Ronald Cranford
Encyclopedia
Ronald Eugene Cranford (1941 – May 31, 2006) was a neurologist
and expert on coma
s and unconsciousness
. He is best known for his work with families on public cases involving persons in a persistent vegetative state
. He and three other doctors were responsible for introducing the "do not resuscitate
" order. He worked with the families of such notable cases as Karen Ann Quinlan
, Paul Brophy
, Nancy Cruzan
and Terri Schiavo
.
. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology and his medical degree
in 1965 from the University of Illinois College of Medicine
in Chicago. He was a flight surgeon
in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War
.
in Minneapolis, attaining the rank of Professor of Medicine in 1993. He held numerous posts with neurologic and ethics
societies. In the mid-1970s, Dr. Cranford founded and chaired the Thanatology Committee at Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, to examine and improve end-of-life care. With Steven Miles, MD, Dr. Cranford and Alvin Shultz, MD, introduced the Do not resuscitate
(DNR) order.
His testimony to the President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research was incorporated in their seminal 1981 report, “Defining Death,” and their 1983 report, “Deciding to Forego Life-Sustaining Treatment.” Dr. Cranford published about 60 articles in the medical literature principally on states of unconsciousness and end-of-life care. In March 2006, his last letter in The Lancet
condemned the force-feeding
of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
.
Neurologist
A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurology, and is trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders.Neurology is the medical specialty related to the human nervous system. The nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. A specialist...
and expert on coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
s and unconsciousness
Unconsciousness
Unconsciousness is the condition of being not conscious—in a mental state that involves complete or near-complete lack of responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli. Being in a comatose state or coma is a type of unconsciousness. Fainting due to a drop in blood pressure and a...
. He is best known for his work with families on public cases involving persons in a persistent vegetative state
Persistent vegetative state
A persistent vegetative state is a disorder of consciousness in which patients with severe brain damage are in a state of partial arousal rather than true awareness. It is a diagnosis of some uncertainty in that it deals with a syndrome. After four weeks in a vegetative state , the patient is...
. He and three other doctors were responsible for introducing the "do not resuscitate
Do not resuscitate
In medicine, a "do not resuscitate" or "DNR" is a legal order written either in the hospital or on a legal form to respect the wishes of a patient to not undergo CPR or advanced cardiac life support if their heart were to stop or they were to stop breathing...
" order. He worked with the families of such notable cases as Karen Ann Quinlan
Karen Ann Quinlan
Karen Ann Quinlan was an important figure in the history of the right to die controversy in the United States....
, Paul Brophy
Paul Brophy
Paul Brophy was a firefighter in Massachusetts who entered a persistent vegetative state with no believed chance of recovery...
, Nancy Cruzan
Nancy Cruzan
Nancy Beth Cruzan was a figure in the right-to-die movement. After an automobile accident left her in a persistent vegetative state, her family petitioned in courts for three years, as far as the U.S. Supreme Court , to have her feeding tube removed...
and Terri Schiavo
Terri Schiavo
The Terri Schiavo case was a legal battle in the United States between the legal guardians and the parents of Teresa Marie "Terri" Schiavo that lasted from 1998 to 2005...
.
Early and education
Cranford was born in Peoria, IllinoisPeoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology and his medical degree
Medical degree
A medical degree is, broadly defined, any academic degree which places its holder in a position to engage in the practice of medicine. BBC has reported that Medicine related degree programs such as MBBS, BDS and PharmD are the most difficult degree programs of all the other Bachelor degree programs...
in 1965 from the University of Illinois College of Medicine
University of Illinois College of Medicine
The University of Illinois College of Medicine offers a four-year program leading to the MD degree at four different sites in Illinois: Chicago, Peoria, Rockford, and Urbana–Champaign....
in Chicago. He was a flight surgeon
Flight surgeon
A flight surgeon is a military medical officer assigned to duties in the clinical field variously known as aviation medicine, aerospace medicine, or flight medicine...
in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Medical career
Cranford spent his career at Hennepin County Medical CenterHennepin County Medical Center
Hennepin County Medical Center is a Level I trauma center based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the county seat of Hennepin County. The primary 422-bed facility is located on five city blocks across the street from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, with satellite clinics in Minneapolis, Brooklyn...
in Minneapolis, attaining the rank of Professor of Medicine in 1993. He held numerous posts with neurologic and ethics
Medical ethics
Medical ethics is a system of moral principles that apply values and judgments to the practice of medicine. As a scholarly discipline, medical ethics encompasses its practical application in clinical settings as well as work on its history, philosophy, theology, and sociology.-History:Historically,...
societies. In the mid-1970s, Dr. Cranford founded and chaired the Thanatology Committee at Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, to examine and improve end-of-life care. With Steven Miles, MD, Dr. Cranford and Alvin Shultz, MD, introduced the Do not resuscitate
Do not resuscitate
In medicine, a "do not resuscitate" or "DNR" is a legal order written either in the hospital or on a legal form to respect the wishes of a patient to not undergo CPR or advanced cardiac life support if their heart were to stop or they were to stop breathing...
(DNR) order.
His testimony to the President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research was incorporated in their seminal 1981 report, “Defining Death,” and their 1983 report, “Deciding to Forego Life-Sustaining Treatment.” Dr. Cranford published about 60 articles in the medical literature principally on states of unconsciousness and end-of-life care. In March 2006, his last letter in The Lancet
The Lancet
The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
condemned the force-feeding
Force-feeding
Force-feeding is the practice of feeding a person or an animal against their will. "Gavage" is supplying a nutritional substance by means of a small plastic tube passed through the nose or mouth into the stomach, not explicitly 'forcibly'....
of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.