Cook County Hospital Radiologists 1986-1992

Cook County Hospital was regarded as one of the world's great teaching hospitals.  The "Old Cook County Hospital" opened in 1866.  It was open to all patients especially the poor and destitute most commonly immigrants and did not charge for the care it provided.  It was known as the city's "Ellis Island".

From its beginning CCH was a center for education and was affiliated with Rush Medical School. Neither the interns, nor the attending physicians were paid, but they gained wide experience with all sort of diseases.  The hospital was rebuilt in 1914 and it used open wards and solaria for the care of patients with tuberculosis. 

In the 1960s, voluntary attending physicians and residents were largely replaced with full time paid, young and socially conscious doctors. Cook County was famous for its Trauma Unit and also had the first Blood Bank in Chicago.  After more than a century it ceased functioning and was replaced by a new hospital that is called John Stroger, Jr which was built in close proximity with the old "Couny" as it was affectionately called. 

Radiology from 1986 to 1992 when I was the Chairman of the department was provided in the Main Hospital, the Pediatric Hospital, in Fantus Clinic and the MRI unit. 

In the diagnostic division Dr. John Fitzpatrick who was the interim chairman after Dr. Harris stepped down togeter with Dr. Alagratam an experienced radiologist and for a short time Dr. Tan interpreted chest, skeletal and other conventional studies.  Dr. Talwar a Sheikh from Burma interpreted intravenous pyelograms.

Dr. Parachuru Rao a very nice man was also the best in the city in the performance and interpretation of sonograms.

In charge of Computed Tomography was Dr. Susan Gilkey who studied at Loyola Med Center. 

Drs. Naseem and Rodriguez covered neuroradiology. Dr. Naseem brought me a "Bukhara carpet" when he returned from a trip in his native Pakistan.  I still have and cherished this unique gift.  

Dr. Brad Langer a native Chicagoan did his residency at UIC and came with me to CCH when I became Radiology's Chairman.  He was in charge of the residency

Dr. Patrick Dunne, a native Chicagoan, was the angiographer and did most of the diagnostic and interventional studies.  Dr. Langer and I assisted him when he was on vacation, needed a rest, and we also shared calls.

Dr. Marvin Petry a nice and easy going man covered MRI which was attached in front of the hospital on Harrison Street.  Brad Langer was also involved and helped Marvin especially because MRIs became very popular.

Outpatient studies were done in Fantus Clinic. Dr. Stan Stankevich who was a graduate from the Medical College of Warsaw, Poland was in charge of the division.  He was a hard-working man who in addition to the studies in his division also helped the breast imaging specialists as needed.  His associate was Dr. Whitehouse an easy going and experienced radiologist.

Drs. Gianfranco Fizzotti and Pamela Sobti interpreted mammograms and ultrasound studies of the breast in Fantus Clinic.  Dr. Fizzotti was a graduate of the University of Pavia in Italy and did his residency at CCH.  He was an expert in breast imaging which was his passion.  At some point followed the dictum "go west young man" and together with his wife Pia moved to Montana first then to Idaho. When he retired they moved to Santa Fe, NM. Dr. Sobti a pleasant and easy-going lady put patients and referring physicians at ease.  She was a graduate of All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India.

Radiation therapy was also in Fantus.  Dr. Marion Magalotti a wonderful man was the Chief of the division. They were using a Cobalt-60 unit to treat patients. Cook County Hospital was one of three hospitals in the United States to install a Cobalt-beam therapy for the treatment of cancers.

Dr. Francisco Lopez, a native of Spain, was the chief and an expert in Nuclear Medicine.  Among his other talents was drawing.  He made a sketch of me which unfortunately I have lost.  Dr. Sansi was an experienced nuclear medicine physician and did the interpretation of most of the studies. 

Dr. Vivian Harris, a New Yorker, was the chief of Pediatric Radiology.  Her Associate was Dr. Peter Theofer who got his MD degree from the University of Athens and did his radiology residency at UIC.  He also did a Pediatric fellowship at George Washington in DC.  They both reviewed complex cases with Dr. Rosita Pildes, the Chief of Pediatrics, and her staff daily. They also reviewed cases with Dr. Hernan Reyes, Chief of Pediatric Surgery

Radiology also covered the needs of Cook County Department of Corrections on California Avenue.  Dr. Eugene Lidow was the single radiologist interpreting all inmates' studies.  Dr. Lidow got his medical degree in Moscow, USSR.  He did his residency at UIC and joined the department at CCH when I became Chairman.  Upon retirement he moved to Naples, Florida.

