Robert Kistner

Robert William Kistner (August 23, 1917 – February 6, 1990) was a gynecologist who specialized in the treatment of endometriosis and was involved in the early development of the birth control pill.[1]

Early life

Kistner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio,[1] the son of Alfred and Gertrude Kistner;[2] he graduated from the University of Cincinnati and from its medical school in 1942.[1][3][4]

Career

Following his internship at Cincinnati General Hospital (now the University of Cincinnati Medical Center), he was a resident at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and Kings County Hospital Center in New York, before moving to Boston Hospital for Women (now Brigham and Women's Hospital).[5] Kistner was a senior attending physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital.[1] He was an associate clinical professor at Harvard Medical School, and specialized in surgery to correct infertility.[3] He was previously a chief of staff at Boston Hospital for Women, and a consultant for the New England Baptist Hospital.[5]

Kistner was named the 32nd president of the American Fertility Society in 1979.[5] He was a member of the American College of Surgeons, and a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.[3] He was an advocate of the first birth control pills,[1] not only as a contraceptive, but also for protection against uterine cancer.[5]

Kistner served in the Pacific theatre of World War II as a flight surgeon for the United States Army Air Corps,[3] and chief of air evacuation.[5] When the war ended, he continued consulting for the Air Force.[5]

Works

Kistner was the author of more than 175 articles and numerous books,[5][6] including:[5]

  • The Pill: Facts and fallacies about today's oral contraceptives. New York: Delacorte Press. 1969. ASIN B0006C4QSO.
  • Gynecology: Principles and Practice 1964. republished numerous times and widely used in medical schools.[3]
  • Atlas of infertility surgery. Little, Brown. 1975. ISBN 978-0316496704.
  • Progress in Infertility. Little Brown & Co. 1987. ISBN 978-0316087759. (With Behrman SJ, edited by Patton GW.)

According to the Duka and DeCherney, among Kistner's notable journal-published research are three papers published early in his career:[5]

  • "Induction of ovulation with clomiphene citrate (clomid)"[7][lower-alpha 1]
  • "Histological effects of progestins on hyperplasia and carcinoma in situ of the endometrium"[9]
  • "The treatment of endometriosis by inducing pseudopregnancy with ovarian hormones"[10]

Honors and awards

The Kistner Library at Brigham and Women's Hospital was dedicated after his death to his 34 years of service.[5]

Personal life

Kistner was married to Georgia Golde in 1943,[2] and to Janet Langhart in 1978.[11] He had four children with Golde: Dana, Robert Jr., Stephen, and Peter.[1] The Boston Globe "Who's Who" in Boston medicine described Kistner in 1980 as well dressed, a "brilliant surgeon as well as researcher" and "one of the best known gynecologists in the world long before he achieved a special kind of local celebrity with his marriage".[12] After 38 years of practicing medicine and teaching, he retired and moved to Wellington, Florida,[1][3] where he died by suicide at the age of 72.[1]

Kistner served as a trustee for Noble and Greenough School and was a member of the Harvard Club of Boston.[3]

Notes
  1. MER-25[8] is closely related to clomiphene citrate (Clomid®) according to Kistner's 1965 review.[7]
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References
  1. "Robert W. Kistner, 72, gynecologist, is dead". The New York Times. February 10, 1990. p. 31 – via ProQuest. He retired in 1986.
  2. "In Society". The Cincinnati Enquirer. August 27, 1943. p. 9.
  3. "Dr. Robert Kistner, 72, retired gynecologist, professor". Boston Globe. February 9, 1990. p. 27 – via ProQuest. Dr. Kistner, who retired in 1988 ... leaves his wife, Janet (Langhart)
  4. "Robert W. Kistner, Obstetrics professor". Sun Sentinel. Associated Press. February 11, 1990. p. 6B – via ProQuest.
  5. Duka, Walter E.; DeCherney, Alan H. (1995). From the Beginning: A History of the American Fertility Society 1944–1994. The American Fertility Society. p. 156. ASIN B001C0ITLO.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  6. "Kistner, Robert W. 1917–1990". WorldCat. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  7. Kistner RW (December 1965). "Induction of ovulation with clomiphene citrate (clomid)". Obstet Gynecol Surv. 20 (6): 873–900. doi:10.1097/00006254-196512000-00001. PMID 5321936.
  8. Kistner RW, Smith OW (1960). "Observations on the use of a non-steroidal estrogen antagonist: MER-25". Surg Forum. 10: 725–9. PMID 14409473.
  9. Kistner RW (1959). "Histological effects of progestins on hyperplasia and carcinoma in situ of the endometrium". Cancer. 12: 1106–22. doi:10.1002/1097-0142(195911/12)12:6<1106::aid-cncr2820120607>3.0.co;2-m. PMID 14409476.
  10. Kistner RW (1959). "The treatment of endometriosis by inducing pseudopregnancy with ovarian hormones". Fertil Steril. 10 (6): 539–556. doi:10.1016/S0015-0282(16)33602-0.
  11. Matchan, Linda (February 14, 1981). "How they met their match". Boston Globe. p. 1 – via ProQuest.
  12. McLaughlin, Jeff (January 20, 1980). "Boston's subcultures: VI; A Boston Who's Who in world of medicine". Boston Globe. p. 1 – via ProQuest.
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