Born Siegmund Knopf on November 27, 1857,[1] he received his early education at the Higher Municipal School in Halle-on-the-Saale[2] before moving to the United States in 1880.

He introduced his two daughters, Lucille and Gertrude, at the International Debutante Ball in Brussels and financially supported the children taking them to Europe with him.

In 1898, his book titled Pulmonary tuberculosis; its modern prophylaxis and the treatment in special institutions and at home was awarded the Alvarenga prize by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

[5] This work led to the formation of the Committee for the Prevention of Tuberculosis by New York health professionals and the local business and social elite.

During World War I, he was given the rank of captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps and helped to establish procedures for the prevention of pneumonia and tuberculosis.

He favored rehabilitation of prostitutes and was a proponent for the establishment of birth-control clinics in order to counter the poverty and health issues associated with large families.