| Hans Zinsser | |
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Hans Zinsser, MD, while an officer in the US Army Medical Corps in World War I
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| Born | November 17, 1878 New York City |
| Died | September 4, 1940 New York City |
| Residence | USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Physician, bacteriologist, and epidemiologist |
| Institutions | Columbia University Stanford University Harvard Medical School |
| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Doctoral advisor | Philip Hanson Hiss |
| Doctoral students | William Hammon |
| Known for | Typhus |
Hans Zinsser (November 17, 1878 – September 4, 1940) was an American bacteriologist and a prolific author.[1] The son of German immigrants, Zinsser was born in New York City in 1878. Zinsser received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University in 1899 and completed both a masters degree and a doctorate in medicine there in 1903.[2] After holding a series of academic medicine positions, Zinsser became an associate professor at Stanford University in 1910. In 1913, Zinsser moved to a position at his alma mater. Ten years later, he was hired away by Harvard Medical School, where he stayed-- except for service in the US Army Medical Corps in World War I-- until his death from acute leukemia in 1940. He is interred in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York.
Dr. Zinsser taught as an exchange professor or worked with the American Red Cross in France, Russia, Serbia and China, and was noted for his work in typhus and immunology. He became a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army and served overseas during World War I. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, and was also awarded another military citation for taking exceptional risks to minister to wounded soldiers while under direct enemy fire. He was awarded with the Order of St. Sava of Serbia and the Legion of Honour in France. He was the author of over 200 books and medical articles, and was a member of a number of scientific and medical organizations. Dr. Zinsser was also a published poet, having some of his verses printed in the Atlantic Monthly, now known as "The Atlantic".[3]
In 1905, Dr. Hans Zinsser married Ruby Handforth Kunz, eldest daughter of the mineralogist, Dr. George Frederick Kunz, and they had two children, Hans Handforth and Gretel Zinsser, and they all lived in Boston. Gretel Zinsser later married Vernon Monroe, Jr.
Zinsser's scientific work focused on bacteriology and immunology and he is greatly associated with Brill’s disease as well as typhus. He is known for his work in isolating the typhus bacterium and developing a protective vaccine. He wrote several books about biology and bacteria, notably Rats, Lice and History, a "biography" of typhus fever.[4] Rats, Lice and History was republished in 2007 by Transaction Publishers.[5] Zinsser had a strong influence on the work of Dr. Albert Coons, who developed the technique of immunohistochemistry.