Tribute to John Vanatta, M.D., on His 50th Anniversary

• April 22, 1919
  Born in Lafayette, Indiana
• 1941
  Received AB degree from Indiana University
• 1944
  Received MD degree from Indiana University
• 1944-1945
  Intern, Wayne County General Hospital
• 1945-1946
  Lt. (jg) United States Navy Reserves
• 1946-1947
  Resident, Wayne County General Hospital
• 1947-1949
  Experimental Medicine Fellow, Southwestern Medical College
• 1949-1950
  Assistant Professor, Physiology, UT Southwestern Medical School
• 1953-1957
  Professor of Physiology, UT Southwestern Medical School
• 1969-1980
  Professor of Physiology, Southern Methodist University
• 1986
  Outstanding Teacher, UT Southwestern Medical School Alumni Association and Faculty Senate
• 1987-1989
  Robert W. Lackey Professor of Physiology, UT Southwestern Medical School
• 1992-1994
  Adjunct Professor of Physiology, Baylor College of Dentistry

Books

Vanatta, John C., and M. J. Fogelman. Moyer's fluid balance: a clinical manual, 3rd ed. Chicago:Year Book Medical Publishers, 1982.

Vanatta, John C., and M. J. Fogelman. Moyer's fluid balance: a clinical manual, 2nd ed. Chicago:Year Book Medical Publishers, 1976.

Vanatta, John C., William Briggs, and Virginia Vollmer. Oxygen transport, hypoxia and cyanosis. Bowie, MD:Robert J. Brady, 1974.

Articles and Conference Papers

1990's

Vanatta, John C., L. B. Melton, and L. W. Frazier. "Control of H+ and NH4+ excretion by the urinary bladder of Bufo marinus." International Symposium on Amphibian Endocrinology,1996.

Vanatta, John C., and L. W. Frazier. "Control of electrolyte and acid-base balance in Bufo marinus and Rana pipiens." International Symposium on Amphibian Endocrinology, 1996.

Vanatta, John C. 1996. A teaching technique used in remedial tutoring of students in physiology. FASEB Journal 10(3):A266.

Melton, L.B. and John C. Vanatta. 1996. Ammonia transport by the urinary bladder of Bufo marinus. Comparative Biochemistry & Physiology, Part A. Physiology 15(2):153-8.

Vanatta, John C., I.H. Al-Hashimi and L.W. Frazier. 1995. Histological changes in the skin of Rana pipiens produced by either KCl loading or fasting. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology & Medicine 208(4):385-90.

Frazier, L. W., and John C. Vanatta. 1995. Ouabain binding studies on frog skin. FASEB Journal 9(3):A356.

Vanatta, L. E., and John C. Vanatta. "The use of ion chromatography to evaluate transition-metal absorption through frog skin." International Ion Chromatography Symposium, 1995.

1995. Exchange of Cu and Zn between Rana pipiens and non-toxic solutions in acute experiments. FASEB Journal 9(3):A68.

"The use of ion chromotography to evaluate transition-metal absorption through Rana pipiens skin." Proceedings International Union Physiological Sciences, 1995.

"The use of ion chromatography to evaluate transition-metal absorption through Rana pipiens skin." Pitcon Conference on Analytic Chemistry and Applied Spectrometry, 1995.

Yancy, H., L.W. Frazier, and John C. Vanatta. 1994. In vitro experiments in which skin of Rana pipiens absorbs Ca++. FASEB Journal 8(4-5):A574.

Vanatta, John C., and L.W. Frazier. 1991. Current evidence for an ammoniuretic factor in the control of ammonium excretion. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology & Medicine 197(4):369-77.

1980's

Vanatta, John C. 1989. Stimulation of HCO3 excretion in frog skin by urinary and adrenal cortical extracts. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 93A:717-20.

Vanatta, John C., and L. W. Frazier. 1989. Histological changes in the skin of Rana pipiens produced by metabolic alkalosis. Tissue & Cell 21(2):219-26.

1989. Effect of bicarbonate alkalosis on the histology of frog skin. FASEB Journal 3:A1150.

"Histological changes in frog skin associated with bicarbonate or potassium excretion." Proceedings of the International Union of Physiological Sciences, 1989.

Vanatta, John C. 1988. Factors stimulating HCO3 excretion by the skin of Rana pipiens. Federation Proceedings 47:A1722.

