Schantz was born in Hartford, Wisconsin in 1908 and spent his childhood in Idaho and Wisconsin, working on the family farm.
A New York Times obituary, written by Jeremy Pearce, includes the following information: Edward Joseph Schantz was a pioneering researcher who studied the deadly neurotoxins produced by shellfish and other organisms, first for the toxins' military potential and later for their broader medical benefits, including cosmetic treatments that led to Botox. Dr. Schantz pursued his research for three decades in a Department of Defense laboratory at Fort Detrick. He worked with saxitoxin, a highly lethal toxin found in clams and other shellfish, and the botulinum neurotoxin Type A, which is made by bacteria, often within tainted canned foods. Military authorities during World War II were interested in the use of botulinum as a weapon, and Dr. Schantz helped produce it and evaluate its potential. His research helped conclude that botulinum had only limited battlefield applications. From 1946 to 1962, he was chief of the chemistry branch at the Fort Detrick laboratory. In 1972, Schantz was appointed a professorship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the department of Food Microbiology and Toxicology. He retired as professor emeritus in 1979, continued to experiment with the botulinum neurotoxin, and remained in Madison, Wisconsin until his death in 2005.
From the description of Oral history interview with Edward J. Schantz, [sound recording], 1997. (Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center). WorldCat record id: 526697253
