Saul Hertz
Saul Hertz | |
---|---|
![]() Dr. Saul Hertz | |
Born | April 20, 1905 Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
Died | July 28, 1950 |
Nationality | American |
Education |
|
Known for | pioneered use of radioisotopes in diagnostic and therapeutic medicine |
Medical career | |
Profession | physician |
Field | Nuclear medicine |
Institutions |
|
Website | http://saulhertzmd.com/ |
Saul Hertz, M.D. (April 20, 1905 – July 28, 1950) was an American
Early life and education
Saul Hertz was born on April 20, 1905, to father Aaron Daniel (A.D.) Hertz and mother Bertha Hertz in
Early studies with radioactive iodine
Hertz joined the Thyroid Clinic and Metabolism Laboratories at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1931.[5] Although initially a volunteer, shortly thereafter, Hertz became Chief of the Thyroid Clinic, serving in this capacity from 1931 to 1943.[6]
On November 12, 1936,
In 1937, Hertz began a
Hertz's experiment with Roberts involved studies of 48 rabbits. They determined in the study that the
The original manuscript describing their rabbit study findings had Hertz and Roberts as the coauthors as they had done the work and written the paper. Primary sources document Roberts' production of I-128 at the MIT laboratory, while Hertz and Roberts solely administered and analyzed the biodistribution of the radioisotope in the rabbits.[8] Robley Evans insisted that his name be added to the author list at the time the Hertz/Roberts study paper was published. Evans had taken no part in the research or writing of the paper.[citation needed]
At the time of the 1937 rabbit studies, Hertz predicted the therapeutic use of radioactive iodine for treating thyroid carcinoma in a medical journal.[16]
Therapy with radioactive iodine
![Hertz doing an experiment](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Hertz-experiment.jpg/220px-Hertz-experiment.jpg)
Hertz's initial studies were conducted with iodine-128. However, this isotope has a half-life of only 25 minutes, rendering it impractical as a therapeutic or diagnostic agent. Human application of the iodine radioisotopes required a more suitable radioisotope of iodine.[10]
Dr. Joseph Hamilton, a neurologist in a medical practice near Berkeley, became interested in the Hertz-Roberts research. Hamilton measured the differential absorption ratio of various radionuclides produced by the Berkeley cyclotron. Dr. Mayo Soley, a former colleague of Hertz at MGH, wrote to Hertz congratulating him on his RAI work. Dr. Soley was then at University of California Berkeley, where Ernest Lawrence had built a cyclotron.
In early 1941, Hertz administered to the first human patient a therapeutic dose of cyclotron-produced radioiodine (RAI), the patient suffering from Graves' disease, a form of hyperthyroidism. This clinical trial was at the Massachusetts General Hospital.[18] This administration was the first successful treatment of humans with an artificially produced radioactive material.[19]
Subsequently, a series of 29 patients were treated in this way, and their outcomes were documented. The
World War II interval
In 1943, Hertz joined the
Stolen intellectual property
Current historians have documented the reason for two articles from the same institution appearing side by side in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) May 11, 1946 issue. The first by Hertz and Roberts, and the second by MGH's Earle Chapman and MIT's Robley Evans. Chapman, who took over Hertz's established cases during the war, teamed up with Evans to treat 22 new cases of their own. Chapman and Evans used Hertz's data to do their own human trials with minor tweaks and were the first to submit an article to JAMA, without consulting or acknowledging Hertz. They claimed propriety of the RAI therapy in treating Graves' disease.[22] Hertz was informed about the Chapman-Evans Paper submission after the Chapman–Evans paper was sent back for revisions. Roberts insists that neither Chapman nor Evans have any propriety for the development of RAI treatment stating, "I would believe nothing on this subject from Chapman, whose self interest is obvious, and who bungled, whether deliberately or not, the follow up on Hertz’s original series when Hertz joined the Navy."[23]
Nuclear fission products in cancer treatment
Interest in atomic energy for peaceful purposes was heightened as the Atomic Age commenced following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.[24] Hertz envisioned broader applications of radioisotopes in cancer treatment stating, “My new research project is in cancer of the thyroid which I believe holds the key to the larger problem of cancer in general".[25]
Hertz established the Radioactive Isotope Research Institute in
Hertz worked with the government to centralize an agency to handle the distribution of
Later career and influence
Hertz's research was seminal in the emergence of the field of nuclear medicine. His research continued with his appointments as instructor at Harvard Medical School from 1946 to 1950 and as an attachment to the Nuclear Physics Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1939 to 1950.[28]
The application of radioactive iodine in the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease is the cornerstone of nuclear medicine.[5] Barbara Bush, who was successfully treated with radioiodine, wrote to Vitta Hertz, his widow, “It is comforting to know that so many people are well because of the scientific expertise of people like Dr. Hertz.” [29]
In the early 21st century, there is a significant rise in the use of radioisotopes to diagnose and treat cancer, in a field of nuclear medicine referred to as theranostics.
