CHAPTER 1
Genesis and Early Growth of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons W. Gerald Rainer, MD, and Walter Merrill, MD University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado; and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
F
ollowing World War II, there was unrest and frustration among several surgeon groups desirous of starting a new professional society dedicated to thoracic surgery. At that time, certification in thoracic surgery was achieved only by way of an American Board of Surgery subspecialty section. Thoracic surgery training programs were variable in length and quality, and the only professional society concerned with the specialty was the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), which had a limitation on the number of active members (300), most of whom performed thoracic surgery as part of their general surgery practice. Dissatisfied surgeons wanted an organization for those interested in thoracic surgery to “call their own”; an organization that offered pride of membership and a forum for education and discussion of common interest subjects in the dynamic and rapidly changing field. A major impetus for this movement was championed by several members of the John Alexander Society, which was composed of surgeons who had trained at the University of Michigan under the tutelage of Dr Alexander, recognized by many as the “Founder of American Thoracic Surgery.” John Alexander Society meeting minutes are replete with references to discussions about the growing need and practicality of a new society. Of particular note is a meeting in Houston on April 8, 1963, when the formation of a “Committee on the Future of the John Alexander Society” was recorded. Although the surgeons involved in these formative activities were numerous, two were notably active at this stage, R. Adams Cowley, MD, of Baltimore (Fig 1) and Francis X. Byron, MD, of Duarte, California (Fig 2). Dr Cowley played a dominant role in discussions that led to the beginning of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). These discussions culminated in a recommendation that “a new society of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery be formed with the following objectives:
Fig 1. R. Adams Cowley, MD.
1. To disseminate thoracic and cardiovascular information. 2. To promote thoracic and cardiovascular surgery as a specialty. 3. To offer a forum for young men to present and publish papers in this field.”
Address correspondence to Dr Rainer, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 2552 E Alameda, #48, Denver, CO 80209; e-mail: [email protected].
Ó 2014 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Published by Elsevier Inc
Fig 2. Francis X. Byron, MD. Ann Thorac Surg 2014;97:S2–S4 0003-4975/$36.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.athoracsur.2013.10.013
Ann Thorac Surg 2014;97:S2–S4
STS 50TH ANNIVERSARY RAINER AND MERRILL GENESIS AND EARLY GROWTH OF STS
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Fig 3. Planning Committee responsible for drafting the STS Constitution.
A Planning Committee was appointed and its members met in August 1963 in Denver at the home of Robert K. Brown, MD, a local and respected thoracic surgeon. Planning Committee members are identified in the drawing shown in Figure 3. The STS Constitution was finalized on August 17, 1963, on Dr Brown’s kitchen table, which was unofficially designated as “The Birthplace of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons” (Fig 4). Of this group, John D. Steele, MD (Fig 5), would become the first Editor of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery and J. Maxwell Chamberlain, MD (Fig 6), would become the Corresponding and Organizing Secretary, devoting enormous time and energy in contacting over 500 thoracic surgeons identified as potential Founder Members of this newly formed Society. The response was enthusiastic and led to an STS Founders Meeting, which was held during the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress in San Francisco on October 31, 1963. Approximately 150 people
Fig 4. Robert K. Brown, MD at his kitchen table, the birthplace of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
attended. Figure 7 identifies the Officers and Councilors elected at this session. The STS 1st Annual Meeting was held in Saint Louis in January 1965. Thomas H. Burford, MD, with able assistance from Thomas B. Ferguson, MD, served as the Local Arrangements Chairman. Paul C. Samson, MD (Fig 8), served as President, and Dr Burford (Fig 9) later became the Society’s second President. To avoid programming conflicts with ACS (which met in the fall) and AATS (which met in the spring), January or February was chosen as the time of year for the STS Annual Meeting. Because of inclement weather implications, it had been decided that the first three meetings would be held in the central part of the country to facilitate travel (hence, Saint Louis, Denver, and Kansas City,
Fig 5. John D. Steele, MD.
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STS 50TH ANNIVERSARY RAINER AND MERRILL GENESIS AND EARLY GROWTH OF STS
Fig 6. J. Maxwell Chamberlain, MD.
Ann Thorac Surg 2014;97:S2–S4
Fig 8. Paul C. Samson, MD, first STS President.
Fig 7. Officers and Council members elected in October 1963.
in that order), after which the meetings would be held in southern climes. Future attempts at holding meetings in areas closer to highly populated centers where travel could generate increased attendance (eg, Chicago, Montreal, and Washington, DC) were sometimes met with incredibly difficult weather conditions; however, even some southern cities were not immune to unusual problems, such as ice storms in New Orleans and Atlanta or even severe weather problems in the northeast that would hamper travel to the southern part of the United States. In the first few years of the Society, membership increased rapidly, representation on the American Board of Thoracic Surgery was initiated, The Annals of Thoracic Surgery was launched, and an STS management office was established. The Society’s current position as a highly respected, internationally recognized organization is a tribute not only to the efforts of recent and current leadership, but also the vision, dedication, and hard work during the
Fig 9. Thomas H. Burford, MD, second STS President.
formative years of the Founder Members and Officers to whom we express enormous gratitude. Note: Because of space limitations, many of the important and fascinating details about the Society’s history are not included in this chapter. Readers can find more detailed accounts expertly and eloquently outlined in the Presidential Address of Robert G. Ellison, MD, at the STS 8th Annual Meeting in San Francisco (Ellison RG. Significant Events in the History of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Ann Thorac Surg 1972;14:577–604). Dr Ellison was the first STS Treasurer and later became President (1971–1972) and then Historian (1974–1992). He passed away in 2006, and many of his productive years were dedicated to preserving the Society’s history.
