A. Stone Freedberg

March 30, 1908 (age 101)

Salem, Massachusetts, United States

As a young researcher at the Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Hospital in Boston in 1940, Dr. Freedberg became curious about stomach ulcers while studying the effects of fever on the heart and circulatory system when infections caused it to collapse. Scientific reports taught him that many such patients developed tiny bleeding ulcers in the stomach and small bowel. Since at least 1906, doctors had reported seeing curved bacteria in the stomach of patients who died with ulcers but less often in people without them. Still, doctors paid little attention to the observation in the belief that bacteria could not thrive in the acid-filled stomach. Doctors assumed that the bacteria appeared after death. Were the bacteria present in living patients? Dr. Freedberg examined pieces of stomach removed during operations for ulcers and other ailments. Using a silver chemical stain, he identified the bacteria in more than a third of ulcer patients, but his colleagues’ efforts to culture them failed. In a 2005 interview with The New York Times, Dr. Freedberg said he was “very upset” when others did not confirm the findings he published because it implied that his work was wrong. Even his boss, Dr. Herrman Blumgart, suggested that he had erred and discouraged him from continuing the research. Other doctors tried and failed to find the evidence until 1983, when two Australians, Dr. Barry J. Marshall and Dr. J. Robin Warren, identified the bacteria, now known as Helicobacter pylori, among ulcer patients. In the late 1940s, when doctors had little to offer heart patients with severe angina, Dr. Freedberg developed a treatment that was used for several years to relieve such pain safely. Dr. Freedberg later became chairman of cardiology and internal medicine at what is now Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. For many years, he taught Harvard medical students the traditional art of physical diagnosis how to use their hands, eyes and ears to detect abnormalities. In recent years, Dr. Freedberg criticized what he called an overreliance on imaging and other laboratory tests, saying it had diminished the practice of physical diagnosis and contributed to the increased cost of medical care. He gave up his medical license in his late 90s. During his career A. Stone published about 130 papers, reviews, original work on the thyroid gland and on heart diseases. In addition, Freedberg had a broad array of medical interests and held leadership positions in some.

A. Stone Freedberg

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physician

Background

A. Stone Freedberg was born on May 30, 1908 in Salem, Massachusetts, United States.

Education

He graduated from Harvard College in 1929 and the University of Chicago Medical School in 1934.

Education period of A. Stone Freedberg in Harvard University

Career

As a young researcher at the Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Hospital in Boston in 1940, Dr. Freedberg became curious about stomach ulcers while studying the effects of fever on the heart and circulatory system when infections caused it to collapse. Scientific reports taught him that many such patients developed tiny bleeding ulcers in the stomach and small bowel.

Since at least 1906, doctors had reported seeing curved bacteria in the stomach of patients who died with ulcers but less often in people without them. Still, doctors paid little attention to the observation in the belief that bacteria could not thrive in the acid-filled stomach. Doctors assumed that the bacteria appeared after death.

Were the bacteria present in living patients? Dr. Freedberg examined pieces of stomach removed during operations for ulcers and other ailments. Using a silver chemical stain, he identified the bacteria in more than a third of ulcer patients, but his colleagues’ efforts to culture them failed.

In a 2005 interview with The New York Times, Dr. Freedberg said he was “very upset” when others did not confirm the findings he published because it implied that his work was wrong.

Even his boss, Dr. Herrman Blumgart, suggested that he had erred and discouraged him from continuing the research. Other doctors tried and failed to find the evidence until 1983, when two Australians, Dr. Barry J. Marshall and Dr. J. Robin Warren, identified the bacteria, now known as Helicobacter pylori, among ulcer patients.

In the late 1940s, when doctors had little to offer heart patients with severe angina, Dr. Freedberg developed a treatment that was used for several years to relieve such pain safely.

Dr. Freedberg later became chairman of cardiology and internal medicine at what is now Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. For many years, he taught Harvard medical students the traditional art of physical diagnosis how to use their hands, eyes and ears to detect abnormalities.

In recent years, Dr. Freedberg criticized what he called an overreliance on imaging and other laboratory tests, saying it had diminished the practice of physical diagnosis and contributed to the increased cost of medical care. He gave up his medical license in his late 90s.

During his career A. Stone published about 130 papers, reviews, original work on the thyroid gland and on heart diseases. In addition, Freedberg had a broad array of medical interests and held leadership positions in some.

Achievements

A. Stone Freedberg has been listed as a noteworthy physician by Marquis Who's Who.

Membership

American Physiological Society , United States
American Society for Clinical Investigation , United States
Association of American Physicians , United States

Connections

He was married to Beatrice Gordon, and they had two sons: Richard and Leonard.

Wife:: Beatrice Gordon
Son:: Richard Freedberg
Son:: Leonard Freedberg

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