The Cincinnati Beacon - Media ignores passing of Heimlich maneuver co-developer, Neil Armstrong colleague (except us) - Cincinnati blog, Cincinnati news, Cincinnati politics

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Media ignores passing of Heimlich maneuver co-developer, Neil Armstrong colleague (except us)

Photo courtesy of here.

Photo: Left to Right: Neil Armstrong, George Rieveschl Jr. PhD, Henry J. Heimlich, MD, Edward A. Patrick MD, PhD (circa 1975).

For three decades, Dr. Edward A. Patrick lived here and worked in hospital ERs around Ohio and Kentucky. With his longtime colleague, Dr. Henry Heimlich, Patrick developed the Heimlich maneuver. In 1985, Surgeon General C. Everett Koop told the Washington Post that after receving a letter from Patrick about his choking studies, Koop issued a Public Health Statement recommending the Heimlich maneuver over all other choking treatments. Months later, the American Heart Association and American Red Cross changed their choking rescue guidelines according to Dr. Patrick’s recommendations.

With Heimlich, astronaut Neil Armstong, and Benedryl inventor George Rievschl, Dr. Patrick founded the Institute of Engineering and Medicine at UC. From 1985-89, Patrick was a research professor in UC’s Electrical Engineering Department and later worked as medical director at the Heimlich Institute. Over the years, Dr. Patrick’s computer and medical work was reported by the Enquirer, the Business Courier, and Cincinnati Magazine.

A few weeks ago, the Toledo Legal News reported that a Federal Court in Cincinnati had dismissed an appeal filed by Dr. Patrick after he lost a high-profile libel suit against the Cleveland Scene newsweekly. In 2004, the Scene published “Playing Doctor,” a cover story that raised questions about Dr. Patrick’s claimed medical residencies at Jewish Hospital and UC’s Department of Emergency Medicine.

With so many newsworthy angles, last month when The Beacon broke the news of Dr. Patrick’s death, we assumed other media reports would follow, perhaps with comments from Dr. Heimlich and Neil Armstrong about their colleague. But weeks later, there’s only this January 8 death notice in the Wheeling (WV) Intelligencer. Note that Dr. Patrick is credited as “co-developer of what is referred to today as the Heimlich Maneuver.” (Thanks to publisher Perry Nardo for reprint permission.)

PATRICK, Edward Alfred, 72, of Union, Ky., formerly of Elm Grove, W.Va., died Wednesday, December 23, 2009, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

He was born October 7, 1937, in Wheeling.

His grandfather John G. Patrick, father Alfred and uncle Edward G. Patrick founded Patrick’s Upholstering in 1933, now in its 77th year.

At thirteen, Edward was the third youngest licensed ham radio operator in the country. (W8IHB or, as he quipped, “W8 I’m-aHandsome Boy”).

As a teen, he built a working x-ray machine. Later on, he was an instrument and multi-engine rated pilot, flying his own plane.

A 1955 Triadelphia High School grad, Edward attended “Wheeling College” as it was then known, the United States Naval Academy, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering.

A Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering was awarded him by Purdue University, where he soon became a very young full professor with tenure.

He earned an M.D. from Indiana University, becoming a board certified Fellow of the American College of Emergency Medicine.

He was re-certified several times by that distinguished board.

Edward was co-developer of what is referred to today as the Heimlich Maneuver. But he most prized Consult(R) - a computerized textbook of medicine based on his work in Electrical Engineering and medicine which he and eldest son, Edward Jr. worked on together for 30 years. Edward, along with Neil Armstrong (1st man on moon), Henry Heimlich (choking maneuver), and George Rieveschl (inventor of Benedryl), was co- founder of a biomedical engineering institute named HARP, an acronym of Heimlich, Armstrong, Rieveschl and Patrick. Edward was a pioneer in artificial intelligence, authoring several books and hundreds of scholarly papers. As their major professor, he led numerous PhD students to their doctorates.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Alfred and Virginia (Miller) Patrick, and his second son, William Roy Patrick.

He is survived by brother, George R. Patrick, his former first wife of 38 years, Patricia Roy, who bore him a daughter, Maureen T. Patrick and three sons: Edward A. Patrick, Jr. (and Leah Brill; precious grandchildren Rosaleah, 16, and Daniel, 11); William R. (deceased); and John G. (Toni Morris) Patrick both of whom selflessly cared for and prayed with Edward throughout his illness. Second former wife, Susan Soudrette of Cincinnati also survives, as does third former wife, Joy Lake Patrick from whose union issued son Tyler, 11, and daughter Madison, 9.* Devoted Carmen Acosta was Edward’s best friend and angelic nurse.

The Rev. James McGoldrick, S.M., Pastor, St. Vincent de Paul Church, officiated at a private funeral Mass January 7, 2010.

Finally, these oft-recited lines were beloved by Edward:

So live, that when thy summons comes to join
The innumerable caravan which moves
To that mysterious realm where each shall take
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,
Scourged by his dungeon; but, sustain’d and soothed
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave,
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.

“Thanatopsis,” by William Cullen Bryant

Dr. Patrick may not have “(taken) his chamber in the silent halls of death (like) a quarry-slave at night,” but that’s the treatment his passing has received from mainstream media. The story’s obviously newsworthy, so why isn’t it being reported? Let us know what you think by posting a comment below or dropping a note in The Beacon’s Tip Jar!

