Dr. Leon Orris Jacobson (December 16, 1911 – September 20, 1992) was an American physician, hematologist, radiologist and medical researcher. He was professor emeritus of biology and medicine at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

and made notable contributions to the study of

radiology Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...

and

hematology Hematology ( always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the produc ...

, with major impacts on

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...

and

radiotherapy Radiation therapy or radiotherapy, often abbreviated RT, RTx, or XRT, is a therapy using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells and normally delivered by a linear accelerator. Radia ...

Biography

Leon Orris Jacobson was born in Sims, North Dakota. In 1935, Jacobson graduated from

North Dakota State University North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as t ...

and from the

medical school in 1939. In 1942, he joined the staff of the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

at the University of Chicago. From 1945, Jacobson worked as an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. In 1951, Jacobson joined the staff of Argonne Cancer Research Hospital, now known as the Franklin McLean Memorial Research Institute, as professor of Medicine and head of hematology. In 1961, Jacobson became the chairman of the University of Chicago Department of Medicine. Jacobson was elected to the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

(1965),

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

(1967), and

Institute of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly called the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, E ...

(1970). He was a recipient of the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award (1976). Leon Jacobson died at the University of Chicago Hospital on September 18, 1992.

References

Other sources

* Goldwasser, Eugene "Jake. Leon O. Jacobson, M.D. The life and work of a distinguished medical scientist," Science History Publications, 2006. . *

Atomic Heritage Foundation The Atomic Heritage Foundation (AHF) is a nonprofit organization originally based in Washington, DC, dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Manhattan Project and the Atomic Age and its legacy. Founded by Cynthia Kelly in 2002, th ...

Leon O. Jacobson
Profiles, Manhattan Project Veterans Database. * Eugene Goldwasser (1996)
LEON ORRIS JACOBSON
National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir. ''National Academies Press'', Washington, D.C. * Seaborg, G. T. (1992). Journal of Glenn T. Seaborg: Chief, Section C-1, Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Engineer District, 1942-4
(Volume 3).
- Report Number: PUB-112 Vol.3 Rev. Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California * Seaborg, G. T. (1992). Journal of Glenn T. Seaborg: Chief, Section C-1, Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Engineer District, 1942-4
(Volume 4).
- Report Number: PUB-112 Vol.4 Rev. Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California

External links

Guide to the Leon O. Jacobson Papers circa 1880s-2001
University of Chicago Library 1911 births 1992 deaths People from Morton County, North Dakota North Dakota State University alumni University of Chicago alumni University of Chicago faculty Manhattan Project people 20th-century American educators American hematologists American radiologists American medical researchers Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal Members of the National Academy of Medicine {{US-physician-stub