Philip Hillkowitz The “Granddaddy of Medical Technologists” and Cofounder of the American Society for Clinical Pathologists and the Jewish Consumptives' Relief Society

Abstract

Context.— In the early 20th century, the future of hospital-based clinical pathology practice was uncertain and this situation led to the formation of the American Society for Clinical Pathologists in 1922. Philip Hillkowitz, MD, and Ward Burdick, MD, were its cofounders. No biography of Hillkowitz exists. Objective.— To explore the life, beliefs, and accomplishments of Philip Hillkowitz. Design.— Available primary and secondary historical sources were reviewed. Results.— Hillkowitz, the son of a Russian rabbi, immigrated to America as an 11-year-old child in 1885. He later attended medical school in Cincinnati, Ohio, and then moved to Colorado, where he began his clinical practice, which transitioned into a clinical pathology practice. In Denver, he met Charles Spivak, MD, another Jewish immigrant and together they established the Jewish Consumptives' Relief Society, an ethnically sensitive tuberculosis sanatorium that flourished in the first half of the 20th century because of its national fundraising network. In 1921, Hillkowitz and Burdick, also a Denver-based pathologist, successively organized the pathologists in Denver, followed by the state of Colorado. Early the next year, they formed the American Society for Clinical Pathologists (ASCP). Working with the American College of Surgeons, the ASCP put hospital-based practice of clinical pathology on solid footing in the 1920s. Hillkowitz then established and oversaw the ASCP Board of Registry of Medical Technologists. Conclusions.— Philip Hillkowitz changed the directions of clinical pathology and tuberculosis treatment in 20th century America, while simultaneously serving as a successful ethnic power broker within both the American Jewish and Eastern European immigrant communities.

A History of the American Association of Pathologists’ Assistants: Creating an Organization, Winning Hearts and Minds, and Building an Invaluable Profession

“…The absence of support by the ASCP might at first seem surprising because its leadership had immediately embraced overseeing the training, examining, and certification of technologists performing clinical pathology laboratory testing. 5 However, the nature of anatomical pathology seemed fundamentally different to many practicing pathologists and the ASCP. Because of this, many pathologists were uncomfortable with the idea that PAs were being trained to perform tasks that, up until this time, had been performed exclusively by pathologists or pathology residents.…”

The History of Pathologists' Assistants: A Tale of 2 Educational Mavericks

“…This became competitive, and soon a hospital's status was in part dependent upon maintaining higher consent rates than its competitors. 19 Before 1970, the autopsy consent rate in most American hospitals had risen to between 40% and 60% of all hospital deaths. Because of this, it was reasonable for pathologists to worry about increasing autopsy workload.…”

“…Currently, some states license laboratory technicians, even though this was strenuously opposed by the ASCP and the AMA back in the late 1920s and 1930s. 19 For complicated reasons beyond the scope of this historical review, these various state regulations, which are very old, are deemed not to apply to PAs. However, it should be noted that there have been exceptions.…”

“…However, as welltrained technologists graduating from accredited training programs working under the supervision of pathologists became more common and as workloads increased, this resistance ceased. 19 Even at Duke, where the controversial first PA training program began, there were nagging concerns by some Duke surgical pathologists. In fact, the Duke training program was even temporarily closed after Kinney's death.…”

Daniel Smith Lamb (1843–1929): A window into the early histories of the Army Medical Museum and Howard University Medical School

“…However, we are aware of one physician who did succeed. Charles Spivak (1861–1927), co‐founder of the Jewish Consumptives' Relief Society (an innovative tuberculosis sanatorium near Denver), arranged for his skeleton to be preserved by the University of Colorado Medical School and then arrangements were later made to send it to a new medical school in Israel, allowing friends to quip that he was “teaching anatomy in Israel” (Wright Jr & Abrams, ).…”