Maxwell Finland (March 15, 1902 — October 25, 1987) was an American scientist, medical researcher, an expert on infectious diseases.]Harvard, A Centennial Celebration, March 15-17, 2002
/ref> Finland led seminal research of antibiotic treatment of pneumonia.

Early life and education

Finland was born on March 15, 1902 in

Zhashkiv Zhashkiv ( uk, Жашків ) is a city in Uman Raion, Cherkasy Oblast (province) of Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Zhashkiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. It had a population of Administrative status Zhashkiv gained s ...

near

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. He immigrated as a child to the United States at the age of 4. Finland graduated from the

Boston English High School The English High School of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is one of the first public high schools in America, founded in 1821. Originally called The English Classical School, it was renamed The English High School upon its first relocation ...

and cum laude from Harvard College in 1922. He then graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1926.

Antibiotic research

In 1944, he worked with Chester Keefer at the

Boston Medical Center Boston Medical Center (BMC) is a non-profit 514-bed academic medical center in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest safety-net hospital and Level I trauma center in New England. BMC employs 1,466 physicians—including 711 residents and f ...

on the first studies using

penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' moulds, principally '' P. chrysogenum'' and '' P. rubens''. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum using ...

to treat infectious diseases. He was noted for his strong criticism of pharmaceutical companies for their marketing of fixed-dose antibiotics. His outspoken criticism helped in withdrawal of those drugs from the market. He also made significant contributions to early identifications of new infectious issues, such as resistances of bacteria to antibiotics.

Legacy

Finland was a member of the

National Academies of Sciences National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

. His name appeared on about 800 scientific papers. Finland turned over the money he received for numerous awards to Harvard endowment. It is estimated that between his money and the money he influenced companies to give to the school, the total contribution was around 6 million dollars. An annual Maxwell Finland Award was established in 1988 by the

National Foundation for Infectious Diseases The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (abbreviated NFID) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public and medical community about infectious diseases. It was established in 1973 and is based in Bethesda, Mar ...

. The

National Academies Press The US National Academies Press (NAP) was created to publish the reports issued by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Research C ...

called Finland "a giant in the field of infectious diseases". National Foundation for Infectious Diseases called Finland "a distinguished scholar and scientist who pioneered work in epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance, and helped define the discipline of infectious diseases as we know it today"."Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement"
The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Accessed May 2, 2020 A building on the Boston University School of Medicine campus on Albany Street is named The Maxwell Finland Building and has housed The Maxwell Finland Laboratory for Infectious Diseases."Boston Combined Residency Program: The Maxwell Finland Laboratory for Infectious Diseases"
Boston Children's Hospital/Boston Medical Center. Accessed May 2, 2020.

Awards and distinctions

* inaugural president of the

Infectious Diseases Society of America The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) is a medical association representing physicians, scientists and other health care professionals who specialize in infectious diseases. It was founded in 1963 and is based in Arlington, Virginia. ...

* a member of the National Academy of Sciences * the Kober Medal of the Association of American Physicians * the Bristol Award of the Infectious Diseases Society of America * the Chapin Award of the City of Providence * the Philips Award of the American College of Physicians * the Oscar B. Hunter Award of the American Society of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics * the Sheen Award of the American Medical Association * honorary degrees from Western Reserve and Thomas Jefferson Universities * honorary doctor of science (honoris causa) degree from Harvard University (1982) * Minot Chair at Harvard

References

External links

Maxwell Finland papers, 1916-2003. H MS c153. Harvard Medical Library, Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Boston, Mass.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finland, Maxwell 1902 births 1987 deaths Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences American medical researchers American people of Ukrainian descent Harvard Medical School alumni