colitis without the need for high-dose steroids. J Clin Gastroen- terol 1993;17:10 –13. Received May 2, 2003. Accepted June 26, 2003. Address requests for reprints to: Gert A. Van Assche, Department of Gastroenterology, University of Leuven, 49, Herestraat, Leuven 3000, Belgium. e-mail: [email protected]; fax: (32) 16-344419. Gert Van Assche, Severine Vermeire, Geert D’Haens, and Paul Rut- geerts have been instrumental in the design of the study, trial man- agement, data analysis, and writing the paper. Maja Noman had a major contribution in the clinical ambulatory follow-up of the patients in the trial. Martin Hiele followed cyclosporine levels and adjusted drug doses of patients in the trial and provided statistical advice. Katrien Asnong was the study coordinator and had a major share in data analysis. Joris Arts analyzed safety data and followed patients clini- cally during the trial. Andre D’Hoore and Freddy Penninckx performed the surgical interventions in patients failing the trial and substantially contributed in evaluating patients for colectomy. Chagas of Chagas’ Disease Carlos Justiniano Ribeiro Chagas (1879 –1934) born in Oliveira, Mi- nas Gerais, Brazil, was the eldest son of a coffee planter. His mother, widowed when Carlos was only 4 years old, hoped for her son to become a mining engineer, but the entreaties of a physician-uncle persuaded the boy to study medicine with a view to combat endemic diseases that hindered the progress of his native country. At the Faculty of Medicine in Rio de Janeiro, his M.D. thesis was devoted to the hematological aspects of malaria. In 1906, after a brief stint of private practice, he joined his friend Oswaldo Cruz (1871–1917) at a newly established institute dedicated to eradication of debilitating infectious diseases. It was there that Chagas first became aware of the “barber bug” (genus Triatoma), so called because of its propensity to bite the victim’s face. In the hindgut of the bug, Chagas identified a new species of trypanosome that he named cruzi as a tribute to his mentor. Two years of intense effort by Chagas resulted in fulfilling Koch’s postulates, whereby the existence and cause of American trypanosomiasis became known in its acute form. Later, it was found that the infection, in some of those afflicted, impaired the ganglia of the enteric myenteric plexus, resulting in an alimentary “mega syn- drome.” That Carlos Chagas, a relatively obscure doctor working under primitive conditions in an undeveloped country, could identify a disease that threatened millions, provides an inspiring chapter in the history of medicine. —Contributed by WILLIAM S. HAUBRICH, M.D. Scripps Clinic and Reseach Foundation, La Jolla, California Copyright holder unknown. Photo obtained from the National Library of Medicine Website (http://www.nlm.nih.gov). October 2003 IV CYCLOSPORINE IN SEVERE ULCERATIVE COLITIS 1031

Chagas of Chagas’ disease

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colitis without the need for high-dose steroids. J Clin Gastroen-terol 1993;17:10–13.

Received May 2, 2003. Accepted June 26, 2003.Address requests for reprints to: Gert A. Van Assche, Department

of Gastroenterology, University of Leuven, 49, Herestraat, Leuven3000, Belgium. e-mail: [email protected]; fax:(32) 16-344419.

Gert Van Assche, Severine Vermeire, Geert D’Haens, and Paul Rut-

geerts have been instrumental in the design of the study, trial man-agement, data analysis, and writing the paper. Maja Noman had amajor contribution in the clinical ambulatory follow-up of the patientsin the trial. Martin Hiele followed cyclosporine levels and adjusted drugdoses of patients in the trial and provided statistical advice. KatrienAsnong was the study coordinator and had a major share in dataanalysis. Joris Arts analyzed safety data and followed patients clini-cally during the trial. Andre D’Hoore and Freddy Penninckx performedthe surgical interventions in patients failing the trial and substantiallycontributed in evaluating patients for colectomy.

Chagas of Chagas’ Disease

Carlos Justiniano Ribeiro Chagas (1879–1934) born in Oliveira, Mi-nas Gerais, Brazil, was the eldest son of a coffee planter. His mother,widowed when Carlos was only 4 years old, hoped for her son tobecome a mining engineer, but the entreaties of a physician-unclepersuaded the boy to study medicine with a view to combat endemicdiseases that hindered the progress of his native country. At theFaculty of Medicine in Rio de Janeiro, his M.D. thesis was devoted tothe hematological aspects of malaria. In 1906, after a brief stint ofprivate practice, he joined his friend Oswaldo Cruz (1871–1917) at anewly established institute dedicated to eradication of debilitatinginfectious diseases. It was there that Chagas first became aware of the“barber bug” (genus Triatoma), so called because of its propensity tobite the victim’s face. In the hindgut of the bug, Chagas identified anew species of trypanosome that he named cruzi as a tribute to hismentor. Two years of intense effort by Chagas resulted in fulfillingKoch’s postulates, whereby the existence and cause of Americantrypanosomiasis became known in its acute form. Later, it was foundthat the infection, in some of those afflicted, impaired the ganglia ofthe enteric myenteric plexus, resulting in an alimentary “mega syn-drome.” That Carlos Chagas, a relatively obscure doctor working underprimitive conditions in an undeveloped country, could identify adisease that threatened millions, provides an inspiring chapter in thehistory of medicine.

—Contributed by WILLIAM S. HAUBRICH, M.D.Scripps Clinic and Reseach Foundation, La Jolla, California

October 2003 IV CYCLOSPORINE IN SEVERE ULCERATIVE COLITIS 1031