BLOG: A Different Researcher — In Memory of Dr. Edwin Masters (1945-2009)

BySaleh Aldasouqi, MD, FACE, ECNU

I would like to begin this post in memory of Dr. Ed Masters, it was about spring time in 2009 that Ed began his terminal battles with diabetes, with frequent hospitalizations and rehab sessions. Later, in June of that year, I received the sad news that Ed had passed away. Diabetes had taken its final toll on this giant of a man. Ed and I practiced medicine in the small rural town of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He was my colleague, friend and my medical patient at one point. While caring for him during the times he was hospitalized, we spent much time talking about our common passion, “the itch to write.” We talked about the dedication and commitment it took to research and write a paper. We shared memories of the joy and satisfaction we both derived from being accepted by our peers to publish our findings.

That summer of 2009, I was asked by Ed’s family for a copy of an article that I had written for publication about Ed, as a tribute, during his rapidly progressive illness, as a compassionate and caring physician, and as a relentless researcher of a unique attitude that I do not recall having encountered, as a researcher myself.

The first draft of this article was written in the spring of 2009, during one of Ed’s rehab stays following a preceding hospitalization. Ed reviewed the draft, approved it, and had grown anxious to get it published. He felt that the article highlighted his journey in the world of science and research. I could see the pride in his eyes reminiscing on the old days when he began researching Lyme disease in the 1980s.

Unfortunately, I could not get the article published during Ed’s life, having submitted it to a number of high-end medical journals.

In memory of Ed, I would like to dedicate these words to his soul, hoping that his family will have a solace in reading this article. I have shared this article with Mrs. Jackie Masters, and she read, approved, and slightly edited the article.

The itch to write despite diabetes

One of the first things Dr. Edwin Masters asked, as he was awakening from anesthesia in the recovery room—was, “any news about the manuscript?” His spirits were markedly lifted hearing it had been accepted. Ed was surrounded at the time by his loving wife Jackie, family, friends, and some of his staff.

This was Ed’s second hospitalization within a 2 month period; this time for a below the knee amputation of his remaining leg. He had lost his other leg 2 months earlier and had lost his vision completely a short time before that— all losses due to diabetes. He became blind after battling with progressive eye disease.

Despite all the disabilities diabetes had brought upon Ed, he never quit his beloved career, his research and scholarship and his writing. Until he lost his first leg, he was still seeing patients consulting on tick borne diseases. Ed did numerous studies and published over 50 papers on tick borne diseases, becoming one of the national authorities on these diseases.

This term “the itch to write” is not my own invention. I borrowed this terminology from the literature. It was the title of a commentary I had read few years ago by Hurst (J. W. Hurst. The itch to write: A personal account. Archives of Internal Medicine 2001;161:643-647), in which he beautifully described the 12 steps of writing a successful and publishable medical paper. Hurst described this itch-to-write disorder as “a disorder of the head marked with strong and peculiar symptoms that is relieved only by scratching incessantly on paper with a pen or by pounding on a typewriter or computer”.

For Ed to have asked about the fate of a manuscript as he was coming out of anesthesia, ignoring he had lost his second leg, was so incredible to witness. This touching story, to me, was truly heartening and uplifting! It was not unusual to hear from someone like Ed who had had a great passion for both patient care and scholarship.

Ed had returned, after completing his medical education, to his native Southeast Missouri, turning down a lucrative offer of an academic job at a high-end urban institution, and practiced family medicine for over 35 years.

Over those years, Ed researched tick-borne illnesses and similar Zoonoses and has published papers on these diseases in diverse journals and periodicals.

Ed was diagnosed with diabetes about 14 years prior, and from the beginning, the disease has been progressive. With the latest bilateral amputations, at the age of 63, Ed had been diminished by almost one-third due to weight loss and to loss of both legs. Admirably, Ed had a great sense of humor.

Ed and I chatted a lot about research and writing during the rounds, and we both shared memories of the joy and satisfaction associated with papers getting published—and the disappointments and frustrations which characterize the emotions experienced upon rejection of manuscripts.

While diabetes had robbed Ed of his health, it did not rob him of his passions, patient care and scholarship. Neither did diabetes rob him of his non-pathologic disorder, the “Itch to Write.”

Remembering Dr. Edwin during an encounter with one of his former patients

Incidentally, just few days after the passing of Dr. Masters, I saw a patient in the clinic, as a new consult. Reviewing her history, I noted that she wrote “history of Lyme disease” in the past history section dating back to the late 1980s. I asked her about that, with the memory of Ed still fresh in my mind and she mentioned that this was diagnosed and treated by Dr. Masters. The patient and I then began talking about the great characters of Dr. Masters. What intrigued me the most about this touching experience is what the patient shared with me about her experience with Dr. Masters.

The patient said that Dr. Masters had included her in his research on Lyme disease, and published a photo of hers showing the unique skin rash she had had in a comprehensive epidemiological report about Lyme disease in Missouri. She shared that publication with me in a subsequent office visit, and what touched me furthermore is a letter that Ed had sent to her along with the journal, thanking her for participation in that study.

I am not sure how many researchers there are out there who would take the time to get back with their research participants and thank them for their participation.

So, Ed did not think of his research participants as “subjects.” He did not think of them as numbers in a “sample” that would satisfy the requirement for “the statistical power” of the study sample, he thought of them as humans.

By losing Ed Masters at a young age, at the peak of a busy medical profession and at the peak of a research career to brag about, the community of Southeast Missouri has lost a lot. Ed’s passing is, in my opinion, a bigger loss to the scientific community of Lyme disease, and to the medical community at large.

* The original draft of this article was written in the spring of 2009, while Dr. Masters was Recuperating at a rehab facility in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and then completed after Dr. Masters passed away. Dr. Masters died on June 21, 2009, at the age of 63. That date coincided with Dr. Masters’ 39^th wedding anniversary and with Father’s Day.