Isaac Adler (c. 1849–1918) was an American physician known for his published descriptions of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

cases in the early 20th century.

Early life

Isaac Adler was born in

Alzey Alzey () is a ''Verband''-free town – one belonging to no ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fifth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, Germany, Worms, Ingelheim am Rhei ...

Grand Duchy of Hesse The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine () was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The grand duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 as the Grand Duchy of Hesse (). It assumed the name ...

, in about 1849 to Henriette Frankfurter and noted

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

Samuel Adler. In 1857, the family emigrated to the United States. Adler received an undergraduate degree from Columbia College in 1868, then his

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

Heidelberg, Germany Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

, in 1871.

Medical career

Beginning in 1875, Adler worked as a physician at German Hospital (now Lenox Hill Hospital) in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In 1892, Adler was appointed professor of clinical psychology at the New York Polyclinic Medical School. In 1898, he was elected consulting physician at Montefiore Home. Adler 1912

In 1912, Adler published the work for which he is best known, "Primary Malignant Growths of the Lungs and Bronchi". In the first review of lung cancer, previously a rare disease, Adler listed 374 known cases from various European registries. Adler noted "a decided increase" in lung cancer, and speculated that

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

could be involved. Adler suggested that lung cancer was frequently misdiagnosed as

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

Personal life

Adler married Frida Grumbacher on May 24, 1874. Adler died at his New York City home on May 4, 1918.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adler, Isaac American physicians 1849 births 1918 deaths People from the Grand Duchy of Hesse German emigrants to the United States Year of birth uncertain