Professor Jacob Sheskin, sometimes known as Sheskin Jacob ( he, יעקב שסקין; 1914 in
Vilna, Russia – April 17, 1999 in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
) was an Israeli
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
best known for his 1964 serendipitous discovery that
thalidomide
Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is a medication used to treat a number of cancers (including multiple myeloma), graft-versus-host disease, and a number of skin conditions including complications o ...
can be used as a treatment for
leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...
at
Hadassah University in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
.
Awards
* In 1975, the
World Academy of Art and Science
The World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS), founded in 1960, is an international non-governmental scientific organization and global network of more than 800 scientists, artists, and scholars in more than 90 countries.
It serves as a forum for s ...
gave Prof. Sheskin a gold medal for his work.
* in 1997, he was named
Yakir Yerushalayim Yakir Yerushalayim ( he, יַקִּיר יְרוּשָׁלַיִם; en, Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) is an annual citizenship prize in Jerusalem, inaugurated in 1967.
The prize is awarded annually by the municipality of the City of Jerusalem to o ...
( he, יַקִּיר יְרוּשָׁלַיִם), or "Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem".
Bibliography
*Sheskin, J. (1975)
Thalidomide in lepra reaction ''International Journal of Dermatology, 14(8),'' 575-576.
*Sheskin, J. (1975)
The case for invisible leprosy ''International Journal of Dermatology, 14(5),'' 345-346.
*Sheskin, J., Sabatto, S., Yosipovitz, Z., & Ilukevich, A. (1983)
Lack of wrinkle formation in the fingertips of patients with Hansen's disease Confirmation of previous observations. Hansenologia Internationalis, 8(1),'' 54-60.
*Sheskin, J. (1980)
The treatment of lepra reaction in lepromatous leprosy ''International Journal of Dermatology, 19(6),'' 318-322.
*Gorodetsky, R., Sheskin, J., & Weinreb, A. (1986)
Iron, copper, and zinc concentrations in normal skin and in various nonmalignant and malignant lesions ''International Journal of Dermatology, 25(7),'' 440-445.
*Wahba, A., Dorfman, M., & Sheskin, J. (1980)
Psoriasis and other common dermatoses in leprosy ''International Journal of Dermatology, 19(2),'' 93-95.
*Sheskin, J. (1978)
Study with nine thalidomide derivatives in the lepra reaction ''International Journal of Dermatology, 17(1),'' 82-84.
*Sheskin, J., & Zeimer, R. (1977)
In vivo study of trace elements in leprous skin ''International Journal of Dermatology, 16(9),'' 745-747.
Footnotes
References
*
Stevens, T., &
Brynner, R. (2001),
Dark remedy: The impact of thalidomide and its revival as a vital medicine'. Cambridge, MA: Perseus.
*
Joumel, L. (September–October, 2006)
Four awards, one passion: Chemistry ''CHEMISTRY International,'' 19-20.
* The New England Journal of Medicine (2001). Book Reviews. ''The New England Journal of Medicine, 345(3),'' 227.
* Brynner, R. (April 03, 2006)
''
3 Quarks Daily
''3 Quarks Daily'' is an online news aggregator and blog that curates commentary, essays, and multimedia from selected periodicals, newspapers, journals, and blogs. The focus is on literature, the arts, politics, current affairs, science, philos ...
.''
*
Raza, A. (February, 2002)
The third coming: Thalidomide and a final goodbye ''The Biochemist''. 21-23.
* BBC (January 31, 2005)
The return of thalidomide''BBC Inside Out''.
*
Barer, S. (2007). Celgene: The pharmaceutical phoenix. ''Chemical Heritage Magazine'', 24(4).
*
Lutz, K. E., (unpublished manuscript).
From tragedy to triumph: The approval of thalidomide'.
*
Penna, G. O.,
Martelli, C. M. T.,
Stefani, M. M. A.,
Macedo, V. O.,
Maroja, M. d. F., &
Chaul, A. (2005)
Thalidomide in the treatment of erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL): Systematic review of clinical trials and prospects of new investigations ''Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia, 80(5),'' 511-522.
*
Argaw, A. T., (2004).
A study of the anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and immunomodulatory properties of thalidomide in leprosy'. Unpublished dissertation, Louisiana State University.
* European Symposium Myeloma,
Waldenstrom (2008)
Final Report', Annex 2, p. 19.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheskin, Jacob
Israeli leprologists
Physicians from Vilnius
Vilnius University alumni
Lithuanian Jews
Lithuanian emigrants to Israel
Jews from the Russian Empire
Physicians from Jerusalem
1914 births
1999 deaths
20th-century Israeli physicians