his retirement in 1935. He was one of those for- tunate people who only need 4 hours’ sleep a night, and so have more time to work than most.
On his retirement, he was, by special congres- sional legislation, made a consultant with pay and allowances for life, the first man to be so honored in US Army history. In 1953 an annual lecture was named after him.
research assistant at the Institute of Orthopedics under Sir Herbert Seddon and was appointed con- sultant at Fulham and St. Mary Abbot Hospitals in 1952. Here he established an orthopedic unit, which became renowed. Lippy—as he was affec- tionately known to all—was especially concerned with teaching junior orthopedic surgeons, and many doctors, both from this country and abroad, have cause to be grateful to him for the meticu- lous training and superb surgical instruction they received. During this time he took a keen interest in the hitherto rather neglected casualty services of this country, and played an important part in the eventual establishment of recognized accident and emergency departments, together with ade- quate training programs for the staff. At the end of his time at Fulham and St. Mary Abbots Hospitals, he was involved in the planning and smooth amalgamation of these hospitals with the Charing Cross Hospitals to form the existing New Charing Cross Hospital.
At an age when most men would have begun to take life more easily, he accepted the post of director of clinical studies at the Institute of Orthopedics with his customary enthusiasm and dedication, and in 1974 he became professor of orthopedics of London University. He was able to foresee the problems that the postgraduate hospi- tals would face in the coming years, and set out to establish specialist departments at the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital that would help to maintain its identity and reputation. In particular, he was largely instrumental in the setting up of the spinal injuries unit and a specialist shoulder unit, his own particular lifelong interest. In this way he did his best to ensure that the future of the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital was pro- tected.
His list of publications is long and ranges from articles about his early experiences with the para- chute surgical team to many publications about the shoulder joint, which remained his greatest interest. He published several authoritative books on this subject and formed an international organ- ization for the study of the shoulder joint and related diseases. He was executive member of the council of the British Orthopedic Association and served on the editorial board of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. He had an international reputation and lectured all over the world.
This catalogue of a distinguished orthopedic career, however, gives only a glimpse of the merits of this man. He was a great teacher, par- ticularly in the art of clinical diagnosis. To the
170Who’s Who in Orthopedics
Lipmann KESSEL
1914–1986
Professor Lipmann Kessel was born in South Africa, educated at the University of Witwater- srand, and came to this country to attend St.
Mary’s Hospital Medical School, from whence he graduated in 1937. After holding various junior resident posts, he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps at the onset of war. He later volunteered for parachute duties and, as surgeon in command of a parachute team, took part in the battle of Arnhem, where with exceptional skill and courage he was directly responsible for saving many lives. When he had done all he could for the wounded, he managed to escape his German captors and, with the help of the Dutch Resis- tance, eventually made his way home. These experiences were related in his book Surgeon at Arms. For his service he was appointed MBE (Military) and awarded the Military Cross.
After the war he returned to St. Mary’s Hospi-
tal as a registrar, and was greatly influenced by
the late V.H. Ellis. He then became clinical
many postgraduate students he taught so well, he was always a friend as well as a tutor. To the patients, he brought not only sound clinical judg- ment, but also great kindness and compassion. He held strong and unswerving political views and was unafraid to express his feelings when he felt there was injustice. He was above all a humani- tarian. His sufferings from a chronic vascular dis- order started at an early age so that he understood well the meaning of pain, and this perhaps height- ened his compassionate understanding of his patients’ problems.
His interests outside the realms of orthopedics were many and varied. He had numerous friends in both the literary and theatrical worlds. Football remained a passion throughout his life and he was orthopedic adviser to the Chelsea Football Club for many years. He loved all card games and was a formidable opponent at both bridge and poker.
Above all, he was a man of immense charm, wit and complete integrity, which made him respected and loved by innumerable friends in every walk of life. Professor Lipmann Kessel died in London on June 5, 1986, aged 72, leaving be- hind his wife, two sons and two daughters.
1917. Because of financial reverses, he had to dis- continue his medical training for about a year.
Such a misfortune as insufficient funds would have daunted a less hardy soul than Albert Key, but he capitalized on his financial setback. He taught anatomy at the University of Chicago and Creighton Medical School. While supporting himself, he studied assiduously to become even more proficient in anatomy. He was able to return to Johns Hopkins University and to join the class of 1918. The interlude spent in teaching anatomy may well have led him into the realm of orthope- dic surgery, since that discipline is primarily re- lated to anatomy, both gross and functional.
Early in 1917, because of the continuing war in Europe and the expectation that the United States would be forced to take up arms, Dr. John Finney organized a war hospital unit at Johns Hopkins and conceived the idea of allowing medical stu- dents to serve in the capacity of interns. Albert Key was one of the 32 students who volunteered, and, when the United States entered the war, he enlisted with the others as a private in the Army Medical Corps. The months that followed were filled with new experience and hard work for John Albert and for the others who made up the Johns Hopkins Hospital unit no.18. They landed in St.
Nazaire, France, in June of 1917. The unit was moved to Savenay and then to Bazoilles-sur- Meuse. There it occupied a hospital with barracks built around a central building, which was called
“the chateau.” As “students,” Albert and his group were assigned to work as interns when there were patients and they were relegated to the “clean-up squad” when there were none.
During the winter of 1917–1918 he worked on the unit’s orthopedic ward. During the spring of 1918 the students received cablegrams from their university, informing them that they had been awarded their degrees as Doctors of Medicine.
Soon after Albert was transferred, and in the months that followed, he worked with a rehabili- tation battalion, which had been organized under the general planning of Dr. Joel E. Goldthwait.
During his service at Bazoilles, Dr. Key courted and married Eleanor Myer, an attractive nurse affiliated with the unit. Later there were two sons, John Albert, Jr., and Frank. Dr. Key was greatly admired for his rare devotion to his family, and when John Albert, Jr., was reported missing in action while serving as an air force pilot in the Pacific Theater in 1943, intimate friends were convinced that Dr. Key would never recover from the shock of the tragedy.
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