Susumu Ito
Encyclopedia
Susumu Ito is an American cell biologist and soldier born in Stockton, California
.
He was in auto mechanic school when he was drafted into the military in 1940, a year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
. He worked as a mechanic, but was eventually assigned to the all Japanese-American 442nd Regiment, which became the most decorated unit for its size in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was an artillery spotter and rose to the rank of lieutenant. Ito participated in the famous rescue of the "Lost Battalion"
, a unit of the 36th Texas Division which had been cut off and surrounded by the Germans. Though the 442nd suffered extremely heavy casualties in the engagement, Ito emerged unscathed. His unit, the 552nd Field Artillery, later liberated a subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp.
After the war, he attended university on the G.I. Bill, eventually earning a PhD in Biology from Cornell University
. Ito’s research career was stimulated by a summer in Woods Hole at the Marine Biological Laboratory
in 1951, where he met scientists such as Otto Loewi
, and particularly Katsuma Dan
. He became a professor at the Harvard Medical School
Anatomy Department in 1961, where his research centered on ultrastructural (electron microscopic) studies of the gastrointestinal system. In the early 1980s, he and William Silen showed that repair of the mucosal lining of the stomach (“gastric restitution
”) is a far more rapid process than previously thought possible. Thomas D. Pollard
began his studies of acto-myosin based cell motility as a student in Ito’s lab. Although Ito retired in 1990, the Harvard Medical Emeritus professor was still active in the lab as of 2010.
On October 5, 2010, President Obama
signed a bill awarding the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian U.S. medal (along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom
), to the members of the 442nd Regiment and other units for the rescue of the Lost Battalion.
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
.
He was in auto mechanic school when he was drafted into the military in 1940, a year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. He worked as a mechanic, but was eventually assigned to the all Japanese-American 442nd Regiment, which became the most decorated unit for its size in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was an artillery spotter and rose to the rank of lieutenant. Ito participated in the famous rescue of the "Lost Battalion"
Lost Battalion (World War II)
"The Lost Battalion" refers to the 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry , which was surrounded by German forces in the Vosges Mountains on 24 October 1944....
, a unit of the 36th Texas Division which had been cut off and surrounded by the Germans. Though the 442nd suffered extremely heavy casualties in the engagement, Ito emerged unscathed. His unit, the 552nd Field Artillery, later liberated a subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp.
After the war, he attended university on the G.I. Bill, eventually earning a PhD in Biology from 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...
. Ito’s research career was stimulated by a summer in Woods Hole at the Marine Biological Laboratory
Marine Biological Laboratory
The Marine Biological Laboratory is an international center for research and education in biology, biomedicine and ecology. Founded in 1888, the MBL is the oldest independent marine laboratory in the Americas, taking advantage of a coastal setting in the Cape Cod village of Woods Hole, Massachusetts...
in 1951, where he met scientists such as Otto Loewi
Otto Loewi
Otto Loewi was a German born pharmacologist whose discovery of acetylcholine helped enhance medical therapy. The discovery earned for him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1936 which he shared with Sir Henry Dale, whom he met in 1902 when spending some months in Ernest Starling's...
, and particularly Katsuma Dan
Katsuma Dan
was a Japanese embryologist and cell biologist. He was born in 1905, the youngest son of Baron Dan Takuma, president of the Mitsui Gomei Kaisha Corporation. Takuma Dan was educated in the United States, graduating from MIT in 1878...
. He became a professor at the Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
Anatomy Department in 1961, where his research centered on ultrastructural (electron microscopic) studies of the gastrointestinal system. In the early 1980s, he and William Silen showed that repair of the mucosal lining of the stomach (“gastric restitution
Gastric restitution
Gastric mucosal restitution is an alteration in the morphology/organization of cells in response to gastric damage. It contributes to the reformation of the gastric mucosal barrier.-References:*http://ajpgi.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/282/5/G866...
”) is a far more rapid process than previously thought possible. Thomas D. Pollard
Thomas D. Pollard
Thomas Dean Pollard is a prominent educator, cell biologist and biophysicist whose research focuses on understanding cell motility through the study of actin filaments and myosin motors...
began his studies of acto-myosin based cell motility as a student in Ito’s lab. Although Ito retired in 1990, the Harvard Medical Emeritus professor was still active in the lab as of 2010.
On October 5, 2010, President Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
signed a bill awarding the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian U.S. medal (along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
), to the members of the 442nd Regiment and other units for the rescue of the Lost Battalion.
External links
- WGBH / PBS program about Susumu Ito http://forum-network.org/lecture/greater-boston-profile-susumu-ito-wwii-veteran