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Department of Urology Home
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The Intellectual History of the Department of Urology by Charles E. Hawtrey, MD Intravenous Contrast Media,
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In 1930 Dr. Alcock was Secretary of the Urologic Section of the American Medical Association. He received a letter from Dr. Moses Swick of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Dr. Swick had just returned from Berlin, Germany, where for over a year he had been studying a new drug, Uroselectan, an iodinated compound which seemed to have merit in outlining the kidneys and ureters by excretory means. Dr. Swick had been working with the renowned Professor of Urology Dr. Alexander von Lichtenberg, who provided a urologic patient base for Swick's studies. Publishing in German,, Swick outlined both in his papers and in the letter to Dr. Alcock the minimal animal toxicity and high urinary excretion of the compound and the selectivity of Uroselectan in imaging the urinary tract. Dr. Swick needed a medical forum to present his revolutionary data in the United States. Professors Lichtenberg and Arthur Binz (who synthesized Uroselectan) would shortly thereafter (1930) present Dr. Swick's clinical material before the British Urological Society and the American Urological Society. Dr. Swick, being the equivalent of a urology resident, was not a member of the AUA or the AMA and therefore would not have the clout of his professorial colleagues. Dr. Alcock provided the forum at the AMA's annual meeting in Detroit in June 1930 and the opportunity to publish in JAMA, making his work accessible to American readers. Professors Lichtenberg and Binz presented the same data in 1931 in the British Journal of Urology and in the Journal of Urology. Anti-Semitic prejudice, sometimes subtle and sometimes obvious, played a role in Swick's intellectual progress. Swick had changed his name from Goldstein to Swick to avoid the quota system in New York for Jews in medical school entry level. The fact that he had to obtain postgraduate education in Europe reflected the competition for residency education in the States. Swick would find "safe haven" at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York, where he would spend the rest of his career. He spent his life perfecting contrast media. A whole industry producing intravenous contrast media developed from his work. Intravenous pyelograms, angiography, CT scans, and many other iodine-based contrast media would arise from his original observations. Clearly, Dr. Alcock's openhanded assistance provided a stepping-stone for Dr. Swick's recognition as the father of intravenous contrast agents. |
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