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Obituary Alan Churchill Woods, M.D. 1889-1963
842
OBITUARY
tion to the Progress of Ophthalmology," candidly expressed his opinions in a fresh and sincere treatise. His views on these sub jects, however, have not gone unchallenged. In 1948, he was awarded the Ophthalmological Research Medal by the Section on Oph thalmology of the American Medical Asso ciation. In 1953, he was the recipient of the Howe Medal given by the American Ophthalmological Society. He was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edin burgh)—the only American ophthalmologist so honored in the history of the Society. He was also given an Honorary Doctor of Laws by Hampden-Sidney in 1951. As a lecturer, he has given the Jackson, May, Gifford, deSchweinitz, and the Proctor Lectures. In 1955, he gave the Lecture of the Guest-ofHonor at the American Academy of Oph thalmology and Otolaryngology. This again expressed his thoughts on a highly contro versial issue in no uncertain terms, the re percussions from which have yet to die down. He is President of the American Ophthalmological Society for 1956. At the age of 66 years, the year of his retirement, he returns to the Wilmer In stitute as Emeritus Professor. Retirement is an imperfect word and ill fits the Pro fessor. True, his administrative and teach ing duties will be over, but one can be com pletely certain that he will work as hard as ever and keep the same terrific pace, except, possibly, in different channels. He has lived well into the period of his greatest activity, and it will never be like him to withdraw into an inconspicuous place in the contempo rary scene. It is a happy thought to know that one of America's great leaders in oph thalmology will be with us for many more years. M. Elliott Randolph.
ALAN CHURCHILL WOODS, M.D.
OBITUARY ALAN CHURCHILL WOODS, M.D. 1889-1963 "God offers to every mind its choice be tween truth and repose. Take which you please—you can never have both." (Emer son's Essays: Intellect). It was obvious to all who knew Dr. Alan Churchill Woods that his choice was the pursuit of truth. On Friday, February 15, 1963, ophthal mology, medical education, and a host of in dividuals lost one of their finest friends. Dr. Woods succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 73 years, after a comparatively brief illness. Dr. Woods was born to a prominent Balti more medical family on August 20, 1889. His father, Dr. Hiram Woods, was one of the leading ophthalmologists of his day. From 1887 to 1894, he was professor of Ophthal mology at the Woman's Medical College of Baltimore, and from 1895 to 1920, he was lecturer and later head of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Mary land. With this family background, one
OBITUARY might have expected Dr. Alan C. Woods to have automatically entered the field of medi cine. However, after he received his A. B. degree in 1910 from The Johns Hopkins University, he seriously considered taking graduate work in English. This desire was quickly put aside, for he entered The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the same year. After receiving his M.D. de gree in July, 1914, he spent a year under Dr. Henry A. Christian as a house officer in medicine at the Peter-Bent Brigham Hos pital in Boston. It was during this year that his lifelong interest in bacteriology and immunology was initiated. The following year he began a two-year fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania under the guid ance of Dr. Richard Pearce, professor of research medicine. A few years prior to this, Maurice Arthus had made his classic discov ery that repeated injections of horse serum into rabbits created a state of hypersensitivity that led to local tissue reaction when se rum was subsequently injected into the skin. One day Dr. Woods was perfusing a sensi tized animal with soluble bacterial products to determine their effects on the kidney when he noted an inflammatory reaction in the eye. This turned his attention to uveitis, which was to be the field of his prime research in terest throughout his long and fruitful career in ophthalmology. At about this time he de cided to make ophthalmology his life's work. Dr. George E. deSchweinitz of Philadel phia was one of the leading ophthalmolo gists in the world at that time. He was also a good friend of Dr. Hiram Woods. Be cause of this, a close personal relationship developed and Dr. Alan Woods spent his afternoons working with Dr. deSchweinitz and many of his evenings discussing medi cal problems with him. A few years earlier, Dr. Woods had joined the Medical Reserves of the U. S. Army. Because of our skirmish with Mex ico in 1916, he was called to active duty for a period of five months. In August, 1917, he was again placed on active duty for
843
