Ernest Sachs Jr. (October 2, 1916 – December 3, 2001) was an American neurosurgeon. The great-grandson of

Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...

's founder, he was a neurosurgeon at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

's Hitchcock Medical Center for 30 years. He promoted the use of the seat belt from the early 1960s onward. He researched the cause of schizophrenia as well as

Ramsay Hunt syndrome Three different neurological syndromes carry the name of Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Their only connection is that they were all first documented by the famous neurologist James Ramsay Hunt (1872–1937). * Ramsay Hunt syndrome type 1, also called ''Rams ...

, brain tumors and head injuries.

Early life

Ernest Sachs Jr. was born on October 2, 1916, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. His father,

Ernest Sachs Ernest Sachs (January 25, 1879 – December 2, 1958) was an American neurosurgeon. The grandson of Goldman Sachs's founder, he became Professor of Neurosurgery at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri in 1919. He was ...

, was a neurosurgeon. His mother,

Mary Sachs Mary Sachs (1882-1973) was an American playwright and poet. Biography Mary Sachs was born Mary Parmly Koues in 1882. She graduated from Smith College in 1912, where she was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Sachs published her first pla ...

, was a playwright and poet. He had a brother, Thomas D. Sachs, who became a professor of physics at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

. Sachs's great-grandfather,

Marcus Goldman Marcus Goldman (born Marcus Goldmann; December 9, 1821 – July 20, 1904) was a Jewish American investment banker, businessman, and financier. He was the founder of Goldman Sachs, which has since become one of the world's largest investment ba ...

, was the founder of

. Sachs was educated at the

St. Louis Country Day School MICDS (Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School) is a secular, co-educational, independent school home to more than 1,250 students ranging from grades Junior Kindergarten through 12. Its campus is located in the St. Louis suburb of Ladu ...

in St. Louis. He graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1938, and he received a medical degree from the

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

in 1942. He was an intern under the supervisions of Drs

Barney Brooks Barney Brooks (December 17, 1884 – March 30, 1952) was an American physician and surgeon. He was a medical educator, particularly in surgical residency training, and was known for his research in orthopedics, intestinal obstruction, and vascular ...

and

Cobb Pilcher Cobb may refer to: People * Cobb (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the surname Cobb * Cobb Rooney (1900–1973), American professional football running back Places New Zealand * Cobb River * Cobb Reservoir * Cobb Power S ...

at the

Vanderbilt University Medical Center The Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is a medical provider with multiple hospitals in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as clinics and facilities throughout Middle Tennessee. VUMC is an independent non-profit organization, but maintains acad ...

. Sachs joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

by the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, landing in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

in June 1944. He served in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

, and he was present at the liberation of the

Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or su ...

. He was the recipient of the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

for his service.

Career

Sachs started his career as assistant professor of Neurosurgery and Neurology at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

. One year later, he became a neurosurgeon at the

Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), the flagship campus of the Dartmouth Health system, is the U.S. state of New Hampshire's only academic medical center. DHMC is a 422-inpatient bed hospital and serves as a major tertiary-care referral ...

on the campus of

in 1950. He subsequently served as the chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Dartmouth College. He was a visiting professor of neurology at

Ankara University Ankara University ( tr, Ankara Üniversitesi) is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the formation of the republic in 1923. The university has 40 vocat ...

in Turkey in the Spring semester of 1966. He served as a physician at the

1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...

. Sachs researched the cause of

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

. He also studied the

and its impact on the

geniculate ganglion The geniculate ganglion (from Latin ''genu'', for "knee") is a collection of pseudounipolar sensory neurons of the facial nerve located in the facial canal of the head. It receives fibers from the facial nerve. It sends fibers that supply the lac ...

. Additionally, he studied the presence of the

acetylcholine Acetylcholine (ACh) is an organic chemical that functions in the brain and body of many types of animals (including humans) as a neurotransmitter. Its name is derived from its chemical structure: it is an ester of acetic acid and choline. Part ...

in the

cerebrospinal fluid Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear, colorless body fluid found within the tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord of all vertebrates. CSF is produced by specialised ependymal cells in the choroid plexus of the ventricles of the bra ...

, and he "discovered serotonin in cases of brain tumors". Moreover, after seeing many cases of head injuries due to ski falls, Sachs researched materials to create protective helmets and reduce the risks of injuries. Sachs supported the use of the

seat belt A seat belt (also known as a safety belt, or spelled seatbelt) is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the driver or a passenger of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt reduc ...

in cars as early as 1963. By 1972, he was appointed to the New Hampshire Traffic Safety Commission. Additionally, he served as the president of the New England Neurosurgical Society. He was a Fellow of the

American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons is an educational association of surgeons created in 1913.American College of Surgeons Online "What is the American College of Surgeons?"/ref> See also *American College of Physicians The American College o ...

Personal life and death

Sachs married Jeanne O'Sullivan in 1943. They had four sons (Ernest Sachs, Christopher Sachs, James Sachs, and Robert D. Sachs) and two daughters (Ann Sachs and Patricia Sachs). They resided in

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of Eng ...

from 1950 to his death. Sachs was a member of the Harvard Club of New Hampshire, the Norford Lake Club, the

Adirondack Forty-Sixers The Adirondack Forty-Sixers are an organization of hikers who have climbed all forty-six of the traditionally recognized High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. They are often referred to just as 46ers. As of 2021, there were nearly 14,000 regi ...

, and the

Mars Society The Mars Society is a nonprofit organization that advocates for human Mars exploration and colonization, founded by Robert Zubrin in 1998. It is based on Zubrin's Mars Direct plan, which aims to make human mission to Mars as lightweight and fe ...

. Sachs died on December 3, 2001. His funeral was held at the Rollins Chapel in Hanover, New Hampshire on December 8, 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sachs, Ernest Jr. 1916 births 2001 deaths American people of German-Jewish descent People from St. Louis People from Hanover, New Hampshire Harvard Medical School alumni Tulane University faculty Dartmouth College faculty American neurosurgeons Deaths from leukemia in the United States 20th-century surgeons