Louisville Medicine Volume 67, Issue 4 | Page 36

DOCTORS' LOUNGE (continued from page 33) a gastrointestinal micro-bot that can deliver drugs, or potentially biopsy something deep, inside us. This bot has a magnesium coating that resists stomach digestion except for a small porthole that can be laser-activated to react with acids. It generates bubbles which function as a jet propulsion stream. Their lab has not achieved accurate delivery, for instance to a tumor, just sort of a shotgun release once the bubbles get going. The MURAB biopsy system uses a marriage of magnetic res- onance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US) imaging to pick the exact place in abnormal tissue that the surgeon wants to biopsy, robotically places a very thin tissue needle and backs out, leaving only a tiny scar for a seriously accurate sample. There are annual international surgical robotics competitions and the final for 2019 will be held in October. We have now got companion robots who talk to shut-ins, kid robots who cheer up pediatric patients, and pharmacy robots who count and organize pills. Artificial intelligence (AI) robots predict things. The NYU Medical AI program has searched thousands and thousands of patient records for pre-diagnosis of future diabetes and stroke and “so far has never been wrong” per its website. Pre-diag- nosis sometimes really motivates people to change their sedentary ways; others just shrug and go on. All of us in primary care have been leaning hard on our patients for decades to get moving and eat better. Perhaps if we had a program we could run in front of them, and they could see their more dismal futures digitally unfold, they’d believe us. What we need most is a robot typist who understands us perfectly and types on command, fully conversant with EMRs: alas, not avail- able. So, my favorite robot is the disinfectant one. Hospitals use their UV light-radiating power to sanitize, in minutes, rooms infected with multiply resistant organisms. The ads for the SureStrike360 say their “Xenex LightStrike Germ-Zapping” kills even Candida Auris, the most recent scourge in hospital associated infections. They point out that the average cost to the hospital per hospital-associated in- fection is $25,000 and immediately the robots pay for themselves, with current models ranging from $50,000 to $130,000. If I ever meet one, I’m going to say “Klaatu barada nikto” and nod respectfully. Dr. Barry practices internal medicine with Norton Community Medical Associates- Barret. She is a clinical associate professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, Department of Medicine. LEON L. SOLOMON, MD: PIONEER OF INTERNAL MEDICINE T AUTHOR Gordon R. Tobin, MD he Louisville Medicine biographical series, Dr. Who, by Aaron Burch brings welcome insights into fellow members’ backgrounds, families and avocations. In December 2018, Morris Weiss, MD, was featured, and we learned of his 125-year family medical lineage through his father, Morris Weiss, Sr., MD, and great-uncle, Leon Solomon, MD. All left remarkable legacies that deserve preservation. Here is the memorable story of Dr. Solomon, and his great local and national contributions. Leon Leopold Solomon, MD (1871-1959), practiced in Louisville, Ky., at the opening of the 20 th century where he achieved national in- fluence early in his career, by applying and promoting the era’s most advanced medical knowledge and skills. He led fellow physicians 34 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE into higher practice standards, including science-based therapies, public health engagement and medical education reform through organizational leadership at local, state and national levels. These included chairing the AMA Council on Materia Medica, Pharmacy and Therapeutics, and Section Directorships of the Kentucky Board of Health and US Public Health Service. Highly acclaimed through- out his career, he served the profession nobly, and he pioneered the emerging specialty of internal medicine. FAMILY ORIGINS AND EARLY LIFE In 1871, Leon was born in Louisville, Ky., to Joseph and Eva Bach Solomon, who both came from Reformed Jewish communities in Alsace, Germany, immigrating in 1863. Joseph’s early occupation was a country store clerk. From this modest beginning, he came to own several country stores across Kentucky. Financial success allowed the Solomon family to establish residence in Louisville,