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William John German 1899–1981
William John German 1899-1981 William F. Collins, M.D.
William John German was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, on October 28, 1899. His family moved to California fourteen years later and he received his B.A. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1922. As an assistant in physiology he received an M.A. degree in 1923, and then transferred to Harvard University School of Medicine, where he earned his M.D. and graduated magna cum laude in 1926. He started his surgical training with an internship at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, and then received a Rockefeller fellowship in plastic surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital the following year. He came to Yale University School of Medicine in 1928 as an assistant resident in surgery at the New Haven Hospital, completing a combined surgery and neurosurgery residency in 1931 under Samuel Harvey as the William Harvey Cushing Fellow. He was appointed fnstructor in Surgery at Yale University School of Medicine in 1931, Assistant Professor in Surgery (Neurosurgery) in 1932, Associate Professor in 1938, and Professor in 1948; he became Chief of Neurosurgery at the New Haven Hospital in 1933. Yale honored him with an honorary M.A. degree in 1948. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Second World War as a lieutenant commander and commander and retired in 1959 with the rank of captain in the naval reserve. He retired from his positions as Professor of Surgery Emeritus (Neurosurgery) and Neurosurgeon in Chief in 1968. He married Helen Ann Whipple in 1933 and before her death in 1944, they had two children, William Haldane and John Nixon, the latter a practicing neurosurgeon in Connecticut. In 1947, he married Dorothea Fisher and they had two children, Andrew Wayne and Martha King. Bill German is best characterized as a kind and concerned physician. He was a master surgeon but, at the same time, remained constantly aware of his patients as people, with respect for their dignity and a constant concern for their comfort. His ability as a diagnostician and surgeon made him sought after by both patients and students and he spent his life fulfilling their requests. He continued on as a neurosurgical consultant in New Haven until shortly before his death in 1981 and seemed to gain strength from his continued contact with his patients, associates, and former students. Address reprint requests to Dr. William F. Collins, Section of Neurological Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St., New Haven, CT 06510.
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His initial contributions to his chosen field stemmed from his interest in the small-vessel circulation of the respiratory system that was his area of research as a graduate assistant in physiology at the University of California. This resulted in studies of the effect of vascular pulsations on the formation or rupture of aneurysms and the effect of proximal ligation of vessels in limiting this process. He suggested in studies with Max Taffel, a faculty associate, that collateral circulation to the brain could be attained from the external carotid, and although the experiments were too preliminary to utilize microsurgical vascular techniques, they did indicate that such collateral circulation could be used for overcoming the effects of proximal occlusion of major cerebral vessels with preservation of cerebral function. Bill German's other studies demonstrated his interest in the nervous system as a whole. His association with John Fulton, Professor of Physiology at Yale, stimulated his interest in the function of the brain, particularly of the temporal and frontal lobes, which led to a series of papers describing the results of injury in and loss of these areas. He described the neurological deficits found with lesions of the anterior lobe of the cerebellum, and his early studies in en-
docrine abnormalities caused by pituitary tumors helped clarify some of the diagnostic problems seen clinically with pituitary tumors. His service in the military enhanced his interest in peripheral nerve injuries and led to a series of reports on the technical aspects of peripheral nerve injury, diagnosis, and repair. He described an innovative repair of defects in the cribriform plate resulting in rhinorrhea that utilized a dural flap from the falx. His friendship and close association with neuropathologists Louise Eisenhardt and Henry Zimmerman and his interest in brain tumors are reflected in his bibliography and his lifelong study of the classification and the results of treatment of brain tumors. He remained a student throughout the course of his life and this added luster to his position on the faculty of Yale University and his association with its faculty and students. Despite his accomplishments and honors, he was always available to his patients, associates, and students, always concerned for their welfare, and always ready to listen to their problems, sympathize with them, and counsel them. He is remembered by all who knew him as a kind, talented physician who was a skilled practitioner and professor of neurosurgery.
Raphael Eustace Semmes 1885-1982 Surgical Neurology is saddened
to announce that "Pappy" Semmes died on March 2, 1982. He was a pioneer in neurosurgery and one of the most beloved, respected, and admired members of the profession. Surgical Neurology published a biographical note about Dr. Semmes in December, 1976, written by Dr. Richard L. DeSaussure.
