Arthur C. Guyton dies

Arthur C. Guyton, world-renown physiologist and author of the best-selling Textbook of Medical Physiology, died in an automobile accident in Mississippi April 3. He was 83.Widely regarded as a pillar in the field of physiology, Guyton's lifelong study of the cardiovascular system resulted in three discoveries that changed the discipline. Another, perhaps equal, legacy lives on in the 150 scientists he helped to educate and train. Of those, 29 have become chairs of their own departments and six are former presidents of the American Physiological Society. "His door was always open and he was never too busy to talk about a new research idea, a new experiment, or to talk with a student who was having difficulty," said John E. Hall, a former Guyton student who succeeded his mentor as chairman of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. "He would never accept an invitation to give a prestigious lecture if it conflicted with his teaching schedule."Born in 1919 in Oxford, Mississippi, Guyton's brilliance shone early. He graduated from high school with honors and was top in his class at the University of Mississippi. At Harvard Medical School his ideas about measuring and differentiating ions in a solution so impressed a biophysics professor that Guyton was given his own small lab. Guyton's surgical internship at Massachusetts General Hospital was interrupted by World War II. He served in the Navy at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda and later at Camp Detrick in Maryland, earning an Army Commendation Citation.Returning to Massachusetts General to finish his residency, Guyton was stricken with polio. The disease left his right leg and shoulder paralyzed, but that didn't slow him down. "He never let that stop him in any way at all," said Hall. "He was able to overcome all of those challenges."During his recuperation Guyton designed a leg brace, a hoist for lifting patients and a motorized wheelchair. His enthusiasm for building machines he needed became his trademark. "Arthur is known for his efforts to build equipment and build machinery to do what he needed to be done," said Martin Frank, executive director of the American Physiological Society, of which Guyton was a past president. "He is truly Mr. Physiology."Guyton returned to Oxford in 1947, joining the faculty at the university's School of Medicine. He struck up a friendship with neighbor William Faulkner and taught the author how to sail and to play chess. In 1948 Guyton was appointed professor and chairman of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, positions he held until his retirement in 1989.In the 1950s Guyton, whom most students called "The Chief," starting filling in the information void surrounding heart and blood vessel functions. His first major discovery rewrote contemporary wisdom that the heart controlled cardiac output. His "permissive heart" concept showed that body tissues' need for oxygen determined cardiac output. He next succeeded in measuring the pressure of the interstitial fluid between the cells, something no one had been able to do. In 1966 he used an early computer model to develop the theory of "infinite gain," which gave the kidneys preeminence as the most important regulator of blood pressure.Over the course of his career Guyton published hundreds of papers and wrote scores of books. His Textbook of Medical Physiology has been a requirement in medical schools worldwide for the past 45 years. Its test has been translated into 15 foreign languages. Guyton was working on the 11th edition at the time of his death.If there was one thing The Chief didn't tolerate it was wasting time. Hall remembers not being able to find a coffee pot his first day in Guyton's lab as a post doctoral fellow. "I asked why and was quickly informed that there were one or two coffee pots in the department, but they were hidden," Hall said. "Dr. Guyton didn't like to see people wasting their time drinking coffee."But Guyton always made time for anyone who wanted to talk with him. And he never differentiated between students, postdocs or peers. "He has been a tremendous role model for all of us, not just in science but in life in general," Hall said. "I think we have lost the greatest cardiovascular scientist ever, the person with the greatest impact on medical education of all time, and I say that with no qualifications of any kind. Guyton was a leader of leaders."Guyton is survived by his wife, Ruth Weigle Guyton, and their 10 children, all of whom are physicians. UpdateRuth Weigle Guyton died on April 10 of injuries suffered during the accident that took the life of her husband, the Associated Press reported after this story was posted.

Arthur C. Guyton dies

Famed son of Mississippi was literal and figurative father to a generation of doctors and scientists.

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