John Williams

Biography

• Born November 16, 1922 in Wellington New Zealand
• 1944 – Plunket Oratory Medal, Victoria University College, Wellington
• 1945 – BSc, Victoria University College, Wellington
• 1947 – BA, Victoria University College, Wellington
• 1953 – Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, Otago Medical School, Dunedin
• 1954 – Intern at Auckland Hospital
• 1956-1962 Greenlane Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand
• 1961 – As a registrar in cardiology, Williams published a paper on the syndrome that now bears his name
• 1962-1965 Postdoctoral Fellow in Cardiovascular Physiology, Mayo Clinic. [Laboratory of Professor EA Wood]
• 1966-1968 Fellow in Cardiovascular Physiology, University College London, UK [Laboratory of Professor AF Huxley]
• 1972 – Accepted, then later declined a post at the Latter Day Saints Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah
• 1988 – Declared a “missing person presumed to be dead from 1978” by the High Court of New Zealand [Rotorua Registry M122/88]

Medical Eponyms

Williams syndrome (1961)

Generalized disorder characterized by unusual facies, abnormal behavioral abilities, cardiovascular anomalies, especially supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS), renal and other abnormalities

Characteristic clinical findings. Facial features: Young children are often described as cute or pixielike, with a flat nasal bridge, short upturned nose, periorbital puffiness, long philtrum, and delicate chin; whereas older patients have slightly coarse features, with full lips, a wide smile, and a full nasal tip

1961 – John Cyprian Phipps Williams (1922 – ) and colleagues published on four patients with supravalvular aortic stenosis, mental disability, and facial features including a broad forehead, large chin, low-set “drooping” cheeks, widely spaced eyes, and wide-set mouth.

The presence of supravalvular aortic stenosis in mentally retarded patients with the unusual facial features here detailed may constitute a syndrome that has not previously been described.

Williams 1961

Major Publications

• Lowe JB, Williams JCP, Robb D, Cole D. Congenital diverticulum of the left ventricle. Br Heart J. 1959; 21(1): 101-106.
• Williams JC, Barratt-Boyes BG. Atrial septal defect: the results of repair using the atrial well method. N Z Med J. 1959;58:279-287.
• Barratt-Boyes BG, Lowe JB, Watt WJ, Cole DS, Williams JC. Initial Experiences with Extracorporeal Circulation in Intracardiac Surgery. Br Med J. 1960; 2(5216): 1826-1831.
• Williams JCP, Barratt-Boyes BG, Lowe JB. Supravalvular aortic stenosis. Circulation. 1961; 24: 1311-8. [Williams syndrome]
• Williams JCP
• , Barratt-Boyes BG, Lowe JB. Underdeveloped right ventricle and pulmonary stenosis. Am J Cardiol. 1963; 11: 458-468.
• Williams JCP, Vandenberg RA, O’Donovan TP, Sturm RE, Wood EH. Roentgen video densitometer study of mitral valve closure during atrial fibrillation. J Appl Physiol. 1968;24(2):217-224.
• Williams JCP, Lambert EH, Titus JL. Use of intracardiac A-V nodal potentials in producing complete heart block in dogs. J Appl Physiol. 1969;27(5):740-744.
• Vandenberg RA, Williams JCP, Sturm RE, Wood EH. Effect of ventricular extrasystoles on closure of mitral valve. Circulation. 1969;39(2):197-204.
• Williams JCP, Sturm RE, Wood EH, Vandenberg RA. Effect of varying ventricular function by extrasystolic potentiation on closure of the mitral valve. Am J Cardiol. 1971;28(1):43-53

References

• King M. Wrestling with the Angel: A life of Janet Frame. Counterpoint LLC 2000
• Berdon WE, Clarkson PM, Teele RL. Williams-Beuren syndrome: historical aspects. Pediatr Radiol. 2011; 41(2): 262-266.
• Lenhoff HM, Teele RL, Clarkson PM, Berdon WE. John C. P. Williams of Williams-Beuren syndrome. Pediatr Radiol. 2011;41(2):267-269.