Table Of ContentDr. Charles DaviD spivak
Timberline books
Thomas J. Noel and Stephen J. Leonard, editors
The Beast, Benjamin Barr Lindsey with Harvey J. O’Higgins
Colorado’s Japanese Americans, Bill Hosokawa
Denver: An Archaeological History, Sarah M. Nelson, K. Lynn Berry,
Richard F. Carrillo, Bonnie L. Clark, Lori E. Rhodes, and Dean Saitta
Dr. Charles David Spivak: A Jewish Immigrant and the
American Tuberculosis Movement, Jeanne E. Abrams
Ores to Metals: The Rocky Mountain Smelting Industry, James E. Fell, Jr.
A Tenderfoot in Colorado, R. B. Townshend
Dr. Charles
DaviD spivak
A Jewish Immigrant and the
American Tuberculosis Movement
Jeanne E. Abrams
Universit y Press of Colorado
© 2009 by the University Press of Colorado
Published by the University Press of Colorado
5589 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite 206C
Boulder, Colorado 80303
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
The University Press of Colorado is a proud member of
the Association of American University Presses.
The University Press of Colorado is a cooperative publishing enterprise supported, in
part, by Adams State College, Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College, Mesa State
College, Metropolitan State College of Denver, University of Colorado, University of
Northern Colorado, and Western State College of Colorado.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed
Library Materials. ANSI Z39.48-1992
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Abrams, Jeanne E., 1951–
Dr. Charles David Spivak : a Jewish immigrant and the American tuberculosis
movement / Jeanne E. Abrams.
p. cm. — (Timberline books)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-87081-941-4 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Spivak, C. D. (Charles D.), 1861–
1927. 2. Jewish physicians—United States—Biography. 3. Jews, Russian—United States—
Biography. 4. Jewish Consumptives’ Relief Society (U.S.) 5. Tuberculosis—United
States—History. I. Title.
R154.S68A27 2009
610.92—dc22
[B]
2009006558
Design by Daniel Pratt
18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Acknowledgments w vii
Foreword by Thomas J. Noel w ix
1. Introduction w 1
2. Out of Russia w 15
3. The Philadelphia Story w 33
4. Heading West to “Chase the Cure” w 59
5. The Genesis of the JCRS:
Creating a New Type of TB Institution w 83
6. Becoming a Westerner w 109
7. Overseas Mission to the European Front and the Final Years w 133
8. Conclusion: The Spivak Legacy w 161
Notes w 179
Bibliography w 211
Index w 219
– v –
Acknowledgments
When I interviewed Deena Spivak Strauss, the daughter of Dr.
Charles David Spivak, in 1982 when I was working on my doc-
toral dissertation on the history of the Jewish Consumptives’
Relief Society of Denver (JCRS), I had no premonition that more than
twenty-five years later I would be completing a biography of her father.
Yet even then I found Dr. Spivak’s life extraordinarily fascinating as well
as complex. I am very grateful for the many colleagues, friends, and fam-
ily members who offered support, guidance, and valuable insights in the
intervening years and helped bring this project to fruition. First, I extend
a very special thank you to retired Philadelphia attorney and writer Harry
Boonin, who first urged me to write a biography of Dr. Spivak so the doc-
tor’s remarkable life and career would become more well-known. Harry
graciously shared his valuable and vivid primary sources on Spivak’s early
years in Philadelphia. I am grateful as well to Edward Ball, who gener-
ously made available his transcription of the diary of his grandfather, Dr.
– vii –
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Michael Ball. Dr. Ball was a close friend of Spivak’s in Philadelphia in
the late 1880s and early 1890s, and the diary proved to be an amazing
resource. Dr. Spivak’s family, including his late daughter Deena Spivak
Strauss, and a number of his grandchildren—including Eugene and the
late Dan Spivak, Adele Strauss Karsh, Ruth Strauss Oppenheim, the late
Donald Strauss, and Charlesa Wolfe Feinstein—inherited their ancestor’s
highly engaging personality and were especially generous in sharing mem-
ories and photographs.
As always, I am indebted to numerous friends, colleagues, and “boost-
ers” along the way. I am honored to be able to count Dr. Jonathan Sarna
of Brandeis University and Dr. Alan Kraut of American University as es-
teemed colleagues as well as valued friends. Both carefully read drafts
of the manuscript and, with their customary insight and wisdom, offered
valuable suggestions. Darrin Pratt, director of the University Press of
Colorado, offered encouragement from the beginning of the project, as
did Dean Nancy Allen of Penrose Library and Provost Gregg Kvistad at
the University of Denver. Thank you to my colleague Thyria Wilson for
her expert assistance in preparing for publication the photographs that
appear in this book. Dr. Stephen Leonard and Dr. Thomas Noel—the
editors of the Timberline Series at the University Press of Colorado in
which Dr. Charles David Spivak: A Jewish Immigrant and the American
Tuberculosis Movement appears—added their valuable editorial skills,
knowledge of Colorado history, and enthusiastic support. Finally, I have
saved the best for last: my heartfelt appreciation to my loving family, in-
cluding my husband, Lewis, and our children and grandchildren, for their
unending support.
– viii –
Foreword
A lthough more people probably came to Colorado for their physi-
cal health than for mineral wealth, the armies of “lungers” and
“chasers” pursuing Colorado’s renowned climate cure for tuber-
culosis, asthma, and other lung disorders never captured the attention that
chambers of commerce and historians have lavished on gold and silver
rushers. Yet these people spurred Colorado’s growth and its emergence as
a national leader in health care. Jeanne Abrams, a nationally recognized
scholar and conservator of Western Jewish history, is a professor at Penrose
Library at the University of Denver (DU). She also directs DU’s Rocky
Mountain Jewish Historical Society and Beck Archives, part of the Center
for Judaic Studies and Penrose Library, and is the author of eight books
and many articles, videos, and reviews.
Abrams’s latest book is an important work of ethnic, medical, reli-
gious, and social history spotlighting a national notable unknown to the
vast majority of Coloradans. Dr. Charles David Spivak published widely
– ix –
Description:Part biography, part medical history, and part study of Jewish life in turn-of-the-century America, Jeanne Abrams's book tells the story of Dr. Charles David Spivak --a Jewish immigrant from Russia who became one of the leaders of the American Tuberculosis Movement.Born in Russia in 1861, Spivak imm
