Eli Moschcowitz
Eli Moschcowitz (1879 – 1964) was a Hungarian born, American pathologist and physician.
In 1925, Moschcowitz first described thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) in a 16-year-old girl who died 2 weeks after the abrupt onset and progression of petechial bleeding, pallor, fever, paralysis, hematuria and coma [Moschcowitz disease]
Moschcowitz was among the first to work in psychosomatic medicine, and he presented a paper in 1935 on the psychological origins of physical disease.
Biography
- Born on August 2, 1879 in Giralt, Hungary
- 1881 – Family emigrated to America
- 1900 – Graduated Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
- Pathologist at the Beth Israel Hospital
- 1945 – Retired as Director of the Mount Sinai Hospital and Professor of Clinical Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
- Died on February 23, 1964
One of the commonest and most pathetic experiences in medical practice is the tragedy of the “successful” man
Moschcowitz 1929: 347
Medical Eponyms
Moschcowitz disease (1924)
[aka *thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP)]. Congenital syndrome characterised by thrombocytopenia, purpura, haemolytic anaemia, hyaline thromboses, renal failure and neurological symptoms.
Moschcowitz triad (1933) [aka *Moschcowitz sign]
I have found that the conjunction of three signs is usually conclusive in determining the diagnosis of pericardial effusion; in the order of their importance, they are: (1) widening of the area of cardiac flatness, (2) abrupt transition from pulmonary resonance to cardiac flatness and (3) widening of the cardiac dullness in the second intercostal space. No one of these signs, taken singly, is conclusive, but together they form a triad which is thoroughly reliable, as confirmed by roentgen examination or at autopsy.
Moschcowitz 1933
Moschcowitz sign (1933)
Moschcowitz stated that of these triad of signs signs, only the second, so far as I can gather, has not been described before
The abrupt transition of pulmonary resonance to cardiac flatness is due to the practical disappearance of the lung-filled angle between the heart and the anterior wall of the chest owing to the greatly dilated pericardial sac
Moschcowitz 1933
Controversies
- Date of birth 1881 in New York Times
Major Publications
- Moschcowitz E. Hyaline thrombosis of the terminal arterioles and capillaries. A hitherto undescribed disease. Proceedings of the New York Pathological Society, 1924; 24: 21-24. [Moschcowitz disease]
- Moschcowitz E. An acute febrile pleiochromic anemia with hyalinethrombosis of the terminal arterioles and capillaries: An undescribed disease. Archives of internal medicine 1925; 36(1): 89–93. [Moschcowitz disease]
- Moschcowitz E. Cause of Hypertension of the Greater Circulation. JAMA. 1929; 93(5): 347-351.
- Moschcowitz E. The Cause of Arteriosclerosis. American Journal Of The Medical Sciences. 1929; 178: 244-267
- Moschcowitz E. A new sign of pericardial effusion. JAMA. 1933; 101(9):727-728
- Moschcowitz E. A new sign of pericardial effusion. JAMA. 1933; 100(21):1663-1664
- Moschcowitz E. The Psychogenic Origin of Organic Diseases. N Engl J Med 1935; 212(14): 603-611
- Moschcowitz E. Recent advances in psychosomatic medicine. Journal of The Mount Sinai Hospital. 1945
- Moschcowitz E. Bibliography, 1945
References
- Dedicated to Eli Moschcowitz on his 65th Birthday. Journal of The Mount Sinai Hospital. 1945
- Portrait: Eli Moschcowitz, MD. Journal of The Mount Sinai Hospital. 1945
- Obituary. Eli Moschcowitz, Internist is dead; Ex-Director at Mt. Sinai Did Work in Psychosomatics. Feb 24, 1964. Ney York Times.
- Obituary. Eli Moschcowitz, MD. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1965 Apr; 53(2): 302.
- Marcus AJ. Moschcowitz Revisited. N Engl J Med. 1982 Dec 2;307(23):1447-8.
One of the commonest and most pathetic experiences in medical practice is the tragedy of the “successful” man
Moschcowitz 1929: 347
eponym
the person behind the name
