James W. West, a surgeon struggle with alcohol led him to develop treatments for addiction and, ultimately, to become medical director of the Betty Ford Center, died July 24 at home in Palm Desert, California was 98.
His death was confirmed by his son Bill.
Dr. West has begun to focus on addiction. In 1950 he attended Dr. Richard H. Lawler and Dr. Raymond P. Murphy in the execution of the first kidney transplant.
The recipient of the organ, a woman named Ruth Tucker 40 years, suffered from polycystic kidney disease. His body rejected the new organ, after several weeks not rejection drugs had been developed - but the transplant will be the moment of his other kidney to start working enough, Dr. West said later that in interviews. Mrs. Tucker lived five years.
Over time, the interests of Dr. West turned to the study and treatment of addiction driven by his own alcoholism.
"There had been a DUI, and he never showed up for surgery under the influence," said John Schwarzlose, president and CEO of the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif. "I watched him and his colleagues say 'You're not an alcoholic. "He said,' My illness has not played like it did with others who may have problems with alcohol and other drugs, and not the slums. ' ".
Bill West, said his mother, Shirley, had told his father "had to ask for help, and has heard of this."
Dr. West, who had received his medical degree from Loyola University and has begun to study psychiatric disorders and addictions.
He said that at some point, the research showed that nearly one in nine doctors suffered some kind of addiction, and began teaching at the university faculties of psychiatry.
In 1975, he and Msgr. Ignatius McDermott, who worked with the homeless in Chicago, founded Haymarket Center, a treatment plant for non-profit alcoholism and drug addiction.
The West retired to Palm Desert in 1982, but retirement did not last long. This year, Dr. West began as a volunteer in a clinic for outpatients for alcohol abuse in the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.
Meanwhile, Betty Ford, Former Prime lady who openly fought addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs, and Leonard Firestone, former ambassador to Belgium and the son of the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, opened the Betty Ford Center. Dr. West joined the staff of the same year.
Mr. Schwarzlose Dr. West described as "medical addiction before the term even existed." He recalled the opening of Dr. West with other doctors about their treatment programs.
"It was not really used the drug, other people were using," said Schwarzlose. "He is the attitude and the look says. '... Is how they treat alcoholics and drug addicts always feel like nobody wants to try make us feel as if you had come to the right place" He said: 'My doctors and nurses to treat people with love. "I know it sounds corny, but the truth."
Dr. West moved to a part-time role in 1989 and retired in 2007.
Ward, James West, was born March 29, 1914, in Chicago. His first wife, the former crew of Shirley, died in 1997. In addition to his son Bill, He is survived by his wife, Maureen Clark, who married in 1998, another son, Raymond, four daughters, Vicky Dingli, Judith West, Pamela Byrne and Penny West, two stepchildren, Marquis Cheryl Clark and sand, a sister, Catherine Ann McClelland, five grandchildren, stepchildren, grandchildren, great grandchildren 04:05.
Dr. West was not a good student in his early years. His parents, when he said he had to repeat his first year in high school, sent to Campion High School, a Jesuit school in Prairie du Chien, Wis.
He attended school in a shelter where he challenges students to plan their careers, and decided to become a doctor.
"Thereafter, it was easy for me to be a doctor," he said in 2003, recalling his experience in retirement. "I was in my mind. Everything else was just an obstacle between you and the DM"
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