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Niels L. Low, a long-term colleague and friend and one of the pioneers in child neurology, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on December 16, 1916, the third generation of a family of physicians. He attended the medical school of Charles University in Prague, transferring for his last year to the Medical College of South Carolina, Charleston, from which he graduated in 1940. A rotating internship in Racine, Wisc, from 1940 to 1941 was followed by 2 years of pediatric residency at Milwaukee Children’s Hospital. It was while he was performing a spinal tap on an infant that he met a charming rotating student nurse, Mary Margaret, who was holding down the child and would become his wife of 64 years.
Niels L. Low at his 90th birthday celebration in December 2006.During World War II, Niels served in the United States Army in England, Belgium, and France and was discharged with the rank of Captain in 1946. He entered pediatric practice in Racine until 1953, during which time he was in charge of the epilepsy clinic and electroencephalography (EEG) at the Milwaukee Children’s Hospital. He then moved as research fellow to Chicago, Ill, to receive formal training in EEG under Dr Frederick Gibbs, the father of clinical EEG, with whom he wrote 2 papers on childhood EEGs.
His next move, in 1955, was to The Neurological Institute of New York at Columbia– Presbyterian Medical Center for a 1-year United Cerebral Palsy Fellowship under the mentorship of Dr Sidney Carter. Armed with these new skills, he was recruited by Dr James F. Bosma to the University of Utah Medical School as Associate Research Professor of Pediatrics. This is where he was exposed to the severe consequences of untreated phenylketonuria and to a variety of other neurologic illnesses of childhood.
Determined to become a card-carrying child neurologist, Niels returned in 1958 to The Neurological Institute as an NIH-supported trainee to complete 2 more years of fellowship, including the year of adult neurology, that would make him eligible to sit for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology exami- nation, which he easily passed in December 1960, after walking several miles in a blizzard from his house in New Jersey to The Neurological Institute.
Dr Carter, impressed by the unique talents displayed by Niels both as a clinician and as a teacher, invited him to join the Columbia University faculty where he climbed through the ranks, being appointed Professor of Clinical Neurology and Pediatrics in 1989. He was in charge of the very active child neurology clinic, made teaching rounds, and took care of patients. Deeply interested in the care of handicapped children, Niels, Dr Carter, and other child neurologists from The Neurological Institute regularly went to Blythedale Children’s Hospital to consult on those with cerebral palsy and other chronic illnesses.
Often they invited trainees, stu- dents, and any others with an afternoon to spare to come with them. His services were so much appreciated that Blythedale Children’s Hospital appointed him to the staff and embraced him as Medical Director and Chief of Pediatrics for the 8 years that followed his mandatory retire- ment at age 65 years from Columbia–Presbyterian Medical Center. Indefatigable, he then joined part time a group of colleagues for a few more years to continue caring for chil-dren with neurological illnesses.
His many trainees universally remember him as an out- standing clinician, a no-nonsense teacher, and kind to and caring of children and their parents. He was an early and dogged champion of the use of corticosteroids to treat infants with infantile spasms, one of his enduring interests. At a time when child neurology was a new specialty focused on exotic diseases, Niels concern was chronic disorders and their consequences for children’s lives. He wrote, in collabo- ration with the physiatrist Dr James Downey, The Child With Disabling Illness, which went through 2 editions. He was also the author of some 2 dozen papers and chapters, and he lectured widely in the United States and abroad.
He was very active in national and international pediatric, neurologic, and child neurology societies, and was elected early, in 1965, to active membership of the American Neurological Association, the senior academic neurologic society. He served on the boards of both the American EEG Society and the International Child Neurology Association, of which he was a founding member and its second presi- dent (1975-1979).
Niels had many outside interests: he liked gardening, history, stamp collecting, and travel. Above all, his 2 enduring loves were his family,his wife, 2 highly accomplished children, 5 grandchildren, and 1 great grandson and child neurology. Instantly recognizable (Figure 1) by his bow tie, spare and erect silhouette, and the patch to cover the eye he lost to cancer more than 30 years ago, his many friends and colleagues and his innumerable trainees and students all miss his forthrightness and no-nonsense approach to prob- lems, dry wit, remarkable clinical acumen, and unfailing kindness. He died quietly at home in Tenafly, New Jersey, on August 29, 2007.
