Nathan S. Kline
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Nathan S. Kline, MD (1916-1982) is the only two-time winner of the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research, an award sometimes referred to as "America's Nobel Prize." Kline was best known for his pioneering work with psychopharmacologic drugs. In 1952, he started a research unit at Rockland State Hospital, NY (later the Rockland State Institute). At that time, the national inpatient population in public hospitals was approaching the half-million mark. Traditional therapies seemed inadequate to treat the growing number of mentally ill patients.
Kline and his colleagues took the unusual step of investigating reserpine, a derivative of Rauwolfia serpentine. Rauwolfia was commonly used in India to treat many physical complaints,and reserpine was being used in the US to treat high blood pressure. For two years, trials with hospitalized patients found this unorthodox approach resulted 70% of those suffering from schizophrenia were markedly relieved from their symptoms.
Many laboratory techniques were developed to determine the therapeutic doses of frequently used medications, doses which are safe yet effective at the Rockland Research Institute.
Kline believed that computers could be used in large scale epidemiological studies and streamline the administration of complex health facilities. In 1968 he oversaw the installation of a major computer center at Rockland, funded by the Federal government. He led the development of many computerized medical systems, which led to improvements in patient care.
[edit] External links
- http://www.academic.marist.edu/VBSC/mricenter/kline.htm
- http://books.google.com/books?id=6O2rPJnyhj0C&pg=PA125&lpg=PA125&dq=nathan+kline+nobel&source=bl&ots=9Guz85FKfR&sig=ybUxyuiTVU3PwP25t1mnujDJi2Y&hl=en&ei=jA48So7ZOYK8M8-M4bsO&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1
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