Aodán Seosamh Breathnach BAO, BSc, MSc, MD (1922–2000)

Aodán Breathnach, Emeritus Professor of Anatomy at the University of London at St Mary's Hospital Medical School, and Honorary Senior Research Fellow Division of Physiology and Institute of Dermatology, UMDS, St Thomas' Hospital, died in London after a prolonged illness on 17 April 2000, at the age of 77. He had been a member of the Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland since 1949, of the Societas Dermatologica Italica from 1978, of La Société Française de Dermatologie Syphiligraphie since 1979, and of the Society for Investigative Dermatology since 1984. He is survived by his wife Babs, his two sons Stephen and Richard, and their families, to whom our deepest sympathy is extended.     

Thomas H. Shepard,M.D., pioneer in embryology and teratology

Dr. Thomas H. Shepard died on October 3, 2016 at the age of 93. He was a major figure in the fields of teratology, embryonic and fetal pathology, and pediatrics. He was beloved by his colleagues as he was by the many students and fellows whom he taught, mentored and befriended. His contributions to teratology are extraordinary and he is greatly missed. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The Weather family's Hurricane Katrina saga: Leonard Weather Jr., MD of New Orleans. Interview by George Dawson

This interview of Leonard Weather Jr., MD was conducted so as to give our members and the medical community at large a version of what a New Orleans, LA physician of African-American descent experienced during Hurricane Katrina and its devastating aftermath. Emile Riley, MD, Meharry Medical School graduate, general surgeon, role model, and New Orleans Civic Leader who helped to blaze the trail for other local African-American physicians, died January 31, 2006 at the St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston, TX at the age of 71. He evacuated to Houston prior to Hurricane Katrina.     

A.J. Ladman: Managing editor of The Anatomical Record, 1968–1998

In the period 1906–1998, The Anatomical Record has had only six managing editors. One of these individuals, A.J. Ladman, served in this capacity for 30 years, almost a full third of the history of this journal up to 1998. Ladman received his Ph.D. degree from Indiana University in 1952, was at Harvard for 9 years (1952–1961) and at the University of Tennessee from 1961–1964. He became professor and chairman of the Department of Anatomy at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in 1964. In April 1968, Ladman was appointed managing editor of The Anatomical Record by the American Association of Anatomists (AAA). He brought energy and innovative ideas to the journal and would apply those in the changes he instituted over the years of his tenure. In April 1998, after 30 years of exemplary service to this journal and to the AAA, Ladman passed the responsibility on to Roger Markwald. During his career, and in addition to his editor's work, he conducted research on an impressively wide range of topics, served as an elected officer in several professional organizations, and was founding chair of anatomy at New Mexico. He went to Hahnemann in 1981, served as Dean of the School of Allied Health Professions (1981–1986), and is currently adjunct professor of neurobiology and anatomy. The AAA expresses its sincere appreciation to A.J. Ladman for his excellent stewardship of The Anatomical Record. Anat. Rec. 251:2–8, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

"We kept our promises": an oral history of Harry Shwachman, M.D

Harry Shwachman, M.D., was Chief of the Division of Clinical Nutrition at Children's Hospital, Boston, which eventually became the largest Cystic Fibrosis (CF) center in the world. For over four decades he pioneered understanding of the disease and developed a program of diagnosis and treatment that dramatically extended the lives of children affected with CF. During his own childhood, he developed bilateral pneumonia and nearly died. He received a BS from M.I.T in 1932, and an MD from Johns Hopkins in 1936. He completed his internship and residency at Johns Hopkins and Children's Hospital, Boston (1937-1941). In 1947 he returned from Army service to Boston where he resumed his medical practice and research. Dr. Shwachman discovered a less invasive screening procedure for CF than the intubation technique used previously. In the late 1940s he and his colleagues identified pulmonary involvement to be the primary manifestation of CF. He was instrumental in establishing the autosomal recessive genetic pattern of CF [Allen et al., 1956]. He introduced new treatment methods that changed the management of CF, including the use of antibiotics in 1948, a new pancreatic enzyme replacement, and chest physical therapy. In 1954 Shwachman developed the first reproducible sweat test at Children's Hospital, Boston, and in 1955 he helped establish the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He authored over 250 publications, trained generations of researchers, and was a dedicated clinician, legendary for his devotion to his patients and their families. In addition, he was an accomplished violinist and founding member of the Newton Symphony Orchestra. He and Irene, his wife of 42 years, had three children: Elizabeth, Joan, and Alan, and at the time of interview, three grandchildren. This autobiographical vignette is based on excerpts from an interview I conducted of Dr. Shwachman and his wife in their home in Boston in 1984, 2 years prior to his death.     

