Esther Somerfeld-Ziskind facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Esther Somerfeld-Ziskind
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| Born | July 2, 1901 Chicago, Illinois
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| Died | November 11, 2002 (aged 101) Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California
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| Citizenship | American |
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| Awards | Recipient Research Award California Medical Association Honorary Award Southern California Psychiatric Society |
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Esther Somerfeld-Ziskind (born July 2, 1901, died November 11, 2002) was an American doctor. She specialized in the brain and mind, working as a neurologist and psychiatrist. She did important research on how to use treatments like insulin, lithium, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to help people with mental health problems.
Her parents came to America from Czech and Romania. Esther studied medicine in Chicago, Illinois. She later earned her master's degree in Los Angeles, California. After marrying Eugene Ziskind, they opened their own medical office. Later in her career, Somerfeld-Ziskind became the head of the psychiatry department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
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Early Life and Education
Esther Somerfeld was born in Chicago in 1901. Her parents, Matilda and Emanuel Somerfeld, were immigrants from Russia and Romania. To pay for her schooling in the 1920s, Esther worked as a secretary. She also worked as an editor for the Journal of the American Medical Association.
At first, Esther planned to become a social worker. But she changed her mind and decided to study medicine. She went to the University of Chicago for her pre-med studies. In 1925, she earned her medical degree from Rush Medical College in Chicago.
That same year, Somerfeld-Ziskind started her internship. She worked at Los Angeles County General Hospital. After that, she completed a residency in pediatrics (children's medicine) at Los Angeles Children's Hospital.
In 1928, she married Eugene Ziskind. She had met him during her studies at the University of Chicago. Esther then decided to change her medical focus. She joined her husband in specializing in neurology and psychiatry. In 1934, she earned her Master of Arts degree in Psychology. She received this from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Career and Research
Esther and her husband, Eugene Ziskind, started their own small medical office. This was on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles during the Great Depression. They often charged patients only half price. Sometimes, patients paid them with gifts instead of money.
The Ziskinds were skilled at treating disorders that caused convulsions. In 1938, they used a treatment called Metrazol to create convulsions. They used it for a patient with Parkinson's disease. This treatment showed good results. At that time, there were few ways to help people with Parkinson's. However, Metrazol therapy was mostly stopped by 1941.
In 1953, Esther and Eugene Ziskind helped start Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center. Eugene's two brothers, Louis and David, also helped. Louis was a social worker and David was a lawyer. Gateways Hospital was still open in 2015 and had 55 beds.
Esther Somerfeld-Ziskind also led the psychiatry department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Later in her life, she taught at the medical school at the University of Southern California. She taught about child psychiatry, group therapy, and mental health conditions.
Throughout their careers, Esther and Eugene Ziskind worked together. They researched how to use insulin, lithium, and electroconvulsive therapy to treat mental health problems. They published many research articles. These articles appeared in respected journals like American Journal of The Medical Sciences and the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.
Some of their important research articles included:
- "Metrazol and Electric Convulsive Therapy of the Affective Psychoses"
- "Effect of Phenobarbital on the Mentality of Epileptic Patients"
- "Hydration Studies in Epilepsy"
Awards and Recognition
In 1931, Esther Somerfeld-Ziskind received an award. It was for her research article called "Meningeal Allergy in Tuberculosis." This award came from the California Medical Association.
Esther and her husband started lecture-discussion groups. These were held at the old Cedars of Lebanon Hospital. These groups were the first group therapy sessions in Los Angeles. In 1987, they both received an Honorary Award. This award was for their excellent service from the Southern California Psychiatric Society.
Personal Life
Esther Somerfeld-Ziskind was a talented classical pianist. She owned two large pianos. She often hosted performances where she and friends played eight-handed compositions. She also loved to read. She belonged to two book discussion clubs.
Until the last year of her life, she wrote book reviews. These reviews were for the journal of the American Psychiatric Association. She would analyze very long books, sometimes over 1,000 pages.
Her husband of 65 years, Eugene Ziskind, passed away in 1993. Esther Somerfeld-Ziskind lived to be 101 years old. Even in her final year, she was still helping patients at Los Angeles Children's Hospital. There, she was remembered as "a legend." She died at her home in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, on November 11, 2002.
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Dr. Esther Somerfeld-Ziskind, a pioneering psychiatrist.
