Washington University Magazine, Summer 1969

Washington University School of Medicine Digital Commons@Becker Washington University Magazine Washington University Publications 1969 Washington University Magazine, Summer 1969 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/ad_wumag Recommended Citation "Washington University Magazine, Summer 1969" , . (1969). Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives. Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri. https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/ad_wumag/35 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Washington University Publications at Digital Commons@Becker. It has been accepted for inclusion in Washington University Magazine by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Becker. For more information, please contact [email protected]. N MAY 28, Chancellor Thomas H. Eliot received vVashington University's "VilliaIll O Greenleaf Eliot Society Award for distinguished service to the University. Morton D. May, president of the Eliot Society, presented the award at the organization's annual dinner meeting. The Chancellor was selected for the awarcl by an anonymous committee of the Eliot Society, an organization of University alumni and friends which incllldes many prominent husiness and professiolJalleaders from throughout the country. In presenting the award, MI'. May said, "''''hile no university in this country, including ours, is safe from violence, Chancellor Eliot's restraint, compassion, and insight in dealing with students helped to avoid violence. His in sistence on listening to the legitimate protests of students brought about a healthy exchange of opinion. With wisdom and understanding, he made the difficult distinction between peaceful demonstration and attempts at violent disruption." "He has brought the U niversity the benefit of his broad experience as a teacher, scholar, department head , dea lJ , legislator, and administrator," Mr. May continued. The Eliot Society Award, named after the founder of \Vashington University, was established last yem "to honor alumni and friends who, by their interest and support, have greatly enrich ed \Vashington University." The first recipient of the award was J\Jrs. Arthur Holly Compton, widow of the Nohel Prize-winning physicist who was University cllancellor horn 1945 to 1953. Chancellor Eliot received a hand-wrought silve r and hlack marble replica of a piece of sculpture, H eikki Seppa's "The Search," recently installed on campus. Below, Mr. May ( left ) and Chancellor Eliot admire the award. ~ i I \~ WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE u S U Ml-.'IER 1969 Vol. 39, No.4 Editor New Detection :vlethod 2 Nuclear medicin e FRANK O'BRIEN for Lung Diseases and the compute'/' Associate Editor and Photographer HERB W E ITMAN In tbe Beginning, God 8 Duke Ellington's Sacred Music Concert Science Editor ROGER SIGNOR Small Town Doctor 14 The life and times D esjgner of a GP in [01/; 0 PETER GEIST The Student Photographer 22 An albu m of outstanding pictures Youth and the Drug Scene 30 On waUlI;ard child ren and adolescent parents \~Triters in Residence 34 A sampling of literary wares On Sleeping with an 40 United States-Canadian Elephant relationships todoU Fashion Pbte 46 Student innovation in fashion and phol'og1'ClpiJy COVER: Lesli e Newman, ,\ student in Herb vVeitman's pho tography course, made this Pboto Credits: Cover and Pages 22-29, student photographers; Page., .34-39, John camera study while on vacation ;vliIJaire; inside back cover, Kevin Fllnabashi; back cover, l-.Ii ch'lel Simpson; all in St. Martin in the French others, Herb \Veitman. West Indies. F or other exam ples of student work, see "The lVashington Unive rsity A1agaziue is published quarterly b)' vVn sh ing ton University at 1201-05 Student Photographer," page 22 . Bluff Street, Fulton, :MissOll.ri 65251. Second-class postage paid at F ulton. Missouri , A new technique developed by scientists in the University's nuclear medicine division and its Biomedical Computer Laboratory is designed to spot abnor-malities in the function of s peci fir lung regions, information which should (tid the early diagnosis of such diseases ctS lung cancer and emphysema. Dr. E. James Potchen, director of the nuclear medicine division, believes the Jnethod can be a quick and efficient way to test large numbeJ'J of perJons for lung disorden. Dr. E . James Potchen, associate professor of radiology and director of 'Vashington University's division of nuclear medicine. '------- -- _. By CAROL COLLIER Office of Information NEW DETECTION METHOD FOR LUNG DISEASES o FIELD OF research is an island. This was rece ntlv equipment called an interface which would link a scintil N illustrated at th e School of Mcdicine in the develop lation camera to a computer. This idea interested the ment of a technique that combined the work of speciali sts University's computer experts and Dr. Potchen. "Vork be in lluclear medicine with specialists