Robert William Kistner (August 23, 1917 – February 6, 1990) was a gynecologist who specialized in the treatment of endometriosis and was involved in the early development of the birth control pill.[1]

Early life

Kistner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio,[1] the son of Alfred and Gertrude Kistner;[2] he graduated from the University of Cincinnati and from its medical school in 1942.[1][3][4]

Career

Following his internship at Cincinnati General Hospital (now the University of Cincinnati Medical Center), he was a resident at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and Kings County Hospital Center in New York, before moving to Boston Hospital for Women (now Brigham and Women's Hospital).[5] Kistner was a senior attending physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital.[1] He was an associate clinical professor at Harvard Medical School, and specialized in surgery to correct infertility.[3] He was previously a chief of staff at Boston Hospital for Women, and a consultant for the New England Baptist Hospital.[5]

Kistner was named the 32nd president of the American Fertility Society in 1979.[5] He was a member of the American College of Surgeons, and a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.[3] He was an advocate of the first birth control pills,[1] not only as a contraceptive, but also for protection against uterine cancer.[5]

Kistner served in the Pacific theatre of World War II as a flight surgeon for the United States Army Air Corps,[3] and chief of air evacuation.[5] When the war ended, he continued consulting for the Air Force.[5]

Works

Kistner was the author of more than 175 articles and numerous books,[5][6] including:[5]

  • The Pill: Facts and fallacies about today's oral contraceptives. New York: Delacorte Press. 1969. ASIN B0006C4QSO.
  • Gynecology: Principles and Practice 1964. republished numerous times and widely used in medical schools.[3]
  • Atlas of infertility surgery. Little, Brown. 1975. ISBN 978-0316496704.
  • Progress in Infertility. Little Brown & Co. 1987. ISBN 978-0316087759. (With Behrman SJ, edited by Patton GW.)

According to the Duka and DeCherney, among Kistner's notable journal-published research are three papers published early in his career:[5]

  • "Induction of ovulation with clomiphene citrate (clomid)"[7][8][lower-alpha 1]
  • "Histological effects of progestins on hyperplasia and carcinoma in situ of the endometrium"[9]
  • "The treatment of endometriosis by inducing pseudopregnancy with ovarian hormones"[10]

Honors and awards

The Kistner Library at Brigham and Women's Hospital was dedicated after his death to his 34 years of service.[5]

Personal life

Kistner was married to Georgia Golde in 1943,[2] and to Janet Langhart in 1978.[11] He had four children with Golde: Dana, Robert Jr., Stephen, and Peter.[1] The Boston Globe "Who's Who" in Boston medicine described Kistner in 1980 as well dressed, a "brilliant surgeon as well as researcher" and "one of the best known gynecologists in the world long before he achieved a special kind of local celebrity with his marriage".[12] After 38 years of practicing medicine and teaching, he retired and moved to Wellington, Florida,[1][3] where he died at the age of 72.[1]

Kistner served as a trustee for Noble and Greenough School and was a member of the Harvard Club of Boston.[3]

Notes

  1. ↑ MER-25[7] is closely related to clomiphene citrate (Clomid) according to Kistner's 1965 review.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Robert W. Kistner, 72, gynecologist, is dead". The New York Times. February 10, 1990. p. 31 – via ProQuest. He retired in 1986.
  2. 1 2 "In Society". The Cincinnati Enquirer. August 27, 1943. p. 9.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Dr. Robert Kistner, 72, retired gynecologist, professor". Boston Globe. February 9, 1990. p. 27 – via ProQuest. Dr. Kistner, who retired in 1988 ... leaves his wife, Janet (Langhart)
  4. ↑ "Robert W. Kistner, Obstetrics professor". Sun Sentinel. Associated Press. February 11, 1990. p. 6B – via ProQuest.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Duka, Walter E.; DeCherney, Alan H. (1995). From the Beginning: A History of the American Fertility Society 1944–1994. The American Fertility Society. p. 156. ASIN B001C0ITLO.
  6. ↑ "Kistner, Robert W. 1917–1990". WorldCat. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Kistner RW, Smith OW (1960). "Observations on the use of a non-steroidal estrogen antagonist: MER-25". Surg Forum. 10: 725–9. PMID 14409473.
  8. 1 2 Kistner RW (December 1965). "Induction of ovulation with clomiphene citrate (clomid)". Obstet Gynecol Surv. 20 (6): 873–900. doi:10.1097/00006254-196512000-00001. PMID 5321936.
  9. ↑ Kistner RW (1959). "Histological effects of progestins on hyperplasia and carcinoma in situ of the endometrium". Cancer. 12 (6): 1106–22. doi:10.1002/1097-0142(195911/12)12:6<1106::aid-cncr2820120607>3.0.co;2-m. PMID 14409476.
  10. ↑ Kistner RW (1959). "The treatment of endometriosis by inducing pseudopregnancy with ovarian hormones". Fertil Steril. 10 (6): 539–556. doi:10.1016/S0015-0282(16)33602-0.
  11. ↑ Matchan, Linda (February 14, 1981). "How they met their match". Boston Globe. p. 1 – via ProQuest.
  12. ↑ McLaughlin, Jeff (January 20, 1980). "Boston's subcultures: VI; A Boston Who's Who in world of medicine". Boston Globe. p. 1 – via ProQuest.
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