William John German was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, on October 28, 1899. His family moved to California fourteen years later and he received his B.A. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1922. As an assistant in physiology he received an M.A. degree in 1923, and then transferred to Harvard University School of Medicine, where he earned his M.D. and graduated magna cum laude in 1926. He started his surgical training with an internship at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, and then received a Rockefeller fellowship in plastic surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital the following year. He came to Yale University School of Medicine in 1928 as an assistant resident in surgery at the New Haven Hospital, completing a combined surgery and neurosurgery residency in 1931 under Samuel Harvey as the William Harvey Cushing Fellow. He was appointed fnstructor in Surgery at Yale University School of Medicine in 1931, Assistant Professor in Surgery (Neurosurgery) in 1932, Associate Professor in 1938, and Professor in 1948; he became Chief of Neurosurgery at the New Haven Hospital in 1933. Yale honored him with an honorary M.A. degree in 1948. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Second World War as a lieutenant commander and commander and retired in 1959 with the rank of captain in the naval reserve. He retired from his positions as Professor of Surgery Emeritus (Neurosurgery) and Neurosurgeon in Chief in 1968. He married Helen Ann Whipple in 1933 and before her death in 1944, they had two children, William Haldane and John Nixon, the latter a practicing neurosurgeon in Connecticut. In 1947, he married Dorothea Fisher and they had two children, Andrew Wayne and Martha King. Bill German is best characterized as a kind and concerned physician. He was a master surgeon but, at the same time, remained constantly aware of his patients as people, with respect for their dignity and a constant concern for their comfort. His ability as a diagnostician and surgeon made him sought after by both patients and students and he spent his life fulfilling their requests. He continued on as a neurosurgical consultant in New Haven until shortly before his death in 1981 and seemed to gain strength from his continued contact with his patients, associates, and former students. Address reprint requests to Dr. William F. Collins, Section of Neurological Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St., New Haven, CT 06510.
237
238 SurgicalNeurology Vol 17 No 4 April 1982
His initial contributions to his chosen field stemmed from his interest in the small-vessel circulation of the respiratory system that was his area of research as a graduate assistant in physiology at the University of California. This resulted in studies of the effect of vascular pulsations on the formation or rupture of aneurysms and the effect of proximal ligation of vessels in limiting this process. He suggested in studies with Max Taffel, a faculty associate, that collateral circulation to the brain could be attained from the external carotid, and although the experiments were too preliminary to utilize microsurgical vascular techniques, they did indicate that such collateral circulation could be used for overcoming the effects of proximal occlusion of major cerebral vessels with preservation of cerebral function. Bill German's other studies demonstrated his interest in the nervous system as a whole. His association with John Fulton, Professor of Physiology at Yale, stimulated his interest in the function of the brain, particularly of the temporal and frontal lobes, which led to a series of papers describing the results of injury in and loss of these areas. He described the neurological deficits found with lesions of the anterior lobe of the cerebellum, and his early studies in en-
docrine abnormalities caused by pituitary tumors helped clarify some of the diagnostic problems seen clinically with pituitary tumors. His service in the military enhanced his interest in peripheral nerve injuries and led to a series of reports on the technical aspects of peripheral nerve injury, diagnosis, and repair. He described an innovative repair of defects in the cribriform plate resulting in rhinorrhea that utilized a dural flap from the falx. His friendship and close association with neuropathologists Louise Eisenhardt and Henry Zimmerman and his interest in brain tumors are reflected in his bibliography and his lifelong study of the classification and the results of treatment of brain tumors. He remained a student throughout the course of his life and this added luster to his position on the faculty of Yale University and his association with its faculty and students. Despite his accomplishments and honors, he was always available to his patients, associates, and students, always concerned for their welfare, and always ready to listen to their problems, sympathize with them, and counsel them. He is remembered by all who knew him as a kind, talented physician who was a skilled practitioner and professor of neurosurgery.
Raphael Eustace Semmes 1885-1982 Surgical Neurology is saddened
to announce that "Pappy" Semmes died on March 2, 1982. He was a pioneer in neurosurgery and one of the most beloved, respected, and admired members of the profession. Surgical Neurology published a biographical note about Dr. Semmes in December, 1976, written by Dr. Richard L. DeSaussure.