FRIEDMAN, HAROLD J. (25 Dec. 1905-7 Jan. 1993), allergist, developed Cleveland's monitoring of the pollen count. Having proved that both household dust and silk could also trigger allergic reactions, he spurred drug manufacturers to eliminate silk fibers from typhoid vaccine production. A winner of the Distinguished Service Award from the American Academy of Allergy (1972), Friedman published research and served as associate editor of the Journal of Allergy and Immunology. Born in Ashtabula, OH, to Goldie and Abraham Friedman, he was raised in Cleveland and graduated from East High School and Ohio State University, where he received both a B.S. and an M.D. (1932). Friedman interned and spent his residencies in City Hospital, New York City before returning to Cleveland in 1940. He served on the staffs of the MT. SINAI MEDICAL CENTER and the MERIDIA HURON HOSPITAL, where he headed the allergy department.
Friedman married Judith Steiner on 24 Nov. 1943; they lived in SHAKER HEIGHTS with 3 daughters, Elizabeth, Nancy Zavelson, and Kathryn Kirchner.