Temple University School of Medicine - Skull Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

Page 20 text:

To the Class of 1934: February 12, 1934. IN the words of Robert Louis Stevenson there ore men and classes ■ of man that stand above the common herd; the soldier, the sailor, and the shepherd not infrequently; the artist rarely, rarelier still, the clergyman; the physician almost os a rule. He is the flower (such os it is) of our civilization; and when that stage of man is done with, and only to be marvelled at in history, he will be thought to have shared os little os any in the defects of the period, and most notably exhibited the virtues of the race. Generosity he Indiscretion, tested by c hundred secrets; tact, tried in a thousand embarrassments; and what ore more important, Herculean cheerfulness and courage. So that he brings air and cheer into the sick room, and often enough, though not so often as he wishes, brings healing. Such is the great and honorable profession for which you have been so carefully prepared and which you ore now privileged to enter Success requires endurance and perseverance. As so well stated by Osier, all things come to him who has learned to labour and wait, who bides his time, ohne Hast, abter ohne Rast, whose talent develops in der Stille, in the quiet fruitful years of unselfish work. That yours may be such a measure of equanimity as will enable you to bear success with humility, the affection of your friends without pride and to be ready when the day of sorrow and grief comes to bear it with the courage befitting a man is the sincere good wish of Your friend and teacher, Twelve

Page 19 text:

Berne and Frankfort. To crown all his achievements, it was in this year that Miss Bessie C. Herron, of Freeland, Pa., did him the honor of becoming his life partner. In 1914 Professor Kolmer and his colleagues of the D.R.L. succeeded in solving the closely-guarded German secret preparation of salvarsan and neosolvarsan at a time when the need of these important drugs was acute, due to the cessation of German importation during the World War. The sizable sums accumulated from the preparation of these drugs for the Army, Navy ond Public Health Service were segregated ond in 1920 the entire funds were given into the custody of the Board of Trustees of the newly-organized Research Institute of Cutaneous Medicine to be perpetually dedicated to medical research and the alleviation of human suffering. In 1914 Dr. Kolmer received the degree of Dr. P. H. from the University of Pennsylvania, and five years after this honor, he was promoted to the Chair of Pathology and Bacteriology in the Graduate Schol of Medicine of that institution, a post he honorably filled until August, 1931, when he resigned to dedicate himself to the broader field of Medicine, occupying that Chair at Temple University School of Medicine. Honorary degrees, awards and prizes followed each other in rapid succession; three years after receiving his Ph D., Villanova College awarded him an M.Sc. In 1926 that same institution honored him with the degree of D.Sc. and two years later that of LL.D. The following year he was made recipient of the coveted Mendel medal for generol excellence in the Sciences. The Philadelphia County Medical Society awarded him the 1931 Stritfmatier medal, in recognition of his splendid services to medicol science. The major part of Dr. Kolmer's career has been devoted to research in immunology and bacteriology, and he has published over four hundred papers in the past 'twenty-two years, all of which are characterized by the same careful, unbiased, painstaking spirit of the medical investigator par excellence Among his works are included Infection, Immunity and Biologic Therapy; The Principles and Practice of Chemotherapy with Special Reference to the Treatment of Syphilis; Serum Diagnosis by Complement Fixation; Laboratory Diagnostic Methods (with Dr. Boerner); Acute Infectious Diseases (with Dr. Schamberg); Approved Laboratory Technic (with Dr. Boerner). Many standard works, including Keen's Surgery; Frazier's Surgery of the Spinal Cord, ond others, contain some of his brilliant contributions to their respective fields. Dr. Kolmer is a Fellow of the College of Physicians; Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and member of o large number of other nationol and international societies too numerous to record in the brief scope of this short biography. He was formerly President of the Pathological and Pediatric Societies and of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists and is a member of Sigma Xi and Alpha Kappa Kappa fraternities. Eleven

Page 21 text:

December 30, 1933. IN my opinion you ore honoring one of the oblest and most distinguished men in ■ the field of clinical pathology, not only in this country but m the World I have known Dr Kolmer for years and enjoyed his personal hospitality end friendliness ond have stood in constant odmirohori of the extraordinary energy, capacity for w-ork, obility to organize, and ability to bring forth significant scientific results which ho$ characterized him tor years. I hove often heard it said that one of the things which mork the scientific investigator os having ochieved a position of distinction in the world, is the ability to ottroct Japanese students to his laboratory. For this Dr Kolmer hos been notable among the ind vidual scientists and investigators of this country. His work on the serologic tests and on the development of the Kolmer modification of the Wossermon reoction is a veritable monument to the most painstaking and controlled type of scientific work in the whole field of clinical pathology Very few questions in syphilologic research have not been illuminated by hi$ contributions As an originator of methods, one finds in daily use devices ond procedures which he introduced early in his career and which hove stood the test of the most painstokmg and critical scrutiny from investigators all over the world Knowing these things to be true of Dr Ko'mer, I congratulate your School, your Class ond your Annual on the distinction which his name will confer to your dedication page. Sincerely yours. Januory 19, 1933. I AM very happy to write c letter for the Skull concerning my good friend, • Professor John A Kolmer. As a matter of fact, it would take a good deal more than one letter to cover the achievements of Dr Kolmer in his chosen field of medieme. In opproochmq mtemol medicine through the laboratory, Kolmer followed the classic route, and I know of no better one, especially for a man who wishes o university career Dr. Kolmer hos proven himself such on able investigotor that it is olmost a pity thot he should hove been deflected into teaching ond practice My earliest recollection of his work dates bock to the eorly days of the Wossermonn test, when Kolmer become interested in the various antigens ond ochieved imjx rtont results m standardizing both the antigens ond the test. From a practical standpoint, I suppose Dr. Kolmer's contributions toward perfecting the manufacture of salvorson in America would rank as his most important. However, I hove olways been particularly intrigued by his beouhfu! experimental studies on the use of qumin derivatives in pneumococcol infections And now Dr Kolmer is Professor of Medicine in the Temple University Med'col School I am sure he fills this distinguished position with dignity ond grace, and I am quite sure thot his climes are interesting and stimulating A man with such scientific background could never be a dull teacher If this were an after-dinner speech, I would propose a toost to Temple University's Professor of Medicine, and wish him many years of successful service! Sincerely yours, 'Ruaaxjul Thirteen