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Isaac Adler (1849–1918) was an American physician known for his published descriptions of
lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
cases in the early 20th century.


Early life

Isaac Adler was born in
Alzey Alzey () is a ''Verband''-free town – one belonging to no ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fifth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, Germany, Worms, Ingelheim am Rhein ...
, Germany, in 1849 to Henriette Frankfurter and noted
rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
Samuel Adler. In 1857, the family emigrated to the United States. Adler received an undergraduate degree from Columbia College in 1868, then his
M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...
in
Heidelberg, Germany Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
, in 1871.


Medical career

Beginning in 1875, Adler worked as a physician at German Hospital (now Lenox Hill Hospital) in
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 ...
. In 1892, Adler was appointed professor of clinical pathology at the New York Polyclinic Medical School. In 1898, he was elected consulting physician at Montefiore Home. In 1912, Adler published the work for which he is best known, "Primary Malignant Growths of the Lungs and Bronchi". In the first review of lung cancer, previously a rare disease, Adler listed 374 known cases from various European registries. Adler noted "a decided increase" in lung cancer, and speculated that
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
or
alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...
could be involved. Adler suggested that lung cancer was frequently misdiagnosed as
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
.


Personal life

Adler married Frida Grumbacher on May 24, 1874. Adler died at his New York City home on May 4, 1918.


References

{{Reflist American physicians 1849 births 1918 deaths