Bibliography of Niels L. Low
- Gibbs FA, Low NL. Electroencephalography in children. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1955;Feb, Vol. 2:291-303.
- Low NL, Gibbs EL, Gibbs FA. Electroencephalographic findings in breath holding spells. Pediatrics. 1955;15:595-599.
- Low NL. Electroencephalographic studies following pertussis immunizations. J Pediatr. 1955;47:35-39.
- Low NL, Carter S. Multiple sclerosis in children. Pediatrics. 1956;18:24-30.
- Low NL, Scheinberg L, Andersen DH. Brain tissue in the nose and throat. Pediatrics. 1956;18:254-259.
- Armstrong MD, Carlisle JW, Low NL. Phenylketonuria; two unusual cases. Lancet. 1956;271(6949):917-918.
- Low NL, Bosma JF, Armstrong MD. Studies on phenylketonuria. VI. EEG studies in phenylketonuria. AMA Arch Neurol Psychiatry. 1957;77:359-365.
- Armstrong MD, Low NL. Phenylketonuria VIII. Relation between age, serum phenylalanine level, and phenylpyruvic acid excre- tion. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1957;94:142-146.
- Armstrong MD, Low NL, Bosma JF. Studies on phenylketonuria. IX. Further observations on the effect of phenylalanine- restricted diet on patients with phenylketonuria. Am J Clin Nutr. 1957;5:543-554.
- Low NL, Myers GG. Suvren in brain-injured children. J Pediatr. 1958;52:259-263.
- Low NL, Schneider J, Carter S. Polyneuritis in children. Pediatrics. 1958;22:972-990.
- Low NL, Bosma JF, Armstrong MD, Madsen JA. Infantile spasms with mental retardation. I. Clinical observations and dietary experiments. Pediatrics. 1958;22:1153-1164.
- Low NL. Infantile spasms with mental retardation. II. Treatment with cortisone and adrenocorticotropin. Pediatrics. 1958;22: 1165-1169.
- Low NL. Infantile spasms. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1960 May;7:373-380.
- Low NL, Yahr MD. The lack of pulmonary fibrosis in patients receiving diphenylhydantoin. JAMA. 1960;174:1201-1202.
- Poser CM, Low NL. Autopsy findings in three cases of hypsarhythmia (infantile spasms with mental retardation). Acta Paediatr.1960;49:695-706.
- Low NL, Dawson SP. Electroencephalographic findings in juvenile delinquency. Pediatrics. 1961;28:452-457.
- Fois A. The Electroencephalogram of the Normal Child. Translated and edited by Niels L. Low. Springfield, IL: C. C. Thomas; 1961.
- Low NL, Carter S. Paediatric neurology. Dev Med Child Neurol.1963;18:412-415.
- Low NL, Correll JW, Hammill JF. Tumors of the cerebral hemispheres in children. Arch Neurol. 1965;13:547-554. Low NL, Correll JW. Head pain due to leptomeningeal cysts. Br J Surg. 1966;53:791-793.
- Chutorian AM, Gold AP, Low NL. Steroid therapy of non-infantile (childhood) myoclonic epilepsy. Neurology. 1968;18:304-305. Low NL. Cerebral palsy. Med Clin North Am. 1972;56:1273-1279.
- Downey JA, Low NL, eds. The Child With Disabling Illness;Principles of Rehabilitation. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders;1974; 2nd ed. New York: Raven Press; 1982.
- Low NL. Spinal muscular atrophy syndromes. Pediatr Ann.1977;6:162-168.
- Low NL. A hypothesis why “early intervention” in cerebral palsy might be useful. Brain Dev. 1980;2:133-135.
- Jankovic J, Armstrong D, Low NL, Goetz CG. Case 2, 1988.Congenital mental retardation and juvenile parkinsonism. MovDisord. 1988;3:352-361.
- Jankovic J, Armstrong D, Low NL, Rapin I. Case 3, 1988. Progressive myoclonic epilepsy, dementia, and blindness in a young girl. Mov Disord. 1988;3:362-369.
Original article:
In Memoriam: Niels L. Low, MD (1916-2007)
Arnold P. Gold and Isabelle Rapin J Child Neurol 2008 23: 468
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10th International Child Neurology Congress, June 11-16, 2006, Montreal, Canada.Abstracts of the 10th International Child Neurology Congress, June 11-16, 2006, Montreal, Canada.published in Neuropediatrics. 2006 Jun;37 Suppl 1:S1-183.
Montreal, Canada, 11-16, June 2006
Chairman: Michael Shevell, Montreal, Canada
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The Joint Meeting of the 9th International Child Neurology Con- gress (ICNC) and the 7th Asian and Oceanian Congress of Child Neurology (AOCCN) was held in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, from September 20 to 25, 2002. There were 1137 participants from 72 countries and regions attending.
Professor Xi-Ru Wu from the Department of Pediatrics, First Hospital, Peking University Health Science Center, was the congress president, and Professor Yoshiyuki Suzuki was the chairman of the Scientific Program Com- mittee. The secretariat included three secretary-generals: Dr Yu- Wu Jiang and Dr Xin-Hua Bao from the Department of Pediatrics, First Hospital, Peking University Health Science Center and Mr Shao-Yuan Wu from the China International Conference Center for Science and Technology (CICCST), the professional conference organization of this congress. They are smart young persons.
The China International Conference Center for Science and Technol- ogy has a very strong team led by Mr Wu. This is the first world- wide international child neurology congress held in the People’s Republic of China. After the congress, we received many positive and warm responses, such as e-mails and letters from participants from different countries and regions. Here are some examples:
Dr Joseph Volpe wrote, “The meeting was beautifully organized and scientifically stimulating. Sara and I greatly enjoyed our visits to the wonderful sites in and around Beijing.”
Dr Jean Aicardi wrote, “Many thanks for all the work you did for the meeting and for the very nice and friendly atmosphere that you created. The scientific quality of the meeting was truly outstanding, and this, I heard, was the general opinion of the people I talked to.”
Dr Yoshiyuki Suzuki wrote, “First, I congratulate you on the great success of the International Child Neurology Congress in Beijing. All of the colleagues I met and spoke to commented that it was the most successful meeting in the history of the International Child Neurology Association. I am proud that you all contributed much to the organization of the meeting, and you are rewarded by warm appreciation from all participants.”
Dr Hung Kun-Long (Chinese Taipei) wrote, “It was my great pleasure to enjoy the Joint Congress of the 9th International Child Neurology Congress and the 7th Asian and Oceanian Congress of Child Neurology in Beijing last month. Congratulations; the meeting was one of the best I have ever attended.”
Dr Kerr Alison wrote, “The congress was a huge undertaking, and I and all of my colleagues felt that it was exceedingly well organized. All of the staff were so helpful, and there was a very happy spirit throughout the meeting.”
Dr Roger Brumback wrote, “It was a tremendous scientific/social experience for me, and my wife loved the terrific tours available.”
Dr Kenneth Swaiman wrote, “The meeting was wonderful. I am so proud of you!”
DRS XI-RU WU AND YOSHIYUKI SUZUKI
Letters and e-mails are still coming. All of these friendly responses encouraged the colleagues a great deal. Hosting this huge congress in Beijing makes us proud indeed. We shall never forget the friendship, help, encouragement, and contribution from the entire board of the International Child Neurology Association and Asian and Oceanian Congress of Child Neurology, from all of the organizations and company sponsors, and from all of our colleagues and friends.
