Jeremiah Stamler

Jeremiah Stamler has had a major impact on the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. His work began in the animal experimental laboratory and shifted to large-scale epidemiologic studies and clinical trials, resulting in nearly 800 contributions to the world medical literature. His influence is felt, not only through these publications and his innumerable lectures, but also... "through the hundreds of young people he has helped train (in the U.S. and abroad), and through the leadership role he has played locally, nationally, and internationally in preventive cardiology... The spirit imbuing the work of Dr. Stamler is a deep concern for human welfare, for the prevention of unnecessary disease, and for the prolongation of healthy life. This same spirit has made his name synonymous also with preservation of civil liberties, international cooperation among scientists of all countries, and efforts to avoid the catastrophe of nuclear holocaust." According to Dr. Geoffrey Rose, Dr. Stamler "... confronted the most devastating health problem of Western Society, cardiovascular disease. He espoused the belief that diet holds the key to its control at a time when that belief was widely considered to be false and its proponents a little crazy. That is now accepted wisdom, and the fact that in many countries at last the problem is in decline is due to this man more than to any other."