In search of the Holy Grail: Martin Markowitz, M.D., on the dream of eradication

Martin Markowitz, M.D., a staff investigator at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York, has worked with Dr. David Ho on research using new, potent antiretroviral drugs to eradicate HIV from the body. In this interview, Dr. Markowitz, a clinician as well as a researcher, describes some early studies that were done to reduce viral load and the resulting problems of resistance and cross-mutation. He describes the designs of past and current studies and shares his experiences with patients who do not adhere rigidly to their drug regimen. Markowitz remains optimistic that early, effective treatment and new drugs may ultimately lead to a means to destroy latent HIV cells and completely eradicate the virus from the body.     

Edward Meryon (1809-1880) and muscular dystrophy.

Edward Meryon was an English physician of Huguenot stock. He studied medicine at University College, London, and his chief appointments were at St Thomas's Hospital and the London Infirmary for Epilepsy and Paralysis. In a communication to the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society in December 1851, which was published in the Transactions of the Society the following year, he described in detail eight boys in three families with a disease later to be associated with the name of Duchenne. He was particularly impressed by the predilection for males and its familial nature. He appears to have been the first physician to make a systematic study of the disorder some years before Duchenne.     

Professor J. M. F. Landsmeer (1919–1999)

Johan Matthijs Frederik (Hans) Landsmeer, Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Embryology at the University of Leiden, died on 12 June 1999, at the age of 80. He was a gifted scientist who had devoted his professional life to research in Anatomy and Embryology. During his career he was successful in blazing new trails in the relation of morphology to function. This resulted in an impressive list of publications frequently cited in the literature. His sharp analytical approach to problems was a striking feature and illustrated his aversion to superficiality. In this way he collected a profound and inspiring knowledge of human and comparative anatomy and embryology and he knew exactly how to pass on this knowledge to others. Therefore it is not surprising that he guided a substantial number of disciples to the completion of a PhD thesis, thus forming a school. His ability to translate his concepts in a way to have them accepted in the solution of clinical problems is also generally recognised. He was a skilful dissector. The results of his work were brought together in Landsmeer's Atlas of Anatomy of the Hand, published in 1976. This volume represents his meticulous morphological analysis of structures and his ability to intermingle the gross and fine structure of the hand to its function. This has opened perspectives for the surgeon engaged in the treatment of this most difficult area. Hans Landsmeer had a strong affiliation to the University of Leiden. Born on 14 January 1919 in Rotterdam, where he spent his youth, he started his medical studies at the Leiden University in 1935. In 1939, before graduating he entered the Department of Anatomy and Embryology, and he stayed there until his retirement. This continuity was only interrupted during World War II. In November 1940 the University of Leiden was closed by the Nazis in connection with a rectorial address on 26 November protesting against the exclusion of the Jewish professors. Without any doubt this major event made a deep impression on him. During his career he consistently refused any invitation from countries where democracy was violated.     

Adherence and double therapies: an interview with Charles Farthing, M.D. Interview by Marcelo Marer

Charles Farthing, M.D., Director of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, is interviewed regarding combination antiretroviral therapy and adherence issues. Dr. Farthing is affiliated with the Medical School at University of California at Los Angeles and has been associated with many clinical trials. Farthing believes that it is important to aggressively treat depression with antidepressants in HIV-positive patients. He offers suggestions for dealing with complex drug regimens and increasing the likelihood of adherence. Farthing believes that combination therapies with two protease inhibitors are more tolerable than treatments using just one. He describes strategies for dealing with drug resistance and failing regimens.     