Vanatta, John C., and L. W. Frazier. 1987. Stimulation of ammonia excretion in the skin of Rana pipiens in vitro by an extract of adrenal cortex. Federation Proceedings 46:1275.

-------. 1987. The role of the skin in Rana pipiens in sulfate excretion. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 88A:281-2.

-------. 1986. The role of skin in Rana pipiens in sulfate excretion. Federation Proceedings 45:889.

-------. 1986. Sulfate excretion by the skin of Rana pipiens after sulfate loading. Proceedings of the International Union of Physiological Sciences 16:226.

Samson, W. K., and John C. Vanatta. 1986. Atrial natriuretic factor inhibits vasotocin induced water absorption in the toad urinary bladder. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine 181:169-72.

Vanatta, John C. "A simple approach to teaching water, electrolyte and acid-base balance in either basic science or clinical years of medical school." In People to People Medical Education Delegation to People's Republic of China, edited by P. F. Iatridos, Spokane, WA:1985.

"Graduate education (Ph.D. and Masters Degrees) in medically related fields at a medical school." In People to People Medical Education Delegation to People's Republic of China, edited by P. F. Iatridos, Spokane, WA:1985.

"The application process for admission to the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center." In People to People Medical Education Delegation to People's Republic of China, edited by P. F. Iatridos, Spokane, WA:1985.

"Two simple procedures for studying epithelial transport in frog skin." In People to People Medical Education Delegation to People's Republic of China, edited by P. F. Iatridos, Spokane, WA:1985.

Vanatta, John C., and W. K. Samson. 1985. Atrial natriuretic factor produces an inhibition of vasotocin induced water absorption in toad urinary bladder. Federation Proceedings 44:1731.

Vanatta, John C., and L. W. Frazier. 1984. Increased Na+ excretion by the skin of Rana pipiens. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 79A:115-8.

-------. 1983. Na excretion by skin of Rana pipiens in response to NaCl load. Proceedings of the International Union of Physiological Sciences 15:362.

Frazier, L. W., and John C. Vanatta. 1983. comparison of H+ excretion in the normal and acidotic toad urinary bladder. Federation Proceedings 42:1284.

-------. 1982. The uptake of glucose by the skin of Rana pipiens. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 72A:603-6.

Vanatta, John C., and L. W. Frazier. 1982. In vivo excretion of H+ and NH4+ by skin of Rana pipiens. Federation Proceedings 41:1261.

-------. 1982. In vivo Na+ excretion by the skin of salt loaded rana pipiens. Federation Proceedings 42:1283.

-------. 1981. The epithelium of Rana pipiens excretes H+ and NH4+ in acidosis and HCO3 in alkalosis. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 68A:511-3.

-------. 1981. Excretion of K+ by the frog skin with rate varying with K+ load. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 69A:157-60.

-------. 1981. Glucose and methylglucose uptake through frog skin. Federation Proceedings 40:372.

Frazier, L. W., and John C. Vanatta. 1981. Effects of acute bicarbonate loading on HCO3 excretion by the frog skin. Federation Proceedings 40:372.

Melton, L. B., L. W. Frazier and John C. Vanatta. 1980. Ammoniuretic activity of dog plasma when tested on urinary bladder of Bufo marinus. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology & Medicine 164(3):262-6.

Vanatta, John C. 1980. Mass training program for CPR in the Dallas area. Dallas Medical Journal 66:263-4.

Fitzgerrel, W. W., and John C. Vanatta. 1980. Factors affecting bicarbonate excretion in the urinary bladder of Bufo marinus. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 66A:277-81.

Frazier, L. W., and John C. Vanatta. 1980. Evidence that catecholamines mediate H+ and NH4+ excretion in toad urinary bladder. Federation Proceedings 39:739.

- 1980. Evidence that the frog skin excretes ammonia. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 66A:525-7.

- 1980. Excretion of K+ by skin of Rana pipiens with rate varying with K+ load. The Physiologist 23:170.

Vanatta, John C., and L. W. Frazier. 1980. In vivo excretion of NH4+ by the skin of Rana pipiens during varias states of acid-base balance. Federation Proceedings 39:739.

- 1980. Response of Rana pipiens epithelium to alkalosis and acidosis. Proceedings of the International Union of Physiological Sciences 14:761.

1970's

- 1979. The role of NH4+ excretion by the skin of Rana pipiens in acid-base balance. The Physiologist 22:127.

Melton, L. B., L. W. Frazier and John C. Vanatta. 1979. Stimulation of ammonium ion excretion in the toad urinary bladder by an extract of human urine. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 585(1):53-60.

Frazier, L. W., and John C. Vanatta. 1978. Interrelationships of H+ and K+ excretion in toad urinary bladder. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 61A:563-6.

Melton, L. B., and John C. Vanatta. 1978. Evidence against ammonia trapping as an explanation for ammonia excretion in the toad bladder. The Physiologist 21:79.

Vanatta, John C., L. B. Melton, and L. W. Frazier. 1978. Studies on toad bladder giving evidence of hormonal regulation of ammonia excretion. Federation Proceedings 37:288.

Vanatta, John C., L. W. Frazier, and L. B. Melton. 1977. Factors affecting NH4+ transport across the urinary bladder of Bufo marinus. Proceedings of the International Union of Physiological Sciences 13:774.

Melton, L. B., and John C. Vanatta. 1977. Training the public of Dallas County in CPR. Dallas Medical Journal 63:64-5.

Frazier, L. W., and John C. Vanatta. 1975. Stimulation of NH4+ excretion in the toad urinary bladder by an extract of human urine. Federation Proceedings 34:285.

Fitzgerrel, W. W., and John C. Vanatta. 1975. Excretion of HCO3- by the urinary bladder of Bufo marinus in metabolic alkalosis. Texas Reports on Biology & Medicine 33(2):269-73.

Vanatta, John C., and F. T. Kallus. 1975. The physiological importance of potassium excretion by the urinary bladder of Bufo marinus. Texas Journal of Science 26(1-2):291-3.

Fitzgerrel, W. W., and John C. Vanatta. 1974. Biocarbonate excretion by bladders from toads in metabolic alkalosis. Federation Proceedings 33:329.

Vanatta, John C., and W. W. Fitzgerrel. 1974. Factors affecting bicarbonate excretion by the urinary bladder of Bufo marinus. Proceedings of the International Union of Physiological Sciences 11:10.

Vanatta, John C., V. Vollmer, and W. H. Briggs. 1974. Use of a programmed text to teach the physiology of O2 transport, hypoxia, and cyanosis. Federation Proceedings 33:389.

Frazier, L. W., and John C. Vanatta. 1974. Sulfate reabsorption by the urinary bladder of Bufo marinus. Texas Reports on Biology & Medicine 32(3-4):683-7.

- 1973. Sulfate reabsorption from the urinary bladder of Bufo marinus. Federation Proceedings 32:217.

- 1973. Characteristics of H+ and NH4+ excretion by the urinary bladder of the toad. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 311(1):98-108.

- 1972. Mechanism of acidification of the mucosal fluid by the toad urinary bladder. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 290(1):168-77.

-- 1972. Evidence that a plamsa factor(s) stimulates H+ and NH4+ excretion in the toad urinary bladder. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology & Medicine 139(1):336-9.

-- 1972. Evidence that a plamsa factor(s) stimulates H+ and NH4+ excretion in the toad urinary bladder. Federation Proceedings 31:228.

Vanatta, John C., and L. W. Frazier. 1971. Hydrogen ion transport in the urinary bladder of Bufo marinus. International Union of Physiological Sciences 9:577.

Frazier, L. W., and John C. Vanatta. 1971. Excretion of H+ and NH+ by the urinary bladder of Bufo marinus in metabolic acidosis. Federation Proceedings 30:365.

-- 1971. Characteristics of H+ and NH+ excretion in the toad urinary bladder. The Physiologist 14:144.

-- 1971. Excretion of H+ and NH4+ by the urinary bladder of the acidotic toad and the effect of short-circuit current on the excretion. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 241(1):20-9.

-- 1971. Relationship of Na transport and K excretion by the urinary bladder of Bufo marinus. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology & Medicine 136(1):235-8.

Kallus, F. T., John C. Vanatta, W. H. Burke, and E. A. Hetherington. 1971. In vitro demonstration of potassium excretion by the toad bladder. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology & Medicine 136(4):1245-8.

Bryant, L. A., and John C. Vanatta. 1970. Analysis showing evidence for multichamber concept of the toad bladder sodium transport pool. The Texas Journal of Science 21:340.

Kallus, F. T., and John C. Vanatta. 1970. Compartmentation and exchange of potassium in the toad bladder. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 211(1):61-4.

Frazier, L. W., and John C. Vanatta. 1970. The effect of Na transport on K excretion by the toad urinary bladder. Federation Proceedings 29:723.

