George Edward Pfahler (January 29, 1874 – January 29, 1957) was an American physician and one of the early influences on the specialty of radiology.
George E. Pfahler | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Born | George Edward Pfahler January 29, 1874 Numidia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | January 29, 1957 (aged 83) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Education | Medico-Chirurgical College of Philadelphia |
| Occupation | Radiologist |
| Spouses | Frances Simpson
(m. 1908; died 1910)Muriel Wilkes Bennett
(m. 1918) |
| Signature | |
.png){kind=small} | |
Biography edit
George E. Pfahler was born in Numidia, Pennsylvania on January 29, 1874.[1] In 1898, he graduated from the Medico-Chirurgical College of Philadelphia. By the next year, he was an assistant chief resident at Philadelphia General Hospital. The hospital's board of managers procured an x-ray machine, then known as a "roentgen ray machine", and they appointed Pfahler to operate it. The young doctor had set out to become an internal medicine physician, and at first he doubted whether x-rays would have much value in the clinical care of patients. The rest of Pfahler's career was defined by his focus on direct patient care applications of X-rays.[2]
After residency, Pfahler spent the early years of his medical career as a clinical professor at the Medico-Chirurgical College and as the director of the radiology departments at Philadelphia General Hospital and the Medico-Chirurgical Hospital. The Medico-Chirurgical College merged with the University of Pennsylvania in 1916, and Pfahler became a professor and vice dean of radiology at that institution. He worked at the medical school through 1946, and afterwards he was an emeritus professor.[3] He made advances both in diagnostic radiology and in radiotherapy, taking special interest in radiation treatment for oral and breast cancers.[2]
Pfahler was the 1910-11 president of the American Roentgen Ray Society, and he was the president of the American Radium Society in 1922.[4][5] The next year, he became the first president of the American College of Radiology (ACR).[6] He won the ACR Gold Medal, the organization's highest award, in 1952.[7]
Pfahler married Frances Simpson on November 21, 1908. She died on March 15, 1910, and he remarred to Muriel Wilkes Bennett on July 10, 1918.[8]
He died at Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia on January 29, 1957.[9]
The Pfahler Hall of Science at Ursinus College is named in his honor.[10]
References edit
- ^ Jordan, John W., ed. (1921). Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography, Illustrated. Vol. XIII. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 71. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Case, James T. (January 1, 1955). "Dr. George E. Pfahler: An appreciation". CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 5 (1): 11–13. doi:10.3322/canjclin.5.1.11. ISSN 1542-4863.
- ^ Orndoff, Benjamin H. (April 1, 1957). "George Edward Pfahler, M.D. 1874-1957". Radiology. 68 (4): 590–592. doi:10.1148/68.4.590. PMID 13432193.
- ^ Liberman, Laura (May 1, 2000). "Percutaneous imaging-guided core breast biopsy". American Journal of Roentgenology. 174 (5): 1191–1199. doi:10.2214/ajr.174.5.1741191. ISSN 0361-803X. PMID 10789761.
- ^ "Past Presidents". American Radium Society. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
- ^ "Past ACR Presidents and Vice Presidents". American College of Radiology. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
- ^ "Gold Medal Awards". American College of Radiology. Archived from the original on August 24, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
- ^ Jordan, John W., ed. (1921). Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography, Illustrated. Vol. XIII. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 75. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Dr. G. E. Pfahler Dies, Famed Cancer Expert". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 30, 1957. p. 10. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Our Campus". Ursinus College. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
Further reading edit
- Pfahler, Muriel Bennett (1958). The Love of a Physician: George E. Pfahler, M.D., Pioneer Radiologist. Dorrance.