Charles Joseph Epstein (September 3, 1933 – February 15, 2011) was an American geneticist who was severely injured in 1993 when he became a victim of a

mail bomb A letter bomb is an explosive device sent via the postal service, and designed with the intention to injure or kill the recipient when opened. They have been used in terrorist attacks such as those of the Unabomber. Some countries have agenc ...

attack by the

Unabomber Theodore John Kaczynski ( ; May 22, 1942 – June 10, 2023), also known as the Unabomber ( ), was an American mathematician and domestic terrorist. He was a mathematics prodigy, but abandoned his academic career in 1969 to pursue a reclusi ...

. He was a researcher at the

University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It is part of the University of California system and is dedic ...

and the Buck Institute for Age Research.

Education

He was first in his 1959 class at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

, and then interned at Harvard's

Peter Bent Brigham Hospital Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH or The Brigham) is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with Massachusetts General Hospital, it is one of the two ...

Career

Epstein began his work in

medical genetics Medical genetics is the branch of medicine that involves the diagnosis and management of hereditary disorders. Medical genetics differs from human genetics in that human genetics is a field of scientific research that may or may not apply to me ...

—the application of genetics research to human care—in a fellowship with

Arno Motulsky Arno Gunther Motulsky (5 July 1923 – 17 January 2018) was a professor of medical genetics and genome sciences at the University of Washington. Motulsky is considered a founder of the field of medical genetics. He is also considered the "father ...

, one of the founders of medical genetics, at his Seattle

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

lab. While there, Epstein worked to understand the nature of

Werner's syndrome Werner syndrome (WS) or Werner's syndrome, also known as "adult progeria",James, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005). ''Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology''. (10th ed.). Saunders. . is a rare autosomal recessive disord ...

, a genetic disease that causes premature aging. He is most notable for conducting groundbreaking research on Down syndrome. In 1967 he became the chairman of the medical genetics division in the pediatrics department of

UC San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life s ...

. He did research on making a mouse model for Down syndrome. Epstein was the president of the

American Society of Human Genetics The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), founded in 1948, is a professional membership organization for specialists in human genetics. As of 2009, the organization had approximately 8,000 members. The society's members include researchers, ...

in 1996 and the editor-in-chief of the

American Journal of Human Genetics The ''American Journal of Human Genetics'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal in the field of human genetics. It was established in 1948 by the American Society of Human Genetics and covers all aspects of heredity in humans, including ...

from 1986 to 1993. (This obituary contains a typographical error: "seven years (1987–1993)" should be replaced by "seven years (1986–1993)".) (He became the official editor-in-chief on the 1st of July 1986 (See the New Editor notice on page 818.) and was severely injured in June 1993.) During the last 10 years of his life, Epstein participated in the formation of the Buck Institute located in

Novato, California Novato (Spanish language, Spanish for "Novatus") is a city in Marin County, California, United States, situated in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 c ...

, serving as chairman of its scientific advisory board and board of trustees.

Unabomber

In June 1993, Epstein received a mail bomb sent by

Ted Kaczynski Theodore John Kaczynski ( ; May 22, 1942 – June 10, 2023), also known as the Unabomber ( ), was an American mathematician and domestic terrorist. He was a mathematics prodigy, but abandoned his academic career in 1969 to pursue a reclusi ...

, known at the time as the

. The explosion severed several of Epstein's fingers, caused abdominal injuries, and resulted in a partial loss of his hearing.

Death

Epstein died on February 15, 2011, at the age of 77 after a protracted struggle with

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

Works

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Epstein, Charles 1933 births 2011 deaths American geneticists Medical geneticists University of California, San Francisco faculty Harvard Medical School alumni Scientists from Philadelphia Unabomber targets Deaths from pancreatic cancer in California People from Tiburon, California Harvard College alumni American amputees American Journal of Human Genetics editors Members of the National Academy of Medicine American scientists with disabilities 20th-century American biologists