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In Memoriam—Eddy Davis Palmer
IN MEMORIAM
In Memoriam—Eddy Davis Palmer Eddy Davis Palmer, MD, MS, MACP, died February 21, 2010 at the age of 92 at home near his beloved Schooley’s Mountain in Long Valley, New Jersey. He was a graduate of Dartmouth College in 1939 and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received an MS degree in tropical medicine from Tulane University in 1940 and the MD degree from University of Rochester School of Medicine in 1943. During his career in the U.S. Army he served as Chief of Gastroenterology at four hospitals, Chief of Medicine at Brooke Army Medical Center, and as consultant in gastroenterology to the Surgeon General from 1949 to 1965. He retired as a Colonel in 1965 and was awarded the Legion of Merit for “inspiring leadership, perseverance, and outstanding professional ability.” He subsequently served as Professor of Medicine and Director of Gastroenterology at the New Jersey College of Medicine from 1966-72. After retiring from academic medicine, he entered private practice of internal medicine and gastroenterology in Hackettstown, NJ, and even had patients visit him for care at his home in later years. Dr. Palmer served with distinction as a member of several professional societies and was a founding member and past president of the ASGE. His numerous awards included the Rudolf Schindler Award of ASGE, the first Eddy D. Palmer Award established in his honor in 1972, and Master of the ACP in 1986. He was author of 14 medical books, several of which were translated into Spanish, French, German, and Japanese in addition to innumerable medical articles. In 1952, Eddy authored one of the first comprehensive textbooks on the esophagus, The Esophagus and Its Diseases, co-authored the first Manual of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in 1964, followed by an expanded version titled, Techniques of Clinical Gastroenterology in 1975. He was a true visionary in gastroenterology and endoscopy. His observations and articles on peptic ulcer disease ran contrary to the “ivory tower thinkers” of the day and created a basis for “vigorous” discussions during annual gastroenterology meetings. He strongly doubted that acid was the cause of peptic ulcers and argued that there must be another pathogenesis for their development. The following is a quote from his 1963 textbook, Clinical Gastroenterology: “The acid–peptic theory, which stimulated a century of concentrated Copyright © 2010 by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 0016-5107/$36.00 doi:10.1016/j.gie.2010.05.005
study and enthusiasm, is faltering. One can only admire the determination of its proponents in the face of results that have paid off only in serendipitous data.” In 1954 he authored in Gastroenterology an article entitled “Investigation of the gastric mucosa spirochetes in the human” after examining 1180 gastric biopsy specimens obtained with the Wood biopsy tube. The histology slides were prepared with H&E stains and none was found to contain spirochetes. Several earlier articles had reported “spirochetes” (Helicobacter pylori) in the stomach of patients with adenocarcinoma. The same year he authored an article published in Medicine reporting another of his classic studies, “Gastritis: a Revaluation.” One of Eddy Palmer’s major contributions to medicine and gastroenterology was his development and popularization of the “vigorous diagnostic approach” that emphasized the importance of early, accurate endoscopic diagnosis of the site of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. He kept meticulous prospective recordings of the endoscopic diagnosis on his patients, and in another classic paper in JAMA (1969), reported his personal experience with 1400
www.giejournal.org
Volume 72, No. 1 : 2010 GASTROINTESTINAL ENDOSCOPY
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In Memoriam
patients. The earlier pronouncements from the academic community of the high risks of early endoscopy in acute hemorrhage were proven false. His book, Upper Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage, published in 1970, chronicled his vast experience in this area. He had worked with Louis Streifeneder of Eder Instrument Company in the early 1960s to develop the semi-flexible, Eder-Palmer transesophagoscopic gastroscope used for many of his studies. Eddy Palmer was brilliant, humble, the epitome of a gentleman, and always kind and considerate of all he met. He played the flute for 80 years and was a flute teacher and composer. He played with the Dartmouth Symphony, the German-American Symphony while stationed in Germany, and the Montclair Symphony Orchestra. He was an expert fly fisherman, woodsman, and farmer. He was one
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of the most revolutionary thinkers and prolific writers in the history of gastroenterology and endoscopy, and a true master in the clinic and at the bedside of his patients. He was the husband of the late Jeanne Palmer, his beloved wife of 61 years. He is survived by two sons, Thomas F. Palmer and Jonathan E. Palmer, one daughter, Hannah P. Rottman, four grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. Eddy was the perfect example of a husband, father, physician, teacher, exceptionally skilled endoscopist, allaround genuinely superb human being, and certainly a model mentor and friend to all who were fortunate to be one of his students. H. Worth Boyce, MD, MS, FASGE