* From a January 14 e-mail we received from Joy Lake Patrick: “I was not contacted for the Wheeling obit…Tyler O’Neill, named after the great playwright Eugene O’Neil, is 9 years old, not 11; Madison Ann is 8 not 9. Edward had been ill for over a year before he died. With him being home, his young children got to spend some wonderful quality time with their father. I can tell you with no hesitation with all he had accomplished in his life, he considered his greatest reward his two young children, Tyler and Madison.”

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Enquiring mind says:
16 Jan 2010 at 02:02 pm | #

The Enquirer should ask Dr. Heimlich to write an op-ed column about Dr. Patrick!

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) says:
16 Jan 2010 at 05:36 pm | #

I have known Edward for most of my life and i can tell you that Joy is right. ED loved his kids and he loved showing of his Brilliant son, Tyler, and his little Princess Maddy to every one. I can also say that the only regret he had when he left was that he could not stay longer and watch his children grow into Wonderful Adults. He is an Amazing man and he will be missed by many.

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) says:
16 Jan 2010 at 08:19 pm | #

I am sure he was as equally proud of his step daughter Kelly Lake as he raised her from the age of 4 till she turned 15 He loved her as his own.

Deaco RN says:
16 Jan 2010 at 08:38 pm | #

Dean, don’t you know the rules? Cincinnati news won’t say anything critical about the great Dr. Maneuver.

Heimlich was happy to rely on Dr. Patrick when he needed him. Now that Ed’s gone, Hank doesn’t have the decency to say a kind word about the man.

M. Koechlein says:
17 Jan 2010 at 03:27 pm | #

Well it seems we’ve all known the man for years. But if you claim that you truly “knew” him…sorry you are in the same boat as all of us and are hardly being truthful. He never had “his greatest accomplishment”, as stated above. That was the problem. And, if he were to have “a greatest accomplishment”, Dr. Patrick was never referenced in scientific journals because of his ability to procreate. Any hillbilly can breed. I sincerely doubt that any man of his level of education would logically place more value on his last two children than his other children or grandchildren.

He is known and referenced for his work in engineering by more educated individuals than would typically post here. That is not a slight, it is simply the truth: The Beacon is not a scientific journal. Since many of the posts on websites like this, regarding his history, have come under the umbrella of fake e-mail addresses and the like…

Gossip is easy and ignorant people feel empowered by it. Some individuals are too lazy to attain the level of education needed to properly challenge scientific theories. Even weaker people may never back their commentary with their true identity.

Ironically, I never particularly liked the man. But at least I am willing to acknowledge his true talents and legacy, in spite of his flaws.

Even more ironically, he liked the following lyrics by Shane Macgowan of the Irish band The Pogues. He borrowed the CD from me every St. Patrick’s day. Perhaps it sums up this entire situation.

“If I should fall from grace with God
Where no doctor can relieve me
If I’m buried ‘neath the sod
Where the angels won’t receive me

Let me go, boys
Let me go, boys
Let me go down in the mud
Where the rivers all run dry”

So just let it go, people.

Mike Koechlein

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) says:
17 Jan 2010 at 04:19 pm | #

Well it seems we’ve all known the man for years. But if you claim that you truly “knew” him…sorry you are in the same boat as all of us and are hardly being truthful. He never had “his greatest reward”, as stated above. That was the problem. And, if he were to have “a greatest reward”, Dr. Patrick was never referenced in scientific journals because of his ability to procreate. Any hillbilly can breed. I sincerely doubt that any man of his level of education would logically place more value on his last two children than his other children or grandchildren.

Ironically, I never particularly liked the man. But at least I am willing to acknowledge his true talents and legacy, in spite of his flaws.

Even more ironically, he liked the following lyrics by Shane Macgowan of the Irish band The Pogues. He borrowed the CD from me every St. Patrick’s day. Perhaps it sums up this entire situation.

“If I should fall from grace with God
Where no doctor can relieve me
If I’m buried ‘neath the sod
Where the angels won’t receive me

Let me go, boys
Let me go, boys
Let me go down in the mud
Where the rivers all run dry”

So just let it go, people.

Mike Koechlein

IMA-JH-REZ says:
17 Jan 2010 at 04:30 pm | #

I can think of some people marking his passing, starting with Gary Harris, Mike Bowen, Creighton Wright, and Gordon Margolin.

anon says:
18 Jan 2010 at 09:41 am | #

Mike Koechlein: Gossip is easy and ignorant people feel empowered by it…So just let it go, people.

Here’s some gossip from the 12/21/09 ruling that laughed Patrick’s libel case appeal out of Fed Court: http://www.casewatch.org/civil/patrick/dismissal.shtml

The record demonstrates many inconsistencies in “Dr. Patrick’s representations of virtually all aspects of his medical training.”

A doctor practicing in dozens of ERs for 30 years on squiffy credentials? Hey, just let it go, you ignorant people….

Declare yourself, sir! says:
18 Jan 2010 at 11:44 am | #

Mike Koechlein’s name is on the cc: list of a 1994 letter from “The Patrick Institute” that’s part of an FDA file for a do-it-yourself choking rescue device with handles called the “QuickAir Choke Reliever.” Dr. Patrick’s letter (p.24) describes the evaluation of the device based on PATRICK ENERGY (caps from the original).

Along with must-see photos of this major scientific breakthrough, the product brochure (p.5) reads: “Tested and reported by Dr. Edward Patrick of Cincinnati, OH, co-implementor of the Heimlich Maneuver with Dr. Henry Heimlich”: http://bit.ly/6mmgWh

Hey Mike, where can I buy one? I’m choking with laughter!