Clara Maass Hospital Remembers Hero Nurse Who Died For Science

BELLEVILLE, NJ — It was 1901 when a 25-year-old Clara Maass died of yellow fever. But in doing so, one of the nation’s most courageous nurses cemented a legacy of sacrifice that earned her a full military burial with honors.

Last month, officials at Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville gathered at the Maass family gravesite in Newark’s Fairmount Cemetery to mark the 117th anniversary of the passing of the hospital’s namesake.

According to the hospital, Maass, who was a native of East Orange, served as a nurse for the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War. She died on Aug. 24, 1901, after she volunteered to be bitten by an infected mosquito as part of a medical experiment related to the study of yellow fever, a devastating disease that was killing more soldiers than the actual fighting.

The hospital writes:

“In 1901, Maass was stationed at Las Animas Hospital in Havana, Cuba, taking care of soldiers who contracted Yellow Fever infections. Maass volunteered to participate in an experiment on Yellow Fever that was conducted by Reed Commission. To that end, Mass bravely allowed herself to be bitten by an infected mosquito. She contracted and recovered from a mild form of the disease in March 1901. Then, in August, 1901, she allowed herself to be bitten by an infected mosquito for a second time only to become ill with severe fever and she died ten days later. Because of Maass’ death, no further experiments were conducted.”

Ultimately, Maass' sacrifice helped convince physicians that yellow fever was spread by mosquito bites, leading to a program that helped eradicate the disease.

To mark Maass’ contributions to New Jersey and the profession of nursing, in 1952, the Newark German Hospital was renamed the Clara Maass Memorial Hospital. It was the first such medical facility to be named after a nurse, administrators stated.

Here are 5 interesting facts about the nurse who gave her life for science.

• She was the daughter of German immigrants
• She was also involved in another mosquito-related medical experiment just a year prior to her fatal exposure in 1901. Seven volunteers, including Maass, were bitten by the mosquitoes. Two men died, but she survived.
• She was buried in Havana with military honors (her body was moved in 1902 to Fairmount Cemetery in Newark)
• She’s a member of the New Jersey Hall of Fame
• She lived just steps away from East Orange City Hall

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Main Photo: NJ Department of Military and Veterans Affairs