Harry Bakwin (November 19, 1894 – December 25, 1973) was a New York

pediatrician Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their youth ...

, and also a Professor of Pediatrics at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

Biography

Born in 1894 to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family, Bakwin graduated with a M.D. from

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (officially known as Columbia University Roy and Diana Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons) is the medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irvin ...

in 1917. In 1925, Bakwin married Ruth Morris Bakwin, heiress to two Chicago

meat-packing The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is generally n ...

fortunes, as the daughter of Edward Morris, son of the founder of

Morris & Company Morris and Company, was one of several meatpacking companies in Chicago, Illinois, and in South Omaha, Nebraska. History Morris & Company was founded by Nelson Morris in Chicago. In 1902, with Nelson's son Edward Morris as president, it agr ...

; and Helen Swift Morris, the daughter of

Gustavus Swift Gustavus Franklin Swift, Sr. (June 24, 1839 – March 29, 1903) was an American business executive. He founded a meat-packing empire in the Midwest during the late 19th century, over which he presided until his death. He is credited with t ...

, founder of

Swift & Company JBS USA Holdings, Inc. is a meat processing company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Brazilian multinational JBS S.A. The subsidiary was created when JBS entered the U.S. market in 2007 with its purchase of Swift & Company. JBS USA is bas ...

. Her sister was psychiatrist

Muriel Gardiner Muriel Gardiner Buttinger (née Morris; November 23, 1901 – February 6, 1985) was an American psychoanalyst and psychiatrist. Early life and career Gardiner was born on November 23, 1901, in Chicago, the daughter of Edward Morris, president o ...

who was married to the Austrian politician Joseph Buttinger. He and his wife had four children: Edward Bakwin, Michael Bakwin, Barbara Bakwin Rosenthal, and Patricia Bakwin Selch.

Writing

As a pediatrician, Bakwin authored many articles relevant to children, often with his wife. The 1931 ''

Journal of Clinical Investigation The ''Journal of Clinical Investigation'' is a semi-monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering biomedical research. It was established in 1924 and is published by the American Society for Clinical Investigation. Articles focus on the mechanisms ...

'' paper "Body Build in Infants" compared the external dimensions of sick infants with dimensions in healthy children. Together with his wife, he wrote the widely regarded medical text, ''Clinical Management of Behavior Disorders in Children.'' Bakwin and his wife co-authored an early piece on the speech disorder

cluttering Cluttering is a speech and communication disorder characterized by a rapid rate of speech, erratic rhythm, and poor syntax or grammar, making speech difficult to understand. Classification Cluttering is a speech and communication disorder th ...

(also called tachyphemia) in 1952, years before cluttering was commonly discussed. Bakwin observed that clutterers could temporarily overcome their speech defect when they tried to do so.

The Bakwin Collection

Bakwin and his wife began collecting art shortly after their marriage, building up a major collection, ultimately known as the Bakwin Collection. Including works by

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artwork ...

Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

, Cézanne,

Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...

, Amedeo Modigliani, Modigliani, and Picasso, the collection was assembled during summer vacations take in Europe, and was displayed at the Bakwins' Manhattan town house. Van Gogh's painting, ''Madame Ginoux'', one of six such studies and the version which the artist gave to his brother Theo, was sold at auction in 2006 at Christie's, New York, for more than $40 million (USD).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakwin, Harry 1894 births 1973 deaths American art collectors American pediatricians 20th-century American Jews Physicians from New York City Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni Morris family (meatpacking) Presidents of the American Academy of Pediatrics