Washington University School of Medicine Oral Histories
William M. Landau Oral History
Interviewer
Edwin W. McCleskey Ph.D. and William M. Geideman
Loading...
Summary
William M. Landau was interviewed by Edwin W. McCleskey and William M. Geideman on June 15, 1990, for approximately 67 minutes. Landau discusses his experience as a child who grew up in the highly segregated city of St. Louis. He also recalls his experience with the desegregation of the medical center.
Scope and Content
As background to the desegregation of hospitals and Washington University School of Medicine, Landau discusses his experiences with segregation in St. Louis as a child, and as medical student, house officer, and resident at Barnes Hospital and the school of medicine.
He mentions figures who played a role in desegregation, including David Goldring, Alexis Hartmann, Sr., and Park White, and discusses the obstruction to integration at Barnes from Frank Bradley, the director of the hospital, and the board of trustees. Landau also discusses the desegregation of the school of medicine.
Biographical Information: Interviewee
William M. Landau (1924-2017) was born just a few blocks from Washington University in 1924. He started college at the University of Chicago in 1941, but the United States' entry into World War II accelerated his college career, and after just two years, he returned to St. Louis to begin medical studies at Washington University School of Medicine. He was 18. Landau completed medical school in 1947 and joined the neurology faculty in 1954. He was named professor emeritus 58 years later and continued conducting research into his 90s.
Landau was a professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis from 1954 to 2012 and served as head of the Department of Neurology from 1970 to 1991. He was the longest-serving faculty member at the School of Medicine. Landau specialized in movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, but his interests ranged widely. With Frank Kleffner, PhD, of the Central Institute of the Deaf, he identified and described Landau-Kleffner syndrome, a rare disorder in which children lose the ability to speak and respond to language.
He also studied how patients fared after being revived with CPR when their hearts had stopped beating, and concluded that the risk of severe, debilitating brain damage was underappreciated. He advocated for more limited use of the procedure.
Biographical Information: Interviewer
Edwin W. McCleskey, Ph.D. was an assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at Washington University School of Medicine from 1986 to 1993. His research addressed the biophysical properties of calcium-selective ion channels and the discovery of ion channels that trigger different types of pain. He also taught physiology and neuroscience.
William M. Geideman is an orthopedic surgeon who graduated from Washington University School of Medicine in 1993. He completed his internship and orthopedic residency training at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Interview Date
1990-06-15
Collection Identifier
OH107 (PC054-S09)
Length
Approximately 67 minutes.
Restrictions
Users wishing to publish (in whole, or in part) content taken from the audio or transcript of this oral history interview must request, sign, and return a Statement of Use form to the Becker Archives. For detailed information regarding publication and use of this oral history, contact the Becker Archives (arb@wusm.wustl.edu).
Recommended Citation
William M. Landau Oral History, OH107 (PC054-S09), Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis.
Disclaimer
The Becker Archives provides access to this oral history interview as a record of the past. This interview reflects the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of the interview participants, which may reflect outdated, biased, and offensive views and opinions. The Becker Archives does not endorse the views expressed in this interview, which may contain materials offensive to some users.