Cut-off values of visceral fat area and waist circumference: diagnostic criteria for abdominal obesity in a Korean population

The aim of this study was to determine the appropriate cut-off values for visceral fat area and waist circumference (WC) associated with an increase in risk for obesity-related disorder, and to validate diagnostic criteria for abdominal obesity and the metabolic syndrome in a Korean adult population. We included 413 subjects (174 men and 239 women) for this study. Subjects were selected among Korean adults who visited the obesity clinic at St. Mary's Hospital and Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital from January 1999 to August 2005. All patients had computed tomography performed. The cut-off value, of visceral fat area associated with an increase risk of obesity-related disorder, according to the receiver operating characteristics curve, was 103.8 cm2 (sensitivity 74.5%, specificity 64.7%, p<0.001). The cut-off value for the WC was 89.8 cm in men (sensitivity 84.7%, specificity 91.7%, p<0.005) and 86.1 cm in women (sensitivity 83.9%, specificity 62.9%, p<0.001). Based on the results of this study, the visceral fat area associated with an increased risk of obesity-related disorder in Korea was 103.8 cm2 and the WC was 89.8 cm in men and 86.1 cm in women.     

In Memory of Amico Bignami (1930 — 1994)

Amico Bignami, neuropathologist and neuroscientist, professor of Neuropathology at Harvard Medical School, died on August 5, 1994. He is best known for his pioneering work on spongiform encephalopathies and intermediate filaments, in particular glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).     

PROFESSOR ROBERT WALMSLEY (1906–1998)

Robert Walmsley, Emeritus Professor of Anatomy at the University of St Andrews, died on 24 August 1998 aged 92. He was appointed Bute Professor of Anatomy in St Andrews University in 1946, after a distinguished career in the University of Edinburgh, where he was appointed demonstrator in Anatomy with J. C. Brash as professor and E. B. Jamieson as senior lecturer. He carried out studies on the vertebral column and the knee joint with John Bruce (later Sir John Bruce), Professor of Surgery in Edinburgh, with whom he was associated in the production of 3 editions of a textbook of surgical anatomy. His work on the vascular system of the whale, conducted at the Carnegie Institute of Embryology in Baltimore, USA, was the subject of his thesis for the MD (Edinburgh University) which was awarded with honours and gold medal in 1937.     

ARCHIBALD YOUNG

Archibald Young was born in 1913 into a distinguished medical family. His father was a surgeon of international repute who followed Macewen to the Regius Chair of Surgery in Glasgow. On his mother's side he claimed descent from the famous Highland cateran Rob Roy. The family lived in great style in the fashionable Park area of Glasgow, and entertained Einstein on his visit to the University.
Young was educated at the High School of Glasgow and at St John's College Cambridge before returning to Glasgow to complete his medical training and take a number of junior clinical appointments in surgery and septics. When the Second World War broke out Young joined the RAMC and saw active service in North Africa and Italy. At the end of hostilities he was appointed to the Staff of the Anatomy Department in Glasgow, which remained his base for most of his career.     

INTERVIEW:All that I could have wished for

Edward P. Richardson, Jr. spent almost his entire professional career at the Harvard Medical School. In this interview, he reflects on his education and early experiences in neuropathology and on the lifelong fascination of morphologic studies on brain diseases. He also gives testimony to the importance growing into the discipline in the stimulating environment of great academic teachers and clinicians.     

JOHN ZACHARY YOUNG, F.R.S., Hon. F.B.A., M.A. (1907–1997)

John Zachary Young, universally known as JZ, was born in Bristol on 18 March 1907 and died on 4 July 1997. The Zachary in his name was said to be of Cornish origin. His ancestor Thomas Young achieved fame through his modulus and through the Young–Helmholtz theory of colour vision. JZ was educated at Marlborough, which school also produced another notable scientist, student of and early collaborator with JZ, Peter Medawar. Having acquired an interest in zoology at school, JZ read zoology at Magdalen College, Oxford, and then obtained a scholarship to work at the Zoological Section in Naples. There he began to investigate the autonomic innervation of the gut of fish. While in Naples he rediscovered the giant axons of the squid but, unlike L. W. Williams in 1909, he immediately recognised their importance. His observations led to the fundamental studies on the generation of the membrane potential and conduction of the action potential of axons by Hodgkin and Huxley. During his time in Naples before the War, JZ began his lifelong interest in the brain and behaviour of cephalopods.     

