Return to Main Menu

Deans mark passing of distinguished scientist Editors note: Dr. Wilmer Leigh Thompson, distinguished scientist and MUSC graduate, died Feb. 11 at a local hospital. He was 66. The following tribute to Dr. Thompson, whose life and work helped save the lives of thousands, is reprinted from the Charleston Post and Courier March 3. by Drs. Perry Halushka and Jerry Reves The “Medical College” as MUSC used to be known graduated many fine physicians and graduate students, but the recent death of Dr. Leigh Thompson marked the passing of one of Charleston’s and the Medical University of South Carolina’s most distinguished scientists. We wish to mention a few of his many achievements, knowing that his legacy will remain an inspiration for all who wish to leave the world a better and safer place because of their life’s work.  Leigh Thompson, M.D., Ph.D., a native Charlestonian, was precocious. He entered the Medical College when others were just starting college.  He was one of the first PhD graduates from MUSC’s College of Graduate Studies. Under the guidance of Dr. Robert Walton, he discovered hetastarch, a blood replacement fluid that undoubtedly saved the lives of tens of thousands of people.  In tribute to his discovery, MUSC’s College of Graduate Studies established a permanent display of his dissertation and one of the original bottles of hetastarch. This exhibit served as an inspiration for graduate students and is a lasting memory of his extraordinary accomplishments as a graduate student.  One of his legacies is that every student has the potential to make a discovery that will save the lives of countless others.  Dr. Thompson received his M.D. degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine after completing the first two years of medical schooling here.  After completing his medical training, he joined the faculty and ultimately established the first intensive care unit in the nation. So, another legacy is one of institutional innovation—he invented a whole new way to care for the critically ill—in a unit that was designed solely for these desperately ill patients. Now virtually all hospitals have intensive care units.  After a successful career in academia, Dr. Thompson left to join Eli Lilly, where he became the chief scientific officer. While at Eli Lilly, the company instituted a post-drug release electronic database designed to observe side effects of drugs. This innovation not only used the computer as its tool, but also employed  inventive mathematics to “find the needle in the haystack” rare side effects of drugs.  This demonstrated that a scientist with the profound social conscience that Dr. Thompson had could influence the drug industry to discover problems with drugs that could never be found before they were released. This work anticipated the current controversy over Vioxx and revealed the genius of a man determined to always find a better way of caring for patients.  Dr. Thompson retired from Lilly in 1994, and then embarked on his next career which was to serve as a consultant to and member of the boards of numerous pharmaceutical and biotech companies.  Right up to the time of his death last month, although he had a debilitating lung disease that limited his physical activity, he was still writing scholarly editorials, providing sound advice to pharmaceutical companies, and challenging physicians and industry alike to improve medical therapeutics in terms of safety and effectiveness of drugs already available or soon to be released. He had a special desire to find help for those he called the “silent sufferers,” those patients afflicted with diseases for which there was no therapy. In other words, his work was not done.  While a graduate student, Dr. Thompson earned the nickname, “Electric Potato,” a nickname that stayed with him throughout the rest of his life. It was his Web-address. For those that knew Leigh, they would readily say if a nickname ever personified the individual, his clearly did.  Dr. Thompson was a man of boundless energy, extraordinary intellect and many talents. He was an extremely talented speaker, with an uncanny knack for engaging audiences and using two projectors simultaneously, keeping them in sync and the audience in full attention. He was electric and energized all who were around him.  Last year, Dr. Thompson was surprised by his many colleagues and friends who came from great distances to Charleston for the first annual “Leigh Thompson Renaissance Symposium.” This was a tribute to the man and his scientific contributions.  A part of his continuing legacy will be this annual meeting and the programs it develops to improve medicines and systems of patient care.  The next symposium (April 29-31) was planned by Dr. Thompson with the theme “safety of drugs.”  Because of Dr. Thompson’s extraordinary intellect, boundless energy, infectious enthusiasm and an insatiable quest for helping others, he leaves behind a legacy of scientific discoveries and leadership that helped thousands of patients and provided an inspiration for students and colleagues.  The “Electric Potato” will be missed by all that knew him and are better for their time spent with him.  Perry V. Halushka is dean of the College of Graduate Studies, professor of pharmacology and medicine, MUSC.  Jerry Reves is dean, College of Medicine, vice president, clinical affairs, professor of anesthesiology and pharmacology, MUSC.    Friday, March 11, 2005 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.