World War I. He was sent to England with the University of Pennsylvania Medical Unit, where he was placed in charge of the laboratory. Fortunately, Dr. deSchweinitz was ophthalmic consultant for the American Expeditionary Forces and was able to have him transferred to the British Expedition ary Forces under Sir William Lister. Dur ing this time, he learned a great deal about eye surgery and more of the clinical side of ophthalmology. After his discharge from the Army as a major in 1919, he returned to Baltimore to practice with his father. In the mornings he saw his private patients at 842 Park Ave nue, and in the afternoons he worked in the clinic of The Johns Hopkins Hospital as an instructor in ophthalmology. In 1922, he was made an associate in ophthalmology and in 1925, when the Wilmer Institute began, he served as assistant director to Dr. Wil mer. In 1926, he was promoted to associate professor. When Dr. Wilmer retired in 1934, he succeeded him as director of the Wil mer Institute and became acting professor of ophthalmology. In 1937, he gave up his city office and established a geographic fulltime practice at the Wilmer Institute. In 1946, he joined the full-time staff of the univer sity and became full professor of ophthal mology, a position which he held until his retirement in 1955. After his retirement, he maintained an office in the Wilmer Institute and was active in both clinical and experi mental medicine until a few weeks before his death. Dr. Woods established himself early in his career as a leader in the field of investi gation and clinical management of uveitis. The approximately 160 scientific articles and two books that he wrote during his career greatly influenced ophthalmologists through out the world in the management of this disease. His laurels do not rest upon his scientific achievements alone, for his contributions to teaching in ophthalmology and administra tion, both in ophthalmology and in The Johns Hopkins University and Hospital,
844
OBITUARY
were equally rewarding. The residents who trained under him during his tenure as pro fessor at the Wilmer Institute have ac quired high academic posts in this country. As an administrator in ophthalmology, he served as president of the American Acad emy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, president of the American Ophthalmological Society and president of The Johns Hopkins Medical and Surgical So ciety. For many years he was also a mem ber of the Council of the American Acad emy of Ophthalmology. These positions were not merely honorary ones, for Dr. Woods was not a person to allow his opin ions to go unheard. In addition to his verbal expressions, he also expressed his thoughts in articles entitled, "The present policies of the American Board of Ophthalmology and the national societies in relation to the prog ress of ophthalmology," "The residency training program and medical insurance programs," "The training of an ophthal mologist," "The undergraduate teaching of ophthalmology," and "The role of the Acad emy in the changing pattern of medical practice." In the university, he was an ac tive and influential member of the Advisory Board, and in the Hospital he served as chairman of the Medical Board for nine years. His ability as an administrator was also recognized by members of our government. During World War II, he served on a fiveman committee appointed by the president of the United States to establish physical standards for entry into our Armed Forces. He also served as chairman of the SubCommittee in Ophthalmology of the Na tional Research Council. One of the secrets of Dr. Woods' success as an administrator was his interest in the individuals who worked with him. Fellow physicians, residents, nurses, secretaries and housekeeping personnel all received his per sonal attention and consideration. He gave counsel to his contemporaries, encourage ment to his residents and lively banter to the woman who cleaned his office. He could
strike the spark that started an investiga tion and in the same breath destroy an il logical theory. As much as he did for medi cine and ophthalmology, he will be more re membered by his associates for the personal things he did for each of them. Because of these numerous activities, he received many awards in ophthalmology, such as the Ophthalmological Research Medal of the Section of Ophthalmology of the American Medical Association and the Howe Medal given by the American Ophthalmo logical Society. He was made a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons ( Edin. ), the only American ophthalmologist so honored in the history of the society. He was made Honor ary Doctor of Laws by Hampden-Sydney in 1951. He gave a lecture as the guest-ofhonor of the American Academy of Oph thalmology in 1955. He received the Gonin Medal in 1958 for outstanding contributions to ophthalmology during his generation, and was the only American to have received this award. An