Sidney V. Haas

Sidney Valentine Haas, M.D. (1870-1964) was a U.S. pediatrician whose research determined a dietary means of combating celiac disease.

Haas was born in Chicago and moved to New York City when he was six years old. He attended New York University Medical School and Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons.

In 1924, Haas achieved notice when he published a medical paper detailing his use of a banana diet for the treatment of children diagnosed with celiac disease. Haas concluded that bananas enabled the breaking up of starches and the conversion of cane sugar into fruit sugar, which prevented the debilitating diarrhea of celiac disease. Haas’ research led to the development of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, a nutritional regimen that restricted the use of complex carbohydrates (disaccharides and polysaccharides) and eliminated refined sugar, gluten and starch from the diet.

During his career, Haas treated over 600 cases of celiac disease. In 1951, he joined his son, Dr. Merrill P. Haas, in publishing the medical textbook The Management of Celiac Disease.

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