On 12:00 p.m. on 19
April 2009, the HPG had its annual Business Meeting at the New Orleans
Riverside Hilton. Approximately 14 individuals attended the business
meeting and/or subsequent lecture. Following lunch, Dr. Charles Tipton
(Chair of the Group) called the meeting to order. Individuals present then
introduced themselves. The 2008 minutes were approved by unanimous vote.
A brief discussion was
held on how to better publicize the HPG business meeting to address the
relatively poor attendance over the past few years. For 2010, it was
decided to send out notices of the lunch and lecture 1 week before EB to all
APS sections rather than just the HPG. Additionally, it is essential to
make sure that the HPG business meeting and luncheon is included in the EB
program. Finally, it was suggested that the time of the meeting be moved so
as not to conflict with the EEP student luncheon.
Dr. Sue Schneider
reported the results of the Joint Program Committee (JPC) Meeting held the
previous day. The 2010 Physiology in Focus sessions will primarily be
concerned with biomedical engineering, physiology and clinical disease, as
these are particular interests of Dr. Gary Sieck, the APS President-Elect.
The cross-sectional symposium �100 Years of Starling� received the highest
votes for any cross-sectional symposium; this symposium is co-sponsored by
the HPG and is chaired by Dr. Jane Reckelhoff, who has put together an
outstanding list of speakers. The HPG featured topic will probably be
chaired by Dr. David Goldstein, who has proposed an exploration of the
history of comparative physiology; more work needs to be done to finalize
this symposium. In 2011, Experimental Biology will last through Wednesday
evening, allowing for new programming slots to be available to the
sections. Additionally, the meeting will be altered in that programming for
particular sections will be focused on either the beginning or end of the
meeting, with the Cannon lecture in the middle of the week. A vote was
taken and the HPG will affiliate with the EEP and Cardiovascular sections to
facilitate programming, with the suggestion that, because we are a
cross-sectional group, we request that our programming stay in the middle of
the week along with the Cannon group. Experimental Biology 2012 marks the
125th anniversary of APS, and it was requested that the HPG
provide input as to a special commemorative event.
Dr. John West, Chair
of the APS History Book Committee, reported that a biography of Nathan Zuntz
authored by Hans-Christian Gunga has been published by Elsevier. Dr. Jay
Dean continues to work on the history of aviation physiology during World
War II. West also reported that the Chair of the Department of Medical
History at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Dr.
Dale Smith, is interested in authoring a text that explores the
relationships between physiological advances and war. Drs. Clark Blatteis
and Jack Boulant continue to make slow progress on a book detailing the
history of temperature regulation; Clark Blatteis has recently retired,
which may accelerate the project. Finally, George Rodway has written a book
on George Finch, the first person to use oxygen at high altitude; this book
has already been published by a small English publisher (i.e., not by the
APS). West also reported that APS Council has begun to provide $1000 for
the Video History program and that the HPG Chair, Dr. Tipton, has been
chosen for the next interview in this program. Additionally, Dr. Edgar Folk
was recently interviewed for this program.
Dr. Tipton reported on
interactions with the Communications Committee. At last year�s HPG meeting,
Donna Krupa , the Communications Director for APS, had requested that HPG
members provide suggestions for topics for podcasts. While HPG members
provided such suggestions, no action has been taken on them. Evidently, the
Communications Committee wants not just ideas but complete products.
Dr. Tipton also
reported that Council will not sponsor HPG luncheon speakers; he has tried
to get Elsevier to sponsor this activity, but has been unsuccessful to
date. There was discussion about possibilities for next year�s luncheon
speakers, which include Paul Webb on the history of calorimetry and Michael
Moran on the history of marathon running, Clarence DeMar and the Harvard
Fatigue Lab.
Subsequently, Dr.
Schneider introduced Dr. Edgar Folk of the University of Iowa, who presented
an interesting and entertaining talk reviewing his work in hibernation, in
context with that of other interesting personalities in the field. In
addition to his profound scientific accomplishments, it was noted that Dr.
Folk has held an appointment at the University of Iowa for over 50 years.
Following the talk, Dr. Schneider presented Dr. Folk with the 2000 HPG
Recognition Award.
The meeting was
adjourned at 1:40 p.m.