Hertz died on July 28, 1950, at age 45 of a heart attack.[31]
Selected honors
- Dalton Scholar - Massachusetts General Hospital - 1931 - 1933
- Henry Pickering Wolcott Fellow - Harvard Medical School - 1935 - 1937
- Key to Science/Sigma XI - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Scientific Society) - 1940
Enduring memorials
The Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Engineering administers the Saul Hertz, MD, Award in honor of Saul Hertz. The award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of radionuclide therapy.[28]
Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal entered into the congressional record on May 11, 2021 "Senate Remembering Dr. Saul Hertz." He stated "Mr. President, today I rise to recognize Dr Saul Hertz, a pioneer for medical uses of radioiodine, RAI... On March 31b, 1941... Hertz administered the first therapeutic use of radioiodine... Today, medical uses of RAI remain the g©old standard of targeted precision oncology."
Beginning in 2000, Hertz's daughter Barbara Hertz has led an effort to more thoroughly document the contributions of Hertz to medicine. This has included a website with his major publications. Barbara Hertz also co-authored with Kristin Schuller a 2010 publication in the journal Endocrine Practice on her father's major contributions to human health.[31][5]
In 2014, the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, a Smithsonian affiliate, displayed the, "Dr. Saul Hertz and the Origin of Nuclear Medicine" exhibit.[32]
In 2021, the American Chemical Society (ACS) designated the Mass General Hospital as the "Saul Hertz and the Medical Uses of Radioiodine" National Historic Chemical Landmark. ACS Landmark commemorates this seminal achievement in the history of chemical sciences and provides a record of Dr. Hertz's contributions to chemistry and society that have profoundly transformed our lives.[33]
See also
- Hyperthyroidism
- Nuclear medicine
- Radioactive iodine
References
- ^ PMID 30774539.
- ^ "University of Michigan Notables: Saul Hertz, 1920". umich.edu.
- ^ Hertz, Barbara (20 June 2021). "Thank you, Dad, for a cancer cure". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-4051-4584-8.
- ^ a b c d e Hertz, Barbara, Schuller, Kristin, "Saul Hertz, MD (1905–1950) A Pioneer in the Use of Radioactive Iodine", Endocrine Practice 2010 16,4;713–715.
- ^ "Dr. Saul Hertz". saulhertzmd.com. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- PMID 28451906.
- ^ PMID 34250151.
- PMID 28451906.
- ^ a b Bagley, Derek (January 2016). "Clash of the Titans: The Saga of Radioiodine Therapy" (PDF). Endocrine News: 27. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
- ^ a b Bander, Martin (1987). "Remembering the Early Days of Nuclear Medicine". MGH News. 46 (6). Massachusetts General Hospital: 5–6.
- PMID 6352970.
- .
- ^ Soley M, Miller E,. "Symposium on Endocrinology: Treatment of Graves’ Disease with Radioactive iodine".Medical Clinics of North America 1948 32;3–17.
- ^ Hertz S, Roberts A, Salter WT. "Radioactive iodine as an indicator in thyroid physiology, IV: the metabolism of iodine in Graves’ disease. Hertz and Roberts pioneered the process of dosimetry that is the foundation of precision medicine." Journal of Clinical Investigation 1942;21:25–29.
- ^ Hertz, S. "A Plan for Analysis of the Biological Factors Involved in Experimental Carcinogenesis of the Thyroid by Means of Radioactive Isotopes". The Western Journal of Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vol.54 (December 1946), p.487–489, Greenwich, CT, accessed January 9th, 2019
- PMID 30774539.
- ^ Fragu, Philippe, "How the field of thyroid endocrinology developed in France after World War II", Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 1948 77,2:393–414.
- ^ Hertz S, Roberts A, Means JH, Evans RD. "Radioactive iodine as an indicator in thyroid physiology, II: iodine collection by normal and hyperplastic thyroids in rabbits". American Journal of Physiology 1940; 565–576.
- ^ Hertz S, Roberts A 1946 "Radioactive iodine in the study of thyroid physiology. VII the use of radioactive iodine therapy in hyperthyroidism".JAMA 131:81–86
- ^ Fragu, Philippe, "How the field of thyroid endocrinology developed in France after World War II", Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 1948 77,2:393–414.
- S2CID 51954773.
- ^ Roberts, Arthur. "Dr. Arthur Roberts to Dr. John Stanbury, April 3, 1991". SaulHertzMD.com.
- ^ Eisenhower, Dwight D. (16 July 2014). "Atoms for Peace Speech". iaea.org. International Atomic Energy Agency. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ISBN 9789535125884.
- ^ a b Vincent, Donald. (1949 May 24). "Hertz to Use Nuclear Fission in Cure for Cancer". The Harvard Crimson, May 24, 1949.
- ^ "Honoring Dr. Saul Hertz". abqjew.net. ABQ Jew, LLC. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Saul Hertz, MD, Award". snmmi.org. Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- ^ News and Public Affairs Office of MGH. "50th Anniversary of 'atomic cocktail' to treat overactive thyroid gland". MGH Hotline 1991, Jan 31;1–3.
- ^ Wilson, Damien Jonas (13 November 2018). "What is Theranostics". News-Medical.net. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ a b Chamoff, Lisa (June 16, 2012). "Greenwich Woman Helping Father Get Recognition". Greenwich Time. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ "NM Science Resources".
- ^ Hertz, Barbara (April 2021). "Saul Hertz and the 80th Anniversary of Radioiodine Therapy" (PDF). The Nucleus. Northeastern Section, American Chemical Society. pp. 2–4. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
External links
Media related to Saul Hertz at Wikimedia Commons