NILS PAUL LARSEN

His early education was received in the public schools of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Being interested in agriculture, he attended Massachusetts State College, earning his B.S. in 1913. Three years later he graduated from Cornell University Medical College. He then went to New York Hospital where he was a special research intern and assistant pathologist.

World War I cut short his hospital work, and Dr. Larsen entered the U.S. Army Medical Corps as a Lieutenant in April, 1917. He went overseas with the 106th Infantry in 1918, and participated in a number of major engagements. Awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action, his citation stated "he crawled well forward of the front elements of the 106th Infantry, and, finding a wounded soldier who had lain in an exposed position for 36 hours, he carried him upon his back to safety; afterwards searching the shell holes in front of the lines until all the wounded or killed of his regiment had been found". In 1919, at the conclusion of his Army service, he held the rank of Major.

In the summer of 1919 Dr. Larsen came to visit his brother, and it his then he met Sara Lucas who was to become his wife.

After his visit he returned to the University of Cornell where he was an instructor in medicine and bacteriology and assistant visiting physician on the pediatric service at Gouverneur Hospital, New York City. He was also assistant visiting physician at Bellevue Hospital where he conducted research on pneumonia and asthma, later publishing his findings in "The Journal of the American Medical Association" and "The Journal of Immunology". He also found time to be commanding officer of the First Field Hospital of the New York National Guard.

On September 1, 1921, Dr. Larsen married Miss Sara Elizabeth Lucas at Kensington, New Hampshire. A daughter, Lila Elizabeth (Mrs. James F. Morgan, Jr.), and a son, Jack Lucas, were born to the doctor and his wife.

The following year in July Dr. Larsen returned to Hawaii; this time to accept an appointment as pathologist at Queen's Hospital in Honolulu. Very shortly thereafter he became Medical Director in addition to his duties as pathologist. For 20 years Dr. Larsen served the hospital in these dual roles. During that time he established an occupational therapy service, organized a research department, helped develop a training school for nurses and instituted a lively and weekly clinic, which, while it left many a doctor licking his wounds, was always well attended. For many years he served on the hospital Nursing Advisory Committee, and on the Medical Advisory Committee and edited "The Queen's Hospital Bulletin".

He led the fight to improve Hawaii's milk supply, which resulted in a precipitous drop in the infant mortality. Serving for a dollar a year, he lectured on social hygiene at McKinley High School for many years. In 1930 he became medical advisor to the Hawaii Sugar Planters' Association and developed a medical and health education program which gave Hawaii's plantations the lowest incidence of disease and mortality among American industries. Founder of "Plantation Health" the year he joined the staff of the Planters' Association, Dr. Larsen remained its editor until his death.

In 1927 the doctor became president of the Honolulu County Medical Society, and he held that post a second time in 1945. In 1929 he was chairman of the first Pan-Pacific Surgical Congress. He was medical consultant to Tripler General Hospital. Always interested in birth control, Dr. Larsen was a member and past president of the Planned Parenthood Association and in 1955 was a United States delegate to the International Conference of the Planned Parenthood Association in Tokyo.

A man of many talents, the doctor found time to sketch and print in oils, but he is best known for his etchings and his color photographs, which were exhibited often on the Mainland. He was an authority on Ancient Hawaiian medical practices. Using this knowledge, in 1954 he wrote and directed a pageant, "Birth and Growth of Surgery in the Pacific" put on at the dedication of the new surgical wing at Queen's Hospital. On the occasion of the Hawaii Medical Society's 100th anniversary in 1956, he produced a pageant depicting a century of medicine in Hawaii. He was founder of the Swe-Nor-Den Club. Boy Scouts was an organization to which he gave years of service, and shortly before his death he was presented with the Silver Beaver, the highest award in scouting.

His interests extended to the field of politics. In 1950 he was a delegate to the Hawaii Constitutional Convention. He was a member of the Hawaiian Group for World Government, a movement which he firmly believed to be the answer to the world's problems.

The list of Dr. Larsen's awards and honors is long and impressive. His first award was an honorary doctor of science degree for his work in public health bestowed upon him by Massachusetts State College. In 1951 he was made the first honorary president of the Pan-Pacific Surgical Association. The following year Cornell Medical College made him the recipient of their fourth annual alumni achievement award for his work in raising public health and medical standards in Hawaii. In 1954 the Industrial Medical Association presented him with the William S. Knudsen Award. Two years later the Hawaii Medical Association honored him with its distinguished service award. The Gold-Headed Cane, considered. the outstanding award of the University of California Medical School, was presented to him in 1957, the second time this award had been won by a physician outside of continental United States. One of his last awards was an honorary medical doctor's degree given by the ancient University of Lund in Sweden. This impressive service took place in May, 1961, and was some of historical splendor. In addition to the honors listed above, Dr. Larsen had decorations from the Governor of New York, the King of Cambodia and the King of Sweden.

Dr. Larsen died in Honolulu on March 19, 1964, at the of 73.

He was a member of the American Medical Association, Hawaii Medical Association, Honolulu County Medical Society, American College of Physicians (Governor for Hawaii, 1949 to 1958), American Board of Internal Medicine, American College of Allergy, Clinical Research Society, American Association of Immunologists, Society for the Study of Asthma and Allied Conditions, Harvey Society, Far Eastern Association of Tropical Medicine, Industrial Medical. Association of American, Pan-Pacific Research Institute, Hawaii Academy of Science (President, 1928), and Oahu Health Council.

He also belonged to the Society of American Etchers, Honolulu Print Makers, Honolulu Academy of Arts (trustee, 1951-1956), Honolulu Chamber of Commerce, Honolulu Rotary Club (past director), and the Social Science Club.

Dr. Marvin A. Brennecke writing of Dr. Larsen in the April, 1964, issue of "Plantation Health" said, "You can see him--and this he did--sitting in the waiting room (of the Medical Group office in Waialae-Kahala), two hours before his death, holding an oxygen mask over his face and reading a current lay magazine. He was waiting to receive the report on his EKG that a colleague had just taken. He had just finished writing a note to Dr. Paul White of Boston describing his symptoms, believing that this may be of value in the study of heart disease in the future. He was endowed with a great mind. Hawaii was blessed when he gave it to her. Paul is not gone. He will be with us and he will walk among us for a long time to come."

See also Mamiya Medical Heritage Center online exhibit: Nils Paul Larsen, MD.

In Memoriam Index