Morris Jacobs Papers
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Abstract
Morris Boris Jacobs (1905-1965), a chemical engineer, was an adjunct professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn from 1946-1952. Jacobs left behind a legacy of work in pollution research, toxicology, and public health in the form of 20 textbooks, 100 research papers, 200 technical journals, and multiple patents. The collection covers active years in Jacobs's career (1929-1963) with an emphasis on the years during his work at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn.
Biographical / Historical
Morris Boris Jacobs (1905-1965) was born in Ekaterinoslav, Ukraine and moved to the United States as a child. He earned his BA from the college of the City of New York in 1926 and his MS and PhD from New York University in 1929 and 1931, respectively. Dr. Jacobs worked as a chemist in the United States Food, Drug and Insecticide Administration and the New York City Department of Health. During World War II, he was the director of Gas Reconnaissance and executive officer of the Gas Defense Service of the city's Civil Defense Corps.
Following WWII, Dr. Jacobs was an adjunct professor of chemical engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn from 1946-1952. In 1959, he became an associate professor of occupational medicine in the School of Public Health and Administrative Medicine at Columbia University. The following year he was promoted to full professor and supervisor of the toxicology and hygiene laboratory.
Dr. Jacobs died, suddenly, as the result of a massive cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 59. Jacobs left behind a legacy of work in pollution research, toxicology, and public health in the form of 20 textbooks, 100 research papers, 200 technical journals, and multiple patents.
Sources: Morris B. Jacobs obituary (1965, July 14). The New York Times. Morris B. Jacobs, PhD 1905-1965 Obituary (Nov 1965). Archives of Environmental Health, Volume 11.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in two series. Series I: Biography and Writings includes biographical materials and various scholarly works, including reports, articles, and rough drafts. Series II: Patents includes correspondence with the patent lawyer, rough drafts, revisions, and amendments of Morris Jacobs's patents.
Scope and Contents
This collection covers biographical information, including curriculum vitae, as well as bibliographies of scholarly output, articles, reports, patents, and correspondence related to publishing and patents. The collection covers active years in Jacobs's career (1929-1963) with an emphasis on the years during his work at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute (1946-1952).
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Conditions Governing Access
Open for research without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish materials must be obtained from:
Poly Archives & Special Collections, Bern Dibner Library of Science and Technology, 5 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: (718) 260-3943 E-mail: dibner.library@nyu.edu
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Morris Jacobs Papers; RG 035; box number; folder number or item identifier; Poly Archives at Bern Dibner Library of Science and Technology, New York University.
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Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated to the Poly Archives by Dr. Mark Gellis, the grandson of Dr. Morris Jacobs, in 2017.