IN MEMORIAM
William Lyman Caldwell, M.D., F.A.C.R. 1929-1979 My guess is that when most of us think of Bill Caldwell we imagine a tall, slender, affable guy with a great shock of unruly silver hair, a big voice, an unremitting gaze, an easy smile and a friendly handshake. I know I do, and this image goes back to 1956, my first contact with him when he was a resident in radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine then in San Francisco. I recall that from our first meeting I was struck by his energy, competence and forthrightness. He was already a well-read and skilled physician. Being well prepared was one of his trademarks and gave him the self-confidence to often challenge his colleagues and mentors alike in an outspoken but objective manner, a trait which never left him. Recognition of his competence and leadership qualities came early in his career as he went from residency at Stanford in 1959 to become chief of the Radiology Service at Rodriguez U.S. Army Hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He quickly contacted Victor Marcial at the Puerto Rico Nuclear Center and became a participant in that program quite outside his regular Army duties. On a visit to Bill in Puerto Rico I was not surprised to find him building rabbit hutches with the aid of his sons in order to start an investigation of the radiobiology of radiation nephritis, an interest which carried on throughout his life. We owe to him the discovery that in contrast to most situations corticosteroids are contraindicated in radiation nephritis. He had a knack for exploiting the material at hand; for example while in Puerto Rico, he also studied the roentgen manifestations of tropical sprue in the small bowel and the modification of resistance of rats to irradiated Shistosoma mansoni larvae. After completing his military tour Dr. Caldwell took a fellowship for one year at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Surrey, England and returned to Stanford in 1964 as assistant professor of radiology. At the Marsden he became interested in the time-dose relationships for radiation therapy and also in the potential for neutron therapy. At Stanford he developed a broader interest in genitourinary tumors and the clinical studies that he carried out led to a monograph which would be published later on carcinoma of the urinary bladder. Bill was anxious to take on more responsibility though and in 1966 he moved to Vanderbilt University to become associate professor and director of the Division of Radiotherapy and Radiation Research. He continued his clinical interest in genitourinary tumors, published the monograph on bladder cancer and with coauthors R. K. Ramey and S. K. Wilson started the controversy which is still unsettled concerning the reliability of postirradiation biopsy of prostatic cancer. He moved to Madison, Wisconsin in 1971 as professor of radiology to direct the Radiation Oncology Division. Clinical oncology and radiation oncology were amalgamated there in 1973 and Dr. Caldwell became associate director of the Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center. In 1975 he also received an appointment as professor of human oncology, University of Wisconsin Medical School.
546
William Lyman Caldwell, M.D., F.A.C.R. 1929-1979
Characteristic of his search for the innovative in cancer therapy he visited the clinic of Dr. John Holt in Perth, Australia to view at first hand Dr. Holt's controversial reports on the successful use of hyperthermia in cancer treatment. He shared his observations with his colleagues in a presentation before the American Association of Therapeutic Radiologists in the fall of
1978. He was author or coauthor of over 60 original manuscripts and four books. He was a member of numerous academic and professional societies and an active and effective participant in committee work for a number of professional, governmental and private agencies. His family, friends, colleagues, patients, students and I were grieved to learn that William Lyman Caldwell, M.D. died of carbon monoxide poisoning at the age of 49 on about 21 May 1979, apparently the result of a faulty ventilation system in a gas stove or refrigerator while on a fishing expedition north of Fort Francis, Ontario. As he did in life, Bill will always stand tall in our memory.
MALCOLM A. BAGSHAW, M.D. Professor and Chairman Department of Radiology Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305
William Lyman Caldwell, M.D., F.A.C.R. 1929-1979 My guess is that when most of us think of Bill Caldwell we imagine a tall, slender, affable guy with a great shock of unruly silver hair, a big voice, an unremitting gaze, an easy smile and a friendly handshake. I know I do, and this image goes back to 1956, my first contact with him when he was a resident in radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine then in San Francisco. I recall that from our first meeting I was struck by his energy, competence and forthrightness. He was already a well-read and skilled physician. Being well prepared was one of his trademarks and gave him the self-confidence to often challenge his colleagues and mentors alike in an outspoken but objective manner, a trait which never left him. Recognition of his competence and leadership qualities came early in his career as he went from residency at Stanford in 1959 to become chief of the Radiology Service at Rodriguez U.S. Army Hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He quickly contacted Victor Marcial at the Puerto Rico Nuclear Center and became a participant in that program quite outside his regular Army duties. On a visit to Bill in Puerto Rico I was not surprised to find him building rabbit hutches with the aid of his sons in order to start an investigation of the radiobiology of radiation nephritis, an interest which carried on throughout his life. We owe to him the discovery that in contrast to most situations corticosteroids are contraindicated in radiation nephritis. He had a knack for exploiting the material at hand; for example while in Puerto Rico, he also studied the roentgen manifestations of tropical sprue in the small bowel and the modification of resistance of rats to irradiated Shistosoma mansoni larvae. After completing his military tour Dr. Caldwell took a fellowship for one year at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Surrey, England and returned to Stanford in 1964 as assistant professor of radiology. At the Marsden he became interested in the time-dose relationships for radiation therapy and also in the potential for neutron therapy. At Stanford he developed a broader interest in genitourinary tumors and the clinical studies that he carried out led to a monograph which would be published later on carcinoma of the urinary bladder. Bill was anxious to take on more responsibility though and in 1966 he moved to Vanderbilt University to become associate professor and director of the Division of Radiotherapy and Radiation Research. He continued his clinical interest in genitourinary tumors, published the monograph on bladder cancer and with coauthors R. K. Ramey and S. K. Wilson started the controversy which is still unsettled concerning the reliability of postirradiation biopsy of prostatic cancer. He moved to Madison, Wisconsin in 1971 as professor of radiology to direct the Radiation Oncology Division. Clinical oncology and radiation oncology were amalgamated there in 1973 and Dr. Caldwell became associate director of the Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center. In 1975 he also received an appointment as professor of human oncology, University of Wisconsin Medical School.
546
William Lyman Caldwell, M.D., F.A.C.R. 1929-1979
Characteristic of his search for the innovative in cancer therapy he visited the clinic of Dr. John Holt in Perth, Australia to view at first hand Dr. Holt's controversial reports on the successful use of hyperthermia in cancer treatment. He shared his observations with his colleagues in a presentation before the American Association of Therapeutic Radiologists in the fall of
1978. He was author or coauthor of over 60 original manuscripts and four books. He was a member of numerous academic and professional societies and an active and effective participant in committee work for a number of professional, governmental and private agencies. His family, friends, colleagues, patients, students and I were grieved to learn that William Lyman Caldwell, M.D. died of carbon monoxide poisoning at the age of 49 on about 21 May 1979, apparently the result of a faulty ventilation system in a gas stove or refrigerator while on a fishing expedition north of Fort Francis, Ontario. As he did in life, Bill will always stand tall in our memory.
MALCOLM A. BAGSHAW, M.D. Professor and Chairman Department of Radiology Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305
