Heinrich Finkelstein

Heinrich Finkelstein (31 July 1865 in Leipzig, Germany – 28 January 1942 in Santiago, Chile) was a German Jewish pediatrician and a pioneer in pediatric nutrition.

As medical director of the Emperor and Empress Frederick Children's Hospital, Finkelstein reduced the infant mortality rate to 4.3%, a value not to be exceeded in Germany until many decades later.

In 1905 he called for the extension of statutory care for working pregnant women and new mothers, the introduction of an appropriate rest period before and after delivery, the free distribution of a "perfect" baby milk to the poor, and the establishment of infant homes.

Salvador Allende, who later became Chile's president, was then the health minister, and gave him an honorary pension, which was withdrawn shortly after the fall of the government.

Finkelstein wrote a book on infant diseases (Lehrbuch der Säuglingskrankheiten) that was printed both in German and Spanish, in which he summarized his experience and his vision of holistic medicine.