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Philip Levine (physician)
Encyclopedia
Philip Levine was an imuno-hematologist whose clinical research advanced knowledge on the Rhesus factor, Hemolytic disease of the newborn
(HDN) and blood transfusion
.
, near Minsk
(now in Belarus
), then in the Russian Empire
. He moved with his family to New York when he was 8 years old where his family took on a more English sounding surname. The family settled in Brooklyn
where Levine
graduated from Boys' High School. He received a bachelor's degree at City College
and a master's degree and, in 1923, an M.D. degree at Cornell University
Medical School
.
About 1925 Levine became assistant to Karl Landsteiner
at the Rockefeller Institute, New York
. In 1932 he took up research work on the bacteriophage
at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
.
Back in the east in 1935, he worked as a bacteriologist and serologist at Newark Beth Israel Hospital
, New Jersey
where, in 1939, Levine and Rufus E. Stetson published their findings about a family who had a stillborn
baby in 1937 who had died of hemolytic disease of the newborn
. This publication included the first suggestion that a mother could make blood group
antibodies
owing to immune sensitization
to her fetus's
red blood cell
s.
In 1944 Levine started a centre for blood group research at the Ortho Research Foundation, Raritan, New Jersey
.
(ASCP) started an award for clinical research and named it the Philip Levine Award after Levine
Hemolytic disease of the newborn
Hemolytic disease of the newborn, also known as hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn, HDN, HDFN, or erythroblastosis fetalis, is an alloimmune condition that develops in a fetus, when the IgG molecules produced by the mother pass through the placenta...
(HDN) and blood transfusion
Blood transfusion
Blood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood...
.
Life and career
Levine was born in KletskKletsk
Kletsk is a city in the Minsk voblast of Belarus, located on the Lan river. , it had ca. 10,000 inhabitants.- History :The town was founded in 11th century by the Dregovichs, who erected a large fort and a tribal centre there...
, near Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
(now in Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
), then in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. He moved with his family to New York when he was 8 years old where his family took on a more English sounding surname. The family settled in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
where Levine
graduated from Boys' High School. He received a bachelor's degree at City College
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
and a master's degree and, in 1923, an M.D. degree at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
Medical School
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
.
About 1925 Levine became assistant to Karl Landsteiner
Karl Landsteiner
Karl Landsteiner , was an Austrian-born American biologist and physician of Jewish origin. He is noted for having first distinguished the main blood groups in 1900, having developed the modern system of classification of blood groups from his identification of the presence of agglutinins in the...
at the Rockefeller Institute, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In 1932 he took up research work on the bacteriophage
Bacteriophage
A bacteriophage is any one of a number of viruses that infect bacteria. They do this by injecting genetic material, which they carry enclosed in an outer protein capsid...
at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
.
Back in the east in 1935, he worked as a bacteriologist and serologist at Newark Beth Israel Hospital
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, previously Newark Beth Israel Hospital, is the largest hospital in Newark, New Jersey, in the United States. It was run under auspices of the Newark Jewish Community and its suburban successors from its inception in 1900-1901 until its purchase by the St Barnabas...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
where, in 1939, Levine and Rufus E. Stetson published their findings about a family who had a stillborn
Stillbirth
A stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. The Australian definition specifies that fetal death is termed a stillbirth after 20 weeks gestation or the fetus weighs more than . Once the fetus has died the mother still has contractions and remains undelivered. The term is often used in...
baby in 1937 who had died of hemolytic disease of the newborn
Hemolytic disease of the newborn
Hemolytic disease of the newborn, also known as hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn, HDN, HDFN, or erythroblastosis fetalis, is an alloimmune condition that develops in a fetus, when the IgG molecules produced by the mother pass through the placenta...
