PROFILE

The Beautiful Eclectic World of Doctor Dieter

By Prof. Talaat I. Farag


The brief portrait of this truly exceptional, distinguished and unique medical scientist is dedicated to everyone in the world who is looking to find a role model.

 

Dr. Dieter: President of the International College of Surgery (ICS)

During the regional World Health Organization (WHO) meeting held in last March, I had the honor of meeting the revered Dr. Raymond Dieter, Jr, a distinguished cardiothoracic surgeon with a long list of titles and honors to his name. Dr. Dieter is a morsologist, the President of the Northern Illinois Surgicenter, the World President of the International College of Surgeons (ICS) for 2003 and 2004, and the Director of the International Museum of Surgical Science (IMSS). To say that he was one of the stars of the WHO meetings would be an understatement. The conference brought together international surgeons and scientists in a high-profile gathering to discuss the development of the new Global Academy of Tropical Surgery (GATS) which is dedicated to preventing many health problems. 

In this article, I try my hand the very trying task of illustrating Dr. Dieter's multifaceted profile in hope of presenting a mere glimpse at his beautiful world. Dieter’s academic career dates back to the years 1954 and 1955, when he studied veterinary medicine at the University of Illinois . Only four years after graduation, he had completed a second degree and earned his MD from Loyola University in 1960. He continued at the University of Illinois in Chicago and received an MSc in physiology by 1966 and a BSc in Chemistry in 1996 from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. His ability to accumulate degrees is matched only by his ability to earn prestigious fellowships at major scientific organizations. He is a fellow of the American Board of Surgery (1968), American Board of Thoracic Surgery (1969), American College of Surgeons (1969), and American College of Physicians (1995), as well as being a member in 24 committees and community associations. A prolific writer, Dieter has written a plethora of scientific publications including 63 papers, 44 abstracts and 9 books.

Dr. Dieter MD, MS, BS, FICS, FACS, also currently holds the Presidency of the Northeast Du Page Center for Surgery and past president of the Glen Ellyn Economic Development Council. In this midst of all his duties, he continues to pioneer new surgical techniques and new approaches to healthcare delivery and administrative alternatives that enhance the delivery of better healthcare for less cost. During his tenure he has directed 16 post-graduate courses, mainly on operative thoracoscopy, minimally-invasive coronary surgery, and laparoscopic hernia repair. His scientific achievements have gained him a spot in 8 book listings including, Who is Who in the Mid-West (1975), Men of Achievement (1978), Creative and Successful Personalities (1972, 1976), Community Leaders and Noteworthy Americans (1977), and Who is Who in Health and Medicine (1990).  

On the international front, Dieter has been a member of the ICS (www.icsglobal.org) since 1975 and has held a number of positions in the organization, including President of the United States Section and Corporate Secretary of the World Parent Body.  He is the President of the Northern Illinois Center for Surgery and Past President of the Glen Ellyn Clinic and of the Department of Surgery, of the Central du Page Hospital medical staff, and also the Good Samaritan Hospital medical staff.

In 2003, he became the 31st elected President of the ICS, which has six federations (North American, Latin American, European, African, Asian, and Pacific) in 112 countries with 8000 fellows who care for thousands of patients, sit on numerous committees and conferences, teach and train students, interns, residents and fellows around the world. The ICS's past presidents include: Prof. Komei Nakayama (JAPAN), Prof. Esteban Rocca ( PERU), Prof. Henry P. Leis, Jr. (USA), Prof. Kenji Honda (JAPAN), Prof. Giuseppe Pezzuoli (ITALY), Prof. Tehemton Udwadia (INDIA), Prof. John Lumley (GREAT BRITAIN), Prof. Pedro Rubio (USA), Prof. Refaat Kamel (EGYPT), Prof. Earl Owen (AUSTRALIA), Prof. Wilson Pollara ( BRAZIL) and Prof. Chun-Jean Lee (TAIWAN). The College's President-Elect is Prof. Nadey Hakim (GREAT BRITAIN).

Dr. Dieter notes that "If one estimates a thousand patients per doctor and multiplies this by the number of ICS Fellows, this then means 8,000,000 individuals – patients, friends, family – are cared for each year by ICS Fellows. If we assume ten (10) trainees per physician, that comes to 80,000 trainees around the world. These two numbers alone are amazing. Just think of the opportunity to spread the word of the ICS and organized medicine, if each patient or each student received some indication that their physician or professor is a member of the ICS." Virtually every surgical specialty is represented by the membership of the ICS in all regions of the world from heart transplantation to micro vascular surgery, lung transplantation to leprosy, from routine elective to major emergency services.

