May 24, 1911-December 5, 1981

BY FREDERICK C. ROBBINS

CHARLES H. RAMMELKAMP, JR., died suddenly on December 5, 1981, of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm at the age of seventy. On the night before his death he awakened with abdominal pain and suspected what the diagnosis might be. However, with his characteristic concern for others, he did not bother anyone and waited several hours until his wife awakened at 7:00 am, her usual time. His remark to her was, ''I think you had better take me to the hospital, I believe I am going into shock.'' At the hospital he was indeed in shock, and although surgery was done promptly, he did not recover. At the time of his premature death he had just become emeritus professor and was looking forward to a new and exciting career of scholarly activities. During his career he made exceptional contributions to clinical research, teaching, and patient care. His scientific contributions were largely in the field of infectious disease, most notably early studies on the clinical application and mechanism of action of antimicrobials, i.e. sulfonamides and penicillin, and the epidemiology of streptococcal infections, the non-suppurative complications of streptococcal infections such as rheumatic fever and acute glomerulonephritis, and the prevention of rheumatic fever by treatment of the streptococcal infection with penicillin.