Heroic Measures for an American Hero: Attempting to Save the Life of General Douglas MacArthur.

General Douglas MacArthur was a towering public figure on an international stage for the first half of the 20th century. He was healthy throughout his life but developed a series of medical problems when he entered his 80s. This article reviews the General's medical care during two separate life-threatening medical crises that required surgical intervention. The first episode occurred in 1960 when MacArthur presented with renal failure due to an obstructed prostate. Four years later after his 84th birthday, MacArthur developed bile duct obstruction from common duct stones. He underwent an uncomplicated cholecystectomy and common duct exploration but developed variceal bleeding requiring an emergent splenorenal shunt. His terminal event was precipitated by strangulated bowel in long-ignored very large inguinal hernias. MacArthur died, despite state-of-the-art surgical intervention, due to renal failure and hepatic coma.

Pablo Luis Mirizzi: the man behind the syndrome.

Pablo Luis Mirizzi (1893-1964), who was born and died in the city of Cordoba in Argentina, dedicated his life to the service of surgery and the teaching of his students. Although known for the introduction of the intraoperative cholangiogram and for describing the Mirizzi syndrome - a partial obstruction of the common hepatic duct secondary to an impacted gallstone in the cystic duct, very little else is known about this man behind the brilliant surgical pioneer of the twentieth century. This biography looks beyond his important contributions to medicine, to the many facets of the man himself.