Ignatz Leo Nascher (11 October 1863 – 25 December 1944) an

Austrian-American Austrian Americans (, ) are Americans of Austrian descent, chiefly German-speaking Catholics and Jews. According to the 2000 U.S. census, there were 735,128 Americans of full or partial Austrian descent, accounting for 0.3% of the population. The ...

doctor and

gerontologist Gerontology ( ) is the study of the social, cultural, psychological, cognitive, and biological aspects of aging. The word was coined by Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov in 1903, from the Greek , ''geron'', "old man" and , ''-logia'', "study of". Th ...

. He coined the term "

geriatrics Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a medical specialty focused on providing care for the unique health needs of older adults. The term ''geriatrics'' originates from the Greek language, Greek γέρων ''geron'' meaning "old man", and ιατ ...

" in 1909. Born in Vienna, Nascher immigrated to the United States at a young age. His ideas on geriatrics, published in the ''New York Medical Journal'', helped lay the groundwork for the modern study of

ageing Ageing ( BE) or aging ( AE) is the process of becoming older. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi, whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biologically immortal. In ...

and

elder care Elderly care, or simply eldercare (also known in parts of the English-speaking world as aged care), serves the needs and requirements of senior citizens. It encompasses assisted living, adult daycare, long-term care, nursing homes (often call ...

Biography

Nascher was born in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria on 11 October 1863, and immigrated to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

where he was brought up Later he also assumed US-citizenship. He drew on the Austrian system of care for the elderly. John Morley wrote that Nascher was "truly a polymath and a pioneer, whose ideas and efforts were underappreciated by his peers." Nascher graduated from college with a degree in pharmacy in 1882 at the age of 19. Several years later he completed his MD and began private practice to which he devoted the first years of his career. During his time he published articles including "A Young Living Fetus" (''Medical Record of New York'', 1889), an article on prostitution in 1908 and "Tissue Cell Evolution" (''New York Medical Journal'', 1910).

Geriatrics

He wrote, "''Geriatrics'', from ''geras'',

old age Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

, and ''iatrikos'', relating to the physician, is a term I would suggest as an addition to our

vocabulary A vocabulary is a set of familiar words within a person's language. A vocabulary, usually developed with age, serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge. Acquiring an extensive vocabulary is one of the la ...

to cover the same field that is covered in old age that is covered by the term

pediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...

childhood A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...

, to emphasize the necessity of considering

senility Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affec ...

and its disease apart from maturity and to assign it a separate place in

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

." This was originally published in an article entitled "Geriatrics" in the ''New York Medical Journal'' (1909; 90: 358-9).Aging
/ref> His 1909 article broke with prevailing views on

aging Ageing ( BE) or aging ( AE) is the process of becoming older. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi, whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biologically immortal. In ...

. Nascher wrote that "senility is a distinct period of

life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

, a physiological entity as much so as the period of a

." This emphasis on physiological processes and mechanisms of aging and

senescence Senescence () or biological aging is the gradual deterioration of functional characteristics in living organisms. The word ''senescence'' can refer to either cellular senescence or to senescence of the whole organism. Organismal senescence inv ...

challenged the "pathological model" of aging that was then "the primary focus of medical researchers, including Nobel Laureate

Elie Metchnikoff Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven. The burgh comprised the linked vi ...

." Nascher addressed and rejected Metchnikoff's theory that aging was caused by tissue

phagocytosis Phagocytosis () is the process by which a cell uses its plasma membrane to engulf a large particle (≥ 0.5 μm), giving rise to an internal compartment called the phagosome. It is one type of endocytosis. A cell that performs phagocytosis is ...

and "autointoxication" (the absorption of intestinal decompositions), for which Metchnikoff prescribed yoghurt. Nascher argued that the disease and medical care of the aged should be considered a separate specialty. His published research included the first U.S. textbook on geriatric medicine. Nascher founded the

New York Geriatrics Society New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

in 1915. Two years later, he started a regular feature in the ''Medical Review of Reviews''. He was named the

American Geriatrics Society The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a non-profit professional society founded on June 11, 1942, for health care professionals practicing geriatric medicine. Among the founding physicians were Dr. Ignatz Leo Nascher, who coined the term "geri ...

's honorary president at their first meeting in June 1942. Initially, Nascher encountered resistance from his colleagues. He had difficulty finding a publisher for his 1914 book, ''Geriatrics: The Diseases of Old Age and Their Treatment'' (Philadelphia: P. Blakiston's Son & Co). The book has three major sections: physiologic old age, pathologic old age and hygiene and medicolegal relations. Nascher concluded, as do most geriatricians today, "

is not due to any one cause." " sease is not (always) a causative or even an essential factor." The ''Canadian Medical Association Journal'' reviewed the book in 1914 finding the book most interesting and valuable. The 517-page book was reprinted in 1979 by Ayer Publishers. Nascher observed a fundamental antipathy towards the elderly in society: "The idea of economic worthlessness instills a spirit of irritability if not positive enmity against the helplessness of the aged."

References

Other sources

* "A Brief History of Geriatrics," J. Morley, ''Journal of Gerontology'', November 1, 2004; Vol. 59, Issue 11, pp. 1132–115
subscription required
* "A Brief History of Geriatrics," ''Newsletter of the Division of Geriatric Medicine'', Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Spring 2006 Vol XVI No
PDF online
( ic same title, different article) * "Dr. Ignatz Nascher and the birth of geriatrics," ''CAN MED ASSOC J'' 1990; 143 (9) 94

* "Letter from an Old Country: History of Geriatrics," by A. Mark Clarfield, MD, CCFP, FRCPC, ''Annals of Long-Term Care'' - Volume 9 - Issue 07 - July 200

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nascher, Ignatz Leo 1863 births 1944 deaths American geriatricians Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the United States