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Max Samter

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Max Samter
Born
Maximilian Samter

(1908-03-08)March 8, 1908
Berlin, Germany
DiedFebruary 9, 1999(1999-02-09) (aged 90)
Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
MonumentsThe Max Samter Institute for Immunology Research at Grant Hospital
NationalityGerman-American
OccupationAllergist
Known forStudy and elucidation of AERD (Samter's triad)
Notable workSamter's Immunologic Diseases 5th Edition (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1995)

Max Samter (March 8, 1909 – February 9, 1999) was a German-American immunologist who first extensively studied the triad between asthma, aspirin allergy, and nasal polyps that became known as Samter's triad, now aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease.[1] Samter was a third generation doctor and obtained medical training in Europe.[2] After fleeing Nazi occupation in Germany, Samter had a long career in medical research in the United States.[2] He is a pioneer in the field of immunology, having written many of the foundational textbooks of the field.[3] Samter founded The Max Samter Institute for Immunology Research at Grant Hospital in Chicago (now closed),[4] and after his death it was renamed in his honor.[5]

Early life

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Samter was born in what is now the eastern part of Berlin in 1908.[3] Both his father and grandfather were medical doctors, and he was advised to attend multiple medical schools to gain knowledge and experience.[2] Thus, he studied at Freiburg in the German Countryside, Innsbruck in Austria, and Berlin.[2] He obtained his medical degree from the University of Berlin in 1933.[5]

Career

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After he earned his Medical Degree, Samter started working as an intern doing research at Charite Hospital in Berlin.[2] During his time there, he discovered an inventive design for the inhalational challenge of those with asthma using histamine and allergens.[2] Inhalational challenge is exposing patients to a stressor to desensitize their lungs and allow them to breathe better in the presence of this stressor and in general.[6] During Hitler's Regime, Jewish doctors were no longer allowed to work in major Universities.[2] Thus, he had to open a medical clinic and worked as a general practitioner outside of Berlin for the next four years.[2] Samter commuted to housecalls using his BMW motorcycle.[2] It became dangerous for Samter to be in Germany as not only was he Jewish, but he had also written satirical articles speaking out against the Nazis.[2] Samter used the increased mobility afforded to him by his motorcycle to help ensure his safety. In an interview, Samter stated his motorcycle facilitated a friendship with German military officers:  “Whenever the Gestapo decided to raid my office, one of my storm troopers [Acquaintances] would call and tell me that it might be unhealthy for me to stay in town. I would hide in Bavaria until the air had cleared.”[3]

Hiding out in Bavaria only worked for so long, however, and it became clear Samter would have to leave Germany permanently.[3] In 1937, he left Germany with the help of a formal medical school appointment orchestrated by benefactors at Johns Hopkins University.[2] His inability to speak English restricted him to a research role because he could not effectively interact with patients.[2] He worked for the next six years as an unpaid research assistant, including a year and a half in the hematology department at Johns Hopkins and later researching lymphocytes at the University of Pennsylvania.[2][3]

After his six years as a research assistant, he opened up a private practice in New Jersey to obtain the resources to move his parents to the United States.[2] His parents ended up moving to the US and he then enlisted in the US Army.[3] He was a medic during WWII and even landed at Omaha on D-Day.[2] He later became a military governor in Germany because he spoke German and the US Army needed German speakers.[2] He stated of his time as a military governor, “I don't think that any country has been governed, by an amateur, as effectively as mine.”[3] After the war, he was again limited to a research role due to both his lack of experience speaking English and damage to his hearing obtained during his service that stopped him from communicating with patients well.[2]

Samter was offered a biochemist fellowship at the University of Illinois in Chicago and became full Professor at the College of Medicine in 1961.[7] He then spent the last 28 years of his career working there in a variety of positions.[3] He served as Chief of Staff and, in 1975, was appointed Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs of the Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine.[7] He also became Director of the Institute of Allergy and Immunology and Clinical Immunology at Grant Hospital of Chicago in 1975.[7] It was there that he made his most notable discovery- now known as Samter's Triad or aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease.[2]

