C. Miller Fisher

Charles Miller Fisher, usually known as C. Miller Fisher (December 5, 1913, Waterloo, Ontario – April 14, 2012, Albany, New York) was a neurologist whose notable contributions include the first detailed descriptions of lacunar strokes, the identification of transient ischemic attacks as stroke precursors, the identification of the link between carotid atherosclerosis and stroke, and the description of a variant form of Guillain–Barré syndrome which bears his name.

Fisher received a B.A. from Victoria University in Toronto in 1935. He then attended the University of Toronto Medical School, where he received his M.D. in 1938. He continued training at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal.

During World War II, Fisher served as a surgical lieutenant in the Canadian Navy, and was aboard the HMS Voltaire when it was sunk by German gunfire in 1941 off the coast of Cape Verde. Fisher was captured and spent 3.5 years in a German prison camp, until late 1944 when he was released.

Following his return to Canada, Fisher initially returned to the Royal Victoria Hospital. In 1946 he worked as a Fellow at the Montreal Neurological Institute. He later began working at Massachusetts General Hospital on the stroke service, beginning a long career in stroke neurology.

Fisher is credited with describing the clinical syndrome of the transient ischemic attack ("mini-stroke"). Fisher proved, by a series of pathological studies, the relationship between stroke and the formation of blood clots in the heart in patients with atrial fibrillation. He also showed the relationship between stroke and carotid artery stenosis, which made preventive surgery possible and greatly reduced the incidