- Email: [email protected]
The New President
JosEPH B . KmsNER, M.D.
GASTROENTEROLOGY Official Publication of the American Gastroenterological Association ©CoPYRIGHT 1965
VoLUME
49
TnE WILLIAMS & WILKINs Co.
July 1965
NUMBER
1
JOSEPH B. KIRSNER, 1\l.D. The New President
Our Association has the pleasant tradition of publishing a brief biography of each new president as he assumes the responsibilities of the office. I am grateful for the opportunity to record an appreciation of my long time associate and friend, .Joseph Barnett Kirsner. Dr. Kirsner was born in Boston, 21 September 1909, the son of Harris and Ida Kirsner. His decision to be a doctor was made at the age of 9 years after a series of illnesses had brought him into contact with the medical profession. Our outgoing president, Dr. Code, was influenced in much the same way in his early years . .Joe entered into his studies with that singleness of purpose so characteristic of him. He was graduated from Tufts Medical School in HJ:{:{ in the depth of the great depression. It had been necessary for him to work 14 to Hi hr daily in the Post Office each summer and, during the school year, long evenings in the Boston Public Library. Hard work became a habit. I have never been associated with anyone ,,·ith a greater capacity for sustained hard work, week in and week out, year in and year out. He is able to app ly himself exclusively to the task at hand, shutting off from his mind the many annoyances and distractions of the day. Qualities of this sort, when coupled with ability such as .loe has in abundance, inevitably spell success and our new president has certai nly achieved t hi s in a n1ple measure. In 19:{!i, Dr. Kirsner became an assistant in the Department of Medicine of the
University of Chicago, during the chairmanship of Dr. George Dick. In 1942 he was recommended for the Doctor of Philosophy degree, one of the few graduate students so recognized by the Department of Medicine. The same year he was made an Assistant Professor; in 1947 he became an Associate Professor, and in 1951 a full Professor of Medicine. Certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the subspecialty Board of Gastroenterology \YaS achieved in 1942. And thereby hangs a tale. At that time the Board Examiners wen' working in pairs, one representing the Board of Intemal Medicine and the other the subspecialty Board; the exa miners did not know in advance who their candidates would be. The result was that the examiners had no opportunity to disqualify themselves in case an awkward situation arose, as it did with Dr. Kirsner. I was examining in Gastroenterology with the late Heginald Fitz, a member of the Board of Intemal l\fedicine and several years my senior. When we were sudden ly confronted with Dr. Kirsner, I protested, "Dr. Fitz, this ,,·on't do. Dr. Kirsner is my associate and I can't examine him." Dr. Fitz was equal to the occasion and replied, "That is all right. You examine him in Intemal :\Iedicine and I will examine him in Gastroenterology." And so it was. .Joe made a straightforward cliuical diagnosis of diaphragmatic hernia. Dr. Fitz delightedly exclaimed: "I have been lookin g for someone who could make that diagnosis on clinical grounds." .loe passed. Honors have come to Dr. Kirsner m
4
PALMER
abundance- Sigma Xi and Alpha Omega Alpha; membership in the Central Society for Clinical Research, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians; fellowship in the American College of Physicians. He has been President of the Jackson Park Branch of the Chicago ::\Iedical Society, President of the Chicago Society of Internal Medicine, President of the American Gastroscopic Society, Treasurer, Vice-President, President-Elect, and now President of our Association. In World War II, Dr. Kirsner insisted on joining the Armed Services, even though his faculty appointment exempted him from service. Enlisting in the Army, he was assigned to the 15th General Hospital which marked time for a while in England and then, after D-Day, moved to Normandy and finally to Liege, Belgium . Here the buzz bombs fell thick and fast, destroying a good part of the hospital. .Joe escaped injury and participated in the salvage work as he did also in the Battle of the Bulge. Friendships made with Belgian doctors at this time have been renewed and cherished since the war. After VE-Day, he was sent to Southern France, across the South Atlantic, through the Panama Canal, across the South Pacific and up to the Philippines, where he remained for several months in the area of Lingaycn Gulf and received, in the Battle of the Philippines, his third Battle Star. While stationed