Page:The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology-ItsFirstCentury.djvu/223



"The evolution of the pathology registries stands out as the most important organizational development in American pathology," declared Brig. Gen. Elbert DeCoursey, addressing the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology in 1952. 1

When General DeCoursey, then the Director of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, made his comment upon the importance of the registry movement, there were 21 registries in successful operation, with many thousands of cases registered and subject to the organized and systematic study of the manifestations of disease and trauma, with provision for regular periodic followup to check on developments and responses to treatment.

In the 1920's, however, the registry movement was quite limited in scope, being confined for the first 5 years to but two examples— the original arrangement with the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, set up in 1921, and a second registry in lymphatic tumors, established in cooperation with the American Association of Pathologists and Bacteriologists in 1925. Two years later a third registry, in bladder tumors, was set up under the sponsorship of the American Urological Association.

Succeeding Maj. George R. Callender as Curator of the Museum was another native of Massachusetts and graduate of Tufts Medical College, Maj. James Francis Coupal (fig. 66), who had been Assistant Curator under Callender. He was to serve from 1922 to 1924, in which year he was appointed White House physician during the administration of President Calvin Coolidge. Upon his withdrawal from the Museum, Major Callender returned to serve as Curator in the 5 years from 1924 to 1929.

During the administration of Major Coupal, a start was made toward a reclassification of the contents of the Museum, using an adaptation of Dr. Maude E. Abbott's modification of the Wyatt-Johnson museum classification.