Hans Reese
Encyclopedia
Hans Heinrich Reese, M.D. (September 17, 1891 – June 23, 1973) was a German
amateur football (soccer)
player and physician
who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics
. He was also on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine.
, Germany, in September 1891. He was educated at the University of Kiel
, entering that institution in 1911 after finishing his secondary ("gymnasium") education. As a teenager and young adult, Hans became a fine athlete and especially excelled at soccer. As noted above, he played for Germany in the 1912 Olympic games, and retained an enthusiasm for sports throughout the rest of his life.
Reese was awarded the M.D. degree in 1917. Immediately thereafter, he was conscripted as a junior officer in the German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine
) Medical Corps, serving as a military surgeon
during World War I
from 1917 through 1918.
After returning to civilian life, Dr. Reese pursued postgraduate training at the University of Hamburg
. He was a house-officer in internal medicine
, pathology
, and neuropsychiatry
. Upon completion of his residency, Reese decided to commit the remainder of his career to the practice of neurology
.
, WI) by Dr. William Lorenz
in 1924. Together with Dr. William Bleckwenn
, Reese and Lorenz comprised the professional staff of the Wisconsin Psychiatric Institute and the Department of Neuropsychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine.
Dr. Reese developed a particular interest in neurosyphilis
, which, in the 1920s and 1930s, accounted for >10% of all psychiatric illnesses. In the days before effective antibiotic therapy of that disease, somewhat unconventional treatments were utilized. One of them involved the purposeful infection of patients with malaria
l organisms, with the goal of creating a fever
. That technique followed the empiric observation that syphilis sometimes improved after febrile illnesses. Reese collaborated with investigators at other institutions using this approach, known as the "Wagner-Jauregg" treatment. Lorenz and Bleckwenn also focused on neurosyphilis with respect to their research endeavors, and, as the preeminent neurologist of the group, Reese was asked to evaluate the side-effects of experimental antisyphilitic drugs on nervous system function. The trio of physicians at Wisconsin went on to publish more than 100 papers on neurosyphilis; in particular, they developed and refined an alternative to Wagner-Jauregg therapy, using an arsenical medication called tryparsamide. Until the advent of penicillin
in the 1940s, it was probably the most effective treatment for neurosyphilis available.
Reese had several other research interests in neuropsychiatry as well. These included multiple sclerosis
, porphyria
, schizophrenia
, idiopathic myopathies, and myositis
.
Reese was widely sought-after as a consultant in neurology at UW, especially after the departure of Dr. Bleckwenn from Madison for health reasons in 1954. Hans was devoted to both his colleagues and patients, and that feeling was warmly reciprocated. In 1955, a new dean, Dr. John Zimmerman Bowers, was appointed at the UW medical school. His principal interest became the systematic replacement of existing medical school department chairpersons with external appointees from other institutions, in the belief that professional "inbreeding
" at the school had been detrimental to its academic growth. Despite Dr. Reese's accomplishments and reputation, he was summarily ousted by Bowers as chairman of Neuropsychiatry in 1956. Reese had a myocardial infarct (heart attack) shortly after this coup d'etat
. Nonetheless, following his recovery, he remained on the UW faculty and continued his academic contributions until the end of his life.
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
amateur football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player and physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics
1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports...
. He was also on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine.
Early years
Reese was born in Bordesholm, Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, Germany, in September 1891. He was educated at the University of Kiel
University of Kiel
The University of Kiel is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the Academia Holsatorum Chiloniensis by Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and has approximately 23,000 students today...
, entering that institution in 1911 after finishing his secondary ("gymnasium") education. As a teenager and young adult, Hans became a fine athlete and especially excelled at soccer. As noted above, he played for Germany in the 1912 Olympic games, and retained an enthusiasm for sports throughout the rest of his life.
Reese was awarded the M.D. degree in 1917. Immediately thereafter, he was conscripted as a junior officer in the German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
) Medical Corps, serving as a military surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
from 1917 through 1918.
