Ernest Herman Joseph Bors, MD (February 23, 1900,

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

– September 26, 1990) was a Czech-born American physician. He was a pioneer in the multidisciplinary care of individuals with

spinal cord injury A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cor ...

(SCI).

Biography

Bors was born in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

on February 23, 1900, and grew up there too. He earned his

medical degree A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...

in 1925 at

Charles University in Prague Charles University ( cs, Univerzita Karlova, UK; la, Universitas Carolina; german: Karls-Universität), also known as Charles University in Prague or historically as the University of Prague ( la, Universitas Pragensis, links=no), is the oldest an ...

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. Early in his career he studied

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

and held research and faculty positions at the universities in

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

, Switzerland and

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population o ...

, Germany. In 1938, he emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

where he became a citizen. At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Bors joined the

Army Medical Corps A medical corps is generally a military branch or officer corps responsible for medical care for serving military personnel. Such officers are typically military physicians. List of medical corps The following organizations are examples of medica ...

.The American Paraplegia Society 1954-2004: Our legacy, our future. J Spinal Cord Med. 2004;27(4):287-303. Bors became interested in spinal cord injury while caring for

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

s after the war. In 1944, he joined the staff of Hammond General Army Hospital in

Modesto, California Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...

. As assistant chief of

urology Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and '' -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive org ...

, Bors was urology consultant to the hospital's Spinal Cord Injury Care Section. At that time, comprehensive care for the injured veterans was hindered by a lack of a cohesive approach to their complex medical and social problems. Bors was appalled by the lack of specific interventions for bladder management and other conditions secondary to spinal cord injury. He was motivated to devote his career to improving every aspect of the care of individuals with spinal cord injury. As a result of his experiences, Bors became the foremost expert on

neurourology Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and ''-logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive orga ...

in traumatic spinal cord injury. He also developed a holistic

multidisciplinary approach Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

that formed the foundation for modern spinal cord injury care centers. His successful organization of a comprehensive specialized ward attracted the attention of the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * Dep ...

. Modeled on Bors' innovative approach, in 1945, the War Department opened the first Spinal Cord Injury Center in the United States at

Birmingham General Army Hospital Birmingham General Hospital was a World War II US Army Hospital in Van Nuys, California at the corner of Vanowen Street and Balboa Boulevard. The hospital was built in 1942 and 1943 to care for troops returning home from oversea service. The f ...

Van Nuys, California Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, ...

, with Bors in charge. Soon, he had 220 patients under his care. Military doctors from around the country visited his facility and began to establish similar centers around the country. In 1958, Bors helped oversee the construction of a new facility dedicated to the SCI Service, which is now known as Long Beach VA Medical Center. For the next two decades, doctors and administrators from around the world observed the innovative work of Bors and his colleague, Dr. Estin Comarr. By 1970, the year he retired, Bors had overseen the care of more than 2,500 people with SCI. Through his efforts, the number of SCI centers increased in the US, as well as the staff-to-patient ratio. Bors authored more than 140

scientific papers : ''For a broader class of literature, see Academic publishing.'' Scientific literature comprises scholarly publications that report original empirical and theoretical work in the natural and social sciences. Within an academic field, scienti ...

and a major textbook, co-authored by Estin Comarr and titled, ''Neurological Urology, Physiology of

Micturition Urination, also known as micturition, is the release of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. It is the urinary system's form of excretion. It is also known medically as micturition, voiding, uresis, ...

, its Neurological Disorders and

Sequelae A sequela (, ; usually used in the plural, sequelae ) is a pathological condition resulting from a disease, injury, therapy, or other trauma. Derived from the Latin word, meaning “sequel”, it is used in the medical field to mean a complication ...

'', which remains the authoritative text in this field. Bors is recognized as a pioneer who "carried the torch of care and research and opened the way for better care" of all individuals with spinal cord injury. He is memorialized by The Ernest Bors Award for Scientific Development, which is administered by the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, the official journal of the American Paraplegia Society.Bodner DR. ''The Bors Award: Legacy of Ernest 'Pappy' Bors, MD''. J Spinal Cord Med. 2009;32(1): The annual award recognizes the best article published in the Journal by a young investigator.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bors, Ernest 1900 births 1990 deaths Czechoslovak emigrants to the United States Charles University alumni Czech neurologists American people of Czech descent United States Army Medical Corps officers United States Army personnel of World War II American urologists 20th-century American physicians