Newspapers / InterCom (Durham, N.C.) / May 1, 1966, edition 1 / Page 4
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Dr. George Richards Minot—Known Today for His Cure of'P. A.’ Dr. Georj^e Richards Minot (1885-1950) (Minot is a private medical ward on second floor) George Richards Minot was born a Bostonian of the First Order. The “Minot” name had figured for many years in the history and progress of tliat city, and wealtli and influence were associated with it. It also is in teresting to note that George Richards is one of many distin guished New England physicians to be found in the Minot family tree. Minot received both his A.B. and M.D. degrees from Harvard and was house physician at Mas sachusetts General Hospital. lie then spent two years at Johns Hopkins Hospital, returning in 1915 to Massachusetts General, where he had received a fellow ship to conduct research on blood diseases. Almost two years later, however, Minot became (piite in terested in continuing his re search activities at the Collis P. Huntington Memorial Hospital, only five years old and known as a “cancer ho.spital.” He became an official member of the staff in 1918 and in the fall of 1921 was selected to take over as chief of the medical service at Hunting ton Hospital. He was then only thirty-five years old. Course of Life Altered Within a month after accei>t- ing the new position at Hiuiting- ton, Minot was to have the entire course of his life changed. He was told that he had diabetes mellitus. It was a frightening discovery for IMinot, and it came as quite a sliock; for only six months previously he had been given a clean bill of health. He had never been a robust nuin, and it w'as questionable how nuich his thin frame (over six feet tall, he weighted only 135 pounds) could withstand. His researcli was time and energy consuming and a]l-imj)ortant to him—and, as it later turned out, he W'as on the verge of a major medical discover}-. His whole j)attern of living had to be changed. This was before the days of insulin, and the treatment of diabetes was largely dependent upon a very controlled diet. His diet was reduced to about a third of what a man requires for his mainte- INTERCOM - 4 nance if he stays quiet in bed.” The diabetes wa,s severe. Then, in May, 1922—about fifteen months after Minot dis covered he had diabetes—the new product insulin was made available to the world by Dr. Frederick G. Banting. Its ad vent brought new hope to dia betics. Aiul its arrival came none too soon, for a friend of Minot’s later wrote: “George was aw fully thin. He was drinking black coffee and smoking many cigarettes in the effort to curb his appetite. He struggled to the hospital each day, but he was tired and irritable. He was al lowed to eat only 1(575 calories each day, and that was not enough to maintain proper nu trition. His weight was down to 120 pounds, and his blood sugar was up to 240 milligrams percent . . . There is no doubt that this new treatment saved George Minot’s life.” It is a comment on his courage to add that Minot kept his illness a closely guarded secret, and only a select few knew of his bout with diabetes. It was also in the fall of 1921 that Minot began to branch out into private practice. He had done little in this area, for he was far more interested in his research and in teaching. How ever, he soon realized that seeing patients would give him the oj)- portunity to apj)ly his knowl edge, to broaden his experience, and to “help the patient and the family doctor.” Had Love for Patients In one of the IMinot biogra phies written by a cousin, it is j)ointed out that Dr. ]\Iinot had an luiusual love for i)eoj)le and especially for his ])atients. And in this same biograj)hy there is a description of the manner in whicli the doctor worked with his patients that indicates a great deal about “Minot the Doctor”: “Pi'ivate patients received excellent care from George Minot. He spent a long time with the histories; every de tail of the symj)toms was noted. Always, he was curious to learn what sort of i)erson the i)atient was; where he or she lived; what he or she did all day; whether life was hapi)y and congenial or wheth er coiulitions in the family were difficult in some way. And then, above all, he would ask, ‘Tell me about your diet. What do you have for break fasts? Where do you eat breakfast? Must you catch a train shortly afterwards—and do you rush for it—or can you sit for a minute and then walk to the station comfortably and at ease? The study of the total food intake was usually of paramount importance: ‘Do you eat meat every day ? What kiiul of meat, and how much of it ? What about milk and eggs and vegetables and fruit ? And how are these latter prepared?’ And, fi nally: ‘Do you enjoy your meals or do you eat because you have to eat ?’ ” In the teaching of students, Minot stressed this same man ner to his students. Teaching was important to ]\Iinot, and he took this responsibility quite se riously, devoting much time to it. Interested in Blood Diseases But even with his many hours of teaching and his time-con suming private practice, Minot was never very far removed from his research on blood diseases, and in 1925—he was then forty years old—he revealed to a friend .some of the conclusions he had drawn from his research : “You know,” he said, “that pernicious anemia is a disease which is fatal invariably. Pa tients who develop it live for only a few years. I keep thinking that the diet may have something to do with the cause. I believe that . . . the disease pernicious anemia de pends upon a disturbance of bone-marrow function, which results in blood cells inferior both in quality and in cjuan- tity ... I believe that the bone marrow needs food of sonu* special kind. In other words, our patients with ‘P.A.’ are deficient in .some item in their total food intake.” Influenced by Dog Diets Prompted by the research find ings of a Dr. George II. Whipple of Rochester on the success of liver diets fed to dogs that had become anemic after repeated loss of blood. Dr. Minot tried feeding liver to his “P.A.” pa tients. They improved! The research was then intensi- Gcorgo Hicliards Minot ... a man of quiet courage and much (letermination.
InterCom (Durham, N.C.)
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May 1, 1966, edition 1
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