accounting of Dr. Woods' contribu tions to teaching, administration, and scien tific medicine only partially depict his per son. In 1917, he married Anne Powell Byrd of Gloucester, Virginia, who was not only a charming and devoted wife, but who was also a great influence in his life. They had three outstanding children: a son, Alan C. Woods, Jr., who is a surgeon, and two daughters, Anne Byrd Nalle and Jacquelin Ambler Gorman. Throughout his married life, Dr. Woods maintained a summer home in Gloucester, Virginia, where he and Mrs. Woods entertained many of the staff of The Johns Hopkins University and leading fig ures in the business world. Early in his life, he became interested in sports and was fond of recalling the time when, as a first-year medical student, he assisted the varsity team of The Johns Hopkins University in a football game against Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle In dians. He enjoyed golf and hunting and frequently attended football and baseball games in the Baltimore vicinity. In his later
BOOK REVIEWS
845
years, his greatest sports interests were fish errors in grammar, construction and com ing in Gloucester and the horse racing at position were pointed out in no uncertain Pimlico and Laurel. terms in his almost illegible handwriting He was a gourmet, as well be attested to in the margin, or other small unused spaces by all of his friends who had the pleasure in the paper. Nor was he less critical of his of dining with him. He had a special inter own writings, for it was his habit to put est in wines and he frequently amazed his each scientific article aside for several months compatriots by his ability to name both the and then to revise it on numerous occasions area in which the grapes had been grown before its final publication. and the vintage of the wine after a few sips H. R. Trevor-Roper has said of Alexan from his glass. For many years, he was an der von Humboldt in The Last Universal active member of the Hamilton Street Club Man: "For in fact, if men achieve great and the Baltimore Club, where he partici ness, it is often not by their conscious am pated most actively in discussions of litera bitions, even if those are fulfilled, but by ture, politics and the morals of his day. The their incidental acts ; and although Hum occasion seldom arose when he did not have boldt in the end fulfilled his ambitions, it is a humorous story to enforce his point. not for this that he deserves to be remem As has been suggested, Dr. Woods was a bered, but for his extraordinary exertions tireless worker who was devoted to intellec in pursuit of it." A similar tribute could tual honesty. Roger Bacon's Four Stum be paid to Dr. Alan Churchill Woods. bling Blocks to Truth were always displayed A. Edward Maumenee. in a prominent place in his office. He was always a very positive person, who stated his opinions in clear and concise terms. Be BOOK REVIEWS cause of his desire to get things accom plished, he was sometimes abrupt. How L A EXTRACCIÓN INTRACAPSULAR DEL CRISTALANO. By Joaquin Barraquer. Pub ever, as many of his loyal patients and de voted friends will testify, he was the epitlished (in Spanish) under the auspices of omy of kindness and generosity on many the Hispano-Americana Ophthalmological occasions. Just as he was uncompromising Society, Barcelona, 1962. 450 pages, 284 in his disapproval of something that he be illustrations, mostly in black and white, lieved wrong, he was devoted and loyal to references, index of chapters. Price: Not his friends and the opinions that he believed listed. correct. No better example can be given of Joaquin Barraquer, whose remarkable dis this than the fact that he had his senior covery of the zonulolytic action of alpha resident remove his cataracts when his vi chymotrypsin in 1958 attracted world-wide sion failed him. attention, acclaim and discussion, herewith Throughout his life, he never deserted presents the literary fruits of his extraordi his love, that began in his college days, for nary career as a master ophthalmic surgeon, English literature. His day in medicine was in so far as they pertain to the intracapsular a long and strenuous one, but in the evening removal of the cataract by his methods. Although written in Spanish, such is the he turned his interest to poetry and novels that he loved so well. In moments of rela wealth and excellence of the illustrations, tive inactivity, such as waiting between op that a non-Spanish reader will be able to erative cases, fishing, and so forth, he would follow the arguments and benefit very much recite his favorite poems. This love for liter by a perusal of this book. It is obvious, of ature extended to his teaching, as any house course, that it will become particularly pop officer will testify who has presented him ular among our Spanish-speaking colleagues. There are 16 chapters covering every aswith a scientific paper for his approval. The
