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Remarks on presentation of American College of Preventive Medicine Award to Katharine Boucot Sturgis, M.D.
PREVENTIVE
MEDICINE
10,
1 lo-
111
(1981)
AWARD PRESENTATION Remarks on Presentation of American College of Preventive Medicine Award to Katharine Boucot Sturgis, M.D.‘12 26th Annual Meeting of the American College of Preventive Medicine, November 4, 1979, New York City KURT
W. DEUSCHLE
Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York 10029
In April of 1979, the Board of Regents of the American College of Preventive Medicine voted unanimously to name the College’s annual Lectureship in honor of Dr. Katharine Boucot Sturgis. Hereafter, it shall be known as the Katharine Boucot Sturgis Lectureship in Preventive Medicine. In so naming its annual Lectureship, the Regents have brought honor and distinction to the College by forever linking the name Katharine Boucot Sturgis to that of the college. Endowing the lectureship ensures continuity of distinguished lecturers who will draw inspiration from Katharine’s extraordinary professional and personal example. It will also underwrite related scientific and educational activities and publications. Katharine was born in Philadelphia in 1903. After her primary and secondary education in Philadelphia, she embarked upon her premedical studies at Pennsylvania State College in 1934 and began her M.D. education in 1935 at Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. Just as she was about to begin her senior medical school year, she was stricken with pulmonary tuberculosis which kept her “sanitorium-bound” for 2 years. Undaunted, she resumed her senior year on a half-time basis, completing her M.D. education over a 2-year period and graduating with her M.D. in 1942. Katharine interned at the Women’s Medical College Hospital and went on to a medical residency at Detroit’s Herman Kiefer Hospital, focusing on chest diseases. Her formal public health training was obtained at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health where she earned her M.P.H. in 1954. Katharine’s interest in pulmonary diseases was sparked by her own bout with tuberculosis. She returned to Philadelphia in 1945 to become Director of X-ray Surveys for the Philadelphia Department of Health. During this period, she promoted early detection as a means of reducing the tuberculosis infection rate. 1 Adapted from remarks given at the Special American College of Preventive Medicine Colloquium honoring Dr. Katharine Boucot Sturgis on the occasion of the fust Katharine Boucot Sturgis Lectureship in Preventive Medicine. ’ Address reprint requests to Donna Helm, American College of Preventive Medicine, 1015 Fifteenth Street, N.W., Suite 403, Washington, DC. 20005 110 0091-7435/81/010110-02$02.00/O Copyright 0 1981 by Academic Press, Inc. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.
ACPM
AWARD
111
Katharine’s research interests focused on tuberculosis among the diabetic population and the early detection of lung cancer. Her tuberculosis study of a general population of diabetics was a ground-breaking investigation, as was her Philadelphia Pulmonary Neoplasm Research Project. The latter, a unique, longterm epidemiological study of 6,000 older male volunteers, contributed to our understanding of the relationship of cigarette smoking to lung cancer. An interesting sidelight of this project was Katharine’s integral role in initiating actions leading to the demonstration of the adverse health effect of bischloromethyl ether (BCME), a toxic chemical shown to produce lung cancer among chemical workers at the Rohm and Haas Company plant in Philadelphia. As the medical consultant who advised Rohm and Haas to undertake a thorough epidemiological study of the workers, Katharine suggested careful occupational histories and volunteered to include 100 or more Rohm and Haas workers to be admitted for detailed X-ray and questionnaire study through her Pulmonary Neoplasm Research Project. She also urged animal studies of toxic chemicals. Although company officials were slow to heed the advice, eventually proper studies were carried out, the true carcinogenic effect of bis-chloromethyl ether (BCME) was documented, and the industrial hazard was brought under control. In 1952 Katharine was appointed Professor and Chairman of Preventive Medicine and Clinical Professor of Medicine at Women’s Medical College. Early recognition of Katharine’s national esteem in the field of preventive medicine was signified by her appointment as Editor-in-Chief of the American Medical Association’s Archives of Environmental Health in 1960. During her decade of editorship, the Archives experienced its golden era of scientific and scholarly prestige as a respected journal in the field of preventive medicine. Katharine has reminded us constantly that “there will never be enough physicians nor medical facilities to care for the sick if we do not stem the tide of increasing illness.” Her attacks on cigarette smoking, air pollution, and other environmental pollutants have been relentless and her public pronouncements on these issues, loud, clear, and effective. To cite a single example - her campaign was instrumental in banning the use of asbestos spray fireproofing in Philadelphia building construction. Katharine could not only muster and analyze data, she could communicate her documentation persuasively in order to attain legislative and social initiatives to control or solve health problems. All of us appreciate the enormous self-sacrifice, energy, dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm required to create the medical “superstar” Katharine Boucot Sturgis personifies. Her example is a legacy conferred upon the preventive medicine specialty through the ACPM lectureship bearing her name. The American College of Preventive Medicine is a relatively small medical specialty society with some 2,000 members. As preventive medicine practitioners, we comprise a small fraction of all graduate physicians, but we need not be discouraged by small numbers. Emulating Katharine’s example, we have the opportunity to be a force for change-initiating and catalyzing significant progress in health promotion and disease prevention programs. We look to the Katharine Boucot Sturgis Lectureship in Preventive Medicine for the inspiring messages needed to meet future challenges in our specialty. I speak for all of us in expressing our sincere gratitude to Katharine for gracing our lectureship series.
