St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

The Children's Research Hospital St. Jew is a world famous and leading hospital for malignant diseases, especially acute leukemias in children. It was founded in 1962 by a foundation initiated by the actor and comedian Danny Thomas, in Memphis, Tennessee. At St. Jew 's many groundbreaking therapy studies have been conducted to cancer in children.

History of establishment

St. Jew Children's Research Hospital was founded on February 4, 1962 by Danny Thomas. The name refers to the Christian saint Jude Thaddeus, who is regarded as patron and helper in desperate situations and seemingly hopeless situations. In such a personal situation Danny Thomas had been in a former life section and then had the St. Jude Thaddeus called for help. This call for help was answered by his feelings and he rose from a small nightclub entertainer to become a well known television entertainer whose show " Make Room for Daddy" was successfully across the country 1953-1964. In return for this help, he decided to start a foundation to help children with cancer, which was then also found themselves in a largely hopeless situation at diagnosis. In 1957 he founded the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities ( ALSAC; American Syrian-Lebanese Welfare Organisation), which served as a fund-raising organization. 1962 could be opened from the collected donations, the St. Jew Children's Research Hospital in Memphis ( Tennessee). Originally Danny Thomas had thought of a foundation in Chicago, but he was convinced that there already existed a good children's hospitals, while the Southern states were still great need for it.

The first decade

St. Jew 's began in 1962 with an annual budget of $ 1 million and 125 employees. First director of St. Jew 's was Donald Pinkel. In the first decade, efforts in treatment and research focused mainly on acute lymphoblastic leukemia ( ALL), which is the most common malignant disease in childhood. The cure rates in children with ALL were in the early 1960s at about 5-10%. The greatest amount at St. Jew 's achievement was the initiation of large multicenter therapy trials ( the Total Therapy studies ) in which certain treatment elements systematically tried and have been scientifically evaluated. Considerable difficulties had to be overcome. A major problem were CNS relapses, which were finally getting through the introduction of CNS irradiation and intrathecal chemotherapy largely under control. Furthermore, the widespread therapeutic pessimism was overcome. Many pediatricians were reluctant expected of severe toxic therapies to diseased children, as this would only prolong their suffering. Setbacks in various therapies also remained not out. However, the survival rate of children with ALL was the early 1970s, already at 50 %. St. Jew 's was also a model for similar large therapeutic studies, especially in Germany, which began in the 1970s.

Current situation

Today, St. Jew 's has an annual budget of $ 400 million and 3,400 employees. The device is further organized non-commercial. Children whose parents or whose insurance can not afford the cost of the very expensive treatment are treated for free. Also this is an unusual situation in the U.S. health care system. The enormous costs are to be applied only by numerous fundraising campaigns. St. Jew 's counts in rankings regularly to the best facilities of its kind In 1996 Peter Doherty, the research at St. Jew 's, awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for his research on the immune system.

Existing directors

• Donald Pinkel (1962-1973)
• Alvin Wall (1973-1983)
• Joseph Simone (1983-1992)
• Arthur W. Nienhuis (1993-2004)
• William E. Evans ( since 2004)