Talk:George Baker Leavitt Sr.

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Alaska Mid‑importance

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Request for photo

Would be great to have a photo of this whaling captain to accompany the sketch if any wikipedians or family members might know of one. Many thanks in advance.MarmadukePercy (talk) 06:45, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The search for cancer

It is also interesting to know that Stefanson, in his book Cancer: Disease of Civilization? An Anthropological and Historical Study‎, he mentions Captain George as "the man who started the search for cancer" among the Eskimos. He mentions Leavitt's rise to captain of his own vessel due to his medical training (on smaller ships manned with less than 50 men, the captain was usually the stand-in doctor) with help of his half-brother Dr Charles S Knight of Portland. It was Dr Knight who asked Capt George to look for diseases among the native populations of Alaska. While he first was interested in the lack of decayed teeth and symptoms of scurvy, Dr Knight's questioning led him more so towards cancer (or lack thereof) among the Inuit. The above book I didn't see available as 'full viewing' on google books, unfortunately. The pages related to George B Leavitt were copied from the book by a Leavitt relation. The27thMaine (talk) 15:32, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I had seen Stefansson's mention of Leavitt's search for cancer as mentioned by Edward Jack Hoffman in his book Cancer and the Search for Selective Biochemical Inhibitors.[1] It was Stefansson's thinking that Leavitt believed that the Inuit's diet was a prophylactic against cancer. Many of Stefansson's books mention Leavitt, and you'll note that Stefansson hired Leavitt's chief guide. You are exactly right about ship's captains acting as doctors (for instance, Leavitt doing the amputations). On the matter of diet, Leavitt clearly had his hunches about cancer (much like the cases of scurvy, as you say). The man was clearly an extraordinary person. Incidentally, you'll note that in the reference provided to the Genealogical History of Maine families, the medical career of Capt. Leavitt's Knight brother-in-law is given in some depth, including his education at Harvard and his subsequent years-long service as assistant superintendent of City Hospital, Boston.[2] MarmadukePercy (talk) 18:56, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I had provided a footnote to this letter from Leavitt in the text, but it's worth pulling it out separately. Leavitt's account of his medical service aboard ship is simply staggering.[3]Regards, MarmadukePercy (talk) 20:23, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

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