In memoriam

Henrik Holt Bendixen, M.D.
(1923-2004)

by Margaret Wood, M.D.
E.M. Papper Professor and Chair,
Department of Anesthesiology,
Columbia University

Henrik H. Bendixen, M.D., a major contributor to the evolution of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine died on April 4, 2004 at his home in Rancho Mirage, California.

Born in Fredricksberg, Denmark, Dr. Bendixen received his M.D. degree from the University of Copenhagen in 1951. He pursued his early training in surgery and anesthesiology in Denmark and in Sweden with a brief tour of duty on the Danish hospital ship in Korea. His interest in respiratory physiology was aroused during the 1952 poliomyelitis epidemic in Copenhagen. At that time the lives of most patients with bulbo-spinal paralysis were saved by a novel approach of having them manually ventilated, via a cuffed tracheostomy tube, by relays of medical students.

In December 1954 Dr. Bendixen entered the residency program in anesthesiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and 3 years later he was appointed to the attending staff at the same institution. During the next decade Dr. Bendixen in collaboration with several other illustrious members of the department, such as Laver, Hedley-Whyte and Pontoppidan, performed pioneering clinical and laboratory investigations on cardiopulmonary pathophysiology related to anesthesia and critical illnesses. He also played a crucial role in the development and funding of the respiratory intensive care unit at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

In 1969 Dr. Bendixen became Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of California, San Diego. His administrative talents were quickly recognized and in 1971 he also became Medical Director

of the University Hospital. Dr. Bendixen returned to the East Coast in 1973 to take over the chairmanship of the Department of Anesthesiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. During his chairmanship, which ended in 1985, he was pivotal in building the clinical excellence of the department, especially in intensive care. In 1980-1981 Dr. Bendixen served as Acting Provost and Vice President for the Health Sciences at Columbia University and in 1984 he was selected as the first individual to hold the combined title of the Vice President of Health Sciences and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. In 1985 he was designated the first E.M. Papper Professor of Anesthesiology.

As a prominent member of the New York State Society of Anesthesiologists Dr. Bendixen served as the PGA Program Chairman (1980-1982) and the General Chairman (1983-1986). He delivered the Rovenstine Lecture in 1989.

Dr. Bendixen was recognized nationally by election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and to the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He obtained several honorary degrees and delivered numerous named lectures in the USA and abroad. He was universally admired for his intellectual gifts, powerful determination yet modest demeanor. In 1993 the Department of Anesthesiology at Columbia University honored Dr. Bendixen with the creation of an endowed chair in his name. He retired in 1994.

(NYSSA Sphere/April - June 2004)

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