www.giejournal.org
In Memoriam—Eddy Davis Palmer Eddy Davis Palmer, MD, MS, MACP, died February 21, 2010 at the age of 92 at home near his beloved Schooley’s Mountain in Long Valley, New Jersey. He was a graduate of Dartmouth College in 1939 and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received an MS degree in tropical medicine from Tulane University in 1940 and the MD degree from University of Rochester School of Medicine in 1943. During his career in the U.S. Army he served as Chief of Gastroenterology at four hospitals, Chief of Medicine at Brooke Army Medical Center, and as consultant in gastroenterology to the Surgeon General from 1949 to 1965. He retired as a Colonel in 1965 and was awarded the Legion of Merit for “inspiring leadership, perseverance, and outstanding professional ability.” He subsequently served as Professor of Medicine and Director of Gastroenterology at the New Jersey College of Medicine from 1966-72. After retiring from academic medicine, he entered private practice of internal medicine and gastroenterology in Hackettstown, NJ, and even had patients visit him for care at his home in later years. Dr. Palmer served with distinction as a member of several professional societies and was a founding member and past president of the ASGE. His numerous awards included the Rudolf Schindler Award of ASGE, the first Eddy D. Palmer Award established in his honor in 1972, and Master of the ACP in 1986. He was author of 14 medical books, several of which were translated into Spanish, French, German, and Japanese in addition to innumerable medical articles. In 1952, Eddy authored one of the first comprehensive textbooks on the esophagus, The Esophagus and Its Diseases, co-authored the first Manual of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in 1964, followed by an expanded version titled, Techniques of Clinical Gastroenterology in 1975. He was a true visionary in gastroenterology and endoscopy. His observations and articles on peptic ulcer disease ran contrary to the “ivory tower thinkers” of the day and created a basis for “vigorous” discussions during annual gastroenterology meetings. He strongly doubted that acid was the cause of peptic ulcers and argued that there must be another pathogenesis for their development. The following is a quote from his 1963 textbook, Clinical Gastroenterology: “The acid–peptic theory, which stimulated a century of concentrated Copyright © 2010 by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 0016-5107/$36.00 doi:10.1016/j.gie.2010.05.005
study and enthusiasm, is faltering. One can only admire the determination of its proponents in the face of results that have paid off only in serendipitous data.” In 1954 he authored in Gastroenterology an article entitled “Investigation of the gastric mucosa spirochetes in the human” after examining 1180 gastric biopsy specimens obtained with the Wood biopsy tube. The histology slides were prepared with H&E stains and none was found to contain spirochetes. Several earlier articles had reported “spirochetes” (Helicobacter pylori) in the stomach of patients with adenocarcinoma. The same year he authored an article published in Medicine reporting another of his classic studies, “Gastritis: a Revaluation.” One of Eddy Palmer’s major contributions to medicine and gastroenterology was his development and popularization of the “vigorous diagnostic approach” that emphasized the importance of early, accurate endoscopic diagnosis of the site of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. He kept meticulous prospective recordings of the endoscopic diagnosis on his patients, and in another classic paper in JAMA (1969), reported his personal experience with 1400
www.giejournal.org
Volume 72, No. 1 : 2010 GASTROINTESTINAL ENDOSCOPY
11
In Memoriam
patients. The earlier pronouncements from the academic community of the high risks of early endoscopy in acute hemorrhage were proven false. His book, Upper Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage, published in 1970, chronicled his vast experience in this area. He had worked with Louis Streifeneder of Eder Instrument Company in the early 1960s to develop the semi-flexible, Eder-Palmer transesophagoscopic gastroscope used for many of his studies. Eddy Palmer was brilliant, humble, the epitome of a gentleman, and always kind and considerate of all he met. He played the flute for 80 years and was a flute teacher and composer. He played with the Dartmouth Symphony, the German-American Symphony while stationed in Germany, and the Montclair Symphony Orchestra. He was an expert fly fisherman, woodsman, and farmer. He was one
12 GASTROINTESTINAL ENDOSCOPY
Volume 72, No. 1 : 2010
of the most revolutionary thinkers and prolific writers in the history of gastroenterology and endoscopy, and a true master in the clinic and at the bedside of his patients. He was the husband of the late Jeanne Palmer, his beloved wife of 61 years. He is survived by two sons, Thomas F. Palmer and Jonathan E. Palmer, one daughter, Hannah P. Rottman, four grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. Eddy was the perfect example of a husband, father, physician, teacher, exceptionally skilled endoscopist, allaround genuinely superb human being, and certainly a model mentor and friend to all who were fortunate to be one of his students. H. Worth Boyce, MD, MS, FASGE
www.giejournal.org