- Email: [email protected]
Carter Redd Rowe, MD, 1906-2001
IN MEMORIAM Carter Redd Rowe, MD, 1906-2001 Charles S. Neer II, MD
O n June 25, 2001, Carter R. Rowe, MD, passed
away peacefully in his home in Fredericksburg, Va, the town where he was born and raised and loved so well. He was 94 years of age. Dr Rowe was a unique combination of a true Southern gentleman, an astute Harvard University scholar, and a skilled, kind, and thoughtful surgeon. He was a leader who received many high honors including President of the American Orthopaedic Association, President of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, and Treasurer of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, as well as numerous society memberships and honors from all over the world. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in charge of the Orthopaedic Surgery Service of the 105th General Hospital (Harvard Unit) in the South Pacific during World War II. Despite these many achievements, he never lost his caring regard for his fellow man. His warm manner with students, patients, fellow workers, and colleagues was sincere. He could always find something positive in every situation and was sought after as a discusser or moderator of scientific sessions. Although he worked in Boston for most of his professional life, he never lost his charming Virginia accent and, when appropriate, his contagious laugh and sense of humor. Dr Rowe was born August 30, 1906. He received his AB degree at Davidson College in North Carolina, and after a year of studying chemistry at the University of Virginia Graduate School, he entered Harvard Medical School in Boston. He received his Doctorate of Medicine degree at Harvard in 1933. After a 1-year medical internship at the Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, NY, and a 2-year surgical internship at the New York Post Graduate Hospital, he began his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the Massachusetts General and Children’s Hospital in Boston, which he completed in 1939.
Copyright © 2002 by Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. J Shoulder Elbow Surg 2002;11:198-9. 1058-2746/2002/$35.00 ⫹ 0 32/8/121135 doi:10.1067/mse.2002.121135
198
Carter Redd Rowe, MD
Dr Rowe then had a very successful practice in orthopaedic surgery for 3 years in Fredericksburg, Va, before World War II and his induction into the US Army Medical Corps. During this time in Fredericksburg, he met Mary Moore of North Carolina and began a 7-year courtship that resulted in the unique marriage team of Mary and Carter, which had such strength and dignity. After the war, Dr Edwin F. Cave, Commander of the Unit in the Pacific, invited Dr Rowe to join him in practice at the Massachusetts General Hospital; in 1946, Dr Rowe was appointed to the staff of the hospital and the Harvard Medical School, where he would continue to work for the rest of his long profes-
J Shoulder Elbow Surg Volume 11, Number 2
sional career. His early publications included the posterior approach to the shoulder joint, capsular repair for recurrent dislocation of the shoulder, and a number of articles on the knee and fractures. He had always been a great admirer of the book on the shoulder published by Dr Ernest A. Codman in 1934; and in his later years, Dr Rowe focused his interest on the shoulder, especially instability. His original work on voluntary dislocations, the “dead arm syndrome,” and anterior subluxation will not be forgotten. His textbook The Shoulder was published in 1988. Dr Rowe’s last surgical case was a repair of an acromioclavicular dislocation, which was done in 1986 when he was 80 years of age. His second
In memoriam
199
book, Lest We Forget, on the history of the Massachusetts General Hospital, was published in 1996. Dr Rowe is survived by his wife, Mary, and 3 sons. His first son, Carter R. Rowe, Jr, is a minister and missionary in Korea. He conducted his father’s funeral service in the Confederate Cemetery at Fredericksburg with remarkable thoughtfulness and wisdom. Carter’s second son, Richard, is in practice and research in Oakland, Calif, in the rapidly developing new field of pediatric anesthesiology. His youngest son, John, works in the field of emergency care in the Boston area. Dr Rowe will be missed by his wife, his children, and his grandchildren, and by all of the many students, patients, and colleagues whose lives he has touched.
O n June 25, 2001, Carter R. Rowe, MD, passed
away peacefully in his home in Fredericksburg, Va, the town where he was born and raised and loved so well. He was 94 years of age. Dr Rowe was a unique combination of a true Southern gentleman, an astute Harvard University scholar, and a skilled, kind, and thoughtful surgeon. He was a leader who received many high honors including President of the American Orthopaedic Association, President of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, and Treasurer of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, as well as numerous society memberships and honors from all over the world. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in charge of the Orthopaedic Surgery Service of the 105th General Hospital (Harvard Unit) in the South Pacific during World War II. Despite these many achievements, he never lost his caring regard for his fellow man. His warm manner with students, patients, fellow workers, and colleagues was sincere. He could always find something positive in every situation and was sought after as a discusser or moderator of scientific sessions. Although he worked in Boston for most of his professional life, he never lost his charming Virginia accent and, when appropriate, his contagious laugh and sense of humor. Dr Rowe was born August 30, 1906. He received his AB degree at Davidson College in North Carolina, and after a year of studying chemistry at the University of Virginia Graduate School, he entered Harvard Medical School in Boston. He received his Doctorate of Medicine degree at Harvard in 1933. After a 1-year medical internship at the Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, NY, and a 2-year surgical internship at the New York Post Graduate Hospital, he began his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the Massachusetts General and Children’s Hospital in Boston, which he completed in 1939.
Copyright © 2002 by Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. J Shoulder Elbow Surg 2002;11:198-9. 1058-2746/2002/$35.00 ⫹ 0 32/8/121135 doi:10.1067/mse.2002.121135
198
Carter Redd Rowe, MD
Dr Rowe then had a very successful practice in orthopaedic surgery for 3 years in Fredericksburg, Va, before World War II and his induction into the US Army Medical Corps. During this time in Fredericksburg, he met Mary Moore of North Carolina and began a 7-year courtship that resulted in the unique marriage team of Mary and Carter, which had such strength and dignity. After the war, Dr Edwin F. Cave, Commander of the Unit in the Pacific, invited Dr Rowe to join him in practice at the Massachusetts General Hospital; in 1946, Dr Rowe was appointed to the staff of the hospital and the Harvard Medical School, where he would continue to work for the rest of his long profes-
J Shoulder Elbow Surg Volume 11, Number 2
sional career. His early publications included the posterior approach to the shoulder joint, capsular repair for recurrent dislocation of the shoulder, and a number of articles on the knee and fractures. He had always been a great admirer of the book on the shoulder published by Dr Ernest A. Codman in 1934; and in his later years, Dr Rowe focused his interest on the shoulder, especially instability. His original work on voluntary dislocations, the “dead arm syndrome,” and anterior subluxation will not be forgotten. His textbook The Shoulder was published in 1988. Dr Rowe’s last surgical case was a repair of an acromioclavicular dislocation, which was done in 1986 when he was 80 years of age. His second
In memoriam
199
book, Lest We Forget, on the history of the Massachusetts General Hospital, was published in 1996. Dr Rowe is survived by his wife, Mary, and 3 sons. His first son, Carter R. Rowe, Jr, is a minister and missionary in Korea. He conducted his father’s funeral service in the Confederate Cemetery at Fredericksburg with remarkable thoughtfulness and wisdom. Carter’s second son, Richard, is in practice and research in Oakland, Calif, in the rapidly developing new field of pediatric anesthesiology. His youngest son, John, works in the field of emergency care in the Boston area. Dr Rowe will be missed by his wife, his children, and his grandchildren, and by all of the many students, patients, and colleagues whose lives he has touched.