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[This text is machine generated and may contain errors.]
January 9, 1968
Harold A. Zintel, M.D.
Director of Surgery
St. Luke's Hospital Center
Amsterdam Avenue at 114th St.
New York, N.Y. 10025
Dear Dr. Zintel
I hope that you don't mind that Dr. Wangensteen sent me coples
of your correspondence with him. Enclosed are some of my more
recent reprints. I am interested indeed in getting a clinical
and research opportunity with respon�Soility, and emphasis on the
latter. A situation in which I could develop 4 transplantation
program and artificial organ program, would be of interest to me;
I would welcome some other clinical responsibility, if it could
be fitted in your program. Specifically + I am interested in
"surgical problem diseases," which require laboratory solution.
Transplantation of the liver in children with biliary atresia
that I was the first to apply in the heterotopic position, is one
such example.
I am quite versed in abdominal, vascular, thoracic and cardiac
surgery. I have set up a successful open heart program over here
and my present income is approximately $65,000 a year. I am
however, not able to fulfill some of my other ambitions, namely
to make a greater impact in scientific surgery. I also do not
have opportunity to teach students and residents, as we have none.
It will take some 5-10 years to develop a good teaching - research
program over here. I did get unusually good experience clinically,
including operative procedures such as coronary endarterectomies,
that i introduced experimentally some years ago.
My major scientific effort over here was to write a small monograph
on Billroth's first six gastrectomies, ready for publication, and
me effort, a biography of Billroth which I am in the process of
writing.
If you should wish to, I would be privileged if you should want me
to present in one of your seminars a talk on clinical myocardial
revascularization, including coronary endarterectomy, with demonstration
of coronary angiograms. ete. and followup, which I shall present
in May to the Texas Medical Association.
Harold A. Zintel, M.D.
2
Jan. 9, 1968
I don't blame you for suspecting my motives for having left Minnesota;
actually I was because of that somewhat suspect at first in Amarillo,
Now my friends who want me to stay here tooth and nail. laugh
about it. The reasons were several; one was to try to establish
and get a taste of private practice, it was a challenge I did not
experience before. I wanted to operate more and to find out how
good a surgeon i actually was with a large volume of independent
surgery. I know that in the research and academic surgical area
I could stand on my own. The challenge of bringing into the hinter-
land sofisticated modern surgery such as open heart surgery was
exciting to me. The volume of patients needing help was most
attractive. This I have accomplished.
In addition I was able to persue one of my hobbies and get a good
historical library assembled with purchases from all over the
world, and I now could afford it. To have my own Vesalius, Sylvius,
Morgagni, Searpa, Beaumont, is so much fun. In other words I
rounded myself up as surgeon with a better knowledge of people,
history, theory, practice of surgery and related sujbects such as
physiology, biochemistry, immunology. I followed diligently scientific
progress as available to me. There is joy from encompassing the
field. Now I want to narrow down and make a more lasting contribution.
In the past two years and presently I got several exciting academic
offers, the advantages of which I am weighing. Now the time is
for me, so it appears, ripe to move; the philosophy of surgery
changed enough to go on and expand on my modest past contributions
in the areg of transplantation and cardiac surgery. I have. the
equipment.
Sincerely
Karel B. Absolon, M.D.
KBA:bc
Enc: