Savitt T L, Goldberg M F
Department of Medical Humanities, East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, NC 27858-4354.
JAMA. 1989 Jan 13;261(2):266-71.
James B. Herrick's 1910 article presenting the case of an anemic West Indian student with peculiar-shaped red blood cells was the first description of sickle cell anemia in Western medical literature. However, he told only part of the story. Records in Chicago, Washington, DC, and Grenada, West Indies, reveal more information about the events surrounding Herrick's discovery and help put them in historical perspective. Herrick's intern, Ernest E. Irons, abreast of the latest developments in medicine, actually performed the blood work and alerted Herrick about the odd-looking cells. Changing patterns in American race relations allowed the patient, Walter Clement Noel, to study dentistry in Chicago. He continued to receive care from Irons for 2 1/2 years, then returned to Grenada to practice dentistry. Noel died nine years after his return to Grenada, at age 32.
詹姆斯·B·赫里克1910年发表的一篇文章介绍了一名患有特殊形状红细胞的贫血西印度学生的病例，这是西方医学文献中对镰状细胞贫血的首次描述。然而，他只讲述了部分情况。芝加哥、华盛顿特区和西印度群岛格林纳达的记录揭示了更多关于赫里克发现事件的相关信息，并有助于将这些事件置于历史背景中。赫里克的实习生欧内斯特·E·艾恩斯了解医学的最新进展，实际上是他进行了血液检查，并提醒赫里克注意那些样子奇怪的细胞。美国种族关系模式的变化使得患者沃尔特·克莱门特·诺埃尔能够在芝加哥学习牙科。他继续接受艾恩斯的治疗达两年半之久，然后回到格林纳达从事牙科工作。诺埃尔回到格林纳达九年后去世，年仅32岁。
