(1869–1970). The first American physician to devote her life to the practice of industrial medicine. In studying the lead industries in Illinois, she discovered and ameliorated lead poisoning among bathtub enamelers in Chicago. She wrote about phossy jaw, which occurred among American matchmakers who used white or yellow phosphorus. She studied the effects of carbon monoxide among steelworkers, the toxicity of nitroglycerin among munitions makers during World War I, the symptoms of hatters exposed to mercury in Danbury, Connecticut, and the “dead fingers” syndrome of workers utilizing the early jackhammers. She also described the toxic effects to the blood-forming cells from benzol, and the neurologic and psychological responses of workers in the viscose rayon industry. In 1919, Dr. Hamilton was appointed assistant professor of industrial medicine at Harvard Medical School. The first woman on the Harvard faculty, she gave occupational medicine respectability as an academic pursuit.
