Statewide County HI Archives Biographies.....Larsen, Nils Paul June 15, 1890 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/hi/hifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: J. Orr jessicanorr@gmail.com September 28, 2011, 10:06 pm Source: The Story of Hawaii and Its Builders. Published by the Honolulu Star Bulletin, Territory of Hawaii, 1925 Author: Edited by George F. Nellist NILS PAUL LARSEN, Physician and Medical Director Queen’s Hospital. Nils Paul Larsen, born in Stockholm, Sweden, June 15, 1890, came to America with his parents, Emil and Maria (Freeman) Larsen, in early childhood. He was educated in the public schools of Bridgeport, Conn., later attending the Massachusetts Agricultural College, from which he was graduated with the degree of B. Sc. He then entered Cornell University Medical College, finishing with the class of 1916, after which he took a course in biological chemistry at Columbia College. As an undergraduate at Massachusetts Agricultural College, Dr. Larsen took part in various extra curriculum activities, being secretary of his class, playing ‘varsity football for three years, being a member of the student senate, president of the Christian Association, a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, and also of the scientific scholastic honor fraternity Phi Kappa Phi. He also organized boys’ club work in and about Amherst, and later while at Cornell University Medical School in New York City, he started and conducted for a number of years, two Boy Scout troops. After graduating from Cornell, Dr. Larsen served a special internship at New York Hospital, and was also appointed assistant pathologist at that institution, giving up this work to enter the service upon America’s declaration of war. In April, 1917, Dr. Larsen was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Medical Corps of the 23rd New York National Guard, afterwards the 106th Infantry, U. S. A. In the latter part of 1917 he was made a captain in the Medical Corps, and in May, 1918, after preliminary training at Spartansburg, S. C., went overseas with the 106th Infantry. In Belgium, while in action, Dr. Larsen was made regimental surgeon, subsequently receiving promotion to the rank of major. During the war, Dr. Larsen saw active service in France and Belgium, participating in the following battles and engagements: Poperinghe, Vierstroddt Ridge, Hindenburg Line, Le Selle River and St. Martin River, receiving citations for gallantry in action in the attack on the Hindenburg Line, entitling him to the silver star decoration, also being mentioned in War Department general orders for exceptional courage and efficiency as regimental surgeon in the battle of Le Selle River and subsequent engagements. He also received the conspicuous service medal from New York state. In March, 1919, during the “flu” epidemic, Dr. Larsen returned to the United States, acting as ship surgeon of the U. S. S. “Leviathan,” which on that trip carried 11,000 troops. On receiving his honorable discharge as major, M. C., U. S. A., Dr. Larsen made his first trip to Hawaii in July, 1919, to visit his brother, L. David Larsen, manager of Kilauea Plantation, Kauai. On returning to New York, he was appointed instructor in bacteriology at Cornell University Medical College and was made commanding officer of the First Field Hospital, National Guard, New York. He also served as assistant visiting physician, pediatric service, Gouverneur Hospital, New York City. From 1920 to 1922 he was instructor in medicine at Cornell University Medical College and adjunct assistant visiting physician at Bellevue Hospital. During this period (1920-22) Dr. Larsen carried on research work, chiefly on pneumonia and asthma. With Dr. Russell Cecil, he investigated a new treatment for lobar pneumonia, the report of their research having been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, under the title of “Clinical and Bacteriological Study of 1000 Cases of Lobar Pneumonia.” The work on asthma was conducted in association with several other doctors, published reports of this work being as follows: “Bronchial Asthma,” by Doctors Harry Alexander, Royce Paddock and Nils P. Larsen, in the Journal of Immunology; “Bronchial Asthma in Children,” by Doctors Nils P. Larsen and Samuel Bell in American Journal of Diseases of Children, and “Peptone in Anaphylactic Shock” by Doctors Larsen, Haig, Alexander and Paddock. In July, 1922, Dr. Larsen came to Honolulu as pathologist of the Queen’s Hospital. Later, in addition to his duties as pathologist, he accepted the post of medical director of that institution, which since 1923 has been rated a Class “A” hospital and approved for interne training by the American Medical Association. He is also responsible for the Queen’s Hospital Bulletin. Since coming to Honolulu, Dr. Larsen has taken a keen interest in civic affairs, having been most actively interested in measures pertaining to general health, especially with regard to the high infant mortality and a cleaner milk supply. Dr. Larsen is a Fellow of the American Medical Association, a member of the American Association of Immunologists, American Association of Bacteriologists, Society for the Study of Asthma and Allied Conditions, the Medical Association of Hawaii, the Social Science Club, the Rotary Club, the University Club of Hawaii, Kappa Sigma Fraternity, and the Honorary Societies of Phi Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha. In 1921, Dr. Larsen married Sara Elizabeth Lucas, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Lucas. They have two children, Lila Elizabeth and Jack Lucas Larsen. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/hi/statewide/bios/larsen82gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/hifiles/ File size: 5.9 Kb