David V Becker

Title: David V Becker
Author: Williams, Ruth

Reference: The Lancet, 375 (9723), p.1342, Apr 2010

doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60566-1

Keywords: Radiologist, thyroid endocrinologist

Abstract: Radiologist, thyroid endocrinologist, humanitarian. Born on May 24, 1923, in New York, USA, he died of heart disease on Jan 31, 2010, in New York aged 86 years.

Hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer are nowadays routinely treated by the administration of radioactive iodine. In the 1950s, however, the field of nuclear medicine was in its infancy and David Becker and his colleagues were pioneers. Becker was among the first to use radioiodine for imaging the thyroid, and for diagnosing and treating thyroid diseases. He established radioiodine as a clinical tool, but also studied its adverse effects after high-level exposure. This expertise was called upon in the wake of the Chernobyl power plant explosion of 1986.

URL:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673610605661