Frederick C. Goetz, MD: a profile of the intersection among science, the fine arts, and education.

Abstract

There is a link between Oliver Wendell Holmes' poem “The One-Hoss Shay” (1) and every patient with diabetes who has ever received a kidney or pancreas transplant. Yet, most of the 4,128 diabetes patients in the U.S. who received renal transplants in 2011 (2) and the 1,051 diabetes patients who received a pancreas transplant in 2011 (3) do not know how Dr. Frederick C. Goetz (1922–2012) used this delightful poem as parallel to how the medical profession viewed patients with diabetes. Dr. Goetz, who always preferred to be addressed as “Fred” by any who knew him, played a seminal role in assuring that both renal and pancreas transplantation were available to suitable patients with diabetes. While today this is considered a standard of clinical care, Fred maintained his equanimity in the face of much skepticism and criticism—often from friends and colleagues. This profile outlines Fred’s role in the history of renal and pancreas transplantation, but also strives to capture some of the “essence” of Frederick C. Goetz—as a caregiver, physician, scientist, and teacher. This profile is written from the perspective of three physicians, each of whom first met Fred while they were medical students at the University of Minnesota and whose collective observations and collaboration with Fred spanned more than three decades of his academic career. Fred was born and raised in Fond du Lac, WI. He graduated from Harvard College (1943) and Harvard Medical School (1946). He served in the U.S. Army as a physician in Korea where he met his future wife, Mary Rose Riordan. After a residency, chief residency, and fellowship (with Dr. George Thorn) at Massachusetts General Hospital, he joined the University of Minnesota as the Director of Diabetes Research. His career was focused on diabetes and its complications. His personal life was filled with interests …