David Rutstein was born in 1909 in
Wilkes-Barre,
Pennsylvania. He graduated from
Harvard College in 1930 and from Harvard Medical School with an
M.D. in 1934. He completed clinical training at
Boston City Hospital and
Children's Hospital Boston and taught at
Albany Medical College and the
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He joined the Harvard Medical School faculty in 1947 as a professor and head of the Department of Preventive Medicine, a position he held until 1969. From 1966 to his retirement in 1975, he was the Ridley Watts professor of preventive medicine. Rutstein was also a prolific author. His scientific work was published in regional and national
medical journals and his books include
Lifetime Health Record (
Harvard University Press, 1958),
The Coming Revolution in Medicine (
MIT Press, 1967),
Engineering and Living Systems (MIT Press, 1970), and
Blueprint for Medical Care (MIT Press, 1974). He also wrote for general periodicals such as
The Atlantic and
Harpers Magazine. In 1955, Rutstein began a television series on
WGBH-TV called "Facts of Medicine". The short program was designed to inform the general public about local and national health concerns and to introduce them to current research projects in medicine. "Facts of Medicine" ran for 40 episodes. During the 1960s, Rutstein directed a study on forming health maintenance programs, lobbied for changes in state laws regarding
birth control, and advocated for the role of nurse midwives in delivery rooms. Rutstein was one-time president of the
American Epidemiological Society and, as recognition of his work and respected position in the medical field, was elected as a member to the Council of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the
French Academy of Medicine, and the English
Royal Society of Medicine. He received awards for his work including the Jubilee Medal of the
Swedish Medical Society, the Gold Heart Award from the
American Heart Association, and the French
Legion of Honour. ==References==