OBITUARY
tion to the Progress of Ophthalmology," candidly expressed his opinions in a fresh and sincere treatise. His views on these sub jects, however, have not gone unchallenged. In 1948, he was awarded the Ophthalmological Research Medal by the Section on Oph thalmology of the American Medical Asso ciation. In 1953, he was the recipient of the Howe Medal given by the American Ophthalmological Society. He was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edin burgh)—the only American ophthalmologist so honored in the history of the Society. He was also given an Honorary Doctor of Laws by Hampden-Sidney in 1951. As a lecturer, he has given the Jackson, May, Gifford, deSchweinitz, and the Proctor Lectures. In 1955, he gave the Lecture of the Guest-ofHonor at the American Academy of Oph thalmology and Otolaryngology. This again expressed his thoughts on a highly contro versial issue in no uncertain terms, the re percussions from which have yet to die down. He is President of the American Ophthalmological Society for 1956. At the age of 66 years, the year of his retirement, he returns to the Wilmer In stitute as Emeritus Professor. Retirement is an imperfect word and ill fits the Pro fessor. True, his administrative and teach ing duties will be over, but one can be com pletely certain that he will work as hard as ever and keep the same terrific pace, except, possibly, in different channels. He has lived well into the period of his greatest activity, and it will never be like him to withdraw into an inconspicuous place in the contempo rary scene. It is a happy thought to know that one of America's great leaders in oph thalmology will be with us for many more years. M. Elliott Randolph.
ALAN CHURCHILL WOODS, M.D.
OBITUARY ALAN CHURCHILL WOODS, M.D. 1889-1963 "God offers to every mind its choice be tween truth and repose. Take which you please—you can never have both." (Emer son's Essays: Intellect). It was obvious to all who knew Dr. Alan Churchill Woods that his choice was the pursuit of truth. On Friday, February 15, 1963, ophthal mology, medical education, and a host of in dividuals lost one of their finest friends. Dr. Woods succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 73 years, after a comparatively brief illness. Dr. Woods was born to a prominent Balti more medical family on August 20, 1889. His father, Dr. Hiram Woods, was one of the leading ophthalmologists of his day. From 1887 to 1894, he was professor of Ophthal mology at the Woman's Medical College of Baltimore, and from 1895 to 1920, he was lecturer and later head of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Mary land. With this family background, one
OBITUARY might have expected Dr. Alan C. Woods to have automatically entered the field of medi cine. However, after he received his A. B. degree in 1910 from The Johns Hopkins University, he seriously considered taking graduate work in English. This desire was quickly put aside, for he entered The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the same year. After receiving his M.D. de gree in July, 1914, he spent a year under Dr. Henry A. Christian as a house officer in medicine at the Peter-Bent Brigham Hos pital in Boston. It was during this year that his lifelong interest in bacteriology and immunology was initiated. The following year he began a two-year fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania under the guid ance of Dr. Richard Pearce, professor of research medicine. A few years prior to this, Maurice Arthus had made his classic discov ery that repeated injections of horse serum into rabbits created a state of hypersensitivity that led to local tissue reaction when se rum was subsequently injected into the skin. One day Dr. Woods was perfusing a sensi tized animal with soluble bacterial products to determine their effects on the kidney when he noted an inflammatory reaction in the eye. This turned his attention to uveitis, which was to be the field of his prime research in terest throughout his long and fruitful career in ophthalmology. At about this time he de cided to make ophthalmology his life's work. Dr. George E. deSchweinitz of Philadel phia was one of the leading ophthalmolo gists in the world at that time. He was also a good friend of Dr. Hiram Woods. Be cause of this, a close personal relationship developed and Dr. Alan Woods spent his afternoons working with Dr. deSchweinitz and many of his evenings discussing medi cal problems with him. A few years earlier, Dr. Woods had joined the Medical Reserves of the U. S. Army. Because of our skirmish with Mex ico in 1916, he was called to active duty for a period of five months. In August, 1917, he was again placed on active duty for
843