MEDICINE
10,
1 lo-
111
(1981)
AWARD PRESENTATION Remarks on Presentation of American College of Preventive Medicine Award to Katharine Boucot Sturgis, M.D.‘12 26th Annual Meeting of the American College of Preventive Medicine, November 4, 1979, New York City KURT
W. DEUSCHLE
Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York 10029
In April of 1979, the Board of Regents of the American College of Preventive Medicine voted unanimously to name the College’s annual Lectureship in honor of Dr. Katharine Boucot Sturgis. Hereafter, it shall be known as the Katharine Boucot Sturgis Lectureship in Preventive Medicine. In so naming its annual Lectureship, the Regents have brought honor and distinction to the College by forever linking the name Katharine Boucot Sturgis to that of the college. Endowing the lectureship ensures continuity of distinguished lecturers who will draw inspiration from Katharine’s extraordinary professional and personal example. It will also underwrite related scientific and educational activities and publications. Katharine was born in Philadelphia in 1903. After her primary and secondary education in Philadelphia, she embarked upon her premedical studies at Pennsylvania State College in 1934 and began her M.D. education in 1935 at Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. Just as she was about to begin her senior medical school year, she was stricken with pulmonary tuberculosis which kept her “sanitorium-bound” for 2 years. Undaunted, she resumed her senior year on a half-time basis, completing her M.D. education over a 2-year period and graduating with her M.D. in 1942. Katharine interned at the Women’s Medical College Hospital and went on to a medical residency at Detroit’s Herman Kiefer Hospital, focusing on chest diseases. Her formal public health training was obtained at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health where she earned her M.P.H. in 1954. Katharine’s interest in pulmonary diseases was sparked by her own bout with tuberculosis. She returned to Philadelphia in 1945 to become Director of X-ray Surveys for the Philadelphia Department of Health. During this period, she promoted early detection as a means of reducing the tuberculosis infection rate. 1 Adapted from remarks given at the Special American College of Preventive Medicine Colloquium honoring Dr. Katharine Boucot Sturgis on the occasion of the fust Katharine Boucot Sturgis Lectureship in Preventive Medicine. ’ Address reprint requests to Donna Helm, American College of Preventive Medicine, 1015 Fifteenth Street, N.W., Suite 403, Washington, DC. 20005 110 0091-7435/81/010110-02$02.00/O Copyright 0 1981 by Academic Press, Inc. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.
ACPM
AWARD
111
Katharine’s research interests focused on tuberculosis among the diabetic population and the early detection of lung cancer. Her tuberculosis study of a general population of diabetics was a ground-breaking investigation, as was her Philadelphia Pulmonary Neoplasm Research Project. The latter, a unique, longterm epidemiological study of 6,000 older male volunteers, contributed to our understanding of the relationship of cigarette smoking to lung cancer. An interesting sidelight of this project was Katharine’s integral role in initiating actions leading to the demonstration of the adverse health effect of bischloromethyl ether (BCME), a toxic chemical shown to produce lung cancer among chemical workers at the Rohm and Haas Company plant in Philadelphia. As the medical consultant who advised Rohm and Haas to undertake a thorough epidemiological study of the workers, Katharine suggested careful occupational histories and volunteered to include 100 or more Rohm and Haas workers to be admitted for detailed X-ray and questionnaire study through her Pulmonary Neoplasm Research Project. She also urged animal studies of toxic chemicals. Although company officials were slow to heed the advice, eventually proper studies were carried out, the true carcinogenic effect of bis-chloromethyl ether (BCME) was documented, and the industrial hazard was brought under control. In 1952 Katharine was appointed Professor and Chairman of Preventive Medicine and Clinical Professor of Medicine at Women’s Medical College. Early recognition of Katharine’s national esteem in the field of preventive medicine was signified by her appointment as Editor-in-Chief of the American Medical Association’s Archives of Environmental Health in 1960. During her decade of editorship, the Archives experienced its golden era of scientific and scholarly prestige as a respected journal in the field of preventive medicine. Katharine has reminded us constantly that “there will never be enough physicians nor medical facilities to care for the sick if we do not stem the tide of increasing illness.” Her attacks on cigarette smoking, air pollution, and other environmental pollutants have been relentless and her public pronouncements on these issues, loud, clear, and effective. To cite a single example - her campaign was instrumental in banning the use of asbestos spray fireproofing in Philadelphia building construction. Katharine could not only muster and analyze data, she could communicate her documentation persuasively in order to attain legislative and social initiatives to control or solve health problems. All of us appreciate the enormous self-sacrifice, energy, dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm required to create the medical “superstar” Katharine Boucot Sturgis personifies. Her example is a legacy conferred upon the preventive medicine specialty through the ACPM lectureship bearing her name. The American College of Preventive Medicine is a relatively small medical specialty society with some 2,000 members. As preventive medicine practitioners, we comprise a small fraction of all graduate physicians, but we need not be discouraged by small numbers. Emulating Katharine’s example, we have the opportunity to be a force for change-initiating and catalyzing significant progress in health promotion and disease prevention programs. We look to the Katharine Boucot Sturgis Lectureship in Preventive Medicine for the inspiring messages needed to meet future challenges in our specialty. I speak for all of us in expressing our sincere gratitude to Katharine for gracing our lectureship series.