Foundation of Urology at the University of Michigan
Emergence of a Medical Specialty, 1919–1970
David Bloom’s history of the Department of Urology recounts its establishment at the University of Michigan.
Description
In 1919, urology came to the University of Michigan when Hugh Cabot arrived from Boston, attracted by the fulltime position of surgery chair. The celebrity urologist created a multi-specialty surgery department and, two years later, became the Dean of the Medical School. He trained Reed Nesbit who became the Chief of Urology in 1930; Nesbit made Ann Arbor an epicenter of international urological practice, education, and research until his retirement in 1967. In this history of urology at the university, David Bloom recounts Cabot and Nesbit’s careers, the introduction of hemodialysis to Michigan, and the role of the Ann Arbor Sarns corporation in worldwide hemodialysis technology.
David A. Bloom is the Jack Lapides Professor of Urology and former chair of the Department of Urology at the University of Michigan. His clinical and scholarly interests include genitourinary reconstruction, lower urinary tract dysfunction, genital anomalies, neurogenic bladder, laparoscopy, and medical history. Bloom has memberships and held offices in many professional societies, including chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Urology, historian for the Society for Pediatric Urology, and president of the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons. He has furthermore been a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science since 2019, and served as a trustee of the American Board of Urology, on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Medical Specialties, and a governor of the American College of Surgeons.