south of l\lanila he came into contact with s0veral thousand Dutch and American soldiers "·ho had been imprisoned by the .Japanese. He saw firsthand the ravages of malnutrition, recognized beriberi and pellagra, and heard eye witness accounts of the bomb explosions at Nagasaki and Hiroshima. As always, .Joe was alert to the medical implications and sent back detailed reports, even the findings at autopsy. In the fall of 194[) he was assigned to the 229th General Hospital in Nagoya, Japan, where he served until his return to Chicago in April, 1946. Since 19:37, Dr. Kirsner has been the author or co-author of more than :mo papers. The first of these dealt with the problems of allergy, anaphylaxis, and hypersensitivity
Vol. 49, No.1
reactions. It is not surprising, therefore, that in recent years his attention has returned to a study of such factors in chronic ulcerative colitis stimulated to some extent by the observed effects of corticotropin and the adrenal steroids- investigations he pioneered. His doctoral thesis, over 20 years ago, entitled "A Study of Alkalosis with Especial Reference to the Electrolyte Composition of the Blood Serum and the Role of the Kidney," established the importance of the chloride ion in alkalosis induced by the ingestion of soluble antacid or of calcium carbonate, and showed the role of chloride loss from vomiting or, as induced experimentally in the dog or in man, by the continued withdrawal of gastric juice. Sodium chloride and ammonium chloride were shown to be effective therapeutically and prophylactically. Dr. Kirsner's interest in peptic ulcer included intensive studies of the effect of various hormones and anticholinergic drugs on gastric secretion. Numerous contributions on gastroscopic topics reflect his training by Dr. Rudolph Schindler. A longtime laboratory study dealt with amino acid excretion in normal man and in various disease states. He has seemed equally at home in the nonclinical and clinical phases of gastroenterology, in biochemistry, microscopic pathology, electron microscopywhatever method or procedure would shed light on the problems under consideration. It is not feasible to list the young people who have worked with him or to cnunwratc the subjects studied. There is scarcely any area in the entire field of gastroenterology which has escaped his attention and on which some light has not been shed by him. And if the young men at times have seemed a bit pushed, they have also gratefully realized that he was working harder than any of them. Dr. Kirsner's skill as a clinician is so natural and great that it is often taken for granted. He has always continued to minister to patients in the hospital and the clinic. He has borne more than his share of the alleged clinical burden. He has ever been available to patients who have sought his advice and counsel. He has heeded well the statement of Francis Peabody: "The secret
Ju.ly 1965
JOSEPH B. KIRSN ER , M.D.
in the care of the patient is in caring for the patient." His success in this area is evident from the number and devotion of those '"ho look to him for help. Romance came into the life of Dr. 1\:irsner, as it does to so many men, in his intern days. Fortunately he was able to persuade the petite, sprightly Minnie Shneider from Des Moines, Iowa, to abandon her career as a ballet dancer and a top flight secretary for the prosaic life of a house"·ife married to a doctor rarely home and then with his ear to the telephone and his mind on many things. l\Iinnie, with her gay charm, has changed this prosaic life into one of high adventure, for they hoth have broad cultural interest'> and are active in the world about them; both enjoy people ; both have been and are devoted to the students, who through the years have come and gone and are now scattered around the "·orld . The third
member of their close family circle is their son Bob, who early revealed a flair for foreign languages, learned French, German and Dutch in high school and then added Russian to his accomplishments. Bob is no'" doing beautifully in linguistics at Columbia University. Through the years, Dr. Kirsner's ideals have not changed, although his horizons have expanded. He is still a 9-year-old boy determined to be a good doctor, but he is also a scientist and an investigator searching for the basic WHY. His zeal for learning burns with a hot flame. Minnie says that Joe's creed is to be found in the following quotation from T. C. Albutt: " The glory of our profession is that we are interested not only in mankind, but in man." This is his creed and her creed. A salute to our ne"· president and his wife ! WALTER L. PALMER, l\I.D.
