UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #689
JAVID, MANUCHER J.

JAVID, Manucher J. (1922- )
Emeritus Professor, Neurological Surgery
At UW: 1953-

Interviewed: 2004	
Interviewer: Ann Peckham
Length: 4 hours, 6 minuets

Early years and family in Iran; Baha'i Faith; Journey to United States; Medical education; Research; Residency; Application of urea solution to neurosurgery; Promotion to full professor; Creation of department of neurosurgery; Recruitment of a department chair.

First Interview Session (May 14, 2004): Tapes 1-3

Tape 1/Side 1

00:00:05	Manucher Javid explains the meaning of his name.  He also talks about the history of his homeland, Iran.

00:04:42	MJ was born in Tehran in 1922.  He relates his desire to be a doctor from his youth because of his interest in his father's pharmacy.

00:07:35	He describes his education in Tehran.  

00:10:20	He recalls his interest in neurosurgery.

00:11:34	MJ discusses the impact of the Second World War on Iran.  Because Iran was an ally, the war gave him an opportunity to go to the United States; he left Iran with eight others from Baha'i families in 1943.  He goes on to relate the fortunes of his fellow-travelers.

00:21:18	He talks about the Baha'i faith and its persecution in Iran.  He goes on to discuss his experience growing up in Iran.

00:26:04	He describes the passage to the US via Bombay and around Australia.

00:29:54	End of side.

Tape 1/Side 2

00:29:59	Manucher Javid continues to relate the story of his journey from Iran to the United States.

00:33:15	He eventually traveled to Chicago for the celebration of the Baha'i centennial.  There he and his cousin made connections with the registrar from the University of Illinois, with whom they discussed the possibility of continuing his medical education.  They also tried to find a spot in the medical schools at Columbia and Yale.

00:37:43	MJ decided to attend the University of Illinois; he graduated in 1946.  He did his internship and early residency at Augustana Hospital in Chicago.

00:42:48	He still desired to go to the east coast.  He studied neurosurgery at the Lahey Clinic in Boston as a non-paid resident in 1949.  In order to gain more surgical experience, he applied to Massachusetts General Hospital and Tufts University.

00:49:47	He discusses his research at Massachusetts General on using boron to detect and remove brain tumors.

00:56:34	He talks about going to Dartmouth as a temporary neurosurgeon in 1951.

01:01:02	End of side.  End of tape.

Tape 2/Side 1

01:01:19	Manucher Javid continues to discuss his temporary practice in neurosurgery at Dartmouth.  He relates two cases from his time there.

01:07:52	He talks about getting married in 1951.

01:11:33	MJ describes his pay as chief resident.

01:16:44	He outlines some of his career options at that time, which included the possibility of coming to Madison.

01:24:18	MJ arrived in Madison in 1953 to become an instructor in neurological surgery and practice with Dr. T.C. Erickson.  He found it very difficult to support his family financially because he did not have private practice privileges.

01:28:58	While he had always planned to return to Iran and practice neurosurgery, a new wave of persecution of the Baha’i community discouraged MJ from returning.  He then became a partner with Dr. Erickson.

01:30:47	MJ describes Dr. Erickson’s approach to neurosurgery.

01:32:10	End of side.

Tape 2/Side 2

01:32:15	Manucher Javid relates how he arranged for medical students to view patients in order to study the effects of brain tumors.

01:37:28	MJ essentially ran the division of neurosurgery from 1955 while Dr. T.C. Erickson was absent.

01:40:25	He recalls listening to a 1954 lecture by Theodore Roberts about his research with Dr. Paul Settlage on the effect of urea in decreasing pressure on the brain.  MJ thought that he could apply these findings to neurosurgery in order to decrease bleeding and intracranial pressure on patients.  He goes on to describe the first surgeries in which he used this urea solution.

01:49:15 	MJ presented his clinical use in 1956; this stimulated demand for the urea solution.  He goes on to describe how the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) negotiated with a Chicago laboratory to produce the drug.

01:53:07	He mentions his rapid promotion to the position of assistant professor.  In 1957, he was recommended to become a full professor.  He goes on to talk about how John Bowers and Clinton Woolsey ignored his research.

02:04:00	End of side.  End of tape.

Tape 3/Side 1

02:04:06	Manucher Javid talks about Soviet interest in his research.

02:07:12	MJ resumes his discussion of his promotion to the position of full professor.  Clinton Woolsey did not want to promote a chairman of neurosurgery whose chief interest was not epilepsy.  Dean Bowers eventually rescinded MJ’s promotion.

02:10:28	He continues to document the support numerous neurosurgeons gave to him during this promotion process.1

02:14:33	MJ talks about a meeting between President Elvehjem and the heads of the department of surgery to discuss Dean Bowers.  He goes on to discuss Bowers’ career at Wisconsin and his law suit against the regents.

02:26:45	MJ became the acting chairman of the division of neurosurgery in 1962 and chairman in 1963.  One of his goals was to make the division of neurosurgery into a department.  The chair of surgery and dean of the Medical School both opposed this development.

02:30:27	He describes how he built up the personnel of the neurosurgery division.

02:35:35	End of side.

Tape 3/Side 2

02:35:37	Manucher Javid describes how Dean Peter Eichman neglected to act on the recommendation to make neurosurgery a department.

02:37:12	MJ tried again in 1982 to make neurosurgery a department.

02:38:50	He relates how Dr. Fred Belzer asked him to resign as chairman of neurosurgery in 1986.  Belzer wanted to circumvent the appointment process and bring “new blood” into the division; he refused to consider any internal promotions.

02:40:12	MJ discusses his response to Belzer.  The members of his division wanted him to remain as chairman.

02:43:54	MJ chronicles the Medical School’s administrative response to Belzer’s attempt to dismiss him.  Belzer remained intent on dismissing MJ by 1988.

02:44:02	He restates the case for making neurosurgery a department.  The majority of Medical School faculty supported him.

03:04:40	End of side.  End of tape.

Second Interview Session (September 21, 2004): Tape 4

Tape 4/Side 1

03:04:53 	Manucher Javid discusses the establishment of the neurosurgery department and the search for a new chair.  He goes on to talk at length about the interview and recruitment process.

03:09:40	MJ continues to talk about the recruitment of a new chair for neurological surgery.  

03:17:49	The new dean of the Medical School, Lawrence Marton, favored a candidate whom the search committee did not wish to hire.

03:21:35	MJ continues to relate the struggles between the departmental search committee and Dean Marton.  The Dean Advisory Committee sought to place the department in receptorship.

03:24:44	End of side.

Tape 4/Side 2

03:24:46	Manucher Javid discusses the search for a new chair for the department of neurological surgery.  He relates how he brought the issue to the Faculty Advisory Committee in 1993; the committee ruled in favor of the department and against Dean Lawrence Marton’s attempts to choose the new chair.

03:27:32	The search committee recommended Dr. Warren Selman, but he declined the offer.

03:32:43	MJ talks about the faculty’s disaffection with Dean Marton; members of the executive committee wrote to the chancellor to ask for Marton’s resignation.

03:48:51	He continues to talk about searching for a new department chair.  With the help of the new dean, Philip Farrell, the committee hired Robert Dempsey.	

03:54:11	He mentions financial gifts given to the department in his honor.

04:00:19	MJ offers some final comments on the importance of establishing neurosurgery as a department.  He talks about the lack of support in this endeavor from the dean’s office.

04:06:23	End of side.  End of tape.  End of interview.

END