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Oral history interview with Oscar Ratnoff, 1991

Creator: Ratnoff, Oscar
Project: Hemophilia oral history collection.
(see all project interviews)
Phys. Desc. :sound file : digital preservation master, WAV files (96 kHz, 24 bit) transcript: 51 pages
Location: Columbia Center for Oral History
Full CLIO record >>

Scope and Contents

Early interest during medical school in chronic disease; post World War II training in hematology and research; clinical experience with patients with blood clotting disorders and simultaneous research into same; discovery of the difference between Factor VIII and von Willebrand factor; resistance to advent of home treatment of hemophilia with freeze-dried concentrate due to perceived risk of transmitting hepatitis; advent of AIDS in hemophilia community; discovery of discrepancies in health of immune system based on the use of cryoprecipitate versus lyophilized blood product; resistance to this discovery in the hemophilia community; interest throughout career in questioning popular theories and where that interest came from; work with Dr. David Agle on psychology and blood-clotting disorders; psychosocial aspects of hemophilia treatment, denial, isolation, etc.; resistance to comprehensive care model of hemophilia treatment; other physicians’ resistance to his discoveries; aspects of the hemophilia "community"; future of hemophilia care and perceived drawbacks to new technologies; economic aspects of hemophilia treatment

Subjects

Access Conditions

Copyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 2016

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