In Reply:—
I thank Drs. Berthelsen and Trubuhovich for their input regarding an item that I mentioned in the 2004 Rovenstine Lecture. In that lecture, I was recounting a number of persons that I personally have had the opportunity of working with who were among the pioneers in critical care medicine. I mentioned Dr. Thorkild Andersen, who immigrated to the United States from Copenhagen and who, on multiple occasions, reported to me that in the early 1950s, they treated polio victims with tracheal intubation and hand ventilation because mechanical ventilators were scarce and not readily available to them. My comment was not meant to imply that Dr. Andersen was the first person ever to do this in Denmark or in the United States. I appreciate Drs. Berthelsen and Trubuhovich's pointing out that actually a number of Danish physicians and students used this technique, but it was Dr. Bjørn Ibsen who first described it and is thought to deserve the credit for its introduction. Unfortunately, Dr. Andersen passed away several years ago, so it is not possible for me to go back and find out exactly what his involvement was with the technique. However, clearly, the Danes were pioneers in this field.
University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida. modeljh@shands.ufl.edu
