Cecil Kent Drinker

Cecil Kent Drinker
Drinker in the 1940s
Born(1887-02-17)February 17, 1887
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedApril 15, 1956(1956-04-15) (aged 69)
Resting placeWest Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationHaverford College
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
SpouseKatherine Rotan Drinker
RelativesHenry Sturgis Drinker (father)
Catherine Drinker Bowen (sister)
Henry Drinker (brother)
Philip Drinker (brother)
Medical career
ProfessionPhysician, physiologist, professor
Institutions

Cecil Kent Drinker (March 17, 1887 – April 15, 1956) was an American physiologist, educator, and occupational hygiene expert. He was a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health from 1923 to 1935, and served as Dean from 1935 to 1942.

Along with his wife, Katherine Rotan Drinker, he co-edited the Journal of Industrial Hygiene and conducted research on the impact of industrial contamination on worker safety. He differed from other occupational hygienists in that he conducted laboratory experiments rather than direct examination of the workplace and workers. His studies on the impact of polychlorinated biphenyl exposure at the Halowax Corporation and the Radium Girls at the United States Radium Corporation advanced the field of occupational hygiene and improved worker health.