Mr. George Dixon was the Chief Technologist and Mrs Reamer was his Assistant Chief. Mr. George Talge was the Chief of school of Rad technologists.  

Clara Vasilovic was the departmental secretary and when she retired Cory Nicovic a very nice lady became my new secretary.  Their assistant was Genie who was sitting in the front office and make sure that all physicians and visitors had easy access to my secretaries and I.

The following story made me feel how caring Cook County staff was to the poor; every winter a homeless lady was spending the nights in the long hospital corridor wrapped in a blanket.  No security guard or any of the staff asked her to leave the premises; she left on her own when the Chicago winter was over to move to a park close to the hospital tucked among the flowers.  

The post was authored by D G Spigos, MD PhD, CCH Radiology's Department Chairman between 1986 and 1992 and Dr. Ghassan Hammami a native of Syria who was my resident in those years.  Ghassan and I correlated clinical with angiographic findings of victims of gunshot wounds.  Our work drew international attention and was presented in several national and international conferences. Ghassan is currently practicing in the great State of Texas.

 

The post is dedicated to Dr. Bradley Langer who was born in 1955 in Chicago.  He received his medical degree from the University of Chicago and did his Radiology Residency at the University of Illinois.  Brad joined me when I became Chairman of Radiology at Cook County Hospital in 1986.  During my tenure he held many positions and was the most talented amongst the staff having as his main focus the patients' good.  When I left in 1992 Brad became Chairman of the Department and Acting Medical Director.   Brad unfortunately died young in 2020 leaving behind his beloved wifey Julie and his daughter Sylvie.  He is missed by his family and friends.  I am fortunate that I got to know and work with him when he was a resident at UIC and later attending at CCH.  The memories are  many.  I will mention only two.  Brad used to sail with me on the lake Michigan. He was with me and my brother on the return trip from the Mackinac island to Monroe harbor in Chicago. Also we both attended a meeting in Evian France where digital imaging was presented. It was practiced by the American Navy and was made public after the end of the cold war. Digital radiology has transformed our specialty.  Brad was more than a friend and colleague he was a son to me.      

Distinguised Surgeons Univ of Illinois, 1967-1977

Lloyd Nyhus was the first Warren Cole professor and Head of Surgery at the University of Illinois in Chicago.  During his 22 years as the head of the department he was known for his kind and calm disposition and his innate sense of humour.  He was a mentor and role model to a generation of outstanding surgeons and staff of other departments like myself.

He was born in 1923 in Mount Vernon, Washington and got his medical degree in 1947 from the University of Alabama College of Medicine.  His surgical training was in Seattle, under the tutelage of Henry Harkins.  He was recruited to the University of Illinois department of surgery in 1967. 

Nyhus, became well known for the peptic ulcer surgery and together with Harkins published their landmark textbook Surgery of the Stomach.  Nyhus published more than 370 scientific papers and his other textbooks, Mastery of Surgery and Hernia will continue to educate and influence surgeons worldwide.

He served as chairman of the American Board of Surgery, the International Society of Surgery, the Chicago Surgical Society, the Society of University Surgeons, and the Warren H Cole Society.

Oscar Sugar received his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Chicago in 1940 and his Doctor of Medicine from the George Washington School of Medicine in 1942.  He served as Captain Medical Corps, United States Air Force from 1943 to 1946.  

Dr. Sugar was the head of the University of Illinois department of Neurosurgery and he was one of Chicago's pioneers in the field of Neurosurgery. His long career as a neurosurgeon included several much publicized cases including one separating Siamese twins joined at the head. Known for his caring and compassionate  manner with patients, he felt "the biggest problem in medicine is the inability or unwillingness or incapacity of some physicians to take the time to explain the care needed" in terms the patient could understand.

