. (1944). Baby Doctor. London: Whittlesey House.

References
  1. "Obituary: Isaac Arthur Abt - 1867-1955" (PDF). Pediatrics. 18: 327–335. 1956. doi:10.1542/peds.18.2.327. S2CID 245031868.
  2. Barlow, Andrew (October 2004). "Isaac Arthur Abt (1867–1955)". Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 15 (4): 288–291. doi:10.1053/j.spid.2004.09.002. PMID 15494954.
  3. "Guide to the Isaac Arthur Abt (1867-1955) Papers". Northwestern University Library. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  4. Grulee, C. G. (April 1, 1956). "Isaac Arthur Abt, M.D. 1867-1955". A.M.A. Journal of Diseases of Children. 91 (4): 385–386. doi:10.1001/archpedi.1956.02060020387009. ISSN 0096-6916. PMID 13301152.
  5. "Isaac A. Abt, 87, Renowned Baby Doctor, is Dead". Chicago Tribune. November 24, 1955. p. 91. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Craig B. Langman, MD". Feinberg School of Medicine. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.