Manuel Rodríguez Gómez
Encyclopedia
Manuel Rodríguez Gómez was an American neurologist
most noted for his work on tuberous sclerosis
, a rare genetic disorder
.
city of Minaya
in La Mancha
. He spent his childhood outside Sevilla in a town called Alcala de Guadaira, where his father had a pharmacy, and summers in Cadiz. As a child he recalled seeing the great flamenco singer, Bernardo, El de los Lobitos, walking on the street. He attended boarding school with his brother and was schooled by a group of strict priests. Recently the mayor of Alcala renamed a street Calle Manuel Rodriguez Gomez. He lived through the Spanish Civil War and recalled at least one near miss when he and his older brother were rescued from hiding under a bridge by an old man when they heard the sound of a German dive bomber. After running away and hearing the explosion they looked up to see that the bridge had been his target. As his father had supported the Republic he felt insecure after Franco won the war. Thus when he was 12 years old, his family took the opportunity to move to Cuba
. He studied violin as a young man, and while he had a great interest in a musical career or in studying mathematics, he entered medical school at the age of 18, and was regularly near the top of his class. After one difficult medical school exam he and his friends got carried away by the celebration and shouted protests against the dictator Batista
. He and his friends spent the evening in jail, although all were released unharmed by morning. He received his doctorate in medicine at the Universidad de la Habana in 1952. After graduation he secured an internship in Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, leaving his parents and siblings in Havana.
He met Joan A. Stormer while working at Michael Reese and married her in 1954. His four sons have pursued academic and medical careers; one is a neurologist, one a developmental neurobiologist, one is a wildlife biologist and one is a professor of art. He has seven grandchildren.
He is also very friends with laredo's jorge hernandez.
. In 1967 he broke the established wisdom that tuberous sclerosis was defined by Vogt
's triad of mental retardation
, epilepsy
and adenoma sebaceum (a papular facial rash). He co-published a paper showing that about a third of patients had normal intelligence. In 1979, he edited the monograph
Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, the first and, for over twenty years, the only textbook on the disease. In it, he established a comprehensive diagnostic criteria for tuberous sclerosis. This book has been translated into Spanish and has been revised twice: in 1988 and 1999.
Neurologist
A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurology, and is trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders.Neurology is the medical specialty related to the human nervous system. The nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. A specialist...
most noted for his work on tuberous sclerosis
Tuberous sclerosis
Tuberous sclerosis or tuberous sclerosis complex is a rare multi-system genetic disease that causes non-malignant tumors to grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs, and skin. A combination of symptoms may include seizures, developmental delay, behavioral...
, a rare genetic disorder
Genetic disorder
A genetic disorder is an illness caused by abnormalities in genes or chromosomes, especially a condition that is present from before birth. Most genetic disorders are quite rare and affect one person in every several thousands or millions....
.
Life
Manuel Gómez was born in the SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
city of Minaya
Minaya
Minaya is a municipality in Albacete, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 1,741....
in La Mancha
La Mancha
La Mancha is a natural and historical region or greater comarca located on an arid, fertile, elevated plateau of central Spain, south of Madrid, stretching between the Montes de Toledo and the western spurs of the Serrania de Cuenca. It is bounded on the south by the Sierra Morena and on the north...
. He spent his childhood outside Sevilla in a town called Alcala de Guadaira, where his father had a pharmacy, and summers in Cadiz. As a child he recalled seeing the great flamenco singer, Bernardo, El de los Lobitos, walking on the street. He attended boarding school with his brother and was schooled by a group of strict priests. Recently the mayor of Alcala renamed a street Calle Manuel Rodriguez Gomez. He lived through the Spanish Civil War and recalled at least one near miss when he and his older brother were rescued from hiding under a bridge by an old man when they heard the sound of a German dive bomber. After running away and hearing the explosion they looked up to see that the bridge had been his target. As his father had supported the Republic he felt insecure after Franco won the war. Thus when he was 12 years old, his family took the opportunity to move to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. He studied violin as a young man, and while he had a great interest in a musical career or in studying mathematics, he entered medical school at the age of 18, and was regularly near the top of his class. After one difficult medical school exam he and his friends got carried away by the celebration and shouted protests against the dictator Batista
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
. He and his friends spent the evening in jail, although all were released unharmed by morning. He received his doctorate in medicine at the Universidad de la Habana in 1952. After graduation he secured an internship in Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, leaving his parents and siblings in Havana.
