Gwilym B. Lewis
Gwilym Bowen “Bill” Lewis (1914-2009) was an American Orthopedic Surgeon
Lewis dedicated more than four decades to musculoskeletal care in the San Francisco Bay Area and whose name endures through the Holstein–Lewis fracture described with Arthur Holstein (1913-2000)
He was born on June 2, 1914, in Redlands, California, the son of a Welsh immigrant—a heritage that gave him his distinctive first name, common in Wales. While studying at the University of Redlands, he met his future wife, Ruth Chandler, who would become a devoted social worker and civic advocate.
After completing his undergraduate degree, Lewis trained in medicine at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, Illinois. Upon graduating, he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1941, shortly before the country entered World War II. He completed pilot training and went on to serve as flight surgeon aboard the USS Savo Island, an escort carrier stationed in the South Pacific. He and his crew survived several enemy engagements, including a kamikaze attack at the Battle of Leyte Gulf (October 1944), the largest naval battle in history.
After the war, he specialised in orthopaedics before leaving the Navy in 1948. He often joked that his specialty was “the skin and its contents.” Dr Lewis went on to practise for 40 years at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, California, where he lived with Ruth and raised a family. Even after retiring from private practice, he continued to consult into his late 80s, admired for his wisdom, warmth, and dedication.
Biography
- 1914 – Born in Redlands, California (2 June)
- 1930s – Undergraduate degree, University of Redlands
- Late 1930s–Early 1940s – Medical training at Northwestern University, Chicago
- 1941 – Joined US Navy; completed pilot training
- 1944 – Survived kamikaze attack at Leyte Gulf as flight surgeon aboard USS Savo Island
- 1948 – Left the Navy; began career in orthopaedics
- 1950s–1990s – Practised orthopaedic surgery at Alta Bates Hospital, Berkeley
- 1963 – Co-authored description of the Holstein–Lewis fracture
- 2006 – Death of wife Ruth Lewis (née Chandler), aged 91
- 2009 – Died in Berkeley, California, aged 95 (17 September)
Medical Eponyms
Holstein–Lewis fracture (1963)
Simple spiral fracture of the humerus involving the distal 1/3 of the shaft with the distal bone fragment displaced and the proximal end deviated toward the radial side. Often associated with radial nerve paralysis.
1962 – Arthur Holstein and Lewis presented a paper at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Chicago. They presented 7 cases with this fracture type associated with radial nerve palsy
1963 – Holstein and Lewis published a study of 341 consecutive distal humerus fractures in the JBJS, 6 patients with radial nerve palsies were found, 5 of whom showed this specific fracture pattern. They hypothesized that the high association with radial nerve palsy was that the fracture occurred at the site of radial nerve runs through the lateral intermuscular septum in direct contact with the bone and with limited mobility.
The fracture is in the distal third of the humerus, spiral in type, with the distal bone fragment displaced proximally and the proximal end deviated radially. The radial nerve is caught at the fracture site.
Major Publications
- Holstein A, Lewis GB. Laminectomy and fusion for disc lesions. Calif Med. 1957 Feb;86(2):91-2.
- Holstein A, Lewis GB. Comminuted fractures of the acetabulum: central dislocation of the femoral head. J Int Coll Surg. 1959 Jul;32(1):65-70.
- Lewis GB, Holstein A. End results in patellectomy. Bull Hosp Joint Dis. 1960 Apr;21:71-4.
- Holstein A, Lewis GB. Fractures of the humerus with radial-nerve paralysis. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1963; 45: 1382-8 [Holstein–Lewis fracture]
- Holstein A, Lewis GB. Extruded lumbar intervertebral discs in pseudospondylolisthesis. Bull Hosp Joint Dis. 1969 Apr;30(1):28-38.
References
Biography
- Obituary: Gwilym B. Lewis MD. 2009
Eponymous terms
- Hunter TB, Peltier LF, Lund PJ. Radiologic history exhibit. Musculoskeletal eponyms: who are those guys? RadioGraphics 2000; 20: 819-36.
Eponym
the person behind the name
