Dr. Arthur Mashberg
Emeritus Professor of Surgery; Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Dr. Arthur Mashberg, 96, of Roseland, died on December 28, 2021.
Born on November 4, 1925, to recent immigrant Russian parents, the late Martin (Mitya) Mashberg and Jennie (Genia Granofsky) Mashberg. He was raised in great poverty in Brooklyn, NY and after many moves related to war, education and occupation eventually settled in Roseland, NJ.
At the age of 15, he graduated from high school and attended Brooklyn College at night, while working, for funds, at menial low paying jobs, (i.e.-coffees shops, factories, shoe stores, and delivery knitting mills) in NYC for the great sum of eight dollars a week for 52 hours per week. The following years he matriculated during the day and in 1945 graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in biology, chemistry, and liberal arts.
In his last year at college he applied to many medical schools filling out applications which asked for religion, father’s occupation and country of origin. His naive answers were apparently not well received. “No religious preference.” Atheist and father’s origin, poverty and menial occupation did not suit the acceptance committees of that era. He received no interviews out of the more than 20 applications. For a short period of time, he worked at an insecticide company as a chemist but found it unsuitable. At the suggestion of an associate he applied to NYU Dental School because of the first two years similarity of education in biological and chemistry sciences. He was immediately accepted after a short interview. He earned his DDS attending from 1945-1949. Although he did well, he found it too intellectually limited and continued to harbor dreams of entering the field of medicine and science. From 1949-1951 while serving as a general dentist for the Veteran’s Administration he continued to dream.
He joined the US Army Reserve in 1950 and was called into active duty after a short field training in the spring of 1951. He was shipped to Korea via short duty at a hospital in Kobe, Japan. He was assigned to a medical aid station of an artillery battalion on the main line of resistance where he was promoted to captain. He was honorably discharged in late 1952 after 21 months of service at which time he returned to the Connecticut Veterans Administration position and was subsequently transferred to Providence, RI. In order to satisfy his need for medicine and scientific investigation, he applied for a maxillofacial surgery and was chosen to be a career Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon (OMFS). He served a three-year residency in the Veterans Administration Hospital in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in addition to a one year post graduate training in biologic science as related to medicine and a M.S. degree. Much of time in residency, in addition to training in surgery, he devoted time to lecture programs and existing head and neck cancer program at the hospital. Upon completion of training, he was assigned to the Veterans Administration Hospital in East Orange, New Jersey.
Because of the predominance of drinking and smoking veterans at this institution, he was exposed to many patients with cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx (OOP). This afforded him the opportunity to evaluate and treat patients with early asymptomatic cancers. He soon realized that the information in the literature and prevailing beliefs among those in the field were not consistent with his observations.
These observations which were recorded in narrative description, when biopsy specimens were referred to the department of pathology for diagnosis piqued the curiosity and surprise of their chairman, Dr. Hugh Grady, who suggested they were unusual. Without funds and research personnel support, it was difficult to consider a prospective research study. However, without Dr. Mashberg’s knowledge, a colleague, Dr. Louis Saporito, contacted the National Institute of Dental Research indicating his observations contrary to accepted beliefs. Subsequently, he was visited by NIH, research administer who offered a grant if Dr. Mashberg would submit an application with a description of his findings. After submission and evaluation of data and observations he was offered, over the years, a series of grants to prospectively study early asymptomatic squamous cancers of OOP. One study developed into many, 1. Appearance of asymptomatic early, stage one; 2. Most common sites of occurrence; 3. Risk factors; 4. Evaluation tolonium chloride to detect OOP; multiple primary squamous cancers of upper digestive tract.
Because of his research, publications in major referred medical journals, and clinical activities and lectures involving surgical residents and students of the U.M.D. New Jersey Medical School, he was appointed to the faculty of the Department of Surgery, Medical School. Beginning as an assistant professor, eventually to become full professor of surgery due to the efforts of Dr. Benjamin Rush, chair department of surgery, and whose major interest was cancer of the head and neck. Upon retirement, he was appointed Professor Surgery Emeritus as a result of his significant discoveries, publications, lectures, and work. He received an award from the American Cancer Society for his accomplishments, the Brooklyn College Post 50th Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award, and an award from the Trustees American Cancer Society for Scientific Contributions in detection and treatment of cancer of the oral cancer.
His research in head, neck and oral cancer have altered concepts in sites of occurrence, appearance of early asymptomatic cancers, and risk factors specifically the significance of excess consumption of alcohol as an independent risk of oral and oropharyngeal cancer. He developed and patented a process using an analine dye to detect cancers in the earliest stage and its use to determine the use of surgical excision. Most of this research was supported by grants of the National Institute of Health (Cancer, Dental Research), Veterans Administration, and Smokeless Tobacco Research Institution. Additionally, his co-studies in Italy were supported by an American-Italian consortium in addition to the multiple publications based on these studies were published in major medical associations; Journal of Surgery; Cancer, A Journal for Clinicians, Journal of American Dental Association; Oral Oncology, and many European journals. He was the first to research and report the use of radioisotopes in detecting bone invasion of cancer of the oral mucosa prior to its appearance in x-rays. He also published many reports on surgical techniques.
He is/was a member of the Academy of Medicine of New Jersey, American Cancer Society, American Society OMF Surgery, American College of OMF Surgeons, National Association of Dentists (former president), Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Jersey Society of Oral Surgeons, Oncology Society of New Jersey, Society of Head and Neck Surgeons, New York Head and Neck Society, and The Society of Educators in OMF Surgery. Fellow of the American College of Dentists and the American Dental Association.
Dr. Mashberg is pre-deceased by his loving delightful son, Marc Mashberg and his beloved wife, Edna Mashberg (Dorman).
He is survived by his devoted daughter, Debra Mashberg and siblings, Michael Mashberg and Henrietta “Eda” Nelle.
At the request of Dr. Mashberg, there will be no funeral services. A private interment will take place at Brig. Gen. William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown, New Jersey. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Shook-Farmer Funeral Home in Roseland, New Jersey. To share condolences, please visit shookfarmer.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the charities of one’s choice.