He met Joan A. Stormer while working at Michael Reese and married her in 1954. His four sons have pursued academic and medical careers; one is a neurologist, one a developmental neurobiologist, one is a wildlife biologist and one is a professor of art. He has seven grandchildren.
Career
- 1952: Doctorate in medicine from the Universidad de la Habana, CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. - 1952–1953: Internship at Michael Reese HospitalMichael Reese HospitalMichael Reese Hospital and Medical Center was an American hospital founded in 1881. In its heyday, it was a major research and teaching hospital and one of the oldest and largest hospitals in Chicago, Illinois. It was located on the near south side of Chicago, next to Lake Shore Drive Michael...
, ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. - 1953–1954: Residency in pediatricsPediatricsPediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
at the University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. - 1954–1956: Residency in neurologyNeurologyNeurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
at the University of Michigan, where he received an MS degree in neuroanatomy. - 1956–1957: Fellow in pediatric neurology at University of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. - 1957–1958: Faculty of neurology at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
- 1958–1959: Studied at the Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London.
- 1960–1964: Associate professor of neurology at the Wayne State University School of MedicineWayne State University School of MedicineThe Wayne State University School of Medicine is the largest single-campus medical school in the United States with more than 1,000 medical students. In addition to undergraduate medical education, the school offers master’s degree, Ph.D., and M.D.-Ph.D. programs in 14 areas of basic science to...
, Detroit. Certified in neurology by the ABPNAmerican Board of Psychiatry and NeurologyThe American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation that was founded in 1934 following conferences of committees appointed by the American Psychiatric Association, the American Neurological Association, and the then Section on Nervous and Mental Diseases of the American...
. - 1964–1984: Head of the department of Pediatric Neurology at Mayo ClinicMayo ClinicMayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
, RochesterRochester, MinnesotaRochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
. He became Professor of Pediatric Neurology in 1974 and Professor Emeritus in 1994. - 2000: Retired.
He is also very friends with laredo's jorge hernandez.
Organisations
Manuel Gómez was a charter member of the American Child Neurology Society, the International Child Neurology Association (ICNA) and the Latin American Academy of Pediatric Neurology. He was honorary member of a number of pediatric and neurology societies, including the Sociedad Española de Neurología (SEN) and Sociedad Española de Neurología Pediátrica (SENP).Awards
- The Santiago Ramón y CajalSantiago Ramón y CajalSantiago Ramón y Cajal ForMemRS was a Spanish pathologist, histologist, neuroscientist, and Nobel laureate. His pioneering investigations of the microscopic structure of the brain were original: he is considered by many to be the father of modern neuroscience...
Award from The Iberoamerican Academy of Pediatric Neurology in 1995. - The Hower Award from the Child Neurology Society.
- The Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance established in 1995 the Manuel R. Gomez Professional Recognition Award in his honor. This award is for "creative or pioneering efforts that have appreciably improved either the understanding of the disease or the clinical care available for individuals with tuberous sclerosis."
Tuberous sclerosis
Manuel Gómez was most interested in neurocutaneous syndromes, and especially tuberous sclerosisTuberous sclerosis
Tuberous sclerosis or tuberous sclerosis complex is a rare multi-system genetic disease that causes non-malignant tumors to grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs, and skin. A combination of symptoms may include seizures, developmental delay, behavioral...
. In 1967 he broke the established wisdom that tuberous sclerosis was defined by Vogt
Heinrich Vogt
Heinrich Vogt was a German neurologist. He published papers on tuberous sclerosis and Batten disease. Later he became a professor of psychiatry and published a handbook on the treatment of nervous diseases...
's triad of mental retardation
Mental retardation
Mental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
, epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
and adenoma sebaceum (a papular facial rash). He co-published a paper showing that about a third of patients had normal intelligence. In 1979, he edited the monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, the first and, for over twenty years, the only textbook on the disease. In it, he established a comprehensive diagnostic criteria for tuberous sclerosis. This book has been translated into Spanish and has been revised twice: in 1988 and 1999.
Publications
- Manuel Gómez is the author of more than 170 scientific papers including 93 peer-reviewedPeer reviewPeer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
articles.