Edwin B. Hart

Edwin Bret Hart (December 25, 1874 – March 12, 1953) was an American biochemist long associated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Elmer Verner McCollum, an organic chemist from Connecticut, was hired by Hart to analyze the grain rations and the cow feces.

Hart later went on during his career to determine in 1917, working with Harry Steenbock, that a possible cause of goitre was iodine deficiency.

In 1939, Hart and his associates developed a process that stabilized iodine in table salt, which proved inexpensive and effective in dealing with goiter.

He also determined that copper facilitates iron assimilation into the body, leading to a possible therapeutic agent to fight anemia, although its use has never been implemented in medical practice.