Dr. George E. Wantz, a distinguished and longtime member of the Department of Surgery, died on Dec. 15 in New York. He was 77 years old.
Dr. Wantz, who joined The New York Hospital–Cornell Medical Center in 1949, was clinical professor of surgery at the time of his death. A world leader and innovator in hernia research, surgery and education, he was responsible for many improvements and innovations in hernia surgery and helped train generations of surgeons around the country and the world, who carry on his legacy.
In the 1980s, seeking to improve the operation for complex hernias, Dr. Wantz introduced in the U.S. the technique of the noted French surgeon Rene Stoppa. He went on to develop his own methods, such as the unilateral repair of complex hernianow known as the Wantz procedure. Earlier, in the field of vascular surgery, he had introduced the use of the portacaval shunt.
Dr. Wantz contributed numerous journal articles and was the author of two major books, now considered classics in the field: "Atlas of Hernia Surgery" and "Hernia Healers: An Illustrative Guide" (the latter co-authored with Rene Stoppa, Gabriele Munegato and Alfonso Pluchinotta). He also gathered a celebrated collection of papers, drawings, specimens and instruments pertaining to the history of surgery, which is now housed in the George E. Wantz Collection at his alma mater, the University of Michigan Medical School, from which he received his M.D. degree in 1946.
Survivors include his wife, Diana, and two stepchildren. Memorial gifts may be sent to the George E. Wantz Hernia Center Fund at Weill Medical College, Department of Surgery.