Drane, W., and John C. Vanatta. 1970. Comparison of rates of elution of 24Na+ from the mucosal and serosal sides of the toad bladder. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 211(1):56-60.

Vanatta, John C., and L. A. Bryant. 1970. Compartmentation of the sodium transport pool of the toad bladder. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology & Medicine 133(2):385-93.

1960's

Bryant, L. A., and John C. Vanatta. 1969. Elution curves of the sodium transport pool of the toad bladder. Federal Proceedings 28:402.

Vanatta, John C. 1969. Exchange of phospholipid-bound Na in the toad bladder with 24Na. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology & Medicine 131(4):1450-3.

Kallus, F. T., John C. Vanatta, W. H. Burke, and E. A. Heatherington. 1969. In vitro studies of potassium excretion by the toad bladder. The Physiologist 12:264.

Kallus, F. T., and John C. Vanatta. 1969. The bladder of Bufo marinus as an excretory organ for potassium. Texas Reports on Biology & Medicine 27(2):419-26.

-- 1968. In vivo and in vitro potassium transport by toad bladder. Proceedings of the International Union of Physiological Sciences, XXIV International Congress 7(674):225.

Vanatta, John C., and H. S. Hendrickson. 1968. Na24 studies of phospholipids of toad bladders. Proceedings of the International Union of Physiological Sciences, XXIV International Congress 7(1335):445.

Kallus, F. T., and John C. Vanatta. 1968. Active transport of potassium by toad bladder. Federation Proceedings 27:748.

-- 1967. Potassium excretion by toad bladder in vivo. The Physiologist 10:217.

Vanatta, John C., and Kallus, F. T. 1967. Potassium flux in the toad bladder. The Physiologist 10:331.

Vanatta, John C. 1966. Toad bladder extract which binds sodium: role in sodium transport. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology & Medicine 123(3):945-9.

---- 1966. Na24 studies on extract of toad bladder. Federation Proceedings 25:568.

Solomon, S., and John C. Vanatta. 1966. Implication of phospholipids in rad proximal tubule reabsorption. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology & Medicine 122(4):1040-5.

Vanatta, John C., and S. Solomon. 1965. Effect of enzymes on the sodium binding of phospholipids extractable from kidney. Federation Proceedings 24:345.

Susat, R. R., and John C. Vanatta. 1965. Na and K bound to an ether-soluble compound in myocardium of renal hypertensive dogs. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology & Medicine 119:534-5.

Vanatta, John C. 1965. Evidence that a phospholipid participates in sodium transport in the toad bladder. XXIII International Congress of Physiological Sciences Abstracts of Papers, 23:76.

-- 1964. Changes in concentration of an ether sloumble compound binding sodium in toad bladder. Federation Proceedings 23:154.

-- 1963. Reversibility of sodium binding by phospholipids extracted from kidney. Federation Proceedings 22:333.

-- 1962. A comparison of the solulibility characteristics of an extract of kidney containing sodium with sodium salts of phospholipids. The Physiologist 5(3):225.

---- 1962. Observations on the chemical nature of an ether-soluble compound which contains Na and is extractable from the kidney. XXII International Congress of Physiological Sciences 2:282.

Vanatta, John C., and J. Zimmerman. 1962. Nuclear magnetic resonance studies on a purified extract of dog kidney which is soluble in ether and contains sodium. Federation Proceedings 21:144.

Vanatta, John C., and W. P. Blackmore. 1962. Acute and chronic effects of benzthiazide in dogs. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 4:595-609.

Susat, R., and John C. Vanatta. 1962. Intracellular sodium components in rat skeletal muscle. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology & Medicine 109:317-321.

- 1961. Bound sodium in glycerated skeletal muscle. Federation Proceedings 20:293.

Vanatta, John C. 1960. Countercurrent distribution studies on ether-soluble compounds containing Na extracted from dog kidney. The Physiologist 3:169.

- 1960. The effect of cyanide on the ether-soluble Na and K content of rat kidney slices. Federation Proceedings 19:188.

1950's

Vanatta, John C., and E. L. Rhodes. 1959. Exchange of ether-soluble sodium in kidney and muscle with Na24 in vivo and in vitro. XXI International Congress of Physiological Sciences 282.

Reid, Allen F., B. L. Caldwell, and John C. Vanatta. 1959. The use of activation analysis and radiosulfate space to determine intracellular sodium. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 84:498-511.