Samter's Triad

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Samter became interested in allergies during his time at the University of Illinois and noted a connection between asthma, sinusitis with nasal polyps, and aspirin sensitivity.[2] Samter noticed that those with asthma and sinusitis are more likely to develop an allergy to non-steroidal painkillers like aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen.[8] He found that people with one or more of these three factors are inclined to develop the others.[1] This condition is called Samter's Triad, Samter's Syndrome, or, most commonly, aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease.[9] While the first publication discussing the link between asthma, nasal polyps and aspirin sensitivity was made by Georges-Fernand Widal in 1922,[10] it was Samter who fully characterized the condition and brought widespread study and acknowledgement.[11] It is a chronic disease meaning it has no known cure and does not go away.[9] Its symptoms include nasal congestion, headache, sinus pain, sneezing, a stuffy or runny nose, loss of smell or taste, wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, chronic sinus infections, and recurrent nasal polyps.[12] As evidenced by its wide range of symptoms and status as a chronic disease, Samter's Syndrome impacts quality of life, and can be life-threatening.[12]

Legacy

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The Samter's Society is a patient advocacy group dedicated to raising awareness for the disease Samter discovered.[9] Samter was one of the first researchers in the growing and new field of immunology and founded a research institute at the University of Illinois.[7][2] After his death, it was renamed the Max Samter Institute for Immunology Research at Grant Hospital in his honor.[7] The book Samter’s Immunological Diseases, originally titled Immunological Diseases, was republished and renamed in his honor.[13] He is survived by his three children, all of whom followed in his footsteps and became doctors.[5]

Notable publications

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Samter was instrumental in writing many of the essential books in his field, including Regional Allergy (1954), Classics in Allergy (1969), Immunological Diseases (1965), and Hypersensitivity to Drugs (1971).[2] He also wrote a variety of journal articles detailing his immunological discoveries, such as “Concerning the nature of intolerance to aspirin,” “The Acetyl- in Aspirin,” and “Asthma bronchiale and Histaminempfindlichkeit”.[3][14][15]

References

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  1. ^ a b Freeman K (15 February 1999). "Dr. Max Samter, 90, Immunologist Who Wrote Pioneering Textbook". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Max Samter, MD". JAMA. 281 (23): 2255. 1999. doi:10.1001/jama.281.23.2255. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cohen SG, Settipane GA (1999-09-01). "Max Samter, M.D. 1908-1999". Allergy and Asthma Proceedings. 20 (5): 329–335. doi:10.2500/108854199778251997. PMID 10566103.
  4. ^ JAMA. 1999;281(23):2255-2256. doi:10.1001/jama.281.23.2255
  5. ^ a b c "DR. MAX SAMTER, 90, UIC MEDICAL PROFESSOR". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  6. ^ Vandenplas O, Suojalehto H, Aasen TB, Baur X, Burge PS, de Blay F, et al. (June 2014). "Specific inhalation challenge in the diagnosis of occupational asthma: consensus statement". The European Respiratory Journal. 43 (6): 1573–1587. doi:10.1183/09031936.00180313. PMID 24603815. S2CID 13499572.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Max Samter Archives | University Library | University of Illinois Chicago". Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  8. ^ Krouse HJ, Krouse JH (2015-01-01). "Samter's Triad to Aspirin-Exacerbated Respiratory Disease: Historical Perspective and Current Clinical Practice". ORL-head and Neck Nursing. 33 (4): 14–18. PMID 26753248.
  9. ^ a b c "History of AERD (Samter's Triad) | The Samter's Society". samters-society. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  10. ^ Widal F, Abrami P, Lermoyez J (1922). "Anaphylaxie et idiosyncraise" [Anaphylaxis and idiosyncrasy]. La Presse Médicale (in French). 30 (18): 189–93.
  11. ^ Kim SD, Cho KS (June 2018). "Samter's Triad: State of the Art". Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology. 11 (2): 71–80. doi:10.21053/ceo.2017.01606. PMC 5951071. PMID 29642688.
  12. ^ a b Global Allergy; Asthma Patient Platform. "Samter's Triad (AERD)". Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  13. ^ Samter M (2001). Immunologic Diseases (6th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN 978-0781721202.
  14. ^ Samter M, Beers RF (1967-11-01). "Concerning the nature of intolerance to aspirin". Journal of Allergy. 40 (5): 281–293. doi:10.1016/0021-8707(67)90076-7. ISSN 0021-8707. PMID 5235203.
  15. ^ Samter M (July 1969). "The acetyl- in aspirin". Annals of Internal Medicine. 71 (1): 208–209. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-71-1-208. PMID 5306023.
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