Saul Krugman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saul Krugman (1911 – 1995) was a medical researcher who discovered a vaccine against hepatitis B.
The son of Russian immigrants, Krugman was born in the Bronx in 1911. He began his undergraduate studies at Ohio State University in 1929 and, after taking time off following his junior year to earn money so he could complete his studies, graduated from the University of Richmond in 1934.
Dr. Krugman began his medical studies at the Medical College of Virginia and later went on to pursue research at the New York University (NYU). Krugman was the first to distinguish hepatitis A from hepatitis B and made great strides in describing their different characteristics and behaviors. While examining blood samples from patients with hepatitis at NYU, Krugman discovered that heating blood containing hepatitis B would kill the virus while preserving an antibody response when used as a vaccine.
In a study funded by the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board, Krugman injected hepatitis serum into mentally disabled children at the Willowbrook State School on Staten Island. Krugman had the parents sign an informed consent document that suggested that the children would be receiving a vaccine to prevent hepatitis.
In 1972, Krugman became the president of the American Pediatric Society.