Whether blood is contained in the arteries of the living animal by Galen of Pergamon: a translation

Dr. Charles Mayo Goss was professor and chairman of the Department of Anatomy at the University of Alabama (1938-1947) and at Louisiana State University Medical School (1947-1965) and continued to teach after he retired at George Washington (1966-1975) and South Alabama (1975-1981). He edited the 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th American editions of Gray's Anatomy. He also was editor of The Anatomical Record for 20 years (1948-1968). His research was on the heart in very early mammalian embryos. He became very interested in the works of Galen and translated five of them. The sixth was published after his death and co-authored by his daughter Elizabeth Goss Chodkowski. He was anxious to show that many "errors" attributed to Galen are mistakes of translation, interpretation, or understanding.     

Santiago Ramón y Cajal: The Cajal Institute and the Spanish Histological School

Santiago Ramón y Cajal was a self‐taught researcher. He almost always worked alone, usually in the solitude of his private laboratory installed at his home. He was also a university professor and therefore taught histology and pathology to many students. But because research laboratories were scarce and poorly equipped, he preferred to organize courses and tutor at home as well. For this reason, Cajal left a faint trace of disciples in the three academic chairs that he came to occupy. It may be argued that Cajal formed the histological school when the Spanish government decided to support his investigations and created a scientific laboratory for him, with funding to cover the cost of journals, instruments, materials, personnel, and so forth. This support occurred in the year 1902, after Cajal received the Moscow Prize. Some of his former students accompanied Cajal to the new laboratory. Upon receipt of new awards, including the Gold Medal of von Helmholtz (1905) and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1906), Cajal's popularity increased and a large number of students wanted to learn about the laboratory and work with the great Cajal. This review tells this history. But we realize that this is not an easy task because to be fair to all the people that formed the Spanish Histological School, we would need to write a book. This is not practical. Instead, selection of contributors to the formation of the Spanish Histological School is provided. At the same time, some brushstrokes of the story extend to and include the Cajal Institute, which ran in parallel with the Spanish Histological School. Anat Rec, 297:1785–1802, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Interview. The story of Advanced BioHealing: commercializing bioengineered tissue products. Mr Tozer speaks to Emily Culme-Seymour, Assistant Commissioning Editor

Dean Tozer is Senior Vice President at Advanced BioHealing, Inc. (ABH), overseeing marketing, corporate development, government affairs, product development, various regulatory functions and international expansion. After completing his Bachelor of Commerce from Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Canada, Mr Tozer spent 10 years in the global pharmaceutical industry, primarily with G.D. Searle (a division of Monsanto) where he had a wide variety of roles in Global Marketing, Sales, Business Redesign, and Accounting and Finance. Mr Tozer then worked as a consultant to the biopharmaceutical industry, assisting start-up organizations in developing commercial strategies for both pharmaceutical products and biomedical devices, prior to joining ABH in March 2006 as Vice President of Marketing & Corporate Development. In addition to his leadership role at ABH, Mr Tozer currently serves as an officer and board member for the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, a Washington DC-based organization formed to advance regenerative medicine by representing and supporting the community of companies, academic research institutions, patient advocacy groups, foundations, and other organizations before the Congress, federal agencies and the general public.     

Factor analysis of the St. Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire

The St. Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire was designed to evaluate the sleep of hospital patients. To gain an understanding of possible underlying factors, the questionnaire was factor analysed using data collected from 222 hospitalised rheumatic patients. The analysis did not produce a completely clear factor structure. Two factors relating to "sleep latency" and "sleep quality" emerged more clearly than the other factors produced. These factors correspond with two sleeping state factors (ease of getting to sleep; quality of sleep) that were extracted by a previous factor analysis of the Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire. This suggests that the two most important aspects of subjectively perceived sleep are the process of going to sleep and the quality of sleep.