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Acute Leukemia Forum 2000, Advances and Controversies in the Therapy of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia

Introduction of Ernest Beutler, MD

Leukemia volume 15, pages 656–657 (2001)Cite this article

I am very pleased to introduce Ernest Beutler and to provide an overview of the breadth and depth of his contributions to medicine. Ernie is among a very small number of physician–scientists who over five decades during the 20th century has made notable contributions to the understanding of a remarkable range of human diseases. These include over 800 scientific or medical papers, as well as numerous chapters, books, and monographs. Indeed, it is hard to find an aspect of hematology on which Ernie's fingerprints, perhaps more aptly his DNA, cannot be detected. I used the ‘Combine’ function of Medline and virtually every major term in hematology coupled with Beutler resulted in significant papers.

Ernie's professional life can be entitled a tale of three cities: Chicago, Duarte and La Jolla. After graduating with honors from the University of Chicago, its medical school, and its residency program, Ernie entered the US Army Medical Corps. The Korean War resulted in the pressing need to develop better prophylaxis and treatment of malaria. Ernie was assigned to the Malaria Research Project where he worked with Ray Dern and Alf Alving conducting a classic series of experiments at the Statesville Penitentiary on the pathogenesis of the hemolytic anemia in genetically susceptible individuals exposed to the antimalarial primaquine.1 This experience resulted in a life-long interest in the biochemistry, genetics, and clinical features of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, the biochemical abnormalities underlying acquired and inherited disorders of the red cell, and the metabolic factors that enhance blood cell storage. Ernie's research contributed important findings to these areas, including very useful diagnostic assays, such as the glutathione-stability test.2 He published comprehensive monographs to supplement his extensive original publications on red cells and their diseases, which included methods to study red cell enzymatic and metabolic disorders.3

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Rochester Medical Center and Strong Memorial Hospital, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 610, Rochester, NY 14642, USA

    MA Lichtman

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  1. MA Lichtman
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Lichtman, M. Introduction of Ernest Beutler, MD. Leukemia 15, 656–657 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2402054

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