Kurt Benirschke,MD (1924–2018): Pioneer in Perinatal and Placental Pathology

Abstract

Kurt Benirschke, noted pathologist and animal conservationist, passed away on September 10, 2018 at the age of 94. Kurt Benirschke is a legendary figure in perinatal pathology and was likely the first pathologist to have a genuine interest in the placenta. With Shirley Driscoll, he wrote the first textbook on placental pathology—The Pathology of the Human Placenta published in 1967. Dr Benirschke combined interests in both human and animal biology—not only was he a noted pathologist and geneticist, but he had expertise in the reproduction of humans and many mammalian species. During his career, he advanced comparative pathology of placentation, and due to his work on the preservation of endangered species, he likely saved a number of species from extinction. He also became internationally known for his creation of the “frozen zoo” collecting embryos and tissues of numerous endangered species. I have been privileged to be among his many friends and colleagues who were awed by the breadth of his extensive knowledge, his humility, and his sense of humor. Benirschke’s life and career, which is reviewed here, should be an inspiration to the Pediatric and Developmental Pathology readership.

Keywords

placenta pathologist perinatal twins placentation comparative

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Gruhn

Gore

Roth

. Dr. Arthur T. Hertig. Int J Gynecol Pathol 1998; 17(2): 183–189.

Vawter

Cohen

. Founders of pediatric pathology: Sidney Farber 1903-1973. Perspect Pediatr Pathol 1988; 12: 1–9.

Benirschke

. Adrenals in anencephaly and hydrocephaly. Obstet Gynecol 1956; 8: 412–425.

Wurster

Benirschke

. The development of the neurosecretory system of the hypothalamus of the nine-banded armadillo. J Comp Endocrinol 1964; 4: 433–441.

Benirschke

Bloch

Hertig

. Concerning the function of the fetal zone of the human adrenal gland. Endocrinology 1956; 58: 598–625.

Benirschke

Brown

. A vascular anomaly of the umbilical cord. Obstet Gynecol 1955; 6: 399–404.

Benirschke

Bourne

. The incidence and prognostic implication of congenital absence of one umbilical artery. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1960; 79: 2512–2554.

Bourne

Benirschke

. Absent umbilical artery. A review of 113 cases. Arch Dis Child 1960; 35: 534–543.

Merrill

Murray

Harrison

, et al. Successful homotransplantations of the kidney between nonidentical twins. N Engl J Med 1960; 262: 1251–1260.

10.

Benirschke

. Placental membranes in twins. Obstet Gynecol 1958; 12: 305–309.

11.

Benirschke

. Twin placenta and perinatal mortality. NY State J Med 1961; 61: 1499–1508.

12.

Benirschke

. Accurate recording of twin placentation. Obstet Gynecol 1961; 18: 334–347.

13.

Benirschke

. Origin and clinical significance of twinning. Clin Obstet Gynecol 1972; 15: 220–235.

14.

DeLia

Rogers

Dixon

. Treatment of placental vasculature with a neodymium-yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser via fetoscopy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1985; 151(8): 1126–1127.

15.

Benirschke

. The placenta in the litigation process. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1990; 162: 1445–1450.

16.

Anderson

Benirschke

. Fetal circulations in the placenta of Dasypus novemcinctus, Linnaeus and their significance in tissue transplantation. Transplantation 1963; 1: 306–310.

17.

Benirschke

Sullivan

Marin-Padilla

. Size and number of umbilical vessels. A study of multiple pregnancy in man and armadillo. Obstet Gynecol 1964; 24: 819–834.

18.

Benirschke

. Lessons from multiple pregnancies in mammals. Prog Clin Biol Res 1981; 69A: 135–139.

19.

Benirschke

Anderson

Brownhill

. Marrow chimerism in marmosets. Science 1962; 138: 513–515.

20.

Benirschke

Richart

. The maintenance of a marmoset monkey breeding colony. Proc Anim Care Panel 1962; 12: 199.

21.

Benirschke

Chimerism and mosaicism: two different entities. In: Wynn

(ed). Obstetrics and Gynecology Annual 1974, New York, NY: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1974, pp. 33–45.

22.

Benirschke

. Spontaneous chimerism in mammals. A critical review. Curr Top Pathol 1970; 51: 1–61.

23.

Benirschke

Anderson

Brownhill

. Marrow chimerism in marmosets. Science 1962; 138(3539): 513–515.

24.

Benirschke

. Chimerism and mosaicism—two different entities. Obstet Gynecol Annu 1974; 3: 33–45.

25.

Benirschke

Low

Brownhill

Caday

Devenecia-Fernandez

. Chromosome studies of a donkey-grevy zebra hybrid. Chromosoma 1964; 15: 1–13.

26.

Benirschke

Low

Sullivan

Carter

. Chromosome study of an alleged fertile male mule. J Hered 1964; 55: 31–38.

27.

Benirschke

Brownhill

Beath

. Somatic chromosomes of the horse, the donkey and their hybrids, the mule and the hinny. J Reprod Fertil 1962; 4: 319–269.

28.

Keller

Tandler

. Über das Verhalten der Eihäute bei der Zwill-ingsträchtigkeit des Rindes. Wiener tierärztl Wschr 1916; 3: 513–527.

29.

Hsu

Benirschke

. Mammalian Chromosome Atlas 1967; Vol I. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.

30.

Hsu

Benirschke

. Mammalian Chromosome Atlas 1977; Vol X. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.

31.

Pathak

S. T.C

. Hsu: In memory of a rare Scientist, April 17, 1917-July 9, 2003. Cytogenet Genome Res 2004; 105: 1–3.

32.

Hufty

Sedgwick

Benirschke

. The karyotypes of the white-lipped and collared peccaries. Aspects of their chromosomal evolution. Genen Phaenen 1973; 16: 81–86.

33.

Benirschke

Kumamoto

Meritt

. Chromosomes of the Chacoan peccary, Catagonus wagneri (Rusconi). J Hered 1985; 76: 95–98.

34.

Benirschke

Kumamoto

. Further studies of the chromosomes of three species of peccary. Adv Neotropical Mammal 1989, pp. 309–316.

35.

Byrd

Benirschke

Gould

. Establishment of the first captive group of the Chaco peccary, Catagonus wagneri. Zool Garten 1989; 58: 265–274.

36.

Benirschke

Byrd

Low

. The Chaco region of Paraguay. Peccaries and Mennonites. Interdisciplinary Sci Rev 1989; 14: 144–147.

37.

Benirschke

. The frozen zoo concept. Zoo Biol 1984; 3: 325–328.

38.

Benirschke

. Comparative Placentation, San Diego, CA: University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. http://placentation.ucsd.edu/homefs.html .

39.

Benirschke K, Driscoll SG. The Pathology of the Placenta. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag; 1967 (Handb. Pathologic Anatomie, Henke-Lubarsch, Volume VII/5).

40.

Howitt

Nucci

Young

. XXIX. Dr Hazel Mansell Gore. Int J Gynecol Pathol 2016; 35(6): 598–605.

41.

Benirschke

Burton

Baergen

. The Pathology of the Human Placenta, 6th ed. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 2012.

42.

Warhol

Benirschke

. Vanishing Animals, New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 1986.

43.

Ryder

Byrd

. One Medicine: A Tribute to Kurt Benirschke, Director of the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species, Zoological Society of San Diego and Professor of Pathology and Reproductive Medicine, University of California San Diego. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag, 1984.