John Caffey | |
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 Caffeyc. 1960 | |
| Born | John Patrick Caffey (1895-03-30)March 30, 1895 Castle Gate, Utah, U.S. |
| Died | September 2, 1978(1978-09-02) (aged 83) |
| Education | University of Michigan (BA,MD) |
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John Patrick Caffey (March 30, 1895 – September 2, 1978) was an Americanpediatrician andradiologist who is often referred to as one of the founders ofpediatric radiology.[1] He was the first to describeshaken baby syndrome,infantile cortical hyperostosis, andKenny-Caffey syndrome.
Caffey was born on March 30, 1895, inCastle Gate, Utah.[1] He attended school inSalt Lake City, Utah, before enrolling at theUniversity of Michigan, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in 1916 and a Doctor of Medicine in 1919.[2]
Caffey interned atBarnes Hospital in St. Louis before traveling to postwar Europe in 1920, working with theAmerican Red Cross andAmerican Relief Administration in Serbia, Poland and Russia. He returned to the United States in 1923, completing a residency in medicine at the University of Michigan and then an internship inpediatrics atBabies Hospital in New York City. He opened a private practice in 1925 while maintaining admitting rights at Babies Hospital.[3]
He was given the position of head ofradiology at Babies Hospital in 1929 after the chief of pediatrics overheard him complaining about the poor quality of a radiology conference at the hospital. When the chief of pediatrics asked if he could do any better, Caffey replied, "I could try."[4] Pediatric radiology would go on to become his life's work, and he would receive radiographs mailed from across North America for his expert opinion.[4] He was an avid researcher, publishing initially on the effects on the skeletal system oflead poisoning,rickets,bismuth,hemophilia,vitamin A poisoning,syphilis, andhemolytic anemias.[2][5] He publishedPediatric X-Ray Diagnosis, the first definitive textbook on the topic, in 1945.[3] Caffey was the first to describe what is now known asshaken baby syndrome with a 1946 article on the association betweenlong bone fractures andsubdural hematomas in infants.[2][4] He also provided the first description ofinfantile cortical hyperostosis, also known as Caffey's disease.[3]
At Babies Hospital, Caffey was appointed professor of clinical pediatrics in 1950 and then professor of radiology in 1954.[2] He retired from Babies Hospital in 1960 and joined theChildren's Hospital of Pittsburgh in 1963 as a radiologist and a professor atUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He continued his research in Pittsburgh, describing the earliest radiological changes ofPerthes disease and a new form of dwarfism, termedKenny-Caffey syndrome.[1]
Caffey was a founding member of theSociety for Pediatric Radiology, but was only eligible for the title of honorary counselor as he did not have formal qualifications in radiology. He received theAmerican Medical Association's Jacobi Award; theAmerican Pediatric Society's highest honor, theJohn Howland Award; and theAmerican College of Radiology's Gold Medal.[3]
Caffey died on September 2, 1978, atPresbyterian-University Hospital in Pittsburgh. He had continued working up until the morning of his hospital admission.[1] The seventh edition of his textbook was published shortly before his death and, now known asCaffey's Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging, is in its thirteenth edition as of 2021.[4]
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