THE DENIS BROWNE
GOLD MEDAL 1971

Awarded to C. Everett Koop

A few years ago the Trus-
tees of the Great Ormond
Street Museum expressed the
wish to award a gold medal
in memory of Denis Browne,
to be presented at the B.A.P.S.
Annual Congress.

The Executive felt that the
Trustees should choose the
person to whom the medal
should be awarded and that
they should particularly bear
in mind original contributions
to pediatric surgery.

In 1968 the medal was
awarded to Robert Gross, in
1969 to Max Grob and in 1970
to David Waterston. The re-
verse side of the medal bears
the inscription so frequently
emphasized by David Waters-
ton N The Aim of Paediatric
Surgery is to set a Standard,
not to Seek a Monopoly D.

For 1971 the medal has
been awarded to C. Everett
Koop of Philadelphia.
C. Everett Koop M.D. was
born in Flatbush, Brooklyn
in 1917. Educated at Dart-
mouth College; he entered

C. Everett Koop

Cornell Medical College in
1938. His original intention
was to specialize in cancer
research but as surgical resi-
dent at the Hospital of the
University of Pensylvania, he
became interested in surgery
under the influence of his
chief of surgery Dr. Ravdin. In
1941 he was named Harrison

D. Browne gold medal

Fellow in Surgery and Surgi-
cal Research at Pensylvania
University. On the urging 01
Dr. Ravdin he became inte.
rested in paediatric surgery
and joined  the Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia. In
1946 he went to the Children's
Hospital in Boston for seven
months as a Fellow, and re.
turned to Philadelphia with
the determination to dedica,
te himself to paediatric sur
gery although at the time lit
teraiure was sparse.
Dr. Koop may be said tc
be a pioneer and at the sa,
me time a missionary for the
improvement  of paediatric
surgery. As is the case of SC
many pioneers his pronoun,
cements  antagonized man>
people but his tenacity resul
ted in their acceptance.

His strong religious beliefs
(he is an elder of the Presby
terian church) probaly ac,
count for his highly develo,
ped missionary spirit whick
leads to his dictum that al
physicians "have an obliga
tion to teach" .He has put hi:
into practice by training ma
ny foreign born residents OX
condition that they retumec
to practice in their own lands
Dr. Koov in addition to hi>
numerous' other activities i!
editor of the u Journal of Pae
diatric Surgery". His approach
to his profession may be fairl)
summed up in another of hi:
dicta "vouna doctors shoulc
pursue kxcel'ience, seek advan
cement. acheive comvetenct
and avoid any taint of* medio
crity. Success in the professio
nal world seems to authenti
cute the individual's Christiar

message".