Comments for:

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Tribute to Donald W Seldin

Submitter: Eng Tan | emtan@scripps.edu

Authors: None

The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California

Published May 16, 2018

Dear Editor,

The interview of Dr. Donalf W Seldin by Ushma Neill of the JCI, on the occasion of a 'Tribute to Donald w Seldin' highlighted his 'way with words'. It reminded me of an occasion which, I believe further reinforces the wittiicisms of Dr. Seldin. In the late 1960's, I was being interviewed by Dr. Morris Ziff who was the head of Rheumatology at UT Southwestern and one of the deans of American Rheumatology for a research fellowship from the National Arthritis Foundation. My proposed research topic was about systemic lupus erythematosus and one of the characteristics of lupus is usually the high frequency of multiple autoantibodies and their presence in high titer. One of the questions which Dr. Ziff asked me was, 'patients with lupus, are their immune systems promiscuous or lusty?' I must have been flabbergasted because I did not remember what I said. I believe the pithy and profound questions and comments by Dr. Seldin, which I have seen in action in a Medical Grand Rounds at UT Southwestern, must have perrmeated the entire staff.       

Eng M Tan, M.D., Professor Emeritus, The Scripps Research Institute.