Those of us who attended his Wednesday noon conferences at NPI when neurosurgeons from around town asked his advice remember how nice he was to all.  Dr Sugar was a resident at NPI along with my fellow resident Al Zuska's father who did his Neuropsychiatry residency while in the Navy, frequently wearing his uniform. As a resident, he spoke to Dr. Sugar about his father who he remembered, partly due to the uniform. Dr. Sugar loved to mention Bastille Day during July conferences, and also loved the term “candelabra”, for the brain’s vasculature seen on angiograms. When I told Dr. Sugar that the performance of angiograms with catheters was better for the patients instead with needle stick(s), he sent his patients to me.  

Dr. Sugar always had a warm smile and all who knew him remember him as a gentle person with a kind heart.

Olga Jonasson was born in Peoria, Illinois in 1934.  She was a transplant surgeon and she performed the first kidney transplant in the State of Illinois.  Her undergraduate studies were at Northwestern University.  She received had Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Illinois  and completed her surgical residency in the same institution. In 1965, she was certified by the American Board of Surgery, the 37th woman to be certified. In 1958, she developed the department of transplantation at UIC and she performed the first kidney transplant in the State of Illinois in 1969. In 1977, Jonasson was named the chief of surgery at Cook County Hospital.  This made her the first woman to be appointed chief of surgery of a major hospital.  In 1987, she left CCH when she was named Robert M. Zollinger Professor of Surgery at the Ohio State University.  I was fortunate that I worked at UIC and with Dr.  Jonasson because she asked me to perform a splenic embolization in one of her kidney transplant patients who had developed thrombocytopenia.  Having not done such a procedure I checked the available literature and found that all patients who had their spleen embolized had died.  I discussed with Olga the grave results of splenic embolizations and I told her also that I had thought the correct approach was doing a partial splenic embolization instead which I did and it worked.  I did several more successful partial splenic embolizatios that were the beginning of my academic career.

Tapas K. Das Gupta, world-renown surgeon, researcher, and mentor was defined by his love of science.  He was one of the world's leading of authorities on the treatment of melanomas and sarcomas. 

Dr. Das Gupta was born in 1932 in New Delhi, India.  He went to College at the age of fourteen and admitted to medical school at the age of sixteen. He completed his medical training in 1953 and passed all exams with the highest distinction.  However, he had grown frustrated by the colonial narrow-mindedness of the medical establishment in India and he decided to go to the US to further his medical career.  Starting at Mount Sinai hospital in Chicago, Dr. Das Guptas' hard work , dedication, and intelligence propelled him through the ranks of academia.  He went as a faculty at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.  In 1967, he was named the head of Surgical Oncology at the University of Illinois.  It was in that institution that Dr. Das Gupta grew to an international renown physician.  He authored hunderds of papers, mentored dozens of fellows, and saved thousands of lives.  He was a champion of women's rights and helped many female surgeons advance their careers despite the "old boys" network in surgery.  I was very fond of Dr. Das Gupta and asked his advice on medical issues as well when I was applying for chairmanships.  I am indebted to him for reciprocating and being always a good friend and advisor.

I mourn the passing of all four great doctors who were my mentors but I celebrate their contributions.

This post was authored by D G Spigos, MD, PhD, former Professor at the University of Illinois and Chairman of Radiology at Cook County Hospital and the Ohio State University Department of Radiology. 

This post is dedicated to Dr. Mimis Cohen who was born in Athens, Greece in 1947 and graduated from the University of Athens in 1970.  We knew each other during our time in medical school as I was the president of the student body. We later met again when we served in the Navy.  When he completed his tour of duty in the Navy he moved to the US and did his residency in Surgery at UIC until 1973. He then did Head and Neck plastic surgery at Roswell Park Memorial Hospital.  He worked at CCH  between 1986 to 1989.  In 1989 he became the chief of Plastic Surgery at CCH and at UIC and a tenured Professor.  UIC created a professorship in his name in 2024.  Dr. Cohen published many papers in referred journals and authored books on Plastic Surgery.  Mimis remained active after his retirement organizing symposia about the contributions of "Romaniotes Jews" in the cultural life and prosperity of Greece from antiquity till today ie for two millennia.  The Academy of Athens elected his a corresponding member a distinction offered to few for his contributions in the fields of science and culture.  He currently lives in Chicago and frequently travels to other countries teaching young physicians in the art and science of Plastic Surgery.  I was fortunate to having met him and for being a life-long friend of his.