Henry L. Bockus, M.D., M.A.C.P. (1894-1982)

was born on April 18th in Newark, Delaware. In 1913 he graduated with a BS from Central High School in Philadelphia and received his MD from Jefferson Medical College in 1917. Bockus interned at St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem (PA) and served his residency in internal medicine at the Lennox Hill Hospital. During World War II Bockus joined the medical corps of the U.S. Marines and served in Cuba attached to the 7th Regiment. Upon his discharge from the military in 1919, Bockus returned to New York for training. During this period he worked closely with Max Einhorn, who turned his interest to the field of gastroenterology. Then in 1921, Bockus embarked upon an association with the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that would last for almost 40 years. By 1923, he had organized the Department of Gastroenterology. Other milestones at Penn included his appointment as Professor of Gastroenterology (1931); Chair Departments of Medicine and Gastroenterology (1949-1960); and Emeritus Professor (1960).