With a mixture of pride and sadness we mark the passing away of Professor Rudy Hermans, who died unexpectedly on the 8th of January, 2008. Rudy was a dear friend and colleague; we have lost a visionary and talented surgeon.Shortly after the War, Rudy studied medicine at the University of Leiden and continued his surgical training in Amsterdam. The last phase of his surgical training was completed at the Red Cross Hospital in Beverwijk, where he remained to take up a post as general surgeon. As was customary in the post-war period, his surgical practice was broad-based, including a considerable commitment to urology, but it was the frequent confrontation with burn patients at the hospital, at that time mainly from the adjacent steel foundry, which drew his attention, and which remained the major focus of interest throughout his career.
Rudy’s PhD thesis, completed in 1968, was entitled “ The technical treatment of Burn Wounds” . This achievement was only the beginning of an intense, lifelong study into the complexities of burn care. At that time the specialized treatment of burns was in its infancy. With his incisive, analytical and pragmatic vision, he was one of the first to be convinced of the necessity of an integrated approach to the challenges involved. While Dr Roland Spijker, his colleague in anesthesiology, explored the emerging aspects of intensive care for burn patients, Rudy developed the concept of early excision and grafting, using a variety of innovative techniques of skin expansion, in combination with allografts. The results of this approach were revolutionary and led to national and international recognition. In 1974, our hospital formally recognised this specialized approach to burn care by the creation of a Burn Centre, the first in the Netherlands.
Rudy’s scientific output is mainly to be found in abstracts and congress reports. This observation indeed provides insight into his special talent: he was a tireless communicator, radiating enthusiasm, encouragement and countless ideas. He was instrumental in establishing the Dutch Burn Foundation (1971) and the National Skin Bank (now the Euro Skin Bank) (1976). Both of these institutions continue to provide essential support to burn care in the Netherlands and beyond. He was a founding member of the European Burns Association, in which capacity his fluency in four languages was an undeniable asset.. For many years he was “Secretary-General” of the EBA, and administered the organization single-handed from his home. In recognition of his activities, he was appointed Professor by the City University of Amsterdam. His activities were helped, and occasionally hindered, by his obsession with the new invention of the personal computer. In fact, basic data from our burn center have been stored digitally, originally on discs the size of dinner plates, since the late ‘70s:surely a world first. In later years, Rudy’s immense contribution to the advancement of burn care became widely acknowledged and he has received numerous accolades and awards, including the Whittaker Prize and the Everett Idris Evans Memorial award.
In the course of Rudy’s career the Red Cross Hospital became a secondary teaching hospital for trainee surgeons. Although he was a dominant figure, he was never domineering and always encouraged independence and responsibility in his trainees. Invariably affable, his only frustration was the relentless growth of medical bureaucracy, which was already on the march towards the end of his career. Rudy retired from clinical practice in 1991, at the age of 65. However he continued to promote burn care in broad terms for many years to come.
In later years Rudy’s health began to fail and he became increasingly dependant on his family, and his wife Greetje in particular. His death resulted from complications following a hip fracture, sustained at the beginning of this year. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife and family.
Professor Robert Kreis, and Dr. David Mackie.
September 21 at 0000