From the sword to Schindler: a saga of gastroscopy.

Gastroscopy is an art as well as a science. The art is getting the instrument down; the science is the instrument itself. Rudolf Schindler was a master of both and is properly called "The Father Of Gastroscopy". He can also be called a renaissance man, so varied were his interests. Sword-swallowing played a minor but interesting role in the development of gastroscopy. It is still alive and well.

[Rudolf Schindler (1888--1968)--"father" of gastroscopy]. / Rudolf Schindler (1888 - 1968).

Rudolf Schindler was born in Berlin and achieved his international reputation with the textbook "Lehrbuch und Atlas der Gastroskopie", written in Munich. This was the first book containing excellent endoscopic pictures. He was the first to report on more than four hundred gastroscopies performed without complications. 1928 to 1932, he developed the first semi-flexible gastroscope together with the technical designer Georg Wolf from Berlin. This became the lasting standard for about twenty-five years. In 1934, Schindler emigrated to Chicago after being released as a Nazi prisoner. In 1937, he was awarded the gold medal for his research on gastritis by the American Medical Association. He became the leading person among American gastroscopists for many years and, in 1941, the first president of the American Gastroscopic Club. After 1943 he moved to California to work and live. He also received awards from the American Societies for Gastroscopy and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in 1953 and 1962. He spent his last years in Munich. His honorary titles of father, architect or super salesman of gastroscopy describe the spectrum of his personality. He was an endoscopist with outstanding technical and diagnostic skills and knew particularly how to deal with patients, how to develop endoscopes as well as being a highly qualified teacher, author and scientist. He also had many hobbies, in particular playing and conducting music perfectly.

Historical perspectives on the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

The current vogue in the historical evolution of the management of the problem of reflux is represented by augmentation procedures for the lower esophageal sphincter. Rather than employ a transperitoneal approach, these are directed at the sphincter by the transesophageal route and include stitching, collagen injection and radio-frequency-induced fibrosis. It is however probable that these techniques will suffer all the drawbacks of any mechanical intervention but somewhat decrease the morbidity of open, albeit minimally invasive surgery. Similarly, a specific pharmacotherapeutic probe targeting the lower esophageal sphincter, while long fantasized, remains to be identified.