Louise Reiss

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Louise Marie Zibold Reiss (born February 23, 1920 in Queens , New York City , † January 1, 2011 in Pinecrest , Florida ) was an American doctor who was known for the so-called "milk tooth examination" . It was an examination of the teeth of children born in the St. Louis area in the 1950s and 1960s . The aim was to research the effects of nuclear tests . The results showed that up to 50 times higher levels of 90 Sr were found in children born in 1963 than in children born before the start of regular nuclear tests. Preliminary results from late 1961 helped convince US President John F. Kennedy to sign the Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in the Atmosphere, Space, and Underwater in order to end surface nuclear tests.

Life

Reiss was born in Queens, New York City, and developed polio as a child . She originally planned to study art, but decided to study science after the outbreak of World War II .

She completed her medical degree at Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (now part of Drexel University College of Medicine ) and completed her internship and medical training at Philadelphia General Hospital , where she met her future husband, Eric Reiss. She and her husband moved to San Antonio , Texas and later St. Louis after her husband got a position at Washington University School of Medicine . She herself was employed by the St. Louis Department of Health and administered polio vaccinations for children.

Baby tooth examination

In 1959, Reiss and her husband founded the Greater St. Louis Citizens' Committee for Nuclear Information with environmental researcher Barry Commoner and others , which, in collaboration with Saint Louis University and the Washington University School of Dental Medicine , started deciduous teeth examination to determine the impact of nuclear tests examine man. Reiss led the investigation from 1959 to 1961. The investigation focused on the occurrence of 90 Sr, a carcinogenic , radioactive isotope that was released into the atmosphere by the above-ground nuclear tests before 1963. The isotope is absorbed through water and milk products and is deposited in bones and teeth due to its chemical similarity to calcium . Reiss attended schools and educational institutions and convinced parents to hand over their children's milk teeth for examination. In return, they received a button that read “I gave my tooth to science” . The team sent envelopes to local schools for collection, and the teeth were originally sent to Reiss' apartment for collection. By the end of the study in 1970, around 320,000 teeth had been collected from children of different ages.

The result of the analysis of thousands of teeth was published in Science on November 24, 1961 and showed a marked increase in radioactive compounds in the teeth. President John F. Kennedy was made aware of the results of the study at the time he was negotiating with the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union to control nuclear tests. Further analysis by the team showed that the 90 Sr levels ingested were up to 50 times higher than in children born before the nuclear tests. Reiss' husband testified before the United States Senate when it had to ratify the Treaty on the Ban on Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere. Later studies showed that children born after 1968 had their 90 Sr values ​​reduced by fifty percent after the contract came into force .

death

Reiss died on January 1, 2011 at the age of ninety years of complications from a heart attack that she had suffered two months earlier. She left behind her son Eric Reiss as well as two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Publications

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Michael D. Sorkin: Louise Reiss: headed historic Baby Tooth Survey in St. Louis . In: St. Louis Today. January 7, 2011.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Dennis Hevesi: Dr. Louise Reiss, Who Helped Ban Atomic Testing, Dies at 90 . In: The New York Times . January 10, 2011.
  3. ↑ a b c Louise Z. Reiss (1920–2011). In: Bernard Becker Medical Library, Women in Health Sciences. (beckerexhibits.wustl.edu)
  4. ↑ Picture of a badge on stltoday.com
personal data
SURNAME Reiss, Louise
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Reiss, Louise Marie Zibold
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American doctor
DATE OF BIRTH February 23, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH January 1, 2011
Place of death Pinecrest (Florida)