To the Editor:
I read with great interest a recently published review by Drs. Mehta and Khan. 1
The article is well written and informative. The authors mention that Dr. Vasilii Kolesov, a Russian surgeon, performed the 1st coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in 1964. This is, certainly, a fair statement. It was indeed Dr. Kolesov who 1st used the suture technique to perform CABG. Moreover, from 25 February 1964 to 9 May 1967, the division of surgery headed by Dr. Kolesov was the only place in the world where CABG was performed. Nevertheless, it should be added that the world's 1st successful coronary artery bypass operation was performed in the United States, by Dr. Robert Hans Goetz. 2 This fact is commonly overlooked. 2,3,4
Dr. Goetz was born in Frankfurt-on-Main and studied medicine there. Although he was not Jewish, his anti-Nazi views obliged him to leave his native Germany for Switzerland in 1936. 5 The following year, he moved to South Africa and accepted a research position at the University of Cape Town, where he organized the surgical research laboratory at Groote Schuur Hospital. One of his students there was Christiaan Barnard. 5
In 1957, Dr. Goetz joined the staff of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City as head of cardiovascular surgery and of the research laboratories, and was affiliated with Bronx Lebanon Medical Center and Beth-El Hospital in Brooklyn. He retired from practice in 1982, as a clinical professor emeritus. In retirement, he spent much time at his Rosebank Farm in Germantown, N.Y., where he bred prize-winning Angus bulls. 5
In the summer of 2000, Dr. Goetz began to experience frequent episodes of abdominal pain. A computed tomographic (CT) scan did not reveal any abnormality. Yet the pain continued. As an experienced clinician, Dr. Goetz suspected pancreatic cancer and underwent a second, higher-resolution CT scan that focused on the pancreatic area, which revealed a 1-cm mass compressing the pancreatic duct. On 5 September 2000, Dr. Goetz underwent the Whipple procedure at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital. The operation went well. I talked to Dr. Goetz on 1 October, before his discharge from the hospital. He was in high spirits and his optimism was admirable, which made him more of a hero in my eyes than ever before. Dr. Robert H. Goetz died on 15 December 2000 at his home in Scarsdale, N.Y. The memorial service was held on 21 December, in the Community Unitarian Church, White Plains, N.Y.
Dr. Goetz was a remarkable academic surgeon with profound knowledge in various branches of medicine. He was blessed with a large family and a long life in which to live out many of his dreams.
Dr. Goetz was survived by his wife of 67 years, Dr. Verena Bluntschli Goetz; 2 daughters, Sylvia Perle-Goetz of Detroit and Angela Goetz of Manhattan; 2 sons, Lionel Goetz of Fairfield, Conn., and Stephen Goetz of Los Altos, Calif.; 8 grandchildren; and a great-grandson. 5
Footnotes
Letters to the Editor should be no longer than 2 double-spaced typewritten pages and should contain no more than 4 references. They should be signed, with the expectation that the letters will be published if appropriate. The right to edit all correspondence in accordance with Journal style is reserved by the editors.
References
- 1.Mehta NJ, Khan IA. Cardiology's 10 greatest discoveries of the 20th century. Tex Heart Inst J 2002;29:164–71. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
- 2.Konstantinov IE. Robert H. Goetz: the surgeon who performed the first successful clinical coronary artery bypass operation. Ann Thorac Surg 2000;69:1966–72. [DOI] [PubMed]
- 3.Konstantinov IE. The first coronary artery bypass operation and forgotten pioneers. Ann Thorac Surg 1997;64:1522–3. [DOI] [PubMed]
- 4.Konstantinov IE. The last word on “a proper name for the internal mammary artery?” Ann Thorac Surg 1999;68:1440–1. [DOI] [PubMed]
- 5.Saxon W. Robert Goetz, 90, innovator in coronary bypass surgery [obituary]. The New York Times 2000 Dec 20.