Every achievement belongs to all of them. The achievements of the scientific program resulted from the enormous endeavor for more than 2 years of hard work. Professor Yoshiyuki Suzuki not only organized the program committee meetings, he also frequently communicated with his friends and pediatric neurologists in the International Child Neurology Association and Asian and Oceanian Congress of Child Neurology boards to encourage them to suggest the main topics and potential speakers from different countries. We paid considerable attention to new problems in the new century, recently updated topics, clinical practical child neurology problems, and special problems in developing countries.
We decided to try to invite worldly, wellknown speakers in different fields of child neurology, and, according to the suggestions from the committee members, we finally organized 10 morning sessions, one keynote lecture, 5 plenary sessions, 10 topic updates, 16 symposia, 3 workshop sessions, 1 Ford Memorial Lecture, and 1 Prichard Award Lecture during the 5 days of the congress—altogether, 120 well-known invited speakers.
All of the lectures, such as the keynote lecture, plenary sessions, topic updates, and the Ford and Prichard lectures, became the highlights of the congress. Almost all of the main meeting halls were full of participants, and the lectures were wonderful, with very active discussions.
To encourage as many young scientists as possible to give oral presentations and increase the enthusiasm of the participation, the Scientific Program Committee intended to schedule the free paper session midday (from 10:30 am to 3:00 pm) every day, followed by the symposia.
This arrangement enabled many to attend the free paper sessions but made the whole program too “crowded” for the participants. Nevertheless, most participants said that they enjoyed it. As we know, even on the final day of the congress, there were still many audiences in the last four symposia, with very active discussions.
The topics of the program included not only the Human Genome Project, developmental neuroscience, neurogenetics, and channelopathy but also central nervous system infectious diseases, epilepsies, pervasive disorders, behavioral and learning problems, and child neurology education.
Dr Suzuki and his Scientific Program Committee also paid attention to traditional oriental medicine and organized a special symposium for this. Four Chinese (including a speaker from Hong Kong) child neurologists and neuroscientists gave lectures in this session, which was well attended. More than 840 abstracts were published in the journal Brain and Development, and the members of the scientific committee and the reviewers contributed a lot to this work.
The congress organization and social program were designed based on the principles of high quality and high order, making the participants feel happy, enjoyable, safe, and convenient and creating a friendly atmosphere, so that everyone could concentrate on the scientific program.
For this purpose, the president and the secretariat worked very hard for more than 2 years, before and during the congress, to design a high-quality social program in details, to do fundraising, to find the most suitable meeting rooms and the best equipment, to choose the best performance teams, to arrange the accommodation, to serve the daily lunch buffet, to organize the free excursion to the Summer Palace and the local tour, to rent shuttle buses to the hotels and downtown, and to establish the pick-up station in the airport.
All of these arrangements were highly appreciated by all participants. One of the highlights was the opening ceremony. The vice-president of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, Professor JP Wu, sent a letter extending his congratulations, and the minister of health of China, Professor WK Zhang, and the president of Peking University Health Science Center, Professor QD Han, attended the ceremony. Professors XR Wu, Yoshiyuki Suzuki, Shaul Harel, and Yokio Fukuyama gave welcome addresses.
Entertainment was provided by the famous Peking Child Martial School and the Children and Young Women’s Chorus of the China National Symphony Orchestra. All performances were in the traditional Chinese style, representing the health, peace, and happiness of Chinese children. The high-quality Chinese kung fu and the excellent singing attracted all participants, and some of the attendees were moved deeply and even in tears.
The congress dinner, with the excellent performance by the Peking University Student Choir, was another highlight. Some of the participants could not help but join in the dancing. During the dinner, Dr Shaul Harel transferred the International Child Neurology Association hammer to the new president, Dr Paolo Curatolo.
Both the opening and the closing ceremonies ended with the same song because the lyrics of this song expressed our good wishes to all participants: “The same happiness has given us the same song; please take up my song and carry it home, please leave your smile here for us.”
Also, it is worth mentioning that for the past 2 years, there was a well-trained group of young people from the China International Conference Center for Science and Technology and the Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, mainly MD, PhD, master’s, postdoctoral, and undergraduate medical students.