World War I. He was sent to England with the University of Pennsylvania Medical Unit, where he was placed in charge of the laboratory. Fortunately, Dr. deSchweinitz was ophthalmic consultant for the American Expeditionary Forces and was able to have him transferred to the British Expedition ary Forces under Sir William Lister. Dur ing this time, he learned a great deal about eye surgery and more of the clinical side of ophthalmology. After his discharge from the Army as a major in 1919, he returned to Baltimore to practice with his father. In the mornings he saw his private patients at 842 Park Ave nue, and in the afternoons he worked in the clinic of The Johns Hopkins Hospital as an instructor in ophthalmology. In 1922, he was made an associate in ophthalmology and in 1925, when the Wilmer Institute began, he served as assistant director to Dr. Wil mer. In 1926, he was promoted to associate professor. When Dr. Wilmer retired in 1934, he succeeded him as director of the Wil mer Institute and became acting professor of ophthalmology. In 1937, he gave up his city office and established a geographic fulltime practice at the Wilmer Institute. In 1946, he joined the full-time staff of the univer sity and became full professor of ophthal mology, a position which he held until his retirement in 1955. After his retirement, he maintained an office in the Wilmer Institute and was active in both clinical and experi mental medicine until a few weeks before his death. Dr. Woods established himself early in his career as a leader in the field of investi gation and clinical management of uveitis. The approximately 160 scientific articles and two books that he wrote during his career greatly influenced ophthalmologists through out the world in the management of this disease. His laurels do not rest upon his scientific achievements alone, for his contributions to teaching in ophthalmology and administra tion, both in ophthalmology and in The Johns Hopkins University and Hospital,
844
OBITUARY
were equally rewarding. The residents who trained under him during his tenure as pro fessor at the Wilmer Institute have ac quired high academic posts in this country. As an administrator in ophthalmology, he served as president of the American Acad emy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, president of the American Ophthalmological Society and president of The Johns Hopkins Medical and Surgical So ciety. For many years he was also a mem ber of the Council of the American Acad emy of Ophthalmology. These positions were not merely honorary ones, for Dr. Woods was not a person to allow his opin ions to go unheard. In addition to his verbal expressions, he also expressed his thoughts in articles entitled, "The present policies of the American Board of Ophthalmology and the national societies in relation to the prog ress of ophthalmology," "The residency training program and medical insurance programs," "The training of an ophthal mologist," "The undergraduate teaching of ophthalmology," and "The role of the Acad emy in the changing pattern of medical practice." In the university, he was an ac tive and influential member of the Advisory Board, and in the Hospital he served as chairman of the Medical Board for nine years. His ability as an administrator was also recognized by members of our government. During World War II, he served on a fiveman committee appointed by the president of the United States to establish physical standards for entry into our Armed Forces. He also served as chairman of the SubCommittee in Ophthalmology of the Na tional Research Council. One of the secrets of Dr. Woods' success as an administrator was his interest in the individuals who worked with him. Fellow physicians, residents, nurses, secretaries and housekeeping personnel all received his per sonal attention and consideration. He gave counsel to his contemporaries, encourage ment to his residents and lively banter to the woman who cleaned his office. He could
strike the spark that started an investiga tion and in the same breath destroy an il logical theory. As much as he did for medi cine and ophthalmology, he will be more re membered by his associates for the personal things he did for each of them. Because of these numerous activities, he received many awards in ophthalmology, such as the Ophthalmological Research Medal of the Section of Ophthalmology of the American Medical Association and the Howe Medal given by the American Ophthalmo logical Society. He was made a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons ( Edin. ), the only American ophthalmologist so honored in the history of the society. He was made Honor ary Doctor of Laws by Hampden-Sydney in 1951. He gave a lecture as the guest-ofhonor of the American Academy of Oph thalmology in 1955. He received the Gonin Medal in 1958 for outstanding contributions to ophthalmology during his generation, and was the only American to have received this award. An accounting of Dr. Woods' contribu tions to