John Kingsbury Frost ( – 1990) was an American physician specializing in the field of cytopathology - the microscopic study of individual body cells to detect cancer and other diseases. The first area of the body to be studied in this way was the female genital tract, using the Pap smear invented by

Georgios Papanikolaou Georgios Nikolaou Papanikolaou (or George Papanicolaou ; el, Γεώργιος Ν. Παπανικολάου ; 13 May 1883 – 19 February 1962) was a Greek physician who was a pioneer in cytopathology and early cancer detection, and inventor of ...

. Frost and other physicians expanded the field to allow for cytopathologic evaluation of the lung, bladder, and many other body sites. Frost was best known as a teacher of cytopathology. He organized and directed a school of

cytotechnology Cytotechnology is the microscopic interpretation of cells to detect cancer and other abnormalities. This includes the examination of samples collected from the uterine cervix (Pap test), lung, gastrointestinal tract or body cavities. A cytotechno ...

and created and led a postgraduate Institute to teach the techniques to physicians.

Early life and education

Frost was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He attended the University of California, Berkeley for his undergraduate degree. He received his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco. He served in the United States Army for five years, 1948 to 1953, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel."Dr. John K. Frost, 68, Researcher in Lung Cancer"
New York Times, August 31, 1990

Career

In 1956 he took a position as an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Johns Hopkins Hospital in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, where he remained for his entire career until his retirement in 1989. In 1959 he was the founding head of the division of cytopathology and continued to direct the division for 30 years. He was the author of 347 publications, including the definitive monograph on the subject of cytopathology, ''The Cell in Health and Disease,'' published in 1969 with a second edition in 1986. In addition to diagnostic services and professional training, his laboratory also carried out research, notably in the creation of the dyes (

stains A stain is an unwanted localized discoloration, often in fabrics or textiles. Stain(s) or The Stain(s) may also refer to: Color * Stain (heraldry), a non-standard tincture * Staining, in biology, a technique used to highlight contrast in samples ...

) which are used to highlight the characteristics of the cells so they can be evaluated. The most popular nuclear stain, the Gill hematoxylin series, was created in Frost's cytopathology department in the 1970s by cytotechnologist Gary W. Gill.Gill GW, Frost JK, and Miller KA, "A new formula for a half-oxidized hematoxylin solution that neither overstains nor requires differentiation", Acta Cytologica, vol. 18, no. 4, July–August 1974, pp, 300-311 Frost died August 29, 1990, in Baltimore. The cause of death was from complications of therapy of lung cancer, although he was a lifelong nonsmoker.

Recognition

The division he founded and led at Hopkins is now named the John K. Frost Cytopathology Laboratory. In 1979 he received the

Maurice Goldblatt Maurice Goldblatt (January 16, 1892 – July 17, 1984) was the co-founder of the ''Goldblatt's'' department store. Biography Goldblatt was born to a Polish Jews, Jewish family in Staszów, the son of Simon Goldblatt and Hannah Diamond. His famil ...

Cytology Award from the International Academy of Cytology. It is the highest award in the field. The citation described him as "the most prominent educator and teacher of cytopathology in the United States."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frost, John K. American pathologists Cytopathologists Johns Hopkins University faculty Johns Hopkins Hospital physicians University of California, Berkeley alumni Physicians from Baltimore People from Sioux Falls, South Dakota 1920s births 1990 deaths