250:, where she spent her entire professional career. Here, Alexander slowly made her way up the professional hierarchy, starting as the Holt Fellow in Diseases of Children in 1932, Assistant in Diseases of Children in 1934, and Instructor in Diseases of Children in 1935. From 1936 to 1943, Alexander was the associate in pediatrics before continuing to work her way up the professional chain by becoming assistant professor in 1943, associate professor in 1948, and finally professor from 1958. She retired in 1966. While at the Columbia-Presbyterian Babies Hospital, Alexander became the main authority on bacterial infections and the lead microbiologist in the laboratory. From 1941 to 1945, she served as a consultant to Secretary of War
31:
295:
194:, on April 5, 1901, the second of seven children. Her birth was not registered properly, thus later on in her life she had to provide proof of her baptism in order to receive a passport. Alexander distinguished herself throughout school, so much so that her high school English teacher obtained a full scholarship for her at
286:
in a time before antibiotics or vaccinations. Her research focused primarily on the mechanisms and effects of meningitis in children which at the time had a high mortality rate. Alexander started her studies by trying to identify the prognostic and diagnostic strategies of meningitis. She was able to
171:
in New York City. Alexander became the lead microbiologist and the head of the bacterial infections program at
Columbia-Presbyterian. She occupied many prestigious positions at Columbia University and was well honored even after her death from liver cancer in 1968. Alexander is known for her
206:. One of the first jobs Alexander had after she graduated was in the National Laboratory in Washington, D.C., as a bacteriologist. Here she met and impressed the director of the laboratory, Septima Smith, who helped to financially support Alexander in medical school. She worked for the
320:(Hib) meningitis, at the time an almost invariably fatal disease in infants and young children. She started experimenting with rabbit serum and in 1939 she referenced in one of her research papers that the results looked promising for children. Alexander later experimented with
324:
and its effects on pyogenic meningitis. She concluded that sulfonamides are insufficient in treating meningitis alone, and those who were treated with sulfonamides and recovered only did due to the antibodies that they produced. These experiments led her to develop an improved
182:. She has received many awards and honors including the E. Mead Johnson Award in 1942, for her headway in pediatric research and antibiotic resistance. Alexander's research and studies helped lay the ground work for research into antibiotic and vaccine development.
336:
By developing standardized techniques for diagnosis and treatment, she and her associate Grace Leidy helped reduce the mortality rate from Hib from nearly 100 percent to less than 25 percent. Later, Alexander and Leidy studied the effect of
384:. She was the first woman to be elected to this position. Even after her death, Hattie Alexander was honored for her service and accomplishments. Alexander received two honorary degrees: one from
348:
In the course of her research on antibiotics, Alexander noted and reported the appearance of antibiotic-resistant strains of Hib. She concluded, correctly, that this was caused by random genetic
218:
medical school, where she received her M.D. in 1930 with a focus on pediatrics. Alexander's mentor during medical school was Dr. Edwards Park. Another professor at Johns
Hopkins,
1034:
380:(1956), and the Oscar B. Hunter Memorial Award (1962). In 1963, she was awarded Babies Hospital Distinguished Service Medal, and in 1964, she was elected president of the
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to be highly effective. The combined use of the antiserum, sulfa drugs, and antibiotics significantly lowered the mortality rate from Hib.
207:
1029:
1024:
254:
on the
Influenza Commission. Alexander was the first woman to serve as president of the American Pediatric Society. Alexander died of
994:
937:
855:
291:. Hattie noted that those with a positive precipitin test result had a higher rate of mortality than those with a negative result.
85:
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Alexander's work aimed to advance research of infectious diseases and the biology of the microorganisms that cause
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361:
255:
215:
164:
909:
684:"Overlooked medical history: Women from Baltimore who saved children from a 'death sentence' | COMMENTARY"
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307:
214:
Public Health
Service, and was initially enrolled at the University of Maryland before she transferred to
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101:
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969:
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successfully identify in one of her early studies the prognostic ability of cerebrospinal fluid in
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In 1932, Alexander became an instructor and researcher in the
Department of Pediatrics at
219:
195:
76:
850:
222:, helped develop her interest in pediatrics. She completed her internship at Baltimore's
425:
778:
294:
238:, due to an invitation from Dr. McIntosh, where she stayed for the rest of her career.
198:. Alexander graduated from Goucher College in 1923 with a bachelor's of arts degree in
160:
820:
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958:
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65:
274:, which recognized her for producing the first treatment for influenzal meningitis.
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913:. Vol. 1. Waterford, CT: Yorkin Publications, Gale Group. pp. 201–202.
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Home located at Johns
Hopkins Hospital. Alexander was afterwards a resident at
333:. This combination became the lead treatment of meningitis until antibiotics.
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infection, as well as being one of the first scientists to identify and study
136:
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Alexander received numerous honors and awards for her work, including the
655:
349:
211:
881:
Alexander, Hattie
Elizabeth (1901–1968), microbiologist and pediatrician
306:
In the wake of the development of an anti-pneumonia serum at New York's
302:
type b bacteria which causes meningitis in many infants and children.
408:
Alexander, HE; Leidy, G (1946), "Influence of
Streptomycin on Type b
542:"Hattie Elizabeth Alexander | American physician and microbiologist"
455:"Hattie Elizabeth Alexander | American physician and microbiologist"
310:, Alexander reported a cure rate for infants of 75% with influenzal
930:
Notable women in the life sciences : a biographical dictionary
329:
for the disease; by combining rabbit serum therapy with the use of
293:
907:
Haag, John (1999). "Alexander, Hattie". In
Commire, Anne (ed.).
