Pioneering anesthesiologist Leroy D. Vandam, M.D., of Fox Hill Village, Massachusetts, died on April 8, 2004, at the age of 90. Dr. Vandam was awarded the ASA Distinguished Service Award in 1977, the Society’s highest honor.

Leroy D. Vandam, M.D. Photo courtesy of the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology

Dr. Vandam was born on January 19, 1914, in New York. He received his undergraduate degree from Brown University in 1934 and his M.D. from New York University College of Medicine in 1938. He married Regina P. Rutherford in 1939. That same year, he and his wife moved to Boston where Dr. Vandam became Chief Surgical Resident at Beth Israel Hospital. In 1943 Dr. Vandam was accepted into the Fourth Auxiliary Surgical Group of the Army Medical Corps, but a mysterious ocular illness that same year ended both his military service and surgical career.

In 1947, Dr. Vandam trained in anesthesiology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Beginning in 1954, he spent the next 25 years at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, where he played a major role in guiding the burgeoning specialty of anesthesiology to prominence. As Anesthesiologist-in-Chief at Brigham, he oversaw anesthesia during the first successful human kidney transplant in 1954. Dr. Vandam was one of a small number of teacher/mentors in anesthesiology who was responsible for training hundred of physicians, many of whom became luminaries themselves.

Dr. Vandam published hundreds of papers on topics from nerve blocks and the risks of spinal anesthesia to historical pieces on physicians in the field. He was editor-in-chief of Anesthesiology from 1962-70 and was credited with turning the journal into a highly respected scientific publication.

Dr. Vandam is survived by his sons Albert and Samuel, five grandchildren and one great grandchild. His wife, Jean, died in 1994.

Reflections on Leroy Vandam From a Grateful Resident

Mark J. Lema, M.D., Ph.D.

An icon, an enigma, a legend, a mentor, a “father”; awe, trepidation, admiration, appreciation.

These words reflect my feelings and impressions of a physician who dedicated his life to advancing his … our specialty. His insight, compassion and high standards for clinical care were evident every time he instructed the neophyte resident. Even upon his death at age 90, his ex-residents sense a void in no longer being able to seek his sage counsel.

As a Brigham resident in the early 1980s, I saw Roy’s clinical career when it was in its twilight stages. After all he was only 70 years old when I first had the privilege and terror of being his resident for the month at the Parker Hill Hospital in Boston! Who would have predicted then that the scholastic and artistic aspects of his unbelievable career would extend for 20 additional years?

I didn’t know Roy in the same sense as “Roy’s Boys” (apologies to the exceptional female physicians who benefited from his tutelage and are included in this term). He wasn’t my chief in the 1980s, but he had ascended to god-like status to all those residents who trained under his now-transformed gentle and patient hand. There are many of Roy’s ex-residents and ex-junior faculty who now command “who’s who” status in our specialty. They could all tell personal stories about their encounters with Dr. Vandam. Taken together these accounts would shape a mosaic of not one man but of many different men, for he touched all who knew him in myriad unforgettable ways. So this obituary captures a glimpse of his life as viewed from the eyes of one young, thirsty resident eager to drink from the fountain of his vast clinical experience.

This photo of Dr. Vandam was taken by an operating room technician at Parker Hill Hospital, circa 1983.

Dr. Vandam (we never called him “Roy” until we were in clinical practice for at least 10 years) was an enigma and an icon to the young Brigham resident who aspired to test his or her mettle by spending a month “up the hill.” Roy, at that time, specialized in blind nasal intubations for odontectomy surgery, hyperbaric spinals for pilonidal cyst surgery and ankle blocks a la Labat for bunionectomies. It was made clear to the incoming resident by the outgoing resident that there were two conditions to be met in order to successfully complete the rotation. First, don’t try to impress Dr. Vandam with one’s knowledge of anesthesiology — the resident was there to learn from the master. Second, be prepared both with the room setup and the background on the patient’s condition or the technique to be administered. Since Dr. Vandam was always curt and direct, and seldom conciliatory, one would know immediately if a faux pas was committed.

It was also known that if Roy was impressed by you, your sincerity and love for the profession, he would relieve you on Friday morning of that first week and save a muffin for you. The anticipation during the week built up to a point where I would have been devastated if I didn’t get to eat that muffin.

To have Dr. Vandam as a mentor was like having the God of Anesthesia teach you. The lesson included all the information that one would need to successfully perform the procedure and to monitor or treat complications. To this day, I am still proficient in these three aforementioned techniques and perform them (now infrequently) as Roy taught me.

Dr. Vandam was also a renaissance man. His knowledge of medical and anesthesiology history seemed infinite. His “The Yankee Dodge: Anesthesia” video is a classic today. He authored many important scientific, clinical and history papers, and his manuscript coauthored by his mentor, Robert D. Dripps, M.D., addressing neurologic complications in 10,098 spinal anesthetics in 1954 is still cited today.¹ Roy served as the editor-in-chief of Anesthesiology throughout the 1960s. He also was known for his award-winning watercolor paintings.

The Morton House I This watercolor by Leroy D. Vandam, M.D., appeared on the cover of the August 1987 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. It shows The Morton House of Charlton, Massachusetts, where William T.G. Morton was reputedly born. Artwork by Leroy D. Vandam, M.D. Reproduction courtesy of the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Park Ridge, Illinois.

Dr. Vandam was undeniably a legend in the field of anesthesiology. His book Introduction to Anesthesia, co-authored by Dr. Dripps and colleague James E. Eckenhoff, M.D., is now in its 9th edition. As an incoming Brigham resident, I read the book in preparation for my clinical years as countless other residents also have done. The early editions were illustrated by Dr. Vandam, and many pictures display an “LDV” monogram. The legend of this book persists today. It is said that between its covers, all the information necessary to pass the American Board of Anesthesiology certification examination resides. Regardless of this myth, it is a testimony to the impact that this primer has played on generations of anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists since 1957.

Dr. Vandam was like a father to the generations of Brigham residents who trained under him. From “Roy’s Boys” to the “Brigham Grandkids,” Dr. Vandam was truly a father figure (see picture at left). He was not the warm, loving type of parent but, conversely, was a strict disciplinarian who forced you to become the best that you could be for the sake of your patients. His approval was akin to board certification, for you knew that you had made the grade.

Figure 1: Illustration by Dr. Vandam in his first Introduction to Anesthesia textbook.

In the first edition of “Vandam,” as it was known only in Boston (“Dripps” to the rest of the world), Roy drew a picture of manual cardiac massage [Figure 1].² Metaphorically this picture represents Roy’s love for humankind and the nurturing he provided for the patient in need of his life-saving talents and the neophyte in need of his wisdom.

Another sequoia has fallen in the majestic forest of anesthesiology. We were all fortunate to have been under the shade of its many branches of knowledge, leadership, artistic expression and scholarship. On behalf of the scores of ex-residents, admirers and friends, thank you, Roy, for serving as the beacon of truth and knowledge over these past 50 years by which we could guide our vessels.

References:

1. Dripps RD, Vandam LD. Long-term follow-up of patients who received 10,098 spinal anesthetics. JAMA 1954; 156:1486-1491.

2. Dripps RD, Eckenhoff JE, Vandam LD, eds. Introduction to Anesthesia: The Principles of Safe Practice. Philadelphia: WB Saunders. 1957: 207.