Louise Reiss
Louise Marie Zibold Reiss | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | January 1, 2011 | (aged 90)
Education | Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (currently Drexel University College of Medicine) |
Known for | Baby Tooth Survey |
Louise Marie Zibold Reiss (February 23, 1920 – January 1, 2011) was an American physician who coordinated what became known as the
Early life and education
Born in the
She earned her medical degree at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (now part of the
Baby Tooth Survey
In 1959, Reiss and her husband joined environmental scientist
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.[2] 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?"[1] 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.[2]
Death
A resident of Pinecrest, Florida, Reiss died at the age of 90 at her home on January 1, 2011, after suffering a myocardial infarction two months earlier.[1] She was survived by her son, Eric Reiss, as well as by two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e Sorkin, Michael D. (January 7, 2011). "Louise Reiss: headed historic Baby Tooth Survey in St. Louis". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hevesi, Dennis (January 10, 2011). "Dr. Louise Reiss, Who Helped Ban Atomic Testing, Dies at 90". The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Louise X. Reiss". Women in Health Sciences, Bernard Becker Medical Library, Washington University in St. Louis. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
External links
- "Missouri Women in the Health Sciences - Biographies - Louise Z. Reiss". Bernard Becker Medical Library. Retrieved 2021-03-12.