Henry Pancoast
Encyclopedia
Henry Khunrath Pancoast (February 26, 1875–1939) was an American
radiologist after whom a type of lung tumor
is named (Pancoast tumor
).
Pancoast was born in Philadelphia to prominent Quaker parents; his father was a doctor. He was educated at the (Society of) Friends Central High School. He entered the University of Pennsylvania
Medical School, and graduated in 1898.
His first medical job was at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
, and in 1900, he started surgical training there. When the hospital's first skiagrapher retired in 1903, Pancoast applied.
Pancoast was appointed professor of radiology
at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvia in Philadelphia in 1912. He was the first professor of radiology in the United States.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radiologist after whom a type of lung tumor
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
is named (Pancoast tumor
Pancoast tumor
A Pancoast tumor, also called a pulmonary sulcus tumor or superior sulcus tumor, is a tumor of the pulmonary apex. It is a type of lung cancer defined primarily by its location situated at the top end of either the right or left lung. It typically spreads to nearby tissues such as the ribs and...
).
Pancoast was born in Philadelphia to prominent Quaker parents; his father was a doctor. He was educated at the (Society of) Friends Central High School. He entered the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
Medical School, and graduated in 1898.
His first medical job was at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is a hospital affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania Health System located in the University City section of West Philadelphia. The hospital was founded at its current location in 1874 by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine,...
, and in 1900, he started surgical training there. When the hospital's first skiagrapher retired in 1903, Pancoast applied.
Pancoast was appointed professor of radiology
Radiology
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvia in Philadelphia in 1912. He was the first professor of radiology in the United States.