GASTROENTEROLOGY Official Publication of the American Gastroenterological Association ©CoPYRIGHT 1965
VoLUME
49
TnE WILLIAMS & WILKINs Co.
July 1965
NUMBER
1
JOSEPH B. KIRSNER, 1\l.D. The New President
Our Association has the pleasant tradition of publishing a brief biography of each new president as he assumes the responsibilities of the office. I am grateful for the opportunity to record an appreciation of my long time associate and friend, .Joseph Barnett Kirsner. Dr. Kirsner was born in Boston, 21 September 1909, the son of Harris and Ida Kirsner. His decision to be a doctor was made at the age of 9 years after a series of illnesses had brought him into contact with the medical profession. Our outgoing president, Dr. Code, was influenced in much the same way in his early years . .Joe entered into his studies with that singleness of purpose so characteristic of him. He was graduated from Tufts Medical School in HJ:{:{ in the depth of the great depression. It had been necessary for him to work 14 to Hi hr daily in the Post Office each summer and, during the school year, long evenings in the Boston Public Library. Hard work became a habit. I have never been associated with anyone ,,·ith a greater capacity for sustained hard work, week in and week out, year in and year out. He is able to app ly himself exclusively to the task at hand, shutting off from his mind the many annoyances and distractions of the day. Qualities of this sort, when coupled with ability such as .loe has in abundance, inevitably spell success and our new president has certai nly achieved t hi s in a n1ple measure. In 19:{!i, Dr. Kirsner became an assistant in the Department of Medicine of the
University of Chicago, during the chairmanship of Dr. George Dick. In 1942 he was recommended for the Doctor of Philosophy degree, one of the few graduate students so recognized by the Department of Medicine. The same year he was made an Assistant Professor; in 1947 he became an Associate Professor, and in 1951 a full Professor of Medicine. Certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the subspecialty Board of Gastroenterology \YaS achieved in 1942. And thereby hangs a tale. At that time the Board Examiners wen' working in pairs, one representing the Board of Intemal Medicine and the other the subspecialty Board; the exa miners did not know in advance who their candidates would be. The result was that the examiners had no opportunity to disqualify themselves in case an awkward situation arose, as it did with Dr. Kirsner. I was examining in Gastroenterology with the late Heginald Fitz, a member of the Board of Intemal l\fedicine and several years my senior. When we were sudden ly confronted with Dr. Kirsner, I protested, "Dr. Fitz, this ,,·on't do. Dr. Kirsner is my associate and I can't examine him." Dr. Fitz was equal to the occasion and replied, "That is all right. You examine him in Intemal :\Iedicine and I will examine him in Gastroenterology." And so it was. .Joe made a straightforward cliuical diagnosis of diaphragmatic hernia. Dr. Fitz delightedly exclaimed: "I have been lookin g for someone who could make that diagnosis on clinical grounds." .loe passed. Honors have come to Dr. Kirsner m
4
PALMER
abundance- Sigma Xi and Alpha Omega Alpha; membership in the Central Society for Clinical Research, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians; fellowship in the American College of Physicians. He has been President of the Jackson Park Branch of the Chicago ::\Iedical Society, President of the Chicago Society of Internal Medicine, President of the American Gastroscopic Society, Treasurer, Vice-President, President-Elect, and now President of our Association. In World War II, Dr. Kirsner insisted on joining the Armed Services, even though his faculty appointment exempted him from service. Enlisting in the Army, he was assigned to the 15th General Hospital which marked time for a while in England and then, after D-Day, moved to Normandy and finally to Liege, Belgium . Here the buzz bombs fell thick and fast, destroying a good part of the hospital. .Joe escaped injury and participated in the salvage work as he did also in the Battle of the Bulge. Friendships made with Belgian doctors at this time have been renewed and cherished since the war. After VE-Day, he was sent to Southern France, across the South Atlantic, through the Panama Canal, across the South Pacific and up to the Philippines, where he remained for several months in the area of Lingaycn Gulf and received, in the Battle of the Philippines, his third Battle Star. While stationed south of l\lanila he came into contact with s0veral thousand Dutch and American soldiers "·ho had been imprisoned by the .Japanese. He saw firsthand the ravages of malnutrition, recognized beriberi and pellagra, and heard eye witness accounts of the bomb explosions at Nagasaki and Hiroshima. As always, .Joe was alert to the medical implications and sent back detailed reports, even the findings at autopsy. In the fall of 194[) he was assigned to the 229th General Hospital in Nagoya, Japan, where he served until his return to Chicago in April, 1946. Since 19:37, Dr. Kirsner has been the author or co-author of more than :mo papers. The first of these dealt with the problems of allergy, anaphylaxis, and hypersensitivity
