April 14, 1928–February 20, 1982

BY HENRY METZGER

EDWARD C. FRANKLIN, was an outstanding example of a physician-scientist. By applying the new tools for analyzing protein structure he made significant contributions both to clarifying the fundamental structure of antibodies and to our understanding of particular clinical syndromes. Although his specialty training was in rheumatology, his career would today be characterized as encompassing clinical immunology. In addition to his achievements in research he was a dedicated clinical teacher and contributed actively to professional societies in his discipline. He died of a brain tumor at the height of his career just prior to his fifty-fourth birthday.

Franklin, the only child of a prosperous attorney and his wife, was born in Berlin, Germany, on April 14, 1928. The family did not flee Germany until late 1938, likely reflecting the ambivalence well-assimilated German Jews felt about leaving their homeland. After an enforced fifteen-month sojourn in Cuba, they were finally able to emigrate to New York City in 1940.

Franklin's native intelligence, his excellent scholarly preparation in Germany, and hard work allowed him to graduate from Townsend Harris High School at the age of fifteen. He went on a full scholarship to Harvard University, from