Published April 2021
What interested you about becoming a Fellow at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia?
I became a Fellow because my practice was in Philadelphia and I was impressed with the prestige of the College and its place in medical history. I also spent many hours in the Historical Medical Library.
As a former Trustee of the College for almost 10 years, what do you see as some of the most pressing priorities for the College in the coming year?
To maintain the progress and enthusiasm that Dr. George Wohlreich has established and to thereby expand its influence not only among the medical community but into the wider sphere of city and beyond.
You generously donated one of the most well-known items in the Museum’s collection, 23 pairs of slides from different parts of Einstein’s brain, in 2011. These slides came into your possession in the mid-70s while working at Pennsylvania General Hospital. Could you speak to what made you decide to donate it to the Museum and what you hope our visitors will learn from it?
Einstein was one of the most remarkable humans in our history and his contributions to our society cannot be measured. The brain was removed by Dr. Thomas Harvey without permission of the family because he thought it important to examine it. When it came into my possession, I thought it belonged in a medical museum. What can be learned? To honor the ‘Greats’ in our society and remember our debt to them.
Tell us about one of your favorite items in the Library or the Museum, other than Einstein’s brain.
I was instrumental in giving the Osler collection of instruments, autopsy table, and records to the College. Osler was another great in our medical lineage and had spent several years at Penn and Philadelphia General Hospital (PGH). There was a special museum at PGH, a small brick building called ‘The Dead House’ where Osler did the postmortems. I was Chief of Pathology at the time Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia moved to the campus and this building was to be torn down. I had all the contents moved to the Pathology building where we had them placed in a room that functioned as the museum. When PGH was to be closed in 1977 I arranged to have them given to the College. There was a small ceremony at the College to mark this transfer.
You have had a transformative career in pathology, with important findings on the development of the infant brain, the origin and classification of childhood brain tumors, shaken-baby syndrome, and central nervous system disorders distinctive to children. Looking back, is there a particular highlight that sticks with you?
That is a difficult question. Although I have been blessed with many honors, I think most important was the gift of intellect combined with education and opportunity to practice my specialty. This allowed me to make contributions to our understanding of central nervous system diseases of infants and children which in turn offered the possibility of alleviating them. I also had the opportunity to teach the next generation of physicians and thereby provide a foundation upon which they could advance the field.