Hirsch, Edwin F. (Edwin Frederick), 1886-1972

Edwin F. Hirsch (1886-1972) was a leading pathologist in Chicago associated with Rush College and the University of Chicago. He received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University (1910), a master’s degree from the University of Illinois (1911), and a PhD from the University of Chicago in pathology (1915), as well as a medical degree from Rush Medical College (1915). He served on the faculty of both Rush and the University of Chicago until he was made emeritus in 1950, and continued to work as the director of the Henry Baird Favill Laboratories at St. Luke’s Hospital, a teaching and training center for pathologists until 1959. He was also the Emeritus Director of the Columbus Cuneo Cabrini Medical Center.

In 1917-1919, he worked as a doctor at Camp Grant, a U.S. Army facility that was located near Rockford, Illinois. The camp was a training facility during World War I, and was badly affected by the Spanish Influenza Pandemic in 1918, which killed 1,055 soldiers in the camp. Hirsch treated the soldiers who were affected by the disease, conducted autopsies, and researched the virus.

Hirsch is well-known for having developed a method for determining the amount of fat in arteries, which contributed to the understanding of the relationship between arteriosclerosis and dietary fat. He conducted studies and wrote several articles on innervation in vertebrates. Hirsch also profiled his mentor Frank Billings and Christian Fenger, who had influenced Billings – both were influential Chicago doctors who taught at Rush Medical College.

He is the author of and contributor to several books, notably Pathology in Surgery (1953), Frank Billings: The Architect of Medical Education: A Leader in Chicago Medicine (1966), The Innervation of the Lung (co-author, 1969), The Innervation of the Vertebrate Heart (editor, 1970), and Christian Fenger, M.D. 1840-1902: The Impact of His Scientific Training and His Personality on Medicine in Chicago (1972).

Hirsch fought to reform the Illinois coroner system, lobbying the Illinois legislature to replace the outdated coroner’s system with that of a professional medical examiner. He was also involved as a medical expert in the investigations into several famous murders in the mid-1950s in Chicago, notably, the Schuessler-Peterson case (1955) and the Patricia and Barbara Grimes case (1956).

He served on the Human Relations Commission of Chicago where he worked to gain acceptance for African-American students into medical schools and as interns and residents in local hospitals.

Hirsch received many honors and awards, including an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Morningside College in 1955. He served as president of the Chicago Medical Society in 1958 and received lifetime honorary membership in the Chicago Pathological society after serving for thirty-five years as its secretary and president.

His wife, Helen Kotas Hirsch, was the first permanent female member of any major American orchestra, playing horn for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO).

From the guide to the Hirsch, Edwin F. Papers, 1905-1972, (Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.)