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/ MAIN ENTRANCE BLOG, a CLMCAL RESEARCHn . j
NOTE THE NEW ROADS: The Site Development Plan for the Main Entrance Building and Clinical Eesearcli II, to bo completed by the spring of 1967.
fied, and Dr. William P. Mur
phy, an associate, was asked to
join him in his work with the
patients afflicted with pernicious
anemia.
Diirinf? the following year,
their findings were made “pub
lic” for the first time in a paper
])resented before a meeting of
the Association of American
Physicians. Couched in words
of caution—lest their “claims”
])rove ])remat>ire— and in tech
nical terms befitting the assem
bled audience was the following:
“The evidence at hand suggests
that the dietetic treatjnent of
])ernicious anemia is of consider
able imj)ortauce. It has been
possible to demonstrate in forty-
five cases, seen essentially in se-
(luenee, that following a diet
rich in liver and low in fat a
distinct remission of the anemia
occurs rather promptly ...”
Mm'h more research was to
follow this initial discovery by
Minot and IMurphy—in particu
lar the ])urification of liver so
that tlie nuiniu^r of its action
could be studied and so that the
INTERCOM - 5
>ise of liver in the treatment of
jjatients could be simplified and
staiulardized. But the first and
most important step had been
taken—and taken successfully.
A man who only three years
before had had the possibility of
death from diabetes reversed by
a medical discovery had made
the same reversal possible for
the hundreds suffering from the
previously fatal pernicious ane-
nua. Insulin had indirectly
served to further the cure of
“P.A.”
Move Made to Thorndike
In 1928, at the age of forty-
two, ]\Iinot resigned from his po
sition at Huntington to become
director of the Thorndike ]\Ie-
morial Laboratory at the Boston
City Hospital, a move which
must have had careful considera
tion behind it; for in the new
])osition Minot knew that he
would be primarily involved in
teaching and the time for re
search would be quite limited, if
not rare. And, in addition, he
had to take into consideration
an appointment to the Harvard
faculty as a professor of medi
cine, a position offered and ac
cepted at the same time as the
Thorndike post.
During liis fifteen years as
director of the Thorndike Lab
oratory, ]\linot was in charge
of twenty-one full-time men,
thirteen half-time men and two
hundred beds and had the full
responsibility of administering
them. It was an awesome task,
but one evidently haiulled well,
for under his direction the
Thorndike Laboratory becanu;
an outstanding center for nu'di-
cal research.
Given Swedish Surprise
In 1934, while working late
one afternoon in his office at
the Thorndike Laboratory, Dr.
]\Iinot received a ])hone call
which in many respects was
probably the highlight of his
medical career. The voice on
the other end of the line identi
fied the call as originating in
Stockholm, Sweden and said:
“1 am very pleased to tell you
that you have been awarded the
Nobel Prize in Physiology and
IMedicine for 1934. Dr. William
P. ilurphy and Dr. George H.
Whipple are to share it with you.
We want to have an inter
view with you; just a minute,
I)lease ...” Thus the discoverer
of “liver therapy against ane
mia” received his highest honor.
Sixteen years later, Minot
died {[uietly in his sleep. lie was
sixty-one years old.
From a Letter to a Patient
“Your being at Duke reminds
mo of the time my son was
there, also recuperating from
an accident. This is one of
the finest institutions in the
country with a wonderful
group of doctors and sur
geons. I am sure you are in
good hands and when you
come out, you will be as good
as new.”
MAY-JUNE 1966