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George W. Thorn, pioneer in testing and treatment for Addison's disease
THORN
George W. Thorn, a distinguished UB alumnus who pioneered development of a test and treatment for Addison's disease and whose work helped transform treatment of kidney diseases and other disorders, died June 26. He was 98.
Since 1977, the UB Alumni Association has honored Thorn and his accomplishments by presenting an annual award named for him to a UB graduate under 40 who has made outstanding national or international contributions to his or her field. In 1989, Thorn was named the first recipient the UB Medical Alumni Association's Distinguished Medical Alumnus Award.
A 1929 graduate of the UB medical school, Thorn was former president and chairman of the board for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
Thorn began his study of Addison's disease, a debilitating disorder caused by failure in the adrenal glands, as a UB medical student and subsequently devised a test for the disease that measures adrenal function. He was among the first to use the synthetic compound deoxycortisterone for treatment of the disease. An obituary in The New York Times on July 18 noted that his work "laid the groundwork for Addison's treatments used today but also led to advancement in the treatment of hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes."
Thorn also played an important role in the development of organ transplantation, serving as a member of the medical team that performed one of the first successful kidney transplants in the 1950s. He was a founding editor and editor-in-chief of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine.
Early in his career, Thorn taught at UB, The Ohio State University and The Johns Hopkins University. In 1942, he was named Hersey Professor of Theory and Practice of Physic at Harvard Medical School, and in 1969 he was appointed Samuel A. Levine Professor of Medicine at Harvard. From 1942-72, he was chief of medicine at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, now Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Thorn was named director of research and a member of HHMI's medical advisory board in 1955, two years after its founding by tycoon Howard Hughes. Much of Thorn's legacy grew out of his leadership of HHMI in the tumultuous years after Hughes's death in 1976. He became a member of the institute's executive committee and then from 1981-84 served as HHMI's president. From 1984-90, he was chairman of the institute's board of trustees.
Thorn received a host of honors and awards, including the Public Welfare Medal from the National Academy of Sciences, its most prestigious award, and the Gold Medal of the American Medical Association just 10 years after graduating from medical school at UB. In 1943 he became one of the youngest persons to receive the Chancellor's Medal from UB.
A Buffalo native, Thorn is survived by a son, Weston Thorn of New York City, and two stepchildren.