Reed M. Nesbit
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Reed Miller Nesbit (October 8, 1898 – August 1, 1979) was an American
urologist Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and ''-logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary system and the reproductive organs. Org ...
, surgeon, and professor. He was Head of the Urology Section of the Department of Surgery at the
University of Michigan Medical School The University of Michigan Medicine (branded as Michigan Medicine) is the academic medical center of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It consists of the university's Medical School, affiliated hos ...
in
Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
, from 1930–1967. Nesbit was a pioneer of
transurethral resection of the prostate Transurethral resection of the prostate (commonly known as a TURP, plural TURPs, and rarely as a transurethral prostatic resection, TUPR) is a urological operation. It is used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). As the name indicates, ...
. He devised the Nesbit operation for treating
Peyronie's disease Peyronie's disease (PD) is a benign, acquired penile connective tissue disease characterized by the occurrence of fibrotic plaques within the Tunica albuginea (penis), tunica albuginea — the dense elastic covering of the Corpora cavernosa of pe ...
, and he made prominent contributions to
pediatric urology Pediatric urology is a surgical subspecialty of medicine dealing with the disorders of children's genitourinary systems. Pediatric urologists provide care for both boys and girls ranging from birth to early adult age. The most common problems are ...
, most notably the Cabot-Nesbit style
orchiopexy Orchiopexy (or orchidopexy) is a surgery to move and/or permanently fix a testicle into the scrotum. While orchiopexy typically describes the operation to surgically correct an undescended testicle, it is also used to resolve testicular torsion. ...
.


Life and career

Nesbit was born in
Concord, California Concord ( ) is the most populous city in Contra Costa County, California, Contra Costa County, California, United States. According to an estimate completed by the United States Census Bureau, the city had a population of 124,016 in 2024, maki ...
, and studied first at the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
, then at
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
, where he earned his AB in 1921 and MD in 1924. He interned at the Fresno County Hospital in
Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...
, before he was recruited to Michigan by Hugh Cabot, the Director of Surgery at the University of Michigan and a prominent genitourinary surgeon. During his first year in Michigan Nesbit shared a room with Charles Huggins, another Cabot recruit who later went on to win a Nobel prize for his work on hormonal control of prostate cancer. In 1926, Nesbit became an Instructor in Surgery. In 1929 he was promoted to Assistant Professor, and a year later he became Chief of the Section of Urology. In 1943, he attained the rank of professor. He served as Head of the Urology Section of the Department of Surgery for 37 years. His work at Michigan brought him national and international fame. By the end of his tenure his advances in surgical procedures and techniques were recorded in over 150 articles. He was at the forefront of endoscopic surgery to treat prostatic disease, and his 1943 textbook, ''Transurethral Prostatectomy'', became the standard textbook on this subject in the United States. He also published the textbook ''Fundamentals of Urology'' in 1942. Many surgeons throughout the United States and all over the world came to Ann Arbor to learn his innovative techniques. In 1957 he established a pioneering dialysis unit at the University of Michigan, unusual in that it was run by surgeons, not internists. Nesbit became President of the
American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is a professional medical association for surgeons and surgical team members, founded in 1913. It claims more than 90,000 members in 144 countries. History The ACS was founded in 1913 as an outgrowth of ...
in 1967, the first urologist to hold that position. He trained over 80 residents, at least 18 of whom became chiefs of urology in medical schools in the United States and abroad. After Nesbit retired in 1968 he moved to
El Macero, California El Macero is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) just outside the city limits of Davis, California, United States, in Yolo County. Until 2006 it had a separate ZIP Code, 95618. In 2006, eastern and southern parts of D ...
, where he served as lecturer of surgery and special assistant to the dean at the
University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...
School of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...
. In 1969 Nesbit became chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals The Joint Commission is a United States-based nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c) organization that accredits more than 22,000 US health care organizations and programs. The international branch accredits medical services from around the world. A majori ...
. In 2007 the Reed Nesbit Professorship in Urology was established at the University of Michigan in his honor, with Edward J. McGuire serving as the first Nesbit Professor. The Reed M. Nesbit Urologic Society is the alumni organization of the Department of Urology at the University of Michigan and was constituted in 1972. The membership of the society includes residents who trained at Michigan, clinical fellows, faculty, and selected others. The society meets each year in Ann Arbor and also at the annual meeting of the
American Urological Association The American Urological Association (AUA) is a professional association in the United States for urology professionals. It has its headquarters at the William P. Didusch Center for Urologic History in Maryland. AUA works with many international o ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nesbit, Reed M. 1898 births 1979 deaths American urologists University of Michigan faculty 20th-century American surgeons