Abstract
The contributions of Canadians to pulmonary anatomy and pathology have been recognized internationally for almost a century, and the published abstracts of the 2007 meetings of the American Thoracic Society indicate that Canada has a bright future in this field. The introduction of computed tomography (CT) has had the greatest impact on the practice of chest medicine within living memory, because it allows the gross anatomy of the lung to be visualized noninvasively. The more recent introduction of micro-CT has also provided an opportunity to investigate samples of the lung at the microscopic level without destroying the tissue. Micro-CT has made it possible to apply the newer techniques of laser capture microdissection and real-time polymerase chain reaction to specific lung structures selected by CT and micro-CT, and to ask questions that could not even have been imagined a few short years ago. The introduction of magnetic resonance imaging of hyperpolarized gases has also made it possible to measure diffusion distances within the gas phase of the lung to obtain new and perhaps more accurate information about the size of normal gas-exchanging units during life, as well as the extent of their destruction in disease. These powerful tools are beginning to provide insight into the molecular events that underlie the basic processes of inflammation, tissue repair and tumour biology, which may provide solutions to the most troublesome problems related to pulmonary medicine. Although many Canadians have and are currently contributing to the flow of this new knowledge, the present review focuses on contributions made by three eminent researchers, all of whom who have been dead for at least 10 years. These three researchers established a tradition of excellence in the field of pulmonary anatomy and pathology in Canada that has provided a solid foundation for future achievements.
Highlights
The contributions of Canadians to pulmonary anatomy and pathology have been recognized internationally for almost a century, and the published abstracts of the 2007 meetings of the American Thoracic Society indicate that Canada has a bright future in this field
Macklin was appointed as an assistant in anatomy at Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, Marlyand, after receiving his MB degree in 1914, and moved back and forth between Toronto and Hopkins while he continued to pursue his MD and PhD degrees
He was working as an associate professor at Hopkins when he responded to a call to return to Canada and become the Professor of Anatomy at the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, in 1921
Summary
The contributions of Canadians to pulmonary anatomy and pathology have been recognized internationally for almost a century, and the published abstracts of the 2007 meetings of the American Thoracic Society indicate that Canada has a bright future in this field. Von Hayek’s book [12], published the year after his death, included many references to his work, and the frequent references to Macklin’s classic papers indicate that he laid the foundation for many of the improvements in our understanding of the functional anatomy of the lung that took place in the later half of the 20th century.
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