. This publication included the first suggestion that a mother could make blood group
Blood type
A blood type is a classification of blood based on the presence or absence of inherited antigenic substances on the surface of red blood cells . These antigens may be proteins, carbohydrates, glycoproteins, or glycolipids, depending on the blood group system...
antibodies
Antibody
An antibody, also known as an immunoglobulin, is a large Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique part of the foreign target, termed an antigen...
owing to immune sensitization
Alloimmunity
Alloimmunity is a condition in which the body gains immunity against antigens of another individual of the same species, which are perceived as foreign....
to her fetus's
Fetus
A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.-Etymology and spelling variations:The...
red blood cell
Red blood cell
Red blood cells are the most common type of blood cell and the vertebrate organism's principal means of delivering oxygen to the body tissues via the blood flow through the circulatory system...
s.
In 1944 Levine started a centre for blood group research at the Ortho Research Foundation, Raritan, New Jersey
Raritan, New Jersey
Raritan is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 6,881.-Geography:Raritan is located at ....
.
Awards
Extract from the complete list of honors awarded to Levine in the Giblett publication on pp. 335f.- 1944: Fellow of the American College of Physicians
- 1946: Albert Lasker Award for clinical research awarded to Levine jointly with Karl LandsteinerKarl LandsteinerKarl Landsteiner , was an Austrian-born American biologist and physician of Jewish origin. He is noted for having first distinguished the main blood groups in 1900, having developed the modern system of classification of blood groups from his identification of the presence of agglutinins in the...
and Alexander Wiener for their work on the Rhesus factor, HDN and blood transfusionBlood transfusionBlood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood... - 1951: Passano FoundationPassano FoundationThe Passano Foundation, established in 1945, provides an annual award of $ 100 000 to an American research scientist whose work is thought to have immediate practical benefits. Many Passano laureates have subsequently won the Nobel Prize....
Award - 1956: AABBAABBThe AABB is a United States-based professional body and standards organization that was founded in 1947 as the American Association of Blood Banks. The organization is now international with members in 80 countries and has taken on a broader scope to include all of transfusion medicine as well as...
Karl Landsteiner Award - 1956: Townsend HarrisTownsend HarrisTownsend Harris was a successful New York City merchant and minor politician, and the first United States Consul General to Japan...
Medal, Alumni Association of New York City College - 1959: Award of Merit of the Netherlands Red Cross
- 1960: Johnson Medal for research and development in immunohematology
- 1961: Life membership in the Harvey Society
- 1964:First Franz Oehlecker Award from German Society for Blood Transfusion
- 1965: Medal from German Red Cross
- 1966: Elected to the National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
- 1966: Clemens von PirquetClemens von PirquetClemens Peter Freiherr von Pirquet was an Austrian scientist and pediatrician best known for his contributions to the fields of bacteriology and immunology....
Gold Medal from the 7th Forum on Allergy - 1967: Honorary Doctor of Science from Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
- 1978: Honorary member of the International Society of Blood TransfusionInternational Society of Blood TransfusionThe International Society of Blood Transfusion , is a scientific society, founded in 1935, which aims to promote the study of blood transfusion, and to spread the know-how about the manner in which blood transfusion medicine and science best can serve the patient's interests. The society's central...
- 1978: Honorary life member of the New York Academy of SciencesNew York Academy of SciencesThe New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
- 1980: Karl Landsteiner Gold Medal of Netherlands Red Cross
- 1983: Honorary Doctor of Science, University of WisconsinUniversity of Wisconsin–MadisonThe University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
Legacy
In 1969 he American Society for Clinical PathologyAmerican Society for Clinical Pathology
The American Society for Clinical Pathology is a professional association based in Chicago, Illinois encompassing 130,000 pathologists and laboratory professionals....
(ASCP) started an award for clinical research and named it the Philip Levine Award after Levine
See also
- History of medical advances in Rh disease
Further reading
- Eloise R. Giblett: Philip Levine (1900-1987), A Biographical Memoir, National Academy of Sciences, Washington D.C. 1994 PDF
- Levine P. and Stetson R. E: Intra-group agglutination. J Am Med Assoc, 113: 126,1939
External links
- History of neonatology
- Lasker Foundation webpage about the 1946 Clinical Research Award
- Levine's obituary in the New York Times
- Detailed coverage of Levine's research on the Rh factor here at Lasker Foundation website