Our Debt to the Pioneers

As a young person, my main interests were football and the opposite sex. Occasionally, however, I would look at my bookcase to see the three-volume series Medicine and the Allied Sciences,¹ published in 1919 and authored by my famous great uncle, Samuel Fomon, PhD, MD.

My grandfather’s brother was a professor at the University of Illinois and was well known for teaching a popular review course in general medicine. Later in his career, he became an important surgeon. It was only when I decided to pursue a career in facial plastic surgery that I learned he was instrumental in bringing rhinoplasty to the United States.

Along with Irving Goldman, MD, and Maurice Cottle, MD, my great uncle founded the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS). The books I mentioned and others he wrote currently stand on my office credenza. When perplexed, I pull them out to consult with my great uncle Sam.

Pioneers take on challenges in an emerging field, many of which have been resolved by the time we begin our studies or practices. I was fortunate to learn from pioneers in rhinoplasty and facial plastic surgery, including Eugene Tardy, MD, who learned from Ira Tresley, MD, who learned from my great uncle Sam. I did my fellowship with Stephen Perkins, MD, who learned from Gaylon McCollough, MD, FACS, and Jack Anderson, MD. I did my residency at the University of Illinois during the tenure of Dean Toriumi, MD. I would not be where I am without these individuals’ pioneering efforts and teachings.

Many others contributed to the growth of rhinoplasty in the United States and deserve credit. We are all products of the past and stewards of knowledge gained from the collective experience of prior generations.

It is our privilege and responsibility to pass along this knowledge. An exploration of where we come from imbues our work with greater meaning and value and reminds us of our purpose.

1. Fomon S. Medicine and the Allied Sciences. D. Appleton; 1919.