Vanatta, John C. 1959. The ether-soluble sodium content of muscle of normal and nephrectomized dogs. Federation Proceedings 18:162.

Vanatta, John C., and Allen F. Reid. 1958. Measurement intracellular sodium of muscle using an isotopic dilution method. Federation Proceedings 17:166.

Rhodes, Edward L., and John C. Vanatta. 1958. Determination of ether-soluble sodium and potassium in rat kidney. Federation Proceedings 17:132.

Vanatta, John C., E. L. Rhodes, and A. F. Reid. 1958. Exchange of sodium-24 with ether-soluble sodium of kidney. The Physiologist 1:83.

Vanatta, John C., Allen F. Reid, and Ann Griffin. 1957. Exchange of Na24 with ether extractable Na of muscle and brain. Federation Proceedings 16:130-1.

Vanatta, John C., Ivan Danhof, and Mimi McMullen. 1956. Effect of bilateral nephrectomy on peripheral vascular reactivity of dogs. American Journal of Physiology 185:167-70.

Vanatta, John C., and Roy M. Landers, Jr. 1956. Demonstration of sodium in petroleum ether extracts of skeletal mucle of the dog. Federation Proceedings 15:191.

-- 1955. The determination of total base of urine with an ion exhange resin conditioned as iodate. Journal of Biological Chemistry 216:351-5.

Vanatta, John C., Allen F. Reid, and Nancy Landers. 1955. Studies on rate of exchange of extracellular sodium between extracellular fluid and intracellular fluid in skeletal muscle of the dog. American Journal of Physiology 183:668.

Vanatta, John C., and Kenneth E. Cottle. 1955. Effect of desoxycorticosterone acetate on the peripheral vascular reactivity of dogs. American Journal of Physiology 181:119-22.

Vanatta, John C., Allen F. Reid, and Mimi Netrosio. 1955. The effect of bilateral nephrectomy on the presso response to nor-epinephrine and on the metabolism of Na24 in the dog. Federation Proceedings 14:154.

Vanatta, John C., H. T. Dillon, and J. C. Porter. 1955. Effect of plasma from hypothalamico-hyperphysial portal vessel blood on urinary electrolyte excretion by the rat. Federation Proceedings 14:116.

Vanatta, John C., and Catherine C. Cox. 1955. Quantitative determination of urine sodium by means of ion exchange resins. Journal of Biological Chemistry 212:599-605.

Vanatta, John C., and Ivan Cushing. 1954. The determination of toal base of serum with an ion exchange resin conditioned as iodate. Journal of Biological Chemistry 208:195-204.

Vanatta, John C., Ivan Danhof, and Allen F. Reid. 1954. Correlation of effects of desoxycorticosterone on specific activity curves of Na24 and response to norepinephrine in dogs. Federation Proceedings 13:155-56.

Vanatta, John C., W. W. Burr, Jr., and Ivan Danhof. 1954. The increased production of natruetic factors in response to the need for sodium excretion. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 51:309-10.

Vanatta, John C, and Catherine C. Cox. 1954. Quantitative determination of serum sodium involving separation of cations on a resin column. Journal of Biological Chemistry 210:719-32.

Vanatta, John C., and Ivan Cushing. 1953. Use of an ion exchange resin to determine total base of serum. Federation Proceedings 12:146-7.

Vanatta, John C., and A. F. Reid. 1952. Evidence that TSH in dogs produces an early increase of thyroid iodine from plasma forms other than inorganic iodide. Federation Proceedings 11:165-6.

Vanatta, John C. 1951. Biochemical disturbances in hypertension. (Letter to the Editor). Journal of the American Medical Association 147:893.

Muirhead, E. E., A. Grollman, and John C. Vanatta. 1950. Hypertensive cardiovascular disease: malignant hypertension. Archives of Pathology 50:137-50.

Muirhead, E. E., John C. Vanatta, and A. Grollman. 1950. Papillary necrosis of the kidney: a clinical and experimental correlation. Journal of the American Medical Association 142(9):627-31.

1940's

--- 1949. Acute renal insufficiency: a comparison of the use of an artificial kidney: peritoneal lavage and more conservative measure in its management. Archives of Internal Medicine 83(5):528-38.

--- 1949. Hypertensive cardiovascular disease: an experimental study of tissue changes in bilaterally nephrectomized dogs. Archives of Pathology 48:234-54.

