Alexander Jeremiah Orenstein (26 September 18797 July 1972) was a Russian-born naturalized American general and military doctor. Orenstein worked in the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, on the eradication and treatment of tropical disease, and founded a series of lectures which bears his name.

Life

Alexander Jeremiah Orenstein was born in

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

Kherson Governorate The Kherson Governorate (1802–1922; russian: Херсонская губерния, translit.: ''Khersonskaya guberniya''; uk, Херсонська губернія, translit=Khersonska huberniia), was an administrative territorial unit (als ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

in 1879 to Joseph Orenstein and his wife Mary (née Jarkowsky). He became a naturalized US citizen in 1905, and two years later he married Marie G. Sabsevich in New York. In the years 190512 Orenstein worked with General Gorgas in the

, where he assisted in the eradication of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

and

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

during the building of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

. In 1913 he was invited by Gorgas to work in

German East Africa German East Africa (GEA; german: Deutsch-Ostafrika) was a German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Mozam ...

, and the next year, also with Gorgas, he worked in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

for

Rand The RAND Corporation (from the phrase "research and development") is an American nonprofit global policy think tank created in 1948 by Douglas Aircraft Company to offer research and analysis to the United States Armed Forces. It is financed ...

Mines Ltd. to reduce the high incidence of pneumonia and tuberculosis among miners. He lived in a house near the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...

now known as the

Villa d'Este The Villa d'Este is a 16th-century villa in Tivoli, near Rome, famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance garden and especially for its profusion of fountains. It is now an Italian state museum, and is listed as a UNESCO World Herita ...

. He remained in

until his death. During both world wars Orenstein was director general of medical services in the South African defence forces, becoming first a Brigadier, then a Major General.

AJ Orenstein Memorial Lectures

In 1962, Orenstein delivered the first of a series of annual lectures at the inception of the Adler Museum of Medicine of the

. There were AJ Orenstein Lectures from 1967 to 1971. In 1972, after Orenstein's death, the name was changed to the AJ Orenstein Memorial Lecture, to commemorate his work for the health service of the mining industry, and lectures have since been held nearly every year on a wide range of subjects included under health care.Orenstein Lecture Background
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Awards

Academic * MD * DSc Phila (1905) * MRCS LRCP (1916) * LLD Wits (1931) * MD Jefferson (1920) * MRCP (1938) * FRCP (1946) * Hon FRSM * Hon FRSTMH Military * * * * * * * * *

References

Bibliography

* A. P. Cartwright, ''Golden Age'', Purnell (1968) * A. P. Cartwright, ''South Africa's Hall of Fame'', Central News Agency (1958)

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Orenstein, Alexander Jeremiah 1879 births 1972 deaths United States Army generals South African Army generals American public health doctors Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States