More Prescribing Rules
One more prescribing rule [See “Rheuminations,” September 2009, p. 6], honored mainly in the breach, in our overspending climate: don’t prescribe an expensive brand when generics are as good or better, especially Nexium (which I have never prescribed) versus omeprazole, Lipitor versus simvastatin (which now costs the VA three cents a pill), and—for rheumatologists who are writing 80% Uloric—allopurinol except for the 10% who might need Uloric.
Lonnie Hanauer, MD
Millburn, N.J.
In Memoriam: Hildegard Maricq, MD
With sadness we note the passing on October 25, 2009, of Hildegard Maricq, MD, professor emeritus at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Born in Rakvere, Estonia, Hildegard was later displaced and spent several years of her youth as a refugee. At the conclusion of World War II, Hildegard settled in Belgium where she met her husband, John, and where she earned a medical degree from the Free University of Brussels, graduating at the top of her class. With her family, she immigrated to the United States, where she trained in psychiatry and began her lifelong studies of the microcirculation. Her research attracted the attention of E. Carwile LeRoy, MD, who recruited her first to Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, and then in 1975 to the Medical University of South Carolina.
Over the next 20 years, Dr. Maricq devoted her professional career to the study of Raynaud phenomenon and to the microcirculation in connective tissue disease. Her work led to a better understanding of the epidemiology and pathophysiology of Raynaud phenomenon. One of her most significant contributions was the refinement of the technique of nailfold capillary microscopy and the demonstration of its value in distinguishing primary from secondary causes of Raynaud phenomenon, especially scleroderma spectrum disorders.
During her long and productive career, Dr. Maricq published more than 100 articles and trained many fellows from the U.S. and elsewhere around the world. Her work remains widely quoted in current medical literature and will be a lasting legacy of her devotion to the study of the microcirculation in health and disease. As one of the founding faculty members in the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology at MUSC, she left a lasting impression and will be sorely missed by the faculty and staff.
Hildegard will also be remembered for her profound love and devotion for her family and for her native land of Estonia. Hildegard was a remarkable woman who overcame much adversity. She never forgot the experiences of her youth, which led her always to argue forcefully for justice for all peoples. We send our condolences to her three sons, Matti, Andre, and Peter.