Dr. Dieter: Director of the International Museum of Surgical Science (IMSS)

The IMSS (www.imss.org), located in Chicago , spans over 4000 years of surgical history and is linked to many other museums, with holdings from dinosaur bones to musical tones. It includes art and artifacts that deal with surgery as well as history, science, health and cultural studies. The museum's (Anatomy in the Gallery) exhibition series features artists who work in medically-related themes. This program is sponsored in part by the Illinois Arts Council.

The IMSS also offers educational programs to inspire students and the public by presenting the evolution of surgical and medical approaches. One of these programs is the "Amputation Demonstration" which presents the way amputation surgeries were performed before the discovery of anesthesia and germ theory. The IMSS releases a quarterly newsletter, "Muse-letter" and offers lecture series. For those who are interested, knock on Dr. Dieter’s door and becoming a member of the IMSS, you shall be a reciprocal member at over 200 museums and science centers throughout the world including the American Association of Museums and Association of Science-Technology Centers.  


Dr. Dieter: The Tropical Morsologist

Through both his academic and research experiences in veterinary and human medicines, he noticed that the ignorance about animal behavior may result in fatalities due to animal bites. He became interested in the traumas that occurred from these accidents and diseases transmitted from animal bites. This interest made him a pioneer in the new discipline morsology (morsel or morsus = 'bite'), which means the science of studying bites. From his research, he noticed that in some areas it is estimated that half of the population at some time during their life will be bitten by either a warm-blooded or cold-blooded animal. This challenged him to study the traumas resulting from bites and zoonotic diseases. In the USA alone, it is estimated that 4 to 5 million people are bitten each year by animals, and that 86% of them occur with children. He advises that wild animals as pets are hazards, and that keeping them as pets may be illegal. In the Tropical Surgery (2004) textbook edited by Prof. R. Kamel and Prof. J. Lumley, he is author and co-author of three interesting chapters relating to this topic along with three other doctors from the Dieter's "clan". Interestingly, in 1981, he published with four Dieters, a book entitled A Dieter Family Tree. Furthermore, he is working on completing a 4-volume chronological series, entitled Adventures of The Dieter Family, with the fourth book in preparation. 

He notes that there are 7400 species in the class Reptila (cold-blooded) ranging from less than an inch in length to several feet. They include turtles, lizards, alligators, and crocodiles which can grow to over 6 metres in length and weigh over one ton. There were 51 human deaths from crocodile bites in one Tanzanian district over a span of 4 years from January 1990 and 60 crocodile attacks admitted to Trinity Hospital in southern Malawi demonstrated to him the seriousness and global distribution of the issue of bites.

Despite the fact that between 20-100 million sharks are killed through fishing activities around the world, Dr. Dieter observed that shark attacks occurred in Australia, California, Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oregon and Texas. On July 6, 2001, an 8-year-old boy in the Gulf Islands National Seashore near Fort Pickers, Florida was attacked and had his arm removed by a shark. Fortunately an uncle was able to bring the arm from the shark's mouth and the boy was taken to a hospital where the arm was re-attached. Through further research and databasing, Dr. Dieter noticed that most of the attacks were done by great white sharks, tiger sharks, bull sharks and sand sharks.


Dr. Dieter: Humanitarian

In 1980, Dr. Dieter expressed his deepest passion added to his profile the "humanitarian" dimension which he cared for so dearly. He did so by joining the World Federations of Doctors Who Respect Human Life. Despite his rigorous academic research interests, I was astonished when I discovered this other aspect of his beautiful world during the three-day WHO workshops. Dieter seeks, alongside the former ICS presidents Profs. R. Kamel and J. Lumley, to ensure quality and equity in health services for the six billion people of the world. Prior to leaving Cairo , I relished the timed I spent with Dr. Dieter over dinner at Concorde El-Salam Hotel in the company of his friend Prof. Jose Alvear, the President of the ICS's XXXIV World Congress. We discussed the divine right to health for every human. Dr. Dieter further emphasized his philosophy through his work with the ICS, noting that "we [surgeons] have an enviable opportunity – that of treating the needy, the sick, the people of the world. We care for people in every walk of life and on every continent." At this point it was most evident that Dr. Dieter’s beautiful and eclectic world is a cocktail of medicine, science and art that aspires to greater dreams of peace and equality for everyone, from access to surgical techniques to education about animal bites.

If you’re wondering where Dieter became who he is today, you need only look to his lineage. In 1981, Dr. Dieter published with four other Dieters, a book entitled A Dieter Family Tree. To inform the public about his fascinating quest and his unique family story, he is now working on completing a 4-volume chronological series, entitled Adventures of The Dieter Family, with the fourth book in preparation. With all this history in the rearview mirror, one wonders what the next generation of Dieters will bring.


Dr. Dieter's Photo Gallery



Prof. Talaat I. Farag, MD,FRCP,FACP,FACMG is a former adjunct professor at Dalhousie University in Canada. He is the founder of The Ambassadors Research Foundation in 1998. Email: tfarag@dal.ca.


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