Dr. Frederick Steigmann, 93, a Chicago physician whose work in blood preservation led to the development of the first blood bank at Cook County Hospital, died Saturday in his Champaign home.
Born in Austria in 1905, Dr. Steigmann came to America alone in 1923. His pre-medical studies were at Crane Junior College and his M.D. and M.S. in pharmacology and therapeutics were from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1930 and 1938, respectively.
After joining the faculty of the U. of I. College of Medicine and becoming an associate at Cook County Hospital in 1933, Dr. Steigmann began working with Dr. Bernard Fantus in blood preservation. Their work culminated in the development of the hospital’s first blood bank. Dr. Steigmann was also part of the liver research group that made Cook County Hospital a center for the study of liver disease.
In 1950, he met with Dr. Hans Popper, Dr. Fenton Schaffner and Dr. Leon Shiff at Cook County Hospital to begin plans on something new in liver research.
“They met and created the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD), which is the largest and most famous association on liver disease,” said Dr. Bashar Attar, director of gastroenterology at Cook County Hospital. “It is the major association for liver research in the whole nation.”
After serving as chief of medicine at Balboa Naval Hospital in Panama in World War II, Dr. Steigmann returned to consult in gastroenterology for the Veterans Administration hospitals.
He was director of therapeutics at Cook County Hospital from 1940 to 1970. A founding member of the Hektoen Institute for Medical Research of Cook County Hospital, he served as its secretary until 1998. In 1955 he organized the gastroenterological service at Cook County Hospital and was its chairman until 1980. He also organized the Chicago Society of Gastroenterology and the Chicago Society of Gastroenterologic Endoscopy.
The State of Illinois twice honored Dr. Steigmann, declaring April 25, 1985, and April 25, 1991, “Frederick Steigmann Day.” Hebrew University honored him as “Man of the Year” in 1986. Dr. Steigmann was a clinical professor at medicine emeritus at the U. of I. College of Medicine, a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, Sigma Xi as well as a member of Sinai Temple.
Dr. Attar, who admired Dr. Steigmann’s commitment to the AASLD, noted his major accomplishments as “his research on the liver and hepatic encephalopathy.
Dr. Steigmann is survived by his wife of 61 years, Anna; a daughter, Judith; two sons, Richard and Robert; eight grandchildren, a sister and a brother. Graveside services were held Wednesday at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Champaign.