Genesis and Early Growth of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons W. Gerald Rainer, MD, and Walter Merrill, MD University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado; and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
F
ollowing World War II, there was unrest and frustration among several surgeon groups desirous of starting a new professional society dedicated to thoracic surgery. At that time, certification in thoracic surgery was achieved only by way of an American Board of Surgery subspecialty section. Thoracic surgery training programs were variable in length and quality, and the only professional society concerned with the specialty was the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), which had a limitation on the number of active members (300), most of whom performed thoracic surgery as part of their general surgery practice. Dissatisfied surgeons wanted an organization for those interested in thoracic surgery to “call their own”; an organization that offered pride of membership and a forum for education and discussion of common interest subjects in the dynamic and rapidly changing field. A major impetus for this movement was championed by several members of the John Alexander Society, which was composed of surgeons who had trained at the University of Michigan under the tutelage of Dr Alexander, recognized by many as the “Founder of American Thoracic Surgery.” John Alexander Society meeting minutes are replete with references to discussions about the growing need and practicality of a new society. Of particular note is a meeting in Houston on April 8, 1963, when the formation of a “Committee on the Future of the John Alexander Society” was recorded. Although the surgeons involved in these formative activities were numerous, two were notably active at this stage, R. Adams Cowley, MD, of Baltimore (Fig 1) and Francis X. Byron, MD, of Duarte, California (Fig 2). Dr Cowley played a dominant role in discussions that led to the beginning of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). These discussions culminated in a recommendation that “a new society of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery be formed with the following objectives:
Fig 1. R. Adams Cowley, MD.
1. To disseminate thoracic and cardiovascular information. 2. To promote thoracic and cardiovascular surgery as a specialty. 3. To offer a forum for young men to present and publish papers in this field.”
Address correspondence to Dr Rainer, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 2552 E Alameda, #48, Denver, CO 80209; e-mail: [email protected].
Ó 2014 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Published by Elsevier Inc
Fig 2. Francis X. Byron, MD. Ann Thorac Surg 2014;97:S2–S4 0003-4975/$36.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.athoracsur.2013.10.013
Ann Thorac Surg 2014;97:S2–S4
STS 50TH ANNIVERSARY RAINER AND MERRILL GENESIS AND EARLY GROWTH OF STS
S3
Fig 3. Planning Committee responsible for drafting the STS Constitution.
A Planning Committee was appointed and its members met in August 1963 in Denver at the home of Robert K. Brown, MD, a local and respected thoracic surgeon. Planning Committee members are identified in the drawing shown in Figure 3. The STS Constitution was finalized on August 17, 1963, on Dr Brown’s kitchen table, which was unofficially designated as “The Birthplace of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons” (Fig 4). Of this group, John D. Steele, MD (Fig 5), would become the first Editor of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery and J. Maxwell Chamberlain, MD (Fig 6), would become the Corresponding and Organizing Secretary, devoting enormous time and energy in contacting over 500 thoracic surgeons identified as potential Founder Members of this newly formed Society. The response was enthusiastic and led to an STS Founders Meeting, which was held during the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress in San Francisco on October 31, 1963. Approximately 150 people
Fig 4. Robert K. Brown, MD at his kitchen table, the birthplace of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
attended. Figure 7 identifies the Officers and Councilors elected at this session. The STS 1st Annual Meeting was held in Saint Louis in January 1965. Thomas H. Burford, MD, with able assistance from Thomas B. Ferguson, MD, served as the Local Arrangements Chairman. Paul C. Samson, MD (Fig 8), served as President, and Dr Burford (Fig 9) later became the Society’s second President. To avoid programming conflicts with ACS (which met in the fall) and AATS (which met in the spring), January or February was chosen as the time of year for the STS Annual Meeting. Because of inclement weather implications, it had been decided that the first three meetings would be held in the central part of the country to facilitate travel (hence, Saint Louis, Denver, and Kansas City,
Fig 5. John D. Steele, MD.
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STS 50TH ANNIVERSARY RAINER AND MERRILL GENESIS AND EARLY GROWTH OF STS
Fig 6. J. Maxwell Chamberlain, MD.
Ann Thorac Surg 2014;97:S2–S4
Fig 8. Paul C. Samson, MD, first STS President.
Fig 7. Officers and Council members elected in October 1963.
in that order), after which the meetings would be held in southern climes. Future attempts at holding meetings in areas closer to highly populated centers where travel could generate increased attendance (eg, Chicago, Montreal, and Washington, DC) were sometimes met with incredibly difficult weather conditions; however, even some southern cities were not immune to unusual problems, such as ice storms in New Orleans and Atlanta or even severe weather problems in the northeast that would hamper travel to the southern part of the United States. In the first few years of the Society, membership increased rapidly, representation on the American Board of Thoracic Surgery was initiated, The Annals of Thoracic Surgery was launched, and an STS management office was established. The Society’s current position as a highly respected, internationally recognized organization is a tribute not only to the efforts of recent and current leadership, but also the vision, dedication, and hard work during the
Fig 9. Thomas H. Burford, MD, second STS President.
formative years of the Founder Members and Officers to whom we express enormous gratitude. Note: Because of space limitations, many of the important and fascinating details about the Society’s history are not included in this chapter. Readers can find more detailed accounts expertly and eloquently outlined in the Presidential Address of Robert G. Ellison, MD, at the STS 8th Annual Meeting in San Francisco (Ellison RG. Significant Events in the History of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Ann Thorac Surg 1972;14:577–604). Dr Ellison was the first STS Treasurer and later became President (1971–1972) and then Historian (1974–1992). He passed away in 2006, and many of his productive years were dedicated to preserving the Society’s history.
