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CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Volume 31, No 4, July/August 2020
AFRICA
217
Prof was honoured and received many awards during
his career. In 1995, the Paediatric Cardiac Society of South
Africa acknowledged his contribution to the field of paediatric
cardiology. In 1998 the Johannesburg branch of the South African
Heart Association also acknowledged and recognised his service
in the advancement of paediatric cardiology in South Africa.
The Witwatersrand University conferred on him the title of
emeritus professor of paediatric cardiology in 1998 and in 2002
he received an exceptional service medal from the Wits Faculty
of Health Sciences. Despite all these accolades, he remained an
extremely humble man and never flaunted any of his achievements.
Profs lectures and tutorials were never missed by the students
and he was the ultimate clinician, emphasising the importance
of listening to the mother and taking a good history, warning
the students never to ignore the mother’s recount of her
baby’s symptoms. The examination of the patient always took
precedence over technology (chest X-ray, electrocardiogram and
echocardiogram).
Here was a man who truly lived through the rapidly changing
field of paediatric cardiology, from its infancy days to what it has
currently become. He witnessed the brave new operations being
tried when cardiopulmonary bypass was becoming established.
He also personally met most of the pioneers in this field.
Prof lived through the era of vectoragrams, reams of
unrecognisable M-mode tracings, as well as the first diagnostic
cardiac catheterisations in children in South Africa. Angiograms
were developed in a dark room and stockpiled to the roof in the
Department. These were viewed on a temperamental projector,
which only he knew how to control.
Prof’s clinical skills and auscultatory prowess would often
outshine the findings of the ultrasound in the early days.
His knowledge, energy and passion for his speciality were
unmatched. The registrars used to joke that ‘what prof has
forgotten, we have yet to learn’.
In the early days, interventional cardiac catheterisations
were limited to balloon atrial septostomies and pulmonary
valvuloplasties with unsophisticated equipment. But over time,
Prof witnessed and lived through the massive explosion of
technology and new equipment in the field of interventional
cardiac catheterisations, as well as ultrasound/echocardiograms,
to what they have now become in the current era.
Past registrars will fondly remember Prof’s ward rounds and
teachings that would go on late into the night. Unfortunately, he
had no sense of time and ward rounds would end only when he
got an irate phone call from Cynthia telling him that he was late
for dinner.
I can clearly remember Prof coming to do ward rounds on a
Sunday morning after having played tennis, and walking into the
neonatal ICU with his skinny legs protruding from his buttoned-
up, neatly ironed white coat. He would immediately attract an
audience from the doctors on duty who would hover around him
in admiration like moths to a flame. He was a true proponent of
evidence-based medicine. But his devotion to his patients and
caring nature as a clinician revealed his passion for his chosen
career. He could remember in detail most of his patients by name
and what their diagnoses were.
Prof could quote and cross-reference any article in his field
long before Medline search engines were even considered. Better
still, he would then go and retrieve copies of the original articles
from his cluttered office, which was filled with publications from
the floor to the roof. The walls in his office were plastered with
artistic paintings and drawings created by his grateful patients.
His desk became a storage facility for many more articles and
publications when he ran out of shelf space, leaving him to
write his reports on his lap. Walking into his office, one could
be forgiven for not initially seeing him behind the pile of papers
and publications.
Prof’s insatiable appetite for knowledge was evident by
his huge collection of post mortem congenital hearts that he
kept in the Department of Paediatrics at the Johannesburg
Hospital. His collection of 300 to 400 hearts could match any
collection worldwide. Each heart was meticulously categorised
and carefully dissected with his dissection kit that he had kept
from when he was a second-year medical student in 1946.
Often, he would bring out an example of a cardiac condition
(usually at five in the afternoon) and dive in and go through the
detailed anatomy and pathology with such eagerness while the
students and registrars would back off from the pungent smell of
formalin. These sessions would carry on long after the sun had
set. No one would dare leave the teaching session early.
In conjunction with this, Prof would painstakingly document
and photograph all the dysmorphic features in his patients
and his slide collection was legendary and filled many drawers
in the Department. These photographs made for informative
presentations to the Department and at various congresses. His
love for photography continued long after his retirement.
Prof was my mentor who taught and guided me and many of
my colleagues throughout our training as paediatric cardiologists.
Iwas fortunate tohave a long-standing, close relationshipwithhim,
starting as a registrar and then as time went by, as a co-consultant
at the Johannesburg Hospital, and finally as a partner in private
practice together with Dr Kenny Govendrageloo. Our private
practice was run in the same academic manner to which he had
been accustomed for many years.
Standing on Prof’s shoulders enabled us to see way into the
distance and I will always acknowledge the impact that he had
on my life, both personally and professionally. I learnt a lot from
him about cardiology but also about him as a human being.
He stood for fairness and equal opportunity for all. He had
strong feelings against any form of discrimination and sexism.
He showed respect for everybody, regardless of their position or
standing in society. He was compassionate and he also had the
ability to laugh at himself with a great sense of humour.
Prof was a kind and wonderful husband to Cynthia, a caring
and interested father to his three accomplished children, Bethia,
Trevor and Haidee, as well as a doting grandparent to numerous
grandchildren and great-grandchildren, of whom he was so
proud. His face would light up and he became so animated when
talking about his family.
He was a deeply religious man and actively participated in
the activities within the synagogue and was loved, admired and
respected by his fellow congregants.
Although Prof Solly’s passing leaves a void in many doctors’
lives, his legacy lives on within us. We will continue to carry the
wonderful memories of him and will cherish the time we had
together.
Dr Jeff Harrisberg, MB ChB, DCH (SA), DTM&H (SA), FCP
(SA) Paeds, Cert Cardio (SA) Paeds
Paediatric Cardiologist, Sunninghill Hospital