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July 1997
Volume 61 |
Number 7
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Francis F. Foldes,
M.D., 1910-1997
Recipient of ASA Distinguished Service Award and Award for
Excellence in Research |
Francis F. Foldes, M.D., Chair Emeritus, Department of Anesthesiology,
Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, passed away on May
19, 1997, at the age of 86. Dr. Foldes received numerous national
and international honors and awards. He was the first individual
to receive both the Distinguished Service Award and the Award
for Excellence in Research from the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
He was the first American to serve as President of the World Federation
of Societies of Anaesthesiologists.
He was awarded Honorary Doctorates by the Universities of Szeged
(Hungary), Vienna, Berlin and Rostock (Germany). He was an Honorary
Fellow of the Faculty of Anaesthetists of the Royal College of
Surgeons in England and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
He was an honorary member of the anesthesia societies of 12 nations.
On his 80th birthday, he was decorated by the Emperor of Japan
with the Order of the Rising Sun for his contributions to the
development of anesthesiology in Japan.
Born June 13, 1910, and raised in Budapest, Hungary, he earned
his medical degree from the University of Budapest Medical School
in 1934 and was certified in internal medicine in 1938. In 1941,
Dr. Foldes and his wife, Edith, emigrated to the United States.
He began his career in anesthesiology at Massachusetts General
Hospital and was there until 1947 when he accepted a position
as Director of the Department of Anesthesiology at Mercy Hospital
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During those years, he began his
studies on myasthenia gravis, local anesthetic agents, muscle
relaxants and narcotics. While at Mercy Hospital, in addition
to his seminal work in anesthesia research, he trained more than
100 residents in the field. He made significant contributions
to the diagnosis and treatment of myasthenia gravis and served
as Chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the Myasthenia Gravis
Foundation.
In 1962, he was named the first Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology
at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York, and in 1964,
was named Professor of Anesthesiology at the Albert Einstein College
of Medicine. Over the next 13 years, until he retired in 1975
as Chair, Dr. Foldes provided the critical leadership essential
for the development of the department during its initial years.
Despite international acclaim for his innovations in research,
Dr. Foldes considered himself a clinician first and foremost.
Almost all of his studies led to improved patient care. Dr. Foldes
authored close to 600 papers and co-authored four books.
In Memoriam
Notice has been received of the death of the following ASA members:
- Andrew Chih-Kang Cheng, M.D.
Manhasset, New York
April 17, 1997
- Howard L. Edgin, M.D.
North Bend, Oregon
April 4, 1997
- Joan M. Goebel, M.D.
St. Louis, Missouri
April 16, 1997
- T. Cameron MacCaughelty, M.D.
Ashland City, Tennessee
May 18, 1997
- Phillip S. Marcus, M.D.
Pinellas Park, Florida
May 4, 1997
- A. Samuel Milai, Jr., M.D.
Glenshaw, Pennsylvania
March 3, 1997
- David F. Simpson, M.D.
Livonia, Michigan
October 31, 1996
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