in the application of gan that summer. computers to scien tific studies. The result of this meeting The scintillation camcra is a device used in nuclear of minds is in strumentation that should prove useful in medicine which detects regional radioactivity within the the early detection of certain lung diseases. body. It was developed by Dr. HalO. Anger from thc The new method essentially involves detecting the University of California a t Berkeley. The interface pro amount of radioactivity that passes through a patient's posed by Bentley makes it possible to convert the regional chest as he breathes, and using a computer to analyze radioactivity as detected by Anger's camera into numer the results in such a way that changes in radioactivitv in ical values which ca n be analyzed by a computer. various regions of th e lung during respiration can be re Between the summers of 1967 and 1968, Dr. Bentley corded. The differences in radioactivity over time re and V. William Gerth, Jr., an assistant director at the fl ect changes in the density of the different lung regions computer laboratory, des igned the interface equipment. as the person breathes. i'dr. Gerth also worked with Dr. Jerome R. Cox, director Knowing how the specific lung region s change in den of the Biomedical Computer Laboratory, in designing the si ty is an important indication of how they are function compu ter. They modified a general purpose computer ing. The new technique, consequently, can determine if originally used in radiation th erapy. Other computer spe there are any abnormalities in the regional function of cialists at the University su bsequentJy worked on revising the lung. This is valuable information. Regional lung the system in various ways. function can be altered markedly even though total lung Once th e camera was linked with the computer, Dr. function appears normal because the lung has a remark Potchen and his colleagues in the nuclear medicine di able ability to increase the function of one area to com vision worked to make it a clinically useful tool. The pensate for a deficiency in another, Dr. E. James Potchen, programming was a big problem, he says, adding that he director of the nuclear medicine division, explains. received many helpful suggestions from Dr. George Tap "Being able to detect regional changes should offer us lin, a noted lung specialist in nuclear medicine from th e the opportunity to define disease far earlier," he says, University of California at Los Angeles. noting that two diseases that change regional function are The result of nearly two years of work is a diagnostic emphysema and lung cancer. technique that can be carried out quickly and efficiently. The idea that sparked the two-year project came hom A patient stanels between a large disc (about 15 inches Dr. Roy Bentley, a British physicist who was a visiting in diameter) of radioactive material and the scintillation scientist for one year with the University's Biomedical camera. He inhales, holds his breath for several seconds, Computer Laboratory, which furnishes engineering and and then breathes out for several seconds. More radio computing services for research studies. Dr. Bentley had active rays get through the chest during inhalation be visited the University in 1966 when he was working on calise the lungs are filled with air and are less dense. radiation treatment planning and was invited back. When the patient exhales, the lung tissue contracts to In correspondence preceding his return in the summer expel the air and is more dense. Thus, less radioactivity of 1967, he proposed to work Oil the development of passes through to be detected bv the camera, which re 3 Ii I The patient at far right stands with ber back to the scintillation camera which detects the radioactivit}, that has passed through her chest. The source of the radioactivity is the disc held by Dr. B. Leonard Holman, a fellow in nuclear medicine. Another nuclear medicine fellow, Dr. Mustafa H . Adatepe, is seated at thc computer panel ( far left). Dr. Potch en is at his right. T he interface, which converts the camera's electrical information into numerical data, forms the upper portion of the compact computer apparatus. ~" ~."\ ., .. ... 4 I : \I.---~----------------------- --~---=---'; New Detection Method for Lung Diseases cords the positions of the rays as they pass through the patients, for example, show a grossly abnormal picture chest. although the chest x-rays may look normal. The electrical info rmation from the camera is convert "The routine chest x-ray is not good for diagnosing ed to numerical values by the interface so that they CHI ; emphysema," Dr. Potchen says. "The h - n ~ of the emphy be analyzed by the computer into measurements of the sema patient transmits the x-rays as dues tIl(' normal differences in density in a selected period of time for 64 lung. But if you measure the ability of the 1111lg to change regions of the lung.

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