They received very strict training before the congress and did excellent work during the congress under the guidance of three secretary-generals. They worked in almost every place before and during the congress, such as helping printing and editing the abstracts, acting as the master of ceremonies (Dr Xiang Cai), picking up the participants at the airport, operating the slide projectors and computers, helping authors to put on the posters, guiding the participants to lunch and dinner, and helping the participants with special problems.
Their hard work was perfect and made the congress a success. The congress ended, but we believe that the friendships with our colleagues will remain. We look forward to meeting all friends in the near future and also welcome all of them to visit China again.
Xi-Ru Wu, Yu-Wu Jiang and Xin-Hua Bao
This article first appeared in J Child Neurol 2003 18: 131
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Werner Fritz Isler, Professor Dr med
(6 March 1919–30 January 2002), Ku¨snacht, Switzerland
Dr. Werner Fritz Isler, a former Professor of Pediatric Neurology at Universitäts-Kinderklinik Zürich and an honorary member of Gesellschaft für Neuropädiatrie, passed away suddenly on January 30, 2002, at the age of 82. He was a trailblazer in the emerging field of child neurology, significantly advancing the care of children with neurological disorders. His dedication extended to the education and training of future specialists in child neurology and the creation of specialized organizations at both regional and international levels.
Dr. Isler began his career in neurosurgery at Zürich University under the guidance of Professor Hugo Krayenbühl, a pioneering figure in the field, and earned his specialist degree in neurosurgery in Switzerland. Although he did not continue in this field, he always identified as a neurosurgeon. In the early 1950s, he transitioned to the Children’s Hospital Zürich to work under Professor Guido Fanconi, who encouraged him to start EEG recordings in children. Dr. Isler learned EEG techniques from Rudolf Hess, an experienced epileptologist, and conducted the first EEG at Kinderspital in 1953. While the EEG division later flourished under Guido Dumermuth, Dr. Isler turned his focus to clinical child neurology.
In the 1960s, Dr. Isler skillfully performed neuroradiologic examinations, such as pneumoencephalography and cerebral angiography, which were rarely conducted in pediatric clinics at the time. Through these techniques and meticulous clinical neurological examinations, he identified 24 different causes in 116 cases of ‘acute infantile hemiplegia of obscure origin’ and detailed the dynamic processes involved, including cerebral edema, aneurysms, spontaneous thrombolysis, and progressive thrombosis. His extensive and original research on childhood hemiplegias was published as his habilitation thesis in German in 1969 and later in English as "Acute Hemiplegias and Hemisyndromes in Childhood" in 1971. This work included early cases of moyamoya disease in Caucasian children.
Dr. Isler was appointed Professor of Pediatric Neurology at Kinderspital Zürich in 1973, retiring in 1986. He organized the second meeting of the European Study Group of Child Neurologists in Zürich in 1975, where I had the pleasure of participating. He was honored as an Honorary Member by the Gesellschaft für Neuropädiatrie for his contributions to the field. From 1982 to 1986, he served as Treasurer of the International Child Neurology Association (ICNA), during which I had the honor of working closely with him as President of the ICNA.
I fondly remember our visits, including Werner and his wife Ursula's visit to Tokyo in 1980 for the 2nd International Symposium of Developmental Disabilities and his 1990 lecture at Tokyo Women’s Medical College on cerebral arterial occlusions in childhood. I also enjoyed visiting Kinderspital and his home in Zürich.
Dr. Isler's passing is a great loss, but his contributions to patients, colleagues, society, and child neurology will be remembered.
(Note: Professor Eugen Boltshauser assisted in preparing this manuscript.)
Yukio Fukuyama
Child Neurology Institute
6-12-17-201 Minami-Shinagawa
Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0004, Japan
Source: Yukio Fukuyama. Werner Fritz Isler, Professor Dr med (6 March 1919–30 January 2002), Ku¨snacht, Switzerland. 2002 Brain & Development 24 (2002) 265