Grollman, Arthur, E. E. Muirhead, and John C. Vanatta. 1949. Role of the kidney in pathogenesis of hypertension as determined by a study of the effects of bilateral nephrectomy and other experimental procedures on the blood pressure of the dog. Journal of Physiology 157(1):21-30.

Vanatta, John C., E. E. Muirhead, and A. Grollman. 1949. Improvement on the artificial kidney: an expiremental study of its application to dogs bilaterally nephrectomized or otherwised deprived of renal function. American Journal of Physiology 156:443-53.

Vanatta, John C., E. E. Muirhead, and A. Grollman. 1949. Improvement of the artificial kidney: an experimental study of its application to dogs deprived of renal excretory function. American Journal of Medicine 7:253.

Grollman, A., E. E. Muirhead, and John C. Vanatta. 1949. The role of the kidney in the pathogenesis of malignant hypertension as indicated by a study of dogs maintained with an artificial kidney after nephrectomy, implantation of the ureters into the bowel or vena cava. Journal of Clinical Investigation 28:786.

Vanatta, John C. Review of Handbook of materia medica, toxicology and pharmacology, by Forrest Ramon Davison. Dallas Medical Journal 35(Oct. 1949):138.

E. E. Muirhead, and John C. Vanatta. 1948. Use of the artificial kidney. American Journal of Medicine 4:467.

In 50 years, UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas has changed dramatically. The campus has metamorphosed from army huts and borrowed labs to state of the art buildings and technology. Then just 50 full-time employees, including the janitor, and 227 students inhabited the campus. Currently there are more than 1,000 full-time faculty alone and about 3,400 students. But one thing has remained constant: Dr. John Vanatta has taught students of every medical class since 1947 in a way that has made a special and lasting impression. "He is very popular with the students and makes major contribution to them and our department," said Dr. James Stull, physiology department chairman. "Every year he gives a special award to a physiology student; it means a lot to them."At the end of this month, Vanatta will give his last official lecture which he said will be marked by cake and ice cream for the students. Note the emphasis on the students from the man who has given so much to the UT Southwestern since the day he arrived.

Vanatta earned his undergraduate and medical degrees at Indiana University. He came to Dallas from Wayne County General Hospital near Detroit, MI, where he served his internship and residency. He and several other interns followed their mentor, Dr. Carl Moyer, to UT Southwestern when the late dean of the medical school came here as the first and only chairman of experimental surgery. "He had charisma and was just a wonderful teacher," says Vanatta of the man whose statue now stands in the lobby of Zale Lipshy University Hospital as the epitome of the dedicated doctor and mentor. A medical school classmate of Vanatta's, Dr. Ben Wilson, who also followed Moyer to Dallas, sculpted the bronze figure."When I was doing my internship in Detroit, I would get up at 6:30 on Sunday morning and walk the half mile from where we lived to the hospital to attend Moyer's 7:30 rounds even though I wasn't on call that day. I did it just because he was so good."

Moyer convinced Vanatta of the importance of physiology so he came here to get one more year of training. "It's obviously taken me a long time to get it," Vanatta joked.

At UT Southwestern, Vanatta discovered he liked research and teaching so he made it his career and stayed in Dallas. It's been a successful collaboration. The Southwestern Medical School Alumni Association named him the UT Southwestern Outstanding Teacher in 1986. In 1987, he became the first holder of the Robert W. Lackey Professorship in physiology. It is named for the first chairman of the department. (Lackey served in that position from 1950 through 1970.) But these honors don't describe what Vanatta has meant to the education of medical students.

Much of his time is still devoted to helping teach the freshman course "Integrative Human Biology," mentoring students and doing independent research. "We have him teach as much as possible because he has such broad knowledge and so much valuable experience working with students," said Dr. George DeMartino, who coordinates the course. "The thing I think is important is to individualize your work with each student," Vanatta said. He tries to keep a fresh, open-minded approach in both his teaching and his research. One avenue of research Vanatta has worked in extensively is fluid balance which concerns the levels of electrolytes in the body. Moyer directly influenced that line of study. He wrote "Moyer's Fluid Balance, A Clinical Manual." Later, Vanatta and Dr. Morris Fogelman, another of those who came from Detroit, updated the book with a second edition. It is now in the fourth edition and has been translated into Spanish and Bahasa Indonesian. "Another thing I did, and I was really very fortunate, was that I worked with Dr. Arthur Grollman and Dr. Ernest Muirhead on the artificial kidney," Vanatta said. "We worked on it for a long time but we were the first to keep a dog alive with artificial kidneys.

