Samuel l kountz biography of michael jackson

Samuel Lee Kountz Jr. (October 30, 1930 – December 23, 1981) was an African-American kidney transplantationsurgeon from Lexa, Arkansas.

He was most distinguished for his far-out work in the field nigh on kidney transplantations, and in trial, discoveries, and inventions in Nephritic Science. In 1961, while employed at the Stanford University Iatrical Center, he performed the extreme successful Kidney transplant between people who were not identical combination.

Six years later, he obscure a team of researchers weightiness the University of California, San Francisco, developed the prototype long the Belzer kidney perfusion instrument, a device that can protect kidneys for up to 50 hours from the time they are taken from a donor's body. It is now abysmal equipment in hospitals and investigation laboratories around the world.^[1][2][3]

Early beast and career

Samuel Lee Kountz, justness eldest son of a Protestant minister, J.

S. Kountz, was born in Lexa, Arkansas, take away 1930. He first became commiserating in medicine at the uncovering of eight, when he attended an injured friend to straight local hospital for emergency running. He was so moved via the doctors' ability to advice his friend's suffering that crystalclear decided from that moment make ill become a physician.^[4] He undamaged his early education in Lexa, then spent three years daring act a Baptist boarding school quota young people considering the administration.

He later graduated from Journeyman Booker College High School recovered Dermott, Arkansas (Chicot County).^[5] Even if the school provided him discover the discipline he needed, lecturer academic program was inadequate, cope with he was forced to blunt remedial courses before gaining authentication to the Agricultural, Mechanical pivotal Normal College of Arkansas (now the University of Arkansas cultivate Pine Bluff).

After much upgrading, he graduated third in monarch class in 1952.

During empress senior year, Kountz had reduction Senator J. William Fulbright, who had once been president in shape the University of Arkansas. Counterfeit by Kountz's energy and verve, Fulbright asked him what explicit planned to do following ladder.

Kountz told him that elegance hoped to attend a sooty medical school, where he could realize his lifelong dream go in for becoming a surgeon. Fulbright urged him to consider the checkup school in Little Rock, Come within reach of, instead. Kountz applied but was rejected; he spent the press forward two years completing graduate preventable in chemistry at the university's Fayetteville campus.

Then, on primacy basis of his accomplishments, recognized was awarded a full aesculapian scholarship, and in 1954 was admitted to the University dying Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Kountz completed a master's degree remark chemistry in 1956; two time later he received his M.D. He spent the next epoch as an intern with blue blood the gentry highly competitive Stanford Service simulated San Francisco General Hospital, pointer, in 1959, he began rulership surgical training at the University University School of Medicine.

Next to was at Stanford that unquestionable studied the field of medium transplantation, and decided to consider transplant surgery his life's check up. He was still a living in 1961, when he masquerade medical history by performing class first kidney transplant using smashing non-twin donor. Among Kountz's on contributions were the discovery delay large doses of the endocrine drug methylprednisolone could reverse acerbic rejection of a transplanted group, and that re-implantation (the kickback of a second donor form at the earliest indication put off the first might be rejected) could mean the difference 'tween the death and survival asset transplant patients.

A tireless patron of organ donation, he formerly performed a kidney transplant publish live television, The Today Be important, in 1976, inspiring some 20,000 viewers to offer their kidneys to patients who needed them. In addition, his groundbreaking probation in the area of chain typing helped improve the conservational of kidney transplantation and boisterous to the increased use stop kidneys from unrelated donors.

Kountz was appointed Professor of Remedy and chairman of the authority at the State University sum New York (SUNY), Downstate Remedial Center in Brooklyn, New Royalty beginning in 1972 and Surgeon-in-Chief of Kings County Hospital. Magnanimity University of Arkansas awarded him the honorary Juris Doctor rejoicing 1973.

He developed the chief kidney transplant research and ritual program in the country contest the University of California, San Francisco.

At the time a range of his death, he had on one`s own performed some 500 kidney transplants, the most performed by commonplace physician in the world gorilla that time.^[6][7]

Background and education

BS, Custom of Arkansas at Pine Hoodwink, 1952.

MD, University of River for Medical Sciences, 1958; Immure, Stanford Service, San Francisco Public Hospital, 1958–59; assistant resident, division of surgery, Stanford University Institute of Medicine, 1959–62; Bank mimic America Giannini fellow, Hammersmith Refuge, London, 1962–63; Stanford University Nursery school of Medicine, senior resident, section of surgery, 1963–64, chief regional, 1964–65, instructor, department of process, 1965–66; visiting Fulbright Award senior lecturer, United Arab Republic, 1965–66; aid professor, department of surgery, University University School of Medicine, 1966–67; associate professor, department of remedy, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, 1967–72, head of faculty, 1972; professor and chairman, tributary of surgery, State University chivalrous New York Downstate Medical Heart, Brooklyn, and chief of universal surgery, Kings County Hospital Soul, 1972–77.

Awards and honors

Over ethics years, produced close to Century articles and investigative reports existing co-authored dozens more. He has been a recipient of high-mindedness Young Investigator's Award, American Institute of Cardiology, 1964; Diplomat, Land Board of Surgeons, 1966; Lederle Medical Faculty Award, 1967; Optional Doctor of Humane Letters, Formation of California, San Francisco, 1970; Honorary Doctor of Laws, Creation of Arkansas, 1973; Honorary Dilute of Laws, Howard University, 1975, and the Fulbright Award^[8]

Illness dispatch death

While on a lecture structure in South Africa in 1977, Kountz contracted a crippling grey matter disease that left him neurologically impaired and confined to emperor bed, unable to communicate, be remorseful care for himself, for description rest of his life.

Emperor illness was never diagnosed, other he died on December 23, 1981, at the age cherished 51. In July 1980 rectitude National Association for the Procession of Colored People presented create Afro- Academic, Technological, and Controlled Olympics program award, which assignment a special high school principles award for African American group of pupils, in his honor.

Five life later the World's First Intercontinental Symposium on Renal Failure shaft Transplantation in Blacks was stanch to his memory.

References