Harold Ginsberg

Harold Samuel "Harry" Ginsberg (May 27, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American microbiologist who made early discoveries in virology and infectious disease.

Ginsberg was born on May 27, 1917, in Daytona Beach, Florida. He earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University in 1937 and received his medical degree from the Tulane University School of Medicine in 1941.

While serving in the United States Army as a first lieutenant during World War II and stationed at a military hospital in England, Ginsberg was responsible for caring for soldiers injured during the Normandy landings. There he discovered a pattern of hepatitis infections in those individuals who had received blood transfusions. Further investigation showed that the patients had contracted Hepatitis B from pooled plasma, which led to changes in transfusion practices and resulted in a significant reduction in illness and death among soldiers being treated. In recognition of these efforts, he was awarded the Legion of Merit in 1945.

After completing his military service, he was an associate at the Rockefeller Institute in New York City starting in 1946. He was on the faculty of Western Reserve University starting in 1951, where research he conducted showed that adenoviruses, which could lie dormant in the adenoids for extended periods, were among the causes of atypical pneumonia and acute respiratory disease. Ginsberg showed the process by which the adenovirus caused disease after entering host cells, leading to the creation of vaccines against various infectious diseases and showing how cancers could be triggered by oncoviruses.

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