For the last 25 years, Vanatta has used South American toads and frogs for research on membrane transport. Through this, he found evidence that the skin of a frog has many different excretory functions. Previously, most research only studied the skin's absorption of water and sodium, but the excretory functions were unknown. His work has helped researchers understand control of electrolyte loss in humans. A few years ago, Vanatta decided he wanted to do some research with his daughter, Lynn, Texas Instruments chemist, so he built a 400 square foot lab at home. Their studies have lead them to the conclusion that frog skin can absorb trace minerals such as copper and zinc. This finding, which has been presented at two national scientific meetings, could help in the study of kidney function.

Now much of Vanatta's focus is on tutoring students which he does both at UT Southwestern and at The Texas A&M System, Baylor College of Dentistry.

"To me each problem student is a challenge," he said. "I try to help them find out what they're doing wrong in their study habits. Each student is different so each time it's a matter of problem solving."

His mentoring is successful; it has taken some students from failing classes to holding high positions in the medical field.

"He has such a way with students," said Dr. Clive Slaughter, UT Southwestern associate professor of biochemistry and senior associate of Howard Hughes Medical Institute. "He loves them and they love him. He's a born teacher."

That's echoed by Dr. Albert Roberts, UT Southwestern professor of internal medicine and associate dean of practice development. As a graduate of the UT Southwestern medical class of 1954, he was one of Vanatta's early students. "He ran the old health center on Maple Avenue," Roberts recalls of his mentor. "I was the worst hypochondriac but he never lost his patience. He was always very supportive both as a teacher and a friend. I owe him a great debt of gratitude and I'm glad to be able to put it on the record."

Dr. Morris Fogelman, a retired Dallas physician who served as county medical society director, has known Vanatta since their days in Detroit. "I remember that he took a bag lunch every day and always had a carrot," Fogelman said of the professor who he says was known as the "Frog King" for his work with the amphibians. "He also always had candy for everybody. I think his candy bill was a lot bigger than the check we got for that book," he recalled referring to the edition they did of Moyer's manual.

Dr. Loy Frazier, who retired last year as chairman of the department of physiology at Baylor University College of Dentistry, was a grad student under Vanatta from 1968-72 and still works with him. "He's a very compassionate person," Frazier said. "He spends an inordinate amount of time with students going over concepts. He makes them think so then they feel they've really accomplished something." Dr. George Ordway, UT Southwestern associate professor of physiology, is another of the people who works with Vanatta teaching the current freshman class. "The thing that strikes me about John is the true concern he has about students and the medical education of those students," Ordway said. "As an M.D. he can provide a good clinical prospective on physiology along with the research."

Despite his love of teaching and the accolades he has received for it, Vanatta has not limited his interests to physiology. He always wanted to see a solar eclipse, so a few years ago, he contacted the National Geographic Society inquiring if they needed anyone to work on an upcoming event. They hired him to be the medical director of the Harvard/Smithsonian Solar Eclipse Expedition to Prince Edward Island. "It was a big, long title but no pay," Vanatta related.

They also asked him to run the project's main experiment. The trip lasted for 14 days but unfortunately, just before totality, a thin layer of clouds came over which ruined the optics of the experiment, Vanatta said. However, he could see it. "It was a big thrill."

When classes end this month, don't expect Vanatta to retire. He'll still be tutoring and writing and researching and being a proud grandparent, along with his wife Carol, to son Paul's children. Paul is a general pathologist in Tucson, AZ.

"Those who retired are not as happy as those who didn't," the 78-year-old Vanatta philosophized about his professional longevity.

   (From Center Times, April 1997, pg. 2.)

Copyright © 1997, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

For permission to quote or reprint any material written herein, for permission to reproduce art, or to request additional copies, please contact the Office of Publications, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9060. UT Southwestern is an equal opportunity institution.

Dr. John Vanatta, professor of Physiology, is the recipient of the 1986 Outstanding Teacher Award given by the Southwestern Medical School Alumni Association and Faculty Senate. He has had a significant influence on the lives of many who have come and gone from SWMS.

Since coming to the medical school as a fellow in pharmacology and physiology in 1947, Vanatta has taught 40 different classes of SWMS students. During that time he has seen several of his students graduate, start families of their own and then send their children to Southwestern.

