Tribute to Meinhard Classen

Professor Dr. Drs. hc. Meinhard Classen. Source: Friedrich Hagenmüller

Dear Colleagues,

We were sad to hear that our former Editor-in-Chief, Professor Dr. Drs. hc. Meinhard Classen, recently passed away at the age of 83. Meinhard Classen succeeded the founding Editor of Endoscopy, Ludwig Demling, in 1991 and remained in this role until 2004.

Meinhard Classen studied medicine in Bonn and Freiburg, Germany and in Vienna, Austria. He worked in his early years as internist at the University Hospital Erlangen and in the General Hospital Hamburg-Barmbek, both in Germany. In 1979, he was appointed full Professor for Internal Medicine at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, followed by his appointment to the same position at the Technical University in Munich, Germany, where he retired in 2002.

In particular, Meinhard Classen’s scientific work was dedicated to the development of endoscopy. He was one of the pioneers of the technique of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), which enables the visualization of the pancreatic and bile ducts. He was the first to perform endoscopic papillotomy (EPT), today a routine form of treatment for patients with bile duct stones, benign stenoses and tumors of the pancreas and bile ducts. He will be remembered as one of the “great men” in the world of gastroenterology who advanced endoscopy from a diagnostic modality into an instrument of therapy.

Together with his co-worker and later successor as Endoscopy Editor-in-Chief, Thomas Rösch, he was extremely successful in establishing the journal worldwide. During his editorship in the 1990s, Endoscopy went through a period of rapid growth, not only in circulation but especially in its status in the international community of endoscopists. As he extended Endoscopy’s network, the journal became an international hub for endoscopists, engaging international co-editors and reviewers. He encouraged cooperation between Endoscopy and national gastroenterology societies and in 2003 the journal became the official organ of the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE). Another marker of Endoscopy’s success was when the bi-monthly journal of 1991 became a monthly journal in 2002. Ever since, Endoscopy has remained at the forefront of endoscopy journals and celebrated its 50th birthday this year.

However, Meinhard Classenʼs involvement with Thieme Verlag was not limited to Endoscopy. He was also, for many years, one of the principal heads behind Endoskopie heute, the official German language journal of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Endoskopie und bildgebende Verfahren (German Society of Endoscopy and Medical Imaging), whose Honorary President he was for many years. Thieme is also grateful for his outstanding contributions and untiring efforts in publishing endoscopy textbooks. The “bible” of endoscopy, Gastroenterological Endoscopy – originally published in German as Gastroenterologische Endoskopie – which Meinhard Classen co-edited with Guido N. J. Tytgat and Charles J. Lightdale, has even been translated into Chinese as well as Spanish and other languages. The English version has just been updated in a 3^rd edition, this time edited by the successors at their respective institutions of these three great endoscopists.

More personally, we remember Meinhard Classen as a dedicated expert, devoted to his patients, to research, and to those around him. Many a discussion was held on how to best render a particular idea and how to use a publication to advance the field of endoscopy.

We are very grateful for Meinhard Classen’s tremendous contribution to the field of endoscopy and to our journal. We will remember his vision, his passion, and his leadership. He will be missed by many and we extend our sincere sympathies to his family.

On behalf of the editorial team
Peter D. Siersema, Editor-in-Chief Endoscopy
The Publisher, Georg Thieme Verlag KG