The first clinical identification of cystic fibrosis occurred in 1938 when Dorothy Hansine Andersen published a study detailing 49 pediatric cases. By distinguishing this condition from celiac disease through meticulous autopsy observations of pancreatic cysts and lung secretions, she established the foundation for modern diagnostic testing and clinical understanding of the recessive genetic disorder.
Early Education and Career
Born in 1901 in Asheville, North Carolina, Andersen moved to New Jersey in 1905 before settling in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. After graduating from St. Johnsbury Academy in 1918, she completed her undergraduate degree at Mount Holyoke College in 1922. She obtained her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1926. Although she initially pursued surgery, institutional barriers against female surgeons led her into pathology. She worked at the University of Rochester before joining the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1929, later earning a doctorate in medical science from Columbia in 1935.
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While working at the Babies Hospital of Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, Andersen performed an autopsy on a 3-year-old child whose death had been attributed to celiac disease. Observing fibrous cysts in the pancreas and lungs clogged with thick secretions, she initiated a retrospective study of autopsies. Her 1938 article in the American Journal of Diseases of Children provided the definitive description of the disease, which she named cystic fibrosis. In 1946, she collaborated with Richard Hodges to conclude that the disease was inherited through a recessive gene.
Medical Contributions and Legacy
Beyond her research into cystic fibrosis, Andersen described Glycogen storage disease type IV, which became known as Andersen's Disease. Her investigations into heart malformations provided essential data for the development of open-heart surgery techniques. She served as an honorary fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and honorary chair of the Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation. She died in 1963 in New York City and is interred at Oak Woods Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1901, Asheville, North Carolina
- Died: 1963, New York City
- Education: Johns Hopkins University; Mount Holyoke College
- Medical Specialty: Pathology and Pediatrics
- Key Discovery: Cystic fibrosis (1938)
- Named Discovery: Andersen's Disease (Glycogen storage disease type IV)
- E. Mead Johnson Award Recipient: 1938
- National Women's Hall of Fame Induction: 2001
Questions readers ask
What is Andersen's Disease?
It is another name for Glycogen storage disease type IV, which Andersen was the first to describe.
What specific discovery regarding cystic fibrosis did Andersen make in 1946?
She and Richard Hodges published research identifying cystic fibrosis as a genetic disease transmitted through a recessive trait.
Achievements
- Held posts at University of Rochester
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