Hello Gang,

This was posted in the Philadelphia Inquirer today.

Eugene B. Spitz, 87; developed a life-saving operation
By Sally A. Downey
Inquirer Staff Writer

Eugene Bernard Spitz, 87, of Center City, a retired pediatric neurosurgeon who developed a life-saving surgery for children, died of complications from diabetes Thursday at his daughter Pam Weber's home in West Chester.

In the early 1950s, Dr. Spitz was a pediatric neurosurgeon at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia when he pioneered an operation for hydrocephalus in infants. The condition causes a dangerous buildup of spinal fluid in the brain. Dr. Spitz implanted a shunt to drain off the fluid and later modified the procedure with a valve invented by John Holter, an engineer whose infant son suffered from the condition.

Dr. Spitz also developed brain surgeries to treat children with tumors and with epilepsy. He was an advocate for aggressive treatments for the mentally impaired such as patterning, in which a child's limbs are moved to simulate crawling.

He treated children from all over the world and held clinics for brain specialists all over the country, a friend and colleague, Dr. Lorraine King, said. Despite his accomplishments, she said, he was humble and caring.

In the mid-1960s, Dr. Spitz became chief of neurosurgery at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. He cofounded Broad Street Hospital in Philadelphia in the 1970s and performed surgeries there until the hospital closed in 1988. For many years he maintained a private practice in Morton and then in Swarthmore. He retired in March.

A native of Queens, N.Y., Dr. Spitz completed his medical training by the time he was 25. He was a 12-year-old in knickers when he began his undergraduate studies at New York University, his daughter Jane said. He earned his medical degree at NYU and then completed a residency in pathology. During World War II he did research for the Navy.

After deciding to become a neurologist, he completed a residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and was later an associate professor at Penn's medical school.

Dr. Spitz had a pilot's license and loved to fly from Philadelphia to his vacation home at the Jersey Shore. His wife, Eleanor S. Spitz, was his navigator. "He had a terrible sense of direction," Jane Spitz said. He enjoyed opera, classical music, and tennis.

In addition to his daughters, Dr. Spitz is survived by daughters Kathryn Tagliaterra, Adrienne Brenz, and Mary Margaret; a son, Eugene Jr.; a brother; 10 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. His wife of 55 years died in 2001.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. today at Christ Episcopal Church, 311 S. Orange St., Media. Friends may call from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Cavanagh-Patterson Funeral Home, 43 E. Baltimore Ave., Media.

I am looking for a way to obtain my daughters medical records from Dr. Spitz. My wife and I gave Dr. Spitz a package of information on my daughter. Please let me know if you have any way of helping us retrieve this information. Thanks

Leonard Savioz

If you found records your daughter's records, I'd like to know how to find records for my son. My email is*

Please advise.

Harriet*

I also would be interested in finding records for our son.

*

My name is Linda Lehman-Riley and I was a life long patient of Dr. Spitz. Literally. He did my first operation (closing my back) wqhen I was two days old. I also have a shunt. I am 45 years old now. I visited Dr. Spitz twice a year, sometimes more and he was more like a second father to me. Especially after my own father died in 1988. I blubbered like a baby on my last visit to him just a week before he retired. I learned of his death from this website when I googled his name one day to see if his picture had been updated from the time before. I was heartbri=oken and still am.

Would anyone be able to share Pam's adress or phone number with me. I wanted to send her a condolence card when I first found out but was unable to get an adress or phone number. Now I would just like to talk. It would be nice to talk to fellow patients of his as well.

I will never forget him. I loved him so. He saved my life so many times. How could I not.

Linda

I was with Dr. Spits for 44 yrs since I was an infant. He was like a father to me more then my own. Dose anyone know the date off passing of Dr. Spitz if you know please emaiil me.

bon26

Hello Linda.
I agree. Dr. Spitz was a great person. I frequented him through all the 1970's Starting from the Broad st hospital and then in Morton. As I said I used to see him ( also Dr. Karpin and Dr. Delacato) because I became his favorite Italian and Spanish interpreter. I did it because I wanted to help those kids from Europe and Dr. Spitz has always appreciated that. Imagine that when in 1978 I started working, and it was not easy to leave the job, he used to call me in my office and organize conference calls from his office so that I could talk to the babies parents and translate to him.
I wanted to add that Besides being a pilot, Dr. Spitz was also a race car lover, specially a Ferrari lover. When I met him he told me he had a 12 Cylinder Ferrari that he had just bought from the actor Robert Stack. And I never forget Dr. Spitz's face when one of the people from Italy, Mr Benelli handed him the book of the Enzo Ferrari history, signed personally by Enzo Ferrari.
Franco

I was quite young when Dr. Spitz worked with me. I too am in need of medical records, CAT scans Dr. Spitz analyzed at a mobile clinic in La Habra California. Did you find any leads? Does anyone know who might have his records?

Thank you.
jean hardy

I was a patient of Doctor Spitz when I was a child. I have questions about my medical history and would like to obtain my records. I was a patient from about 1964 to 1980. Does anyone know if these records can be obtained, and if so, how? Any information you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.