• Ether Day marks MGH milestones
  On Oct. 16, 1846, the practice of medicine changed forever when Boston dentist William T.G. Morton successfully demonstrated the use of ether during a surgical procedure on patient Gilbert Abbott. Using a specially designed glass inhaler containing an ether-soaked sponge, Morton rendered the patient unconscious, allowing MGH co-founder John Collins Warren, MD, to remove a vascular tumor from the patient's jaw in the first ever pain-free surgical procedure. Today, this milestone is celebrated in a longstanding MGH tradition – Ether Day.

• United Way kickoff is gearing up
  MGHers are invited to attend the United Way kickoff under the Bulfinch Tent Oct. 27, from 11:30 am to 1 pm to celebrate this year's theme "Think locally — Give locally." All those who attend the party will have the chance to win a door prize such as a DVD player or two tickets to the Nov. 12 New England Patriots versus New York Jets football game.

• IS team donates bonuses to the MGH
  Winston Churchill said, "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." The MGH/MGPO team of Partners Information Systems (IS) may have taken this sentiment to heart when the group decided to donate their MGH-awarded 2005 bonuses back to the hospital's Pediatric Proton Radiation Therapy Group. The generous donation totaled $48,000 and made possible the purchase of new equipment for the proton beam machine, as well as toys for the pediatric waiting room at the Frances H. Burr Proton Therapy Center.

• In memoriam: Janet W. McArthur, MD, ScD
  Janet W. McArthur, MD, ScD, a longtime member of the MGH, died Oct. 6 at age 92. McArthur first joined the MGH in 1943 after receiving her medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School. She was appointed an instructor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School (HMS) in 1950 and later became professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, making her the first woman from the MGH to be named a full professor at HMS.

• Madsen named Austen Distinguished Scholar in Cardiac Surgery
  Joren Madsen, MD, DPhil, of the MGH Department of Cardiac Surgery, recently was named the inaugural W. Gerald and Patricia R. Austen Distinguished Scholar in Cardiac Surgery. The award was established by the Austens to provide funding for research and education in cardiac surgery at the MGH.

• In memoriam: Hermes C. Grillo, MD
  Hermes C. Grillo, MD, a world-renowned thoracic surgeon and beloved member of the MGH community, died Oct. 14 at the age of 83. A pioneer in his field, Grillo is widely considered to be the father of modern tracheal surgery, and his 2004 textbook, Surgery of the Trachea and Bronchi, is thought by many to be the authoritative work in the field.

• What's Happening

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