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BIOGRAPHY - Sydney Valentine Haas |
Dr.
Sidney Valentine Haas was born in Chicago in 1870, but lived
in New York City since he was six years old. He attended
the public schools in New York City and subsequently attended
City College. After he graduated from college he attended
New York University Medical School, earned his M.D., and
took graduated studies at Columbia's College of Physicians
and Surgeons. At Columbia, Dr. Haas came in contact with
some of the finest teachers of that generation, including
Dr. Emmett Holt, a remarkable pediatrician, who influenced
Dr. Haas to enter the field of pediatrics. Dr. Haas interned
at Mount Sinai Hospital and became a well-known New York
pediatrician, as well as the attending hysician and consultant
at some of the city's largest hospitals. Since that time
he also became famous as one of the most original thinkers
in modern pediatrics. He authored many important papers
on a variety of subjects, but his outstanding contribution
was on the subject of an effective dietary treatment for
celiac disease.
For over fifty years, research had shown that the elimination
of carbohydrates brought about dramatic improvement in the
condition known as celiac disease today. However, there
was a need for some tolerable carbohydrate in the diet of
these children. Dr. Haas was interested in learning if some
form of carbohydrate could be added to the diet to hasten
recovery and provide a more varied and nutritious diet.
He had noted reports throughout the years whereby children
with severe diarrhea had done very well on banana flour
(made of 70% ripe banana) and plantain meal. He soon discovered
that celiacs could tolerate this carbohydrate and, more
than that, the banana could be fed in large quantities with
beneficial effects. He further experimented with carbohydrate
containing fruits and some vegetables and found that they,
too, could be tolerated and celiac patients could regain
health on a far more varied diet than just protein and fat.
During the next few years, Dr. Haas treated over 600 cases
of celiac disease with his Specific Carbohydrate Diet, maintaining
his patients on it for at lease twelve months, and found
that the prognosis of celiac disease was excellent. "There
is complete recovery with no relapses, no deaths, no crisis,
no pulmonary involvement and no stunting of growth."
In 1951, Dr. Haas, together with his son, Dr, Merrill P.
Haas, published The Management of Celiac Disease,
the most comprehensive medical text that had ever been written
on celiac disease. With 670 references to published research,
the book described celiac disease more completely than had
ever been done before. [Editor's note: this book is available
in some university libraries and can often be found in online
bookstores.]
Dr. Haas died on November 30, 1964, at the age of 94. His
obituary was printed in all leading New York City newspapers,
including The New York Times, and in Time magazine, he was
described as a "pioneer in pediatrics," and an "honored
pediatrician."
Dr. Haas
has a special place in the hearts of Elaine,
her daughter, and each of us who follow the SCD. We remember
him each February 14th--Valentine's
day! What a special doctor he was!
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