Vol. 49, No.1
reactions. It is not surprising, therefore, that in recent years his attention has returned to a study of such factors in chronic ulcerative colitis stimulated to some extent by the observed effects of corticotropin and the adrenal steroids- investigations he pioneered. His doctoral thesis, over 20 years ago, entitled "A Study of Alkalosis with Especial Reference to the Electrolyte Composition of the Blood Serum and the Role of the Kidney," established the importance of the chloride ion in alkalosis induced by the ingestion of soluble antacid or of calcium carbonate, and showed the role of chloride loss from vomiting or, as induced experimentally in the dog or in man, by the continued withdrawal of gastric juice. Sodium chloride and ammonium chloride were shown to be effective therapeutically and prophylactically. Dr. Kirsner's interest in peptic ulcer included intensive studies of the effect of various hormones and anticholinergic drugs on gastric secretion. Numerous contributions on gastroscopic topics reflect his training by Dr. Rudolph Schindler. A longtime laboratory study dealt with amino acid excretion in normal man and in various disease states. He has seemed equally at home in the nonclinical and clinical phases of gastroenterology, in biochemistry, microscopic pathology, electron microscopywhatever method or procedure would shed light on the problems under consideration. It is not feasible to list the young people who have worked with him or to cnunwratc the subjects studied. There is scarcely any area in the entire field of gastroenterology which has escaped his attention and on which some light has not been shed by him. And if the young men at times have seemed a bit pushed, they have also gratefully realized that he was working harder than any of them. Dr. Kirsner's skill as a clinician is so natural and great that it is often taken for granted. He has always continued to minister to patients in the hospital and the clinic. He has borne more than his share of the alleged clinical burden. He has ever been available to patients who have sought his advice and counsel. He has heeded well the statement of Francis Peabody: "The secret
Ju.ly 1965
JOSEPH B. KIRSN ER , M.D.
in the care of the patient is in caring for the patient." His success in this area is evident from the number and devotion of those '"ho look to him for help. Romance came into the life of Dr. 1\:irsner, as it does to so many men, in his intern days. Fortunately he was able to persuade the petite, sprightly Minnie Shneider from Des Moines, Iowa, to abandon her career as a ballet dancer and a top flight secretary for the prosaic life of a house"·ife married to a doctor rarely home and then with his ear to the telephone and his mind on many things. l\Iinnie, with her gay charm, has changed this prosaic life into one of high adventure, for they hoth have broad cultural interest'> and are active in the world about them; both enjoy people ; both have been and are devoted to the students, who through the years have come and gone and are now scattered around the "·orld . The third
member of their close family circle is their son Bob, who early revealed a flair for foreign languages, learned French, German and Dutch in high school and then added Russian to his accomplishments. Bob is no'" doing beautifully in linguistics at Columbia University. Through the years, Dr. Kirsner's ideals have not changed, although his horizons have expanded. He is still a 9-year-old boy determined to be a good doctor, but he is also a scientist and an investigator searching for the basic WHY. His zeal for learning burns with a hot flame. Minnie says that Joe's creed is to be found in the following quotation from T. C. Albutt: " The glory of our profession is that we are interested not only in mankind, but in man." This is his creed and her creed. A salute to our ne"· president and his wife ! WALTER L. PALMER, l\I.D.