Dr. Daniel B. Drachman, a neuromuscular diseases expert and founder of the Johns Hopkins neurology department, dies - Baltimore Sun

Dr. Daniel B. Drachman, 1 of the world’s foremost authorities connected neuromuscular diseases and a laminitis of the section of neurology astatine the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who besides helped internationally known pianist Leon Fleisher regain the usage of his close manus and instrumentality to the performance stage, died of a bosom onslaught and corruption Oct. 24 astatine the infirmary wherever helium had worked for much than 5 decades.

The longtime Stevenson nonmigratory was 90.

“Dr. Drachman was a starring authorization connected myasthenia gravis and different neuromuscular diseases,” according to a Johns Hopkins School of Medicine illustration announcing his death.

“His 4 decades of findings connected myasthenia gravis, which helium determined was an autoimmune unwellness successful which the body’s immune strategy attacks the nerves receptors successful muscles, has transformed it from a often fatal illness into a highly treatable one. Research helium began connected the botulinum toxin successful the 1970s besides led to the improvement of Botox arsenic a objective attraction for neuromuscular ailments.”

Dr. Justin C. McArthur, a neurology prof and manager of the Johns Hopkins neurology department, said, “Dan was specified a fascinating person.”

“He was a physician-scientist who gave the highest objective care, but astatine the aforesaid clip helium did cutting-edge probe that became therapies. He was besides a mentor and trained much than 100 work deans and section heads each implicit the world.”

Dr. McArthur added: “His patients loved him and he’d walk hours listening to them. He was an old-fashioned avuncular doc who would perceive and not wage attraction to the timepiece oregon beryllium determination typing connected the computer.”

Dr. Daniel Bruce Drachman, was the lad of Julian Drachman, a precocious schoolhouse English section chair, and Emily Deitchman Drachman, who taught Hebrew. His paternal grandfather, Bernard Drachman, was a founding dean of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America successful New York City.

Dr. Drachman was calved successful Brooklyn, New York, arsenic an identical twin. His brother, David Alexander Drachman, went connected to go a pioneering Alzheimer’s illness researcher and the founding president of the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s neurology department.

1976 record photo. Dr. Daniel Drachman’s probe focused connected the root of neuromuscular disorders and the attraction of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. (Check with Baltimore Sun Photo)

Raised successful the Manhattan Beach vicinity of Brooklyn, the brothers, who stood much than 6-feet tall, graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School successful Manhattan Beach. They graduated successful 1952 from Columbia College and successful 1956 from what was past the New York University College of Medicine, which is contiguous the New York School of Medicine.

They completed internships astatine Beth Israel Hospital successful Boston and residencies successful neurology and neuropathology astatine the Harvard Neurological Unit of Boston City Hospital, and were researchers astatine the National Institutes of Health.

“They were unusually adjacent and created a connection that they lone could understood, and they talked respective times a time astir their neurological patients,” recalled Dr. McArthur. “They were soulmates arsenic good arsenic brothers.”

When his member died successful 2016, Dr. Drachman told The Boston Globe: “To person idiosyncratic truthful adjacent astatine manus who is some a rival and a supportive champion person is astir apt the champion mode of getting things done.

“Throughout our lives, if either had a hard lawsuit to discuss, who would we call? The different one, of course. We talked each day, doubly a day.”

From 1960 to 1963, Dr. Drachman worked successful probe astatine the NIH erstwhile helium joined the module of Tufts University School of Medicine arsenic an adjunct prof of neurology.

In 1969, helium joined the recently established section astatine Hopkins arsenic an adjunct prof of neurology and was the founding manager of the department’s neuromuscular program. He was promoted to prof successful 1974, and six years later, was appointed prof of neuroscience.

Dr. Drachman’s probe focused connected the root of neuromuscular disorders and the attraction of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, amended known arsenic Lou Gehrig’s disease, and autoimmune neuromuscular disorders.

In 1987, his enactment made nationalist headlines erstwhile his survey reveled that patients suffering from muscular dystrophy could hold needing a wheelchair by 2 years by utilizing prednisone. He directed a 2012 survey of a gene-based therapy that stopped the rodent equivalent of myasthenic gravis by focusing connected the disease’s destructive immune response.

In bid to telephone attraction to the request for ALS research, Dr. Drachman and his wife, Jephta Piatigorsky, whom helium joined successful 1960, embarked connected a three-month transcontinental bicycle travel successful 1990 that took them 4,605 miles from their location successful Stevenson to Seattle.

Dr. Drachman helped Baltimore performance pianist Leon Fleisher regain the usage of his close hand. His publication became portion of a 2006 abbreviated documentary, “Two Hands: The Leon Fleisher Story” directed by Nathaniel Kahn.

The pianist was preparing for a 1964 performance circuit erstwhile helium discovered that helium “couldn’t usage the 4th and 5th fingers connected his close hand,” The Sun reported successful a 2007 reappraisal of the film.

Gallagher, the inventive prop comedian known for smashing watermelons arsenic portion of his act, died Nov. 11 of organ failure, his erstwhile manager Craig Marquardo confirmed. He was 76. (Fotos International/Getty Images)

A decades agelong conflict began for Mr. Fleisher, who was forced to larn the near manus repertoire, until Dr. Drachman diagnosed the pianist’s information successful 1990 arsenic focal dystonia, which was not a good known information astatine the time, and began treating him with targeted doses of Botox, which was besides unprecedented.

“In the lawsuit of focal dystonia similar Leon’s,” Dr. Drachman explained successful the 2007 Sun article, “there’s astatine slightest immoderate grounds that it mightiness beryllium learned. “

He added: “Leon’s been precise courageous and persistent, and these 2 things person played a terrific relation successful his comeback. Even with the usage of Botox what we’re capable to bash is get astir the dystonia. But I deliberation radical who marque the benignant of effort Leon has bash successful information reprogram their brains to immoderate extent.”

In 2004, Mr. Fleisher was capable to marque his instrumentality tally to the performance signifier and the two-hand repertoire.

Even though Dr. Drachman had closed his laboratory immoderate years ago, helium was inactive moving astatine Hopkins seeing patients and lecturing until suffering a bosom onslaught successful September, household members said.

In his backstage life, Dr. Drachman was an accomplished clarinetist who enjoyed playing enclosure euphony with his father-in-law, Gregor Piatigorsky, a noted Russian cellist, who owned 2 Stradivarius cellos.

“Chamber euphony was precise important to him,” said a son, Jonathan G. Drachman, of Seattle. “He enjoyed playing enclosure euphony astatine New Year’s Eve parties.”

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He was besides an adept alert fisherman who shared his passionateness for sportfishing with his brother, and unneurotic they enjoyed traveling passim Wyoming, Alaska and Canada to prosecute the sport.

He was besides an avid scholar who had a “wide scope of interests that went from the circus and to galore different things,” his lad said.

Dr. Drachman was a subordinate of Beth El Congregation.

His wife, an accomplished sculptor and erstwhile president of the Shriver Hall Concert Series, died successful 2019.

A work was held Oct. 27 astatine Sol Levinson & Bros. successful Pikesville.

In summation to his son, helium is survived by 2 different sons, Evan B. Drachman of Lutherville and Eric E. Drachman of Venice, California; and 5 grandchildren.