Stewart George Wolf Jr. (January 12, 1914—September 24, 2005) was an American physician and researcher in the field of

psychosomatic medicine Psychosomatic medicine is an interdisciplinary medical field exploring the relationships among social, psychological, behavioral factors on bodily processes and quality of life in humans and animals. The academic forebearer of the modern field o ...

Early life and education

Wolf was born on January 12, 1914, to Stewart George Wolf, a

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

businessman, and his wife, Angeline Griffing Wolf. He graduated from

Phillips Academy Phillips Academy (also known as PA, Phillips Academy Andover, or simply Andover) is a Private school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational college-preparatory school for Boarding school, boarding and Day school, day students located in ...

, after which he attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

before transferring from there to

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

, where he received his medical degree in 1938. He then completed his internship at Cornell-New York Hospital.

Career

During World War II, Wolf ran a 1,000-bed hospital in the

South Pacific Area The South Pacific Area (SOPAC) was a multinational U.S.-led military command active during World War II. It was a part of the U.S. Pacific Ocean Areas under Admiral Chester Nimitz. The delineation and establishment of the Pacific Ocean Areas wa ...

. In 1952, Wolf became the first full-time head of the Department of Medicine at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

, as well as the head of the neuroscience section of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. In 1958, he founded the Totts Gap Medical Research Laboratories in

Bangor, Pennsylvania Bangor, or West Bangor, to differentiate it from its immediate neighbor East Bangor, Pennsylvania, East Bangor, is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough located in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located north of Allentown, Pe ...

. In 1969, he left the University of Oklahoma to found and direct the Marine Biomedical Institute at the

University of Texas Medical Branch The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) is a Public university, public Academic health science centre, academic health science center in Galveston, Texas, United States. It is part of the University of Texas System. UTMB includes the olde ...

Research

Although he originally studied digestion, Wolf is known for his research into the Roseto effect, which he became interested in while talking to a local doctor in 1961, and which he published a study about in 1963. In this study, he suggested the reason people living in

Roseto, Pennsylvania Roseto () is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population of Roseto was 1,567 at the 2010 census. Roseto is part of the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area, which has a population of 861,899 and is the 68th most popul ...

had fewer heart attacks was because of their close family relationships. He also published a study on the

placebo effect A placebo ( ) can be roughly defined as a sham medical treatment. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. Placebos are used in randomized clinical trials ...

nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. It can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the throat. Over 30 d ...

in 1950 which has been called "seminal" and "one of the earliest reports on the power of placebo" by Irving Kirsch.

Death

Wolf died on September 24, 2005, at Epworth Villa Alzheimers Care and Study Center in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

, at the age of 91.

References

External links

Obituary
in ''

the Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, founded in England in 1823. It is one of the world's highest-impact academic journals and also one of the oldest medical journals still in publication. The journal publishes ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf, Stewart George, Jr. 1914 births 2005 deaths American gastroenterologists University of Oklahoma faculty Johns Hopkins University alumni Placebo researchers