Maxwell Finland

Who was Maxwell Finland?

Maxwell Finland was an American scientist, medical researcher, an expert on infectious diseases. Finland led seminal research of antibiotic treatment of pneumonia. He was noted for his strong criticism of pharmaceutical companies for their marketing of fixed-dose antibiotics. His outspoken criticism helped in withdrawal of those drugs from the market. He also made significant contributions to early identifications of new infectious issues, such as resistances of bacteria to antibiotics. An annual Maxwell Finland Award was established in 1988 by National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. The National Academies Press called Finland "a giant in the field of infectious diseases". National Foundation for Infectious Diseases called Finland "a distinguished scholar and scientist who pioneered work in epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance, and helped define the discipline of infectious diseases as we know it today". Finland was a member of the National Academies of Sciences. His name appeared on about 800 scientific papers. Finland turned over the money he received for numerous awards to Harvard endowment. It i estimated that between his money and the money he influenced companies to give to the school, the total contribution was around 6 million dollars.