EDITORS LETTER WE CAN HONOR THE PAST WITHOUT LIVING IN IT

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Over the next several weeks, the SVS will introduce the candidates to the membership base across multiple platforms, including the “Meet the Candidates” event May 17 at 6 p.m. CDT. SVS members are urged to submit questions for the candidates during the town hall here: vascular.org/Meet23Candidates our empathy grows. Princeton philosopher Peter Singer calls this our expanding moral circle. Social media also brings quick and global judgment to perceived bad behavior. It’s hard to be a jerk in private these days. As @maplecocaine posted, “Each day on twitter there is one main character. The goal is to never be it.” We take it as a point of fact that knowledge improves with time, so why wouldn’t morality?

The 2023 election will open June 1 and run through 2 p.m. EDT Thursday, June 15, during the 2023 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM). All Active and Senior members in good standing—meaning SVS dues are up to date—are eligible to vote.

All Early-Active SVS members eligible to transition to Active member and who want to vote in the election must act now to begin the transition process.

Contact membership@vascularsociety.org to confirm membership status, pay dues and/or apply for membership.

The results of the election will be announced at the Annual Business Meeting on June 17 during VAM. “I call upon all Active and Senior members of the SVS to engage their voices and vote in the election of your SVS leaders,” said Hodgson.

We probably just need to be more careful about who we idolize. Most of history’s “greats” had serious character flaws. Winston Churchill hated Indians and sent the Black and Tans to ravage Ireland. Mother Theresa glorified poverty and told the unfortunate to accept their suffering. What about Gandi, John Lennon, or Albert Einstein? Racist, abuser, and chauvinist. At least to some.

While idolizing historical figures can provide inspiration and motivation, it can also lead to a distorted view of history and prevent critical examination of the past. We may be less likely to hold these individuals accountable for their actions or to acknowledge the harm that they caused. This can perpetuate a culture of impunity, where those in positions of power are immune from scrutiny or consequences.

Other scientific communities have also had to re-evaluate the honors they have bestowed on historical figures. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) recently decided to rename its prestigious Abraham Flexner Award. Flexner was responsible for a report in the early 1900s that revolutionized medical training. Unfortunately, the report also contained a myriad of racist and sexist ideas, and led to the closure of most of the historically Black medical schools in the US. Even the world of botany has been affected. Carl Linnaeus, the developer of the genus and species classification system, had his name attached to the Entomological Society of America’s annual competition. Unfortunately, Linnaeus used his system to classify humans by variety and assigned more positive traits to those with lighter skin tones. In removing the name, the society’s president, Dr. Alvin M. Simmons, stated, “A name can be replaced, but each entomologist brings a unique and valuable contribution to our society that is irreplaceable.” A valid point. Why make a divisive figure the symbol of your society?

So, what of Dr. Rudolph Matas? He is perhaps the most significant surgeon to come from my adopted home of New Orleans. Am I advocating for his erasure from our history? His cancellation? Absolutely not. As the head of the Tulane University and Louisiana State University (LSU) vascular programs, I am as much the caretaker of his legacy as any. I strongly recommend that all surgeons take the time to learn about this innovative and trailblazing man and his remarkable life. Sir William Osler, MD, hailed him as the “Father of Vascular Surgery.” The definitive account of his life: Rudolph Matas: A Biography of One of the Great Pioneers in Surgery was written by Isidore Cohn, MD, the father of my former chair of surgery at LSU. I would also enthusiastically endorse John Ochsner’s 2001 Journal of Vascular Surgery article “The complex life of Rudolph Matas.” Although here, his poor wife has to bear the indignity of having her portrait labeled “Fig. 8. Adrienne Matas in the early time of her weight gain.”

We must reconcile our desire to preserve the past while projecting symbols of inclusion. When a prospective member of SAVS looks at the seal and sees Rudolph Matas staring back, what do they think? Is he wearing sunglasses? Projecting Matas as the singular emblem of our society sends the message that this man, above all others, represents our ideals. A task, perhaps, too heavy for any solitary man or woman to carry.

I strongly believe in the wisdom that can be gained through studying our predecessors. Nearly every editorial I have written has looked to the past to provide context for our present. Surgeons must find a way to make our history relevant and illuminating to the next generation. Naming awards and creating symbols accomplish neither.

I am certain this will engender some discussion, and not all of it favorable (please folks, it’s “you’re” a woke jackass). Clearly, some will see this as an attempt to erase history. But if that is your opinion, what is your vision here? Would you go to work for my mythical hospital in Ghana? Matas’s opinions on race may seem harmlessly antiquated, but what about when they are directed at you? When we start debating “was it racist for the time?”, we all lose.

Progress and tradition will battle without end. Our symbols and conventions must be able to endure the scrutiny of time. As Dr. Jordan said, rather than focus on the divisive errors of the past, surgeons should work together to produce solutions for our common future.