861:
New York Times obituary, June 25, 1968 (subscription required)
353:
615:"Hattie Alexander papers | Archives and Special Collections"
566:"Changing the Face of Medicine | Hattie Elizabeth Alexander"
807:
Katz, Michael (1996). "Hattie E. Alexander (1901-1968)".
495:
Katz, Michael (1996). "Hattie E. Alexander (1901-1968)".
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in 1939. In the early 1940s, Alexander began researching
167:
in 1930 and continued her research and medical career at
932:(1. publ. ed.). Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press.
640:"Biography: Hattie Alexander, MD: Pioneer researcher"
779:"Symposium on Tuberculosis in Infancy and Childhood"
910:
Women in World
History: A biographical encyclopedia
590:"Hattie Alexander, a Medical Woman Pioneer at CUMC"
132:
112:
96:
72:
54:
40:
21:
262:on June 24, 1968. Her obituary was published in
172:development of the first effective remedies for
155:(April 5, 1901 – June 24, 1968) was an American
360:; she and Leidy demonstrated the occurrence of
8:
1035:Presidents of the American Pediatric Society
364:in the Hib bacillus, leading to resistance.
29:
18:
890:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1200011
644:Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases
420:(2692) (published Aug 2, 1946): 101–102,
16:American pediatrician and microbiologist
975:Johns Hopkins School of Medicine alumni
866:Columbia University: Faculty Remembered
400:
356:which were positively selected through
1020:20th-century American women scientists
1015:20th-century American women physicians
619:www.library-archives.cumc.columbia.edu
1040:20th-century American women academics
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228:Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center
731:Alexander, Hattie E. (1946-08-01).
208:United States Public Health Service
708:"Notable People | Goucher College"
14:
1010:20th-century American physicians
1045:20th-century American academics
884:. American National Biography.
1000:American women microbiologists
169:Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital
1:
928:Shearer, Benjamin F. (1996).
821:10.1016/S0022-3476(96)80148-X
749:10.1016/S0022-3476(46)80107-0
509:10.1016/S0022-3476(96)80148-X
990:American women pediatricians
733:"Streptomycin in pediatrics"
638:Ligon, B. Lee (2000-04-01).
434:10.1126/science.104.2692.101
980:Columbia University faculty
878:Aydelotte, Allison (2000).
847:, vol. 1, pp. 270–271.
845:American National Biography
163:. She earned her M.D. from
1061:
382:American Pediatric Society
153:Hattie Elizabeth Alexander
1030:Scientists from Baltimore
1025:Physicians from Baltimore
809:The Journal of Pediatrics
737:The Journal of Pediatrics
497:The Journal of Pediatrics
378:Elizabeth Blackwell Award
146:
125:
28:
995:American microbiologists
216:Johns Hopkins University
186:Early life and education
165:Johns Hopkins University
86:Johns Hopkins University
546:Encyclopedia Britannica
459:Encyclopedia Britannica
1005:Goucher College alumni
985:American pediatricians
570:cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov
410:Haemophilus influenzae
317:Haemophilus influenzae
303:
300:Haemophilus influenzae
190:Alexander was born in
175:Haemophilus influenzae
102:Haemophilus influenzae
856:Biography.com profile
374:E. Mead Johnson Award
308:Rockefeller Institute
297:
180:antibiotic resistance
117:E. Mead Johnson Award
107:antibiotic resistance
656:10.1053/pi.2000.7104
594:HSL Library Archives
815:(5 Pt 1): 717–718.
503:(5 Pt 1): 717–718.
426:1946Sci...104..101A
248:Columbia University
192:Baltimore, Maryland
48:Baltimore, Maryland
23:Hattie E. Alexander
304:
265:The New York Times
35:Alexander, c. 1960
899:978-0-19-860669-7
368:Awards and honors
271:The Baltimore Sun
150:
149:
127:Scientific career
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341:on Hib, finding
289:precipitin tests
252:Henry L. Stimson
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788:. November 1955
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386:Goucher College
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232:Babies Hospital
220:Rustin McIntosh
196:Goucher College
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77:Goucher College
73:Alma mater
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376:(1942), the
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343:streptomycin
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322:sulfonamides
315:
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269:
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256:liver cancer
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224:Harriet Lane
200:bacteriology
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157:pediatrician
152:
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141:microbiology
126:
100:
60:(1968-06-24)
970:1968 deaths
965:1901 births
339:antibiotics
331:sulfa drugs
298:Culture of
959:Categories
920:0787640808
792:1 February
717:2021-02-02
693:2021-12-03
624:2021-02-02
600:2021-11-07
575:2020-02-26
551:2021-02-02
464:2021-02-02
396:References
312:meningitis
284:meningitis
204:physiology
137:Pediatrics
948:832549823
757:0022-3476
664:1045-1870
392:.
358:evolution
350:mutations
327:antiserum
765:20994710
442:17790172
278:Research
212:Maryland
210:and the
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517:8627451
422:Bibcode
414:Science
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120:(1943)
113:Awards
782:(PDF)
944:OCLC
934:ISBN
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894:ISBN
825:PMID
794:2021
761:PMID
753:ISSN
660:ISSN
513:PMID
438:PMID
268:and
202:and
159:and
139:and
55:Died
41:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
