Dr. Abraham Jacobi

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William Steinway sought the services of Dr. Abraham Jacobi when son George became seriously ill in 1867 (Diary, 1867-02-04) and again when Alfred had a rash (Diary, 1870-05-29; Diary, 1888-12-10). Dr. Jacobi attended William Steinway, along with Dr. Scharlau, during his last days.

Born in 1830 in Hartum, Westphalia, of a Jewish landowner, Abraham Jacobi obtained his medical degree in Bonn, Germany. After two years of imprisonment in Germany for his participation in the 1848 revolution, during which time he met his friend Carl Schurz, he emigrated to America in 1853. In New York he opened his office on Howard Street and served as visiting doctor to the German Hospital in New York. In 1870 he joined the College of Physicians and Surgeons and stayed  there for 32 years as Clinical Professor for Diseases of Children. In 1880 he created the pediatric specialty at the American Medical Association (AMA) and in 1882 became President of the New York Academy of Medicine.(1)(2)(3)(6)

Dr. Jacobi was on the Committee to honor Carl Schurz (Diary, 1875-04-28), attended the German-American Journalist banquet (Steinway, 1886-08-22), and was an honored guest at the 25th anniversary celebration of the German Hospital (Diary, 1894-10-13), events at which William Steinway also spoke.

Dr. Jacobi joined the German Liederkranz in 1886 and was included in William Steinway’s Tafelrunde.(5)

Dr. Jacobi was the author of several books on pediatrics and diseases. He received honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Michigan, Columbia University, Yale University, Jefferson Medical School, and Harvard University. He died at his summer home on Lake George in Bolton Landing, New York, on July 10, 1919. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in New York.(3)(4)

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Sources:

1. Abraham Jacobi Biography, available from faqs.org Web site.

http://www.faqs.org/health/bios/92/Abraham-Jacobi.html#ixzz1FHXoQ9w6
2. Burke, Edmund C. “Abraham Jacobi MD, The Man and His Legacy.” Pediatrics CI no. 2, February 1898, pp. 308-12.

3. Das Fenster [The Window], April 2007, pp. 42-43.

4. “Dr. Abraham Jacobi,” The New York Times, July 12, 1919, Page 9

5. Mosenthal, Hermann. History of the German Liederkranz 1847-1947. p. 117

6. Spengler, Otto. Deutsche Element der Stadt New York. New York, 1913, p. 145.