After returning to civilian life, Dr. Reese pursued postgraduate training at the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
. He was a house-officer in internal medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
, pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
, and neuropsychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
. Upon completion of his residency, Reese decided to commit the remainder of his career to the practice of neurology
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
.
Career at the University of Wisconsin
Dr. Reese was recruited to the University of Wisconsin (UW; MadisonMadison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, WI) by Dr. William Lorenz
William Lorenz
William F. Lorenz, M.D. was a Major in the United States Army Medical Corps during World War I. He was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his combat actions in France...
in 1924. Together with Dr. William Bleckwenn
William Bleckwenn
Dr. William Jefferson Bleckwenn was an American physician and psychiatrist who was instrumental in developing the treatment known as "narcoanalysis" or "narcosynthesis." The lay-description for that process is the administration of "truth serum."-Early years & education:Bleckwenn was born in...
, Reese and Lorenz comprised the professional staff of the Wisconsin Psychiatric Institute and the Department of Neuropsychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine.
Dr. Reese developed a particular interest in neurosyphilis
Neurosyphilis
Neurosyphilis is an infection of the brain or spinal cord caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. It usually occurs in people who have had untreated syphilis for many years, usually about 10 - 20 years after first infection.-Symptoms and signs:...
, which, in the 1920s and 1930s, accounted for >10% of all psychiatric illnesses. In the days before effective antibiotic therapy of that disease, somewhat unconventional treatments were utilized. One of them involved the purposeful infection of patients with malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
l organisms, with the goal of creating a fever
Fever
Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...
. That technique followed the empiric observation that syphilis sometimes improved after febrile illnesses. Reese collaborated with investigators at other institutions using this approach, known as the "Wagner-Jauregg" treatment. Lorenz and Bleckwenn also focused on neurosyphilis with respect to their research endeavors, and, as the preeminent neurologist of the group, Reese was asked to evaluate the side-effects of experimental antisyphilitic drugs on nervous system function. The trio of physicians at Wisconsin went on to publish more than 100 papers on neurosyphilis; in particular, they developed and refined an alternative to Wagner-Jauregg therapy, using an arsenical medication called tryparsamide. Until the advent of penicillin
Penicillin
Penicillin is a group of antibiotics derived from Penicillium fungi. They include penicillin G, procaine penicillin, benzathine penicillin, and penicillin V....
in the 1940s, it was probably the most effective treatment for neurosyphilis available.
Reese had several other research interests in neuropsychiatry as well. These included multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
, porphyria
Porphyria
Porphyrias are a group of inherited or acquired disorders of certain enzymes in the heme bio-synthetic pathway . They are broadly classified as acute porphyrias and cutaneous porphyrias, based on the site of the overproduction and accumulation of the porphyrins...
, schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
, idiopathic myopathies, and myositis
Myositis
Myositis is a general term for inflammation of the muscles. Many such conditions are considered likely to be caused by autoimmune conditions, rather than directly due to infection It is also a documented side effect of the lipid-lowering drugs statins and fibrates.Elevation of creatine kinase in...
.
Reese was widely sought-after as a consultant in neurology at UW, especially after the departure of Dr. Bleckwenn from Madison for health reasons in 1954. Hans was devoted to both his colleagues and patients, and that feeling was warmly reciprocated. In 1955, a new dean, Dr. John Zimmerman Bowers, was appointed at the UW medical school. His principal interest became the systematic replacement of existing medical school department chairpersons with external appointees from other institutions, in the belief that professional "inbreeding
Inbreeding
Inbreeding is the reproduction from the mating of two genetically related parents. Inbreeding results in increased homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits. This generally leads to a decreased fitness of a population, which is...
" at the school had been detrimental to its academic growth. Despite Dr. Reese's accomplishments and reputation, he was summarily ousted by Bowers as chairman of Neuropsychiatry in 1956. Reese had a myocardial infarct (heart attack) shortly after this coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
. Nonetheless, following his recovery, he remained on the UW faculty and continued his academic contributions until the end of his life.