Kurt Julius Isselbacher

Kurt Julius Isselbacher
Isselbacher was born in Wirges, Germany, to Flori (Strauss), a homemaker, and Albert Isselbacher, a merchant. His family was Jewish.

Education
After graduating high school in Portsmouth, Isselbacher attended Harvard College and then graduated from Harvard Medical School cum laude in 1950.

Academic and scholarly activities
he published work supporting the association of asbestos exposure and cancer of the lung, he discovered the enzymatic defect causing the hereditary disorder of galactosemia.

At the age of 31 he was chosen to head the Gastrointestinal Unit at the MGH.Over the subsequent 30 years, his division became one of the leading centers of training, research and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases in the United States.
In 1987, he undertook the challenge of
becoming the first Director of the
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer
Center.

He served on the editorial boards of Journal of Clinical Investigation (1962-1972) and Gastorenterology (1963-1968) and was also consulting editor of Medicine (1962-1994). His leadership in medicine was also recognized nationally and internationally by virtue of his role as an editor of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine.

Publications
Isselbacher's memoir, Don't Call Me Cookie, was first published in 2008. Isselbacher published a second edition in 2012 that outlined his research endeavors in greater detail. The second edition of Don't Call Me Cookie was released as an e-book in 2019.
Isselbacher authored over 470 publications throughout his career as a physician-scientist and researcher.

One of Kurt’s most important contributions was as co-editor (and editor-in-chief for 2 editions) of the venerable textbook, Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. The book has sold over a million copies and is available in 13 languages. Its success is in no small part due to Kurt’s remarkable talent for clear exposition and his extensive knowledge of medicine.