From Haldor Jenssen MD

From Haldor Jenssen MD

 One year has passed since Brian Whipp left us. And still the memory of this giant comes to me, not only when his name appears in papers and citations or as title of sessions in congresses, but also in daily life dealing with patients undergoing CPEX for diagnosis or for evaluating of intervention.

My first experiences from his lectures at ERS before the year of 2000 were a thoroughly understanding of the exercising human organism as one unity. This opened my eyes for the utility of exercise testing as an enormous useful tool in the diagnostic work in patients with dyspnea or incompletely diagnosed heart or lung disease. 

In our “Forum for clinical physiology – circulation, gas exchange and ventilation”, his lectures represented a strong springboard over 3 consecutive days in January 2006. Since then the memory of Brian has every year in January been brought forward in the presentations and discussions in our meeting at The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences in Oslo. This meeting is every year gathering about 100 participants from specialists in cardiology, pneumonology, pediatrics, anesthesiology, physiology and sport science. The participation in this meeting have been giving merit for education of Norwegian physicians.  

Brian also had interests outside physiology. His first goal except lecturing when he came to Oslo was visiting the museum of old Viking ships. Did he feel relationship with other giants from the north?

Haldor Jenssen MD

Telemark Heart Lung and Blood Institute

Cappelens gt. 15

NO-3722 Skien

Norway

From Ami Oren

Tuesday, quarter to five, and all experiments stopped. The good old HP was turned off, the desk cleared and chairs brought to a circle. Sue brought the glasses and Brian a bottle of red wine. The Shakespeare club started promptly at 5. Brian was to discuss The Tempest. The plays were distributed among the participants. Brian and Sue selected The Tempest and Midsummer Night Dream. These were the more complex plays, and Brian set to explain the structure and hierarchy of the plays, the nobles, the commons, and the spirits. As usual, he play-acted the explanation so all I have to do is close my eyes and follow.

As if years have not passed.

Time is the most versatile dimension. It can twist its tail and hit you on the head mixing the then in the now. So I stand in front of my trainees and try to explain respiratory physiology, wishing that Brian were there to do the job. And he was tough, very tough, demanding, and crystal-clear. Didn’t take a second to have every brain cell on full alert and mobilized to comprehend the task at hand. But, in the end,  we learned every bit of it. We even loved it. Brian’s quiet and solid enthusiasm was contagious, his knowledge immense, his teaching unforgettable.

When he picked on my stage fright, Brian pulled me to the side:

“Why don’t you adopt my method? Write down the text and read it over and over, then go to the beach and say it out loud, rehearse it until it flows from you. The waves wouldn’t mind.”

Brian had a talent for explaining the most complex problems by posing simple questions, step-wise, until the problem unraveled and all its elements were clearly laid out.

In my rear-view mirror I can see him sometimes, and realize how much knowledge and understanding he had, how well he understood the “other”.

Brian’s zeal for life was abundant, he was gregarious and had to do everything and be the best in what he did.

Even after a squash game he appeared immaculately dressed, not flashy, just like his leather briefcase, very classy.

There was a distinct style to everything he did, a quality that is hard to match.

From John Macdonald:

In August 2011 my wife and I were fortunate enough to visit Brian and Sue in Chrickhowell. I had not seen either since leaving UCLA in 1987. Within five minutes of our visit Brian brought up several points about my doctoral dissertation. The old panicky feelings came rushing back. Let’s see, is it the nadir, what about the asymptote, or how about the time constant? With all the work he had done, and all the people he debated, he recalled my dissertation. Maybe that was not surprising. It was his theoretical expertise that was the basis of my dissertation. So it was with overwhelming grief that a few weeks after our visit Sue wrote us of Brian’s passing.

I was co-investigator of an Office of Naval Research grant at the University of Southern California studying CO2 retention in divers. I had been a U.S. Navy diver, and held a master’s degree. When the research was completed I wanted to pursue a doctorate so I could do more advanced research. My fellow co-investigator at USC advised me to go to UCLA and study with Dr. Brian Whipp. Hence, I enrolled at UCLA, and went to see Dr. Whipp. He was gracious, but said he was not taking graduate students, that I should contact Dr. Sue Ward. Thus began my doctoral studies. I took Dr. Whipp’s graduate respiratory physiology course that David Poole so eloquently described, and I sat in on the Fellow’s seminars at Harbor-UCLA. 

I always sat in the back at those seminars. One evening a Fellow was giving a presentation. Dr. Whipp was sitting in the back next to me. I looked over and noticed he was scoring a musical composition. Every so often he would correct the Fellow to get him back on track. I swear the guy had two brains.

I was a member of the Undersea Medical Society and while I was a grad student the Society was holding its national meeting in Los Angeles. I was given the task of finding the keynote speaker. I immediately thought of Dr. Whipp even though hyperbaric medicine was not his area of expertise. As a lowly grad student I was hesitant to ask him but he accepted without hesitation. With all he was doing, lecturing the freshmen medical students, running the Fellows seminars, his prodigious research, writing grant proposal, writing articles and who knows what all, he accepted.

One month later he began the lecture on first principles, taking a breath of air in a hyperbaric environment. An hour later, after referencing the classic articles, integrating the important findings, and building a solid argument for gas exchange under pressure, I looked around the room of physicians and scientists. I could almost hear them saying, ‘So that’s how it works. It’s so logical. Of course it’s so clear now.’

I went to thank him, but before I could say anything he grabbed my hand and thanked me. He said, “That was a challenge.” And now I come to realize that was Dr. Whipp’s life, a challenge. Whether it was physical or mental, he accepted any challenge and met it head on. He prepared relentlessly, and expected the same from those who were fortunate enough to have studied under him. We are all better for having known him.