Ernest Sachs Jr.

Ernest Sachs Jr. was born on October 2, 1916, in St. Louis, Missouri.[1][2] His father, Ernest Sachs, was a neurosurgeon.[1] His mother, Mary Sachs, was a playwright and poet. He had a brother, Thomas D. Sachs, who became a Professor of Physics at the University of Vermont. Sachs's great-grandfather, Marcus Goldman, was the founder of Goldman Sachs.

Sachs was educated at the St. Louis Country Day School in St. Louis.[2] He graduated from Harvard University in 1938, and he received a medical degree from the Harvard Medical School in 1942.[1][2] He was an intern under the supervisions of Drs Barney Brooks and Cobb Pilcher at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.[1][2]

Sachs joined the United States Army by the end of World War II, landing in Normandy in June 1944.[2] He served in the Battle of the Bulge, and he was present at the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp.[2] He was the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal for his service.[2]

Sachs started his career as Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurology at Tulane University.[1] One year later, he became a neurosurgeon at the Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center on the campus of Dartmouth College in 1950.[2] He subsequently served as the chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Dartmouth College.[2] He was a Visiting Professor of Neurology at Ankara University in Turkey in the Spring semester of 1966.[3] He served as a physician at the 1980 Winter Olympics.[2]

Sachs researched the cause of schizophrenia.[4] He also studied the Ramsay Hunt syndrome and its impact on the geniculate ganglion.[1] Additionally, he studied the presence of the acetylcholine in the cerebrospinal fluid, and he "discovered serotonin in cases of brain tumors".[1] Moreover, after seeing many cases of head injuries due to ski falls, Sachs researched materials to create protective helmets and reduce the risks of injuries.[5]

Sachs supported the use of the seat belt in cars as early as 1963.[6] By 1972, he was appointed to the New Hampshire Traffic Safety Commission.[7] Additionally, he served as the president of the New England Neurosurgical Society.[1] He was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.[2]

Sachs married Jeanne O'Sullivan in 1943.[2] They had four sons (Ernest Sachs, Christopher Sachs, James Sachs, and Robert D. Sachs) and two daughters (Ann Sachs and Patricia Sachs).[2] They resided in Hanover, New Hampshire from 1950 to his death.[2] Sachs was a member of the Harvard Club of New Hampshire, the Norford Lake Club, the Adirondack Forty-Sixers, and the Mars Society.[2]

Sachs died on December 3, 2001.[2] His funeral was held at the Rollins Chapel in Hanover, New Hampshire on December 8, 2001.[2]