Origins & Early Life

Alexander Oscar Gettler (August 13, 1883 – August 4, 1968) was a toxicologist with the Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York (OCME) between 1918 and 1959, and the first forensic chemist to be employed in this capacity by a U.S. city. His work at OCME with Charles Norris, the chief medical examiner, created the foundation for modern medicolegal investigation in the U.S. and Gettler has been described by peers as "the father of forensic toxicology in America." The Alexander O.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Gettler Award is a prize established in his name by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Gettler was born Jewish in Galicia, Poland, a part of the Empire of Austria-Hungary in 1883. As Oscar Gettler, aged seven, he emigrated to the U.S. with his father, Joseph Gettler, and sister, Elise, on board the Red Star Line steamer, Westernland, which arrived at the Port of New York on May 6, 1891; they settled in Brooklyn, where he was raised. He studied at the City College of New York and in 1912 received his PhD in Biochemistry from Columbia University.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Prior to his employment with OCME he worked as a clinical chemist at the Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan and taught...

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