Arnall Patz
Arnall Patz | |
---|---|
Born | Elberton, Georgia, U.S. | June 14, 1920
Died | March 11, 2010 Pikesville, Maryland, U.S. | (aged 89)
Education | Emory University (BA, MD) Johns Hopkins University (MLA) |
Known for | Reducing childhood blindness |
Spouse |
Ellen Levy (m. 1950) |
Awards | Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award (1956) E. Mead Johnson Award (1956) Presidential Medal of Freedom (2004) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Medicine (Ophthalmology) |
Institutions |
Arnall Patz (June 14, 1920 – March 11, 2010) was an American medical doctor and research professor at Johns Hopkins University. In the early 1950s, Patz discovered that oxygen therapy was the cause of an epidemic of blindness among some 10,000 premature babies. Following his discovery, there was a sixty percent reduction in childhood blindness in the United States. He also conducted pioneering research in the 1960s into the use of lasers in the treatment of retinal disorders. He received the Lasker Award in 1956 for his research into the causes and prevention of blindness and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004 for his lifetime of work in the field of ophthalmology.
Biography
Early years
Patz was born in Elberton, Georgia. His father was a Jewish immigrant from Lithuania, and Patz was the youngest of seven children in the only Jewish family in Elberton.[1] He attended Emory University in Atlanta and received both bachelor's and medical degrees there.[2]
After graduating from
Study of oxygen as cause of childhood blindness
While Patz was in training at Gallinger, he observed more than 20 infants who had developed severe
Patz proposed a clinical study to test his hypothesis, but the
Johns Hopkins
In 1955, Patz accepted a part-time faculty position at
Awards and accolades
In 1956, Patz and
The Wall Street Journal called Patz the man who "helped solve the riddle of how 10,000 babies went blind."[7] The New York Times credited him with "saving countless babies from blindness", and, through his research on the use of lasers, with "preserving the sight of adults with common conditions that cause blindness."[1]
U.S. President George W. Bush awarded Patz the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 2004.[3][8] Patz was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom "for his lifetime contributions to the field of ophthalmology, including his discovery of the most common cause of childhood blindness in the early 1950s."[9] At the time of the award, Bush called Patz "the man who has given to uncounted men, women and children the gift of sight."[1]
Patz also served as president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and wrote more than 250 scientific publications and four textbooks.[10] He was also the recipient of the Friedenwald Research Award in 1980, the inaugural Isaac C. Michaelson Medal in 1986, the first Helen Keller prize for Vision Research in 1994, and the Pisart International Vision Award from the Lighthouse International in 2001.[10]
Later years and death
In his later years, Patz studied the impact of deafness on
Patz died of heart disease in March 2010 at his home in Pikesville, Maryland.[2] Patz died at age 89 one day before the 60th anniversary of his wedding to the former Ellen Levy.[3]
In 2013, a biographical profile of Dr. Patz was included in a bestselling book called Saving Sight: An eye surgeon's look at life behind the mask and the heroes who changed the way we see, by Andrew Lam, M.D.[11]
Selected publications
Books
- Patz, Arnall; Hoover, Richard E. (1969). Protection of Vision in Children. Springfield, Illinois: OCLC 279361.
- Fine, Stuart L.; Patz, Arnall; Orth, David H.; Dunker, Amalie P. (1976). Sights and Sounds in Ophthalmology, Vol. 2: Retinal Vascular Disorders. St. Louis: Mosby. OCLC 954478221.
- Patz, Arnall; Fine, Stuart L. (1977). Interpretation of the Fundus Fluorescein Angiogram. Boston: OCLC 3206372.
Articles
- Patz, Arnall (December 1965). "The Effects of Oxgyen on Immature Retinal Vessels". Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 4 (6): 988–999.
- Patz, Arnall (April 1966). "Diabetic Blindness". PMID 5905197.
- Patz, Arnall (1967). "New Role of the Ophthalmologist in Prevention of Retrolental Fibroplasia". PMID 6072296.
- Patz, Arnall (June 1975). "The Role of Oxygen in Retrolental Fibroplasia". PMID 4888959.
- PMID 16386993.
See also
- List of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
- Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lawrence K. Altman (2010-03-15). "Arnall Patz, a Doctor Who Prevented Blindness, Is Dead at 89". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d Jacques Kelly (2010-03-15). "Dr. Arnall Patz dies at 89; helped eliminate major cause of blindness". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Emma Brown (2010-03-13). "Arnall Patz, 89; discovered cause of blindness in preemies". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b "ARNALL PATZ, M.D., JUNE 14, 1920 - MARCH 11, 2010". Johns Hopkins Medicine. 2010-03-12.
- ^ a b David Brown (2009-05-29). "Doctor helped link extra oxygen, blindness in babies". The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec).
- ^ David Brown (2005-04-19). "Establishing Proof; Some Fifty Years Ago a Baby-Blinding Epidemic Confounded Experts -- Until a Pioneering Study Conclusively Tied Cause and Effect, and Enshrined Clinical Trials in Medical Practice". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b c Stephen Miller (2010-03-16). "Arnall Patz 1920-2010; Doctor Pinpointed Oxygen as Cause of Preemies' Blindness". Wall Street Journal.
- ProQuest 231964505.
- ^ "Patz receives Presidential Medal". Emory Magazine. Autumn 2004. Retrieved 2010-03-27.
- ^ a b "Hall of Fame Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field". American Printing House for the Blind. Archived from the original on 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
- ^ Lam, Andrew. Saving Sight: An eye surgeon's look at life behind the mask and the heroes who changed the way we see (978-1617203794) Bokeelia, FL; Irie Books, 2013.
External links
- Arnall Patz - Helen Keller Foundation (with video)