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Bluma Gorfinkel Tischler (June 20, 1924, in
Baranavichy Baranavichy ( ; be, Бара́навічы, Belarusian Latin alphabet, Łacinka: , ; russian: Бара́новичи; yi, באַראַנאָוויטש; pl, Baranowicze) is a city in the Brest Region of western Belarus, with a population (as of ...
Doctor Bluma Tischler pushed for screening of newborns
by Judy Stoffman; in ''
the Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
''; published June 22, 2015; retrieved July 14, 2015
– May 16, 2015 in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
) was a Canadian
pediatrician 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 the ...
known for her work in treating
phenylketonuria Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inborn error of metabolism that results in decreased metabolism of the amino acid phenylalanine. Untreated PKU can lead to intellectual disability, seizures, behavioral problems, and mental disorders. It may also resu ...
, including her role in the widespread implementation of the
Guthrie test The neonatal heel prick is a blood collection procedure done on newborns. It consists of making a pinprick puncture in one heel of the newborn to collect their blood. This technique is used frequently as the main way to collect blood from neonat ...
for detecting that illness.Award to B.C. pediatrician
by the
Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...
, in the ''
Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...
''; published May 4, 1978; retrieved July 14, 2015


Early life

Tischler — a teenager at the onset of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
— fled into the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
from the German invasion of Poland, and ended up in
Stalinabad Dushanbe ( tg, Душанбе, ; ; russian: Душанбе) is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 863,400 and that population was largely Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe (r ...
, where she attended medical school and met her eventual husband, Isaak Tischler. After the war, she and Isaak continued studying medicine in
Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
, but left Poland in the wake of the
Kielce Pogrom The Kielce pogrom was an outbreak of violence toward the Jewish community centre's gathering of refugees in the city of Kielce, Poland on 4 July 1946 by Polish soldiers, police officers, and civiliansinternships first in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
, Dr Bluma Tischler, 1924–2015
by Aron M. Tischler; in the ''
British Columbia Medical Journal The ''British Columbia Medical Journal'' is a peer-reviewed general medical journal covering scientific research, review articles, and updates on contemporary clinical practices written by British Columbian physicians or focused on topics likely t ...
''; Vol. 57, No. 6, July/August 2015, p 257
then in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
.


Awards

In 1978, Tischler received the annual research award from the American Association of Mental Deficiency. She also received the
Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'argent de la reine Elizabeth II) is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is p ...
in 1977, and was named an
emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
professor of pediatric medicine at the
University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...
. Woodlands School survivors seek settlement
by Roxanne Gregory, at '' the Georgia Straight''; published October 14, 2009; retrieved July 14, 2015


Controversy

In 1954, Tischler joined the Woodlands School, a
school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...
for disabled children and adults. Initially a staff pediatrician, she was eventually promoted to medical director; in this position, she screened the resident population for phenylketonuria, then divided the phenylketonurics into
treatment and control groups In the design of experiments, hypotheses are applied to experimental units in a treatment group. In comparative experiments, members of a control group receive a standard treatment, a placebo, or no treatment at all. There may be more than one tr ...
,
testing An examination (exam or evaluation) or test is an educational assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). A test may be administered verba ...
the therapeutic effects of special diets on them without either their consent or that of their parents. Woodlands was later closed down, and many of its former residents charged that they had been abused by the personnel; however, a 2001 report into conditions at Woodlands, and abuse committed by its personnel, did not mention Tischler.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tischler, Bluma 1924 births 2015 deaths People from Baranavichy People from Nowogródek Voivodeship (1919–1939) Polish expatriates in Germany Polish emigrants to Canada Polish expatriates in the Soviet Union Scientists from Vancouver Canadian women physicians Canadian pediatricians Women pediatricians Academic staff of the University of British Columbia 20th-century Canadian physicians 20th-century Canadian women scientists 20th-century women physicians