Gettler, Alexander (1883–1968), was a leading pioneer in the field of forensic toxicology in the United States. Forensic toxicology involves the study of drugs and their effects on the body. It is used to aid in medical and legal investigations of poisoning , death , and drug use.
Gettler was the first forensic chemist hired by New York City . In his position as chief toxicologist, Gettler developed critical tests for everything from alcohol intoxication to cyanide poisoning. A toxicologist is an expert who deals with poisons or toxic materials and their effects on the body. Gettler also trained a generation of toxicologists—widely known as “the Gettler boys”—who continued to transform the field.
Gettler was born on Aug. 13, 1883, in Galicia, Poland, then part of Austria-Hungary. His family immigrated to New York City when he was 6. Gettler developed an early interest in chemistry and put himself through school by working as a ticket agent on a night ferry. He earned a bachelor’s degree in science from the City University of New York and a master’s and a doctorate degree in chemistry from Columbia University.
In 1918, Gettler was hired by Charles Norris , the first chief medical examiner of New York City, to create a laboratory for chemical investigations. The laboratory that Gettler built in a small building associated with Bellevue Hospital was the first of its kind in the United States.
With Norris’s support, Gettler laid a foundation for the scientific study of toxic compounds. He is credited with developing the first test to prove intoxication at the time of death. He also developed tests for demonstrating that radiation lingers in bones even after death, and for explaining the lethal (deadly) effects of chloroform . His paper “Toxicology of Cyanide” (1938) is still used as a reference today. Gettler also worked extensively with Norris on investigating and warning about the poisonous effects of wood alcohol during Prohibition in the early 1900’s. Wood alcohol is a type of alcohol that contains methanol and is meant for industrial or automotive use. During Prohibition, when making and selling alcoholic beverages was illegal, some people tried to distill (purify) wood alcohol into a drinkable substance and ended up poisoning themselves and others.
Gettler and Norris helped found the country’s first training program in forensic medicine, also called legal medicine. The program was established at New York University in 1934. Gettler continued as city toxicologist after Norris’s death in 1935. Gettler retired 24 years later at the age of 75. By the time of his death, on Aug. 4, 1968, he was recognized as “the father of forensic toxicology” in the United States.
