Berish Strauch
Berish Strauch (September 19, 1933 - December 24, 2023) was an American plastic surgeon. He pioneered and developed the first toe-to-thumb transplant and the first inflatable prosthetic penis.[1][2]
Early life and education
[edit]Born in the Bronx, New York City, he was the son of Herman Strauch, a suit cutter in Manhattan's garment district, and Anna (Weiss) Strauch, a milliner.[1] Observing his parents' precision in handling tools influenced his interest in surgery.[1]
Strauch attended the Bronx High School of Science and graduated from Columbia University in 1955 with a pre-medical focus.[1] He earned his medical degree from Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1959.[1]
Career
[edit]After completing fellowships at Roosevelt Hospital in New York and Stanford Hospital in California, he joined Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.[1]
In the late 1960s, Strauch became involved in the emerging field of microsurgery, utilizing microscopes and specialized instruments to repair tiny blood vessels, nerves, and ligaments.[1] He became the chief of reconstructive surgery at Montefiore in 1978 and was appointed chairman when the division became a full-fledged department in 1987, a position he held until his retirement in 2007.[1]
Strauch developed several surgical procedures and technologies, including techniques for removing excess skin from patients who had lost significant weight following bariatric surgery.[1] In 1976, he performed one of the first toe-to-thumb transplants on a firefighter who had lost his thumb and could not have it reattached. He also contributed to the development of medical devices such as an inflatable penile prosthesis and a mechanism to reverse vasectomies.[1]
In 1993, following the high-profile 1992 incident involving Amy Fisher and Mary Jo Buttafuoco, Strauch performed reconstructive surgery on Buttafuoco, who had sustained severe facial injuries.[1] While the surgery addressed much of the damage, some nerve damage remained irreversible.[1]
In 2010, Strauch and Charles Herman published the Encyclopedia of Body Sculpting After Massive Weight Loss.[3]
References
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