teaching, administration, and scien tific medicine only partially depict his per son. In 1917, he married Anne Powell Byrd of Gloucester, Virginia, who was not only a charming and devoted wife, but who was also a great influence in his life. They had three outstanding children: a son, Alan C. Woods, Jr., who is a surgeon, and two daughters, Anne Byrd Nalle and Jacquelin Ambler Gorman. Throughout his married life, Dr. Woods maintained a summer home in Gloucester, Virginia, where he and Mrs. Woods entertained many of the staff of The Johns Hopkins University and leading fig ures in the business world. Early in his life, he became interested in sports and was fond of recalling the time when, as a first-year medical student, he assisted the varsity team of The Johns Hopkins University in a football game against Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle In dians. He enjoyed golf and hunting and frequently attended football and baseball games in the Baltimore vicinity. In his later
BOOK REVIEWS
845
years, his greatest sports interests were fish errors in grammar, construction and com ing in Gloucester and the horse racing at position were pointed out in no uncertain Pimlico and Laurel. terms in his almost illegible handwriting He was a gourmet, as well be attested to in the margin, or other small unused spaces by all of his friends who had the pleasure in the paper. Nor was he less critical of his of dining with him. He had a special inter own writings, for it was his habit to put est in wines and he frequently amazed his each scientific article aside for several months compatriots by his ability to name both the and then to revise it on numerous occasions area in which the grapes had been grown before its final publication. and the vintage of the wine after a few sips H. R. Trevor-Roper has said of Alexan from his glass. For many years, he was an der von Humboldt in The Last Universal active member of the Hamilton Street Club Man: "For in fact, if men achieve great and the Baltimore Club, where he partici ness, it is often not by their conscious am pated most actively in discussions of litera bitions, even if those are fulfilled, but by ture, politics and the morals of his day. The their incidental acts ; and although Hum occasion seldom arose when he did not have boldt in the end fulfilled his ambitions, it is a humorous story to enforce his point. not for this that he deserves to be remem As has been suggested, Dr. Woods was a bered, but for his extraordinary exertions tireless worker who was devoted to intellec in pursuit of it." A similar tribute could tual honesty. Roger Bacon's Four Stum be paid to Dr. Alan Churchill Woods. bling Blocks to Truth were always displayed A. Edward Maumenee. in a prominent place in his office. He was always a very positive person, who stated his opinions in clear and concise terms. Be BOOK REVIEWS cause of his desire to get things accom plished, he was sometimes abrupt. How L A EXTRACCIÓN INTRACAPSULAR DEL CRISTALANO. By Joaquin Barraquer. Pub ever, as many of his loyal patients and de voted friends will testify, he was the epitlished (in Spanish) under the auspices of omy of kindness and generosity on many the Hispano-Americana Ophthalmological occasions. Just as he was uncompromising Society, Barcelona, 1962. 450 pages, 284 in his disapproval of something that he be illustrations, mostly in black and white, lieved wrong, he was devoted and loyal to references, index of chapters. Price: Not his friends and the opinions that he believed listed. correct. No better example can be given of Joaquin Barraquer, whose remarkable dis this than the fact that he had his senior covery of the zonulolytic action of alpha resident remove his cataracts when his vi chymotrypsin in 1958 attracted world-wide sion failed him. attention, acclaim and discussion, herewith Throughout his life, he never deserted presents the literary fruits of his extraordi his love, that began in his college days, for nary career as a master ophthalmic surgeon, English literature. His day in medicine was in so far as they pertain to the intracapsular a long and strenuous one, but in the evening removal of the cataract by his methods. Although written in Spanish, such is the he turned his interest to poetry and novels that he loved so well. In moments of rela wealth and excellence of the illustrations, tive inactivity, such as waiting between op that a non-Spanish reader will be able to erative cases, fishing, and so forth, he would follow the arguments and benefit very much recite his favorite poems. This love for liter by a perusal of this book. It is obvious, of ature extended to his teaching, as any house course, that it will become particularly pop officer will testify who has presented him ular among our Spanish-speaking colleagues. There are 16 chapters covering every aswith a scientific paper for his approval. The