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Helenor Campbell Wilder Foerster

2022; Medknow; Volume: 70; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4103/ijo.ijo_909_22

1998-3689

Santosh G Honavar, Rolika Bansal, BruceE Spivey,

Medical History and Innovations

"It's the attention to detail that makes the difference between average and stunning." – Francis Atterbury Over eight decades of her life, Helenor Campbell Wilder Foerster [Fig. 1][1] taught us the importance of the "attention to details" in the world of ophthalmology. She is considered as a pioneer in ocular pathology who pioneered the vital role of microscopic evaluation and added selflessly to the information available which has benefitted generations of ophthalmologists over the last century.Figure 1: Helenor Campbell Wilder Foerster (1895–1998)[1]Helenor was born on May 9, 1895, in Baltimore and completed her initial education in her native city at the Bryn Mawr and Western high schools. She joined the Department of Pathology at The Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1914, as a laboratory technician and bacteriologist on probation and explored her interests while working in association with Dr William H. Welch and his associate Dr Milton C. Winternitz.[2] She set out to help as a bacteriologist at Camp Meade (now Fort George G. Meade), Maryland, as the World War I commenced, following which she returned to John Hopkins and worked with Dr William MacCallum, the successor of Professor Welch.[2] Miss Helenor Campbell's hard work and dedication were observed and duly regarded by Dr George C. Callender as he recruited her in December 1920, while he successfully took up the task of moulding the Army Medical Museum (subsequently the Army Institute of Pathology and now the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology [AFIP]).[3] She was assigned as the histopathology technician with Dr Callender for handling the Registry of Ophthalmic Pathology for processing the ophthalmic and otolaryngologic specimens. AFIP also provided consultation services, in association with the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology (AAOO).[2] The registry turned out to be a well-curated permanent collection of specimens with a myriad of cases including the most rare and demanding ones. Over the next two decades, Helenor Campbell interacted with several brilliant military pathologists as Dr George C. Callender, Dr James Ash, and Dr Elbert DeCoursey and learnt the art of ocular histology and pathology. The first three editions of the Atlas of Ophthalmic Pathology, printed and bound at the Army Medical Museum, had the finest of illustrations selected by their team. She also assisted Dr Friedenwald and the AAOO's Committee in revising the illustrations for the green-bound first edition of the atlas, which was finally published in 1952 by W. B. Saunders Co, under a collaborative effort of the AFIP and the AAOO. In 1929, she married Stuart Gardiner Wilder, who unfortunately passed away in less than 2 years. She was an unstoppable force and her 25 years of contributions were regarded with utmost respect as she was chosen as the Head of the Section of Ophthalmic Pathology. She lacked an undergraduate, medical, dental, or veterinary degree or even the "doctor" title, but her 33 years of invaluable contributions were more valuable than any exceptional benefaction that the AFIP ever received.[2] The landmark discovery of "organisms having morphologic characteristics of Toxoplasma" in enucleated eyes, revealing the protozoal organisms Toxoplasma gondii (trophozoites and bradyzoites in an eye with retinal inflammation, thus differentiating it from Tuberculosis)[45] and Toxocara canis (larval form of the nematode in retinoblastoma suspects),[67] remains as one of the most historical events which aided in timely diagnosis and treatment by several clinicians and has been under analysis ever since.[28] Pertaining to her curious, exceptional, observational mind, she added significantly to the literature, in the form of more than 35 scholarly contributions in 17 different refereed publications. Mrs. Wilder developed the Wilder stain for reticulin and collaborated with Dr Callender in structuring the Callender-Wilder classification of intraocular melanomas. In 1947, Mrs Wilder was awarded the Academy Honor Society's Gold Key and was the first woman to be elected an honorary member of the AAOO.[2] She summarized her observations on the intraocular tumors, and the perforating and nonperforating injuries in soldiers of the World War II and commented on the wide variety of intraocular foreign bodies (nonmagnetic ones predominating) and induced inflammation, which happened to be one of the trailblazer publications.[910111213] She even documented the ocular changes produced by irradiation due to atomic fission and roentgen radiation.[1415] On expression of her thoughts of retiring from the AFIP, Dr DeCoursey recruited Lt Col Lorenz E. Zimmerman, a junior staff pathologist, to be guided by Miss Helenor and be next-in-line to her legacy.[2] As a conscientious woman, she trained Zimmerman and introduced him to the who's who, that is, the eminent professors and departmental chairpersons from all over the world, at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology at the Palmer House in Chicago, in 1953. Following her retirement, she was duly bestowed with several awards and earned the glory she deserved. She was named "Woman of the Year for Science" by the Woman's National Press Club, at Washington, DC, in 1953 [Fig. 2],[16] where President and Mrs. Eisenhower quoted "Her unique and humanitarian contributions as diagnostician, teacher, researcher, author and scientist are an inspiration to her associates and reflect great credit to herself and the United States government."[17] She has been the sole member of the American Association of Pathologists and Bacteriologists without an MD degree. She received the "Exceptional Civilian Service Award"—the highest civilian award of the Department of Defence, in 1954. The same year she also married Roland C. Foerster, a prominent San Francisco attorney and moved to San Francisco. As per Dr Elbert DeCoursey, Mrs Foerster's discovery of the Toxoplasma species, "advanced ophthalmic science 50 years."[2] She was accredited for her detailed study of various diseases, her contributions to public health, and her "vision of human needs" by Mills College, Oakland, California, as they conferred an honorary LLD degree on her in 1954. In 1956, she received the Leslie Dana Gold Medal of the St Louis Society for the Blind.Figure 2: President and Mrs. Eisenhower congratulating Mrs. Helenor Campbell Wilder[16]Even though she was based in San Francisco, her deep roots with the AFIP resulted in a life-long association with her former colleagues; she was appointed as a consultant to the professional staff, and she continued to publish her observations ensuring provision of the required literature for the benefit of patients for years to come.[18] She also accepted the designation of an associate research ophthalmologist at the Francis Proctor Foundation for Research in Ophthalmology and as a lecturer in ophthalmic pathology at the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California. In San Francisco, she worked with Dr Frederick Cordes, Dr Michael Hogan, Dr Phillips Thygeson, Dr Levon Garron, Dr William Spencer, and Dr Brooks Crawford between 1954 and 1976 and continued to magnanimously contribute to the ophthalmic literature. Her consultation was sought for by many, for resolving difficult cases. A fund was established in 1958 by her at the University of California Medical Center dedicated to the continuation of ophthalmic pathology research. In 1968, she was invited as the guest of honor at the European Ophthalmic Pathology Society meeting in Paris, France. Till late in her life, her enthusiasm toward ophthalmic pathology helped several medical professionals all over the world, and she even attended the Verhoeff Society meetings as an emeritus member. She left for the divine abode at the age of 103 years, at her home in San Francisco, California, on September 14, 1998[2] and is survived by 8 nieces and nephews and 28 grandnieces and grandnephews. Helenor Campbell Wilder Foerster was a dynamic multidimensional personality who with her grace, charm, loyalty, and back-breaking work provided a new dimension to the ophthalmologists with a deeper understanding of the nature of different diseases (clinically and microscopically) and directed them to the microscopic world of ocular pathology. As the foundation of the AFIP was being laid down, her contributions were of paramount importance and we shall be forever indebted to her efforts. She dreamt of a different world, and she made it possible. "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt