George Widmer Thorn (January 15, 1906 - June 26, 2004) was an American physician whose contributions led to new treatments of kidney diseases and adrenal gland disorders, most notably Addison's disease.
[1][2] Thorn was Chief of Medicine at Boston's Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, presently known as Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Thorn pioneered the use of cortisone for treating Addison's disease,[2] and devised an early test for this disease, now known as the Thorn test.
[1] His research of cortisone and ACTH led to new treatments of other diseases such as hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.
[2] Thorn was a founding editor and editor-in-chief of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine.