Foundations of Pediatrics: Henry K. Silver, MD (1918–1991) (original) (raw)

2009, Advances in Pediatrics

passed away Friday, July 24, 2009 at the age of 87. Her professional life was devoted to practice in child psychiatry and, in partnership with her husband, C. Henry Kempe, MD, to the prevention and treatment of child abuse. Ruth was one of only two women in her class at the Yale School of Medicine in the 1940's. Her publications included Child Abuse, part of Brunner's Developing Child Series and a bestseller in the United Kingdom, and the last two editions of The Battered Child, for which she was a lead Editor as well as a chapter contributor. She was a wonderful mother and grandmother and is survived by her five daughters, Karin, Annie, Miriam, Allison and Jenny, and sixteen grandchildren. V ision, passion, loyalty, and wisdom are all words often used to describe Henry K. Silver. The following stories and anecdotes, collected from some of Henry's colleagues, friends, and family, paint a picture of a man steadfastly committed to improving the lives of children and families; a man whose vision and tenacity gave birth to an enduring legacy. His many contributions to pediatric endocrinology, the diagnosis and treatment of child abuse and neglect, as well as his efforts to change