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Vladimir Fencl (1923-2002), (photograph) Associate
Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, died from cancer on January 14, 2002 at
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Dr. Fencl was born on March 27, 1923 in Kryry, Czechoslovakia. In 1941 he was graduated
from the Gymnasium in Plzen. He received his medical degree in 1949 from Charles
University, and his C.Sc. (Ph.D.) in 1961 from the Czechoslovak Academy of Science, Prague.
Dr. Fencl was a postgraduate trainee at Frydek Hospital (1949-1951), Thomayer Hospital in
Prague (1951-1954), and Harvard Medical School in Boston (1962-1964). He began his career
at the Cardiovascular Institute of Prague where he worked until 1966.
Dr. Fencl moved to Norway in 1966 and spent one year as research stipendiary at the
Cancer and Heart Associations in the University of Oslo. He returned to Boston in 1967
after receiving an invitation to join the Department of Physiology at Harvard Medical School
(1967-1974). Dr. Fencl remained at Harvard Medical School as Associate Professor of
Anesthesia at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (1974-1980), and as Associate Professor of
Medicine and Medical Director of Respiratory Care at Brigham and Women's Hospital,
Boston.
Dr. Fencl was an expert in the physiology of respiration, body fluids, and acid-base
balance. While in Boston, Dr. Fencl corresponded with Dr. Peter A. Stewart and provided
crucial help during the development of Stewart's classic book entitled “How to Understand
Acid-Base: A Quantitative Acid-Base Primer for Biology and Medicine” (1981, Elsevier).
Dr. Stewart presented a copy of the published book to Dr. Fencl and inscribed the following
inside the front cover: “Vlad: Very many thanks for all your help and encouragement and
appropriate, but always gentle, criticism! Peter”.
After retiring as a physician in 1990, Dr. Fencl continued with his research activities on
acid-base disturbances in critical care medicine. As part of a decade-long collaboration
(1990-2001), Dr. Fencl co-authored four original research papers with Dr. James Figge
(see below), elucidating the role of serum proteins in human acid-base balance, and
developing a comprehensive mathematical model that could systematically characterize the
acid-base status of human plasma. Dr. Figge had originally trained under Dr. Fencl as a
medical resident at Brigham and Women's Hospital (1983-1986). Drs. Thomas H. Rossing and
Thomas Mydosh were co-authors on the 1991 and 1992 papers, respectively. Drs. Antonín
Jabor and Antonín Kazda of the Czech Republic joined the research collaboration and
co-authored the last two of these publications.
Dr. Fencl was widely admired by his collaborators, colleagues and students. He was
characterized as an erudite, insightful and gentlemanly physician-scholar-teacher. One
colleague stated that Dr. Fencl “endowed each of his trainees and colleagues with his
finest qualities. His legacy will live on”.
Dr. Fencl is survived by his wife Montserrat.
Original Research Publications Co-Authored by Drs. Fencl and Figge:
1. James Figge, Thomas H. Rossing, and Vladimir Fencl. The role of serum proteins in
acid-base equilibria. The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine. 1991;
117:453-467. [
Abstract on PubMed ].
2. James Figge, Thomas Mydosh, and Vladimir Fencl. Serum proteins and acid-base
equilibria: a follow-up. The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine. 1992;
120:713-719. [ Abstract on PubMed ].
3. James Figge, Antonín Jabor, Antonín Kazda, and Vladimir Fencl. Anion gap and
hypoalbuminemia. Critical Care Medicine. 1998; 26:1807-1810.
[ Abstract on PubMed ].
4. Vladimir Fencl, Antonín Jabor, Antonín Kazda, and James Figge. Diagnosis of metabolic
acid-base disturbances in critically ill patients. American Journal of Respiratory and
Critical Care Medicine. 2000; 162:2246-2251. [ Full text is available online at
http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/ajrccm.162.6.9904099 ].
[ See also the online supplement, which is accessible at
http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/suppl/10.1164/ajrccm.162.6.9904099 ].