Dr. Meltzer's influence on American Physiology. 



By WILLIAM H. HOWELL. 



Dr. Samuel James Meltzer was born in Curland, northwestern 

 Russia, March 22, 185 1. He received his preliminary education 

 in a Real Gymnasium in Konigsberg and his later training in 

 the University of Berlin where he graduated in medicine in 1882. 

 After taking his medical degree he decided to make his career in 

 America, as the country which in his opinion had the best form of 

 government. He had not sufficient means to make the journey 

 and was therefore obliged to secure a position as ship's surgeon on 

 one of the transatlantic vessels. On arriving in New York it 

 was necessary in the beginning to devote his time mainly to build- 

 ing up a practise sufficient to support his family, but almost from 

 the beginning he made arrangements also to give part of his 

 time to research. From that period until his death on November 

 7, 1920, in his seventieth year he was a tireless investigator. When 

 in the course of time the opportunity came to him from the Rocke- 

 feller Institute to give his time entirely to research he did not hesi- 

 tate in making his decision. At a considerable financial sacrifice 

 he abandoned his medical practise to devote himself to the kind 

 of work that he most loved and most valued. By his good work 

 and his high character he attained a position of honor and distinc- 

 tion in American medicine and endeared himself to his fellow- 

 workers in all parts of the country. His productivity was re- 

 markable. The list of his published papers includes over two 

 hundred and forty titles, distributed among some forty-eight 

 scientific journals of this country, Germany and England. These 

 papers contain contributions to the subjects of physiology, phar- 

 macology, pathology and clinical medicine together with a number 

 of lectures and general addresses. That he was an investigator of 

 recognized standing in these several branches of medicine and was 

 regarded as a valued contributor to so many scientific journals of 

 the first rank is a striking demonstration of the breadth of his in- 

 terests and knowledge. He was a member of twenty or more 



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