Inspiring advocacy: Abraham Jacobi

Excerpt

One of the most precious resources for physician advocates is inspiration. Funding, equipment, facilities and personnel all have a role to play, but unless our words and actions are inspired, our efforts can fall flat. One of the best sources of inspiration is biography — the stories of the careers and lives of predecessors who overcame poor resources, surmounted barriers, built alliances and promoted a vision that made a difference for patients, colleagues and society. One of the most inspirational advocates in pediatrics — yet a man whose work remains largely unknown to many in our field — is Abraham Jacobi, who died 100 years ago and is often called the father of American pediatrics [1]. …