Life of Maxwell Finland
Maxwell Finland was born on March 15, 1902, near Kiev, Russia. He emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of 4, where the Finlands settled in the West End of Boston. After completing Boston English High School, Finland attended Harvard College. He supported himself with newsboy scholarships and by giving Hebrew lessons, graduating cum laude from Harvard College in 1922, and from Harvard Medical School in 1926.
After several months as Assistant Resident Physician at the Boston Sanatorium caring for patients with tuberculosis, Finland was appointed to the house staff at Boston City Hospital, where he came under the influence of teachers and colleagues such as George Minot, William Bosworth Castle, Soma Weiss, Frank Mallory, and Herrman Blumgart. Boston City Hospital and the Thorndike Memorial Laboratory would be his professional home for nearly 60 years.