John P. Merrill

“In the years I spent as a member of the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital house staff, I had the privilege of gaining some unique insights into both Merrill-the-physician and Merrill-the-man.As a physician, history will accord Dr. Merrill a long sequence of outstanding scientific contributions in the field of nephrology. And history will say it was he who played an integral role in making renal transplantation a lifesaving tool. But I see Merrill-the-physician in a different light. I see him as a very courageous man. I say that because as a member of the Brigham house staff during the early days of transplantation, I know how open to criticism he was. I know, he knew, there were many whisperings in the scientific world about the audacity of his concepts. The easy way would have been to back down; after all, he was a world-leading nephrologist already … so what could be the personal gain?But John Merrill persisted in pursuing his vision. And John Merrill won … mostly because he is courageous” (1).John Putnam Merrill was one of the giants of the world of nephrology. He occupies a place in history as the leading pioneer in dialysis and kidney transplantation. As we approach the 25th anniversary of his tragic death, it is worth reviewing the enormous contributions of this gifted and charismatic pioneer.Today, nephrology is perceived as a multidimensional specialty offering a home to eclectic interests including clinical nephrologists, experts in dialysis, transplantation medicine, immunology, and hypertension. Such a multifaceted specialty did not exist before 1950. Its evolution and development were rapid. Attendance at the first International Society of Nephrology Congress in Evian, France, in 1960 was a mere 100+. By November 2007, the number of attendees at the American Society of Nephrology meeting was 13,960 (Mark …