Henry Kaplan and the Story of Hodgkin's Disease [Kindle Edition] Author: Charlotte Jacobs | Language: English | ISBN:
B005X05JHG | Format: PDF, EPUB
Henry Kaplan and the Story of Hodgkin's Disease
Download Henry Kaplan and the Story of Hodgkin's Disease [Kindle Edition] for everyone book 4shared, mediafire, hotfile, and mirror link In the 1950s, ninety-five percent of patients with Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of lymph tissue which afflicts young adults, died. Today most are cured, due mainly to the efforts of Dr. Henry Kaplan. Henry Kaplan and the Story of Hodgkin's Disease explores the life of this multifaceted, internationally known radiation oncologist, called a "saint" by some, a "malignant son of a bitch" by others. Kaplan's passion to cure cancer dominated his life and helped him weather the controversy that marked each of his innovations, but it extracted a high price, leaving casualties along the way. Most never knew of his family struggles, his ill-fated love affair with Stanford University, or the humanitarian efforts that imperiled him.Today, Kaplan ranks as one of the foremost physician-scientists in the history of cancer medicine. In this book Charlotte Jacobs gives us the first account of a remarkable man who changed the face of cancer therapy and the history of a once fatal, now curable, cancer. She presents a dual drama —the biography of this renowned man who called cancer his "Moby Dick" and the history of Hodgkin's disease, the malignancy he set out to annihilate. The book recounts the history of Hodgkin's disease, first described in 1832: the key figures, the serendipitous discoveries of radiation and chemotherapy, the improving cure rates, the unanticipated toxicities. The lives of individual patients, bold enough to undergo experimental therapies, lend poignancy to the successes and failures. Books with free ebook downloads available Henry Kaplan and the Story of Hodgkin's Disease [Kindle Edition]
- File Size: 3967 KB
- Print Length: 458 pages
- Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0804768668
- Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (March 30, 2010)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B005X05JHG
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #672,687 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
Charlotte Jacobs has meticulously documented the life of Henry Kaplan, MD. After the death of his father when Henry was 16, he decided he would dedicate his life to curing cancer. After medical school, he focused his energy on curing Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
Among the sources Dr. Jacobs tapped in writing this book were his talented wife Leah and their children, his sole sibling Richard, many colleagues, a few close friends, and a handful of carefully chosen patients.
Patient commentaries are presented chronologically and reflect the early use of radiation and its refinements, including dosing intensity, frequency and location. Next we learn about the advent of chemotherapy, new agents and the use of cocktails. Some patients survive and some do not. The diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes are presented along with the reactions of the patients and their families.
Henry Kaplan and his team began using staging laparoscopies and lymphangiograms to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of Hodgkins Lymphoma. He attempted to link cancer to viral causes. Before he died of lung cancer he conducted initial experiments to make monoclonal antibodies targeting cancers.
We learn about Dr Kaplan's significant influence on the evolution of Stanford University as a great clinical and scientific institution, which eventually rivals those established in the eastern US. He helped create the vision, and he was instrumental in recruiting Arthur Kornberg and others to Stanford.
Not all facets of this complex physician scientist were perfect. When Charlotte asked Henry's wife about writing this biography, Leah make it clear that she did not want hagiography, but a true picture of a complex man with many gifts and some flaws.
As a radiation oncologist, I think this is an excellent read for anyone who takes care of cancer patients. Dr. Jacobs did a wonderful job portraying a realistic profile of Dr. Kaplan, his many struggles, and the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that scientists since Thomas Hodgkin came against in understanding such a lethal disease. The book not only helps us understand what it was like to try to be a doctor in the 19th and early 20th century, but also provided a nice American and world history lesson.
One truly appreciates what true academic medicine is all about and the dedication required at the level at which Dr. Kaplan and his colleagues practiced. For Dr. Kaplan, it was so much more than just clinic and research. He was a humanitarian, patient advocate (even having patients stay at his home), administrator, advisor, patron of the arts, and citizen of the world (even giving lectures in French). It is truly sad for humanity to have lost such a great scientist with such self discipline, who had so many projects and goals, with no plans for retirement, to have his life cut short by the same cancer that killed his father. We can only imagine what else he would have discovered if he just had more time.
It would have been nice to know how the HTLV viruses were eventually discovered and how the ability to produce human compatible monoclonal antibodies has now developed into many useful targeted therapies for various cancers. How excited Dr. Kaplan would be if could have been around to see the development of targeted agents like rituximab.
Although his life was not without controversy, and his family paid a price for his dedication, he touched the lives of patients, students, residents, and scientists all over the world.
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