The International Association of Endocrine Surgeons (IAES) owes its origins more to Peter Heimann, Professor of Surgery, Bergen, Norway, than to any other person. He was a general surgeon with a particular interest in the thyroid gland, and it was his ambition to polarize the activities of those general surgeons interested in the endocrine system into a special group within the Société Internationale de Chirurgie (SIC), of which he was a very active member. The SIC meets every 2 years, always in a different country. It was founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1902, and its office and administration remained there until 1981, when it moved to Basel, Switzerland and came under the dynamic direction of Martin Allgöwer, Professor of Surgery in that city.
In 1978, Peter Heimann wrote to a number of his friends to say that he was dying of gastric carcinoma and stated his fervent wish that an endocrine group of surgeons should still be formed, even though it would not have his guidance. Peter died on March 28, 1978, and, as a result of the letters he had written, Selwyn Taylor (London, England), Richard Egdahl (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.), and Orlo Clark (San Francisco, California, U.S.A.) circulated a group of endocrine surgeons around the world, a task greatly facilitated by Peter Heimann’s secretary, who kindly handed on all the previous correspondence. Scientific papers were invited and a single day’s program set up during the next meeting of the SIC together with provision for all those interested to meet and discuss plans for the future.
So it was that, at 9:00 a.m., Thursday, September 4, 1979, a group met in a room of the SIC congress in San Francisco and elected a president, Selwyn Taylor; a president-elect, Richard Egdahl; a secretary-treasurer, Orlo Clark; and a small international committee: N. Thompson, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A. (coordinator); H.A. Bruining, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Y. Fujimoto, Tokyo, Japan; P.-O. Granberg, Stockholm, Sweden; T.S. Reeve, Sydney, Australia; H.D. Röher, Heidelberg, Federal Republic of Germany; W. Rudowski, Warsaw, Poland; and S.A. Wells, Jr., Durham, North Carolina, U.S.A.
All those who had indicated that they would be present became the founding members and, since then, the membership has been strictly monitored by surgeons from the applicant’s own country, as well as by the committee.
Now (January 2002) the IAES counts more than 400 members from most parts of the globe.
The meeting’s first scientific session opened at 11.00 a.m. and so keen were other members of the congress to attend, that a larger hall had to be found to house the afternoon session. The standard of presentation and the subsequent discussion was of the highest order and so it has remained ever since. At the conclusion of the next meeting, which was held in Montreux, Switzerland, in 1981, the founding president handed over to his successor a badge of office, placing it round his neck, and this little ceremony has been carried on since at each meeting. Biennial meetings followed in Hamburg, Germany, 1983, Paris, France, 1985, Sydney, Australia, 1987, Toronto, Canada, 1989, Stockholm, Sweden, 1991, Hongkong 1993, Lissabon, Portugal, 1995, Acapulco, Mexico, 1997, Vienna, Austria, 1999, Brussels, Belgium, 2001 with the successive presidents being: S. Taylor (London, England), San Francisco 1979; R.H. Egdahl (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.), Montreux 1981; P.-O. Granberg (Stockholm, Sweden), Hamburg 1983; T.S. Reeve (Sydney, Australia), Paris 1985; Y. Fujimoto (Tokyo, Japan), Sydney 1987; N.W. Thompson (Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.), Toronto 1989; H.-D. Roeher (Heidelberg, Germany), Stockholm 1991; I.D.A. Johnston (Shipston-on-Tour, England), Hongkong 1993; O. Clark (San Francisco, California, U.S.A.), Lissabon 1995; C.A. Proye (Lille, France), Acapulco 1997; J.A. van Heerden (Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.A.), Vienna 1999; S. Noguchi (Oita, Japan), Brussels 2001. However, by far, the lion’s share of the administration has fallen to the secretary-treasurers, O.H. Clark (1979-1985), J.A. van Heerden (1985-1991), M.H. Wheeler (1991-1997) and G. Åkerström (1997-2004) who have set the new organization on a solid basis scientifically, administratively, and financially. It is heartening that the members’ enthusiasm is maintained and lately even increased. The IAES owes much of the success of its early days to the beneficent sponsorship of the parent organization, the SIC.
The original aims of the IAES were to provide „A forum for the exchange of views of those who are involved in expanding the frontiers of endocrine surgery whether by clinical experience, laboratory investigation or in any other way: Not for the general surgeon who occasionally operates on a thyroid or adrenal gland.“
The IAES, indeed, fulfils these aims, and is proud of its place in the Société Internationale de Chirurgie. Finally, the World Journal of Surgery regularly devotes a complete issue to the contributions of the IAES.
The IAES always presents a plenary session at the SIC congress and a Peter Heimann lecture as a prestigious occasion, which constitutes a tribute and reminder of our founder.
Originally written by Selwyn Taylor, M.D. in 1987,
revised by Göran Åkerström in 2003