"I try to keep a record of all my second-generation students," Vanatta says. "I believe there have been at least 25 or 30. It's always fun to visit with them about their parents."

And present and former students of Vanatta enjoy visiting with him too. Even though has taught mainly freshmen for the last 15 years, there are many times when upperclassmen drop in to ask advice or just to say hello.

"Dr. Vanatta is a teacher with a genuine and abiding concern for each student's education and development as a person," says Wes Norred, director of student and alumni affairs, in his presentation to the alumni during their reunion in March. "He is always willing to discuss issues related to their development as people, students and ultimately, physicians."

Vanatta says he is most interested in helping his students become independent scholars. Students must be given direction, but they also must be encouraged to make their own decisions. the ability to conceptualize, not memorize, is most important. "Yet, these skills are particularly difficult in physiology where it is necessary to understand and think about complex systems," says Vanatta.

Vanatta's interest in physiology was influenced by his former teacher and mentor, Dr. Carl Moyer, who headed the Surgery Department at Wayne County General Hospital in Detroit. After completing his residency there, Vanatta followed Moyer to SWMS.

"He was a stimulating and exciting teacher," says Vanatta. "Moyer's influence caused me to change my career from that of a primary care physician in internal medicine to a physiologist." Today, Moyer's ideas in the field of water balance have been updated and published by Vanatta and are used in his lectures to freshman medical students.

In fact, Vanatta's final exam in physiology has become notorious for its simulated clinical problem in water balance -- not to mention the prize awarded to the two students with the best solutions. He has for years presented the winners with ivy planted in a urinal as a small remembrance of their days with Vanatta.

Vanatta's chief research interest is in the field of epithelial transport -- how various substances get across epithelial tissue in the kidney. Study of simpler anatomical structures -- the urinary bladder of the South American toad and frog skin -- provides a basis for his research.

Frogs and toads in all makes and sizes also provide the basis for Vanatta's office decor. Through the years his students have given him countless gifts. One favorite is a sculpture -- part frog, part Vanatta -- made by one of his students and presented to him during one of his lectures.

Vanatta's concern for his students is carried home with him. for the last 10 years, he and his wife have sponsored one student each year through the program at the Dallas County Medical Society. They invited the students to their home for dinner and Mrs. Vanatta bakes them birthday cakes on their birthdays each year.

The Vanatta's are active in the First United Lutheran Church, where he has served on the church council for many years and has taught Sunday School. Vanatta also was responsible for organizing CPR training classes for about 25 area Lutheran Churches. He and his wife also enjoy camping and are members of a local camper's club.

To select the outstanding teacher each year, about 400 Southwestern graduates are asked to submit nominees of professors who were "most important in their educational experience" here. In addition, each faculty member is asked to submit a brief paragraph or two on the nominee of his or her choice. From the list of nominees, members of the Faculty Senate then vote by ballot for the professor of their choice.

"We are indeed fortunate to have so many faculty members deserving of this award for excellence in teaching," says Dr. Constantine Stefanu, chairman of the Faculty Senate. "This excellence is exemplified in Dr. Vanatta."

            From Center Times, May 1986, p. 3.

Copyright © 1997, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

For permission to quote or reprint any material written herein, for permission to reproduce art, or to request additional copies, please contact the Office of Publications, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9060. UT Southwestern is an equal opportunity institution.

"The Mentor" was created by Ben J. Wilson, M.D., a retired surgeon turned sculptor. Dr. Wilson served as Parkland's chief of surgery and Southwestern's chairman of the Department of Surgery from 1952-1960. The sculpture was inspired by Dr. Wilson's memory of his mentor and predecessor as chief of surgery at Parkland, Dr. Carl Moyer.

In the program for the statue's dedication in 1992, Dr. Wilson wrote, "Even though this sculpture is not...an exact portrait of Dr. Carl Moyer, it was the memory of his stature, posture, expression, and attitude that guided my modeling hand. The attributes and beliefs that were his, I want to keep alive wherever those walk who tend the sick. He demanded that every physician give his upmost, and, as a discipline of Hippocrates, he not only monitored a doctor's actions but also took measure of the person's motives and humanity."

Upon Dr. Moyer's death, Dr. Vanatta was asked to revise Dr. Moyer's book, Moyer's Fluid Balance: A Clinical Manual. Dr. Vanatta teamed with Dr. Fogelman to continue editions to the now standard text, which is currently used by first year students.

Listen to Dr. John Vanata talk about "The Mentor"