Metabolism
Clinical and Eqxrimental
VOL 38, NO 2
In Memoriam:
Thaddeus S. Danowski, MD (1914-1987)
W ITH the passing of Thaddeus S. Danowski, MD, the
medical community lost a great clinician, medical
scientist, and educator. He was born on September 6, 1914 in
Wallington, NJ, the son of Polish parents. He obtained his
medical degree magna cum laude from Yale University
School of Medicine and served his internship and residency
at the New Haven Hospital. In 1947, Dean William S.
McEllroy attracted Dr Danowski to Pittsburgh, where he
became the Renziehausen Professor of Research Medicine
and physician in charge of the Renziehausen Memorial
Ward and Clinic at Childrens Hospital. He was appointed
chief of the section of endocrinology and metabolism at Pitt
Medical School in 1953.
Following many years of service, Dr Danowski left the
University in 1973 to assume the directorship of the Depart-
ment of Medicine and supervision of the residency program
at Shadyside Hospital. Both the University and Shadyside
Hospital benefited greatly from his wise counseling, as he
possessed a great ability to reduce complex problems to the
essentials and to suggest practical solutions. Moreover, he
was a smooth and highly skilled negotiator.
Dr Danowski was a prolific writer; his papers are clear and
to the point as evidenced by the many witty editorials he
communicated to the Bulletin of the Allegheny County
Medical Society. His phenomenal memory and remarkable
stamina for hard work characterized him a workaholic in the
truest sense of the word. Fifteen monographs and some 600
articles are his legacy to the medical literature. Early
research interests dealt with electrolyte and water balance.
His monograph with Elkinton, “The Body Fluids,” published
in 1955, was a classic at its time. Later, he turned to
endocrine problems, particularly diabetes mellitus, obesity,
Metabolism, Vol38, No 2 (February), 1989: p 101
FEBRUARY 1989
and disorders of thyroid and adrenal function. With the help
of a devoted team of nurses and collaborators, to whom he
was known as Doctor D, he ran a tight ship, and his research
operation was very well organized.
Dr Danowski was a member of a great number of commit-
tees and belonged to numerous learned societies. He was a
valued associate editor of Metabolism from 1960 until his
death. He was proud of his Polish background, and it pleased
him tremendously when, in 1976, the Polish Academy of
Science elected him to membership. In the same year, the
Krakow Academy of Medicine honored him with a medal
commemorating the 600th year of the Faculty of Medicine.
He spoke fluent Polish and visited Poland personally to
receive these honors. He even took a few days off for
sightseeing, which most certainly was not his usual practice.
Dr Danowski was a well-informed and avid reader. In
addition to the medical literature, he read the daily papers to
keep abreast of local as well as world news. The British
publication “Punch,” of which he possessed a large collec-
tion, intrigued him since, as an Anglophile, British humor
was much to his liking.
Dr Danowski was very protective of his privacy, and he
was a very difficult person to understand. He disliked parties,
and his only hobbies were hard work and fishing. I was
privileged to join him on many fishing expeditions, and on
these occasions, his real self began to surface.
Friends and colleagues will not readily forget Thaddeus S.
Danowski, MD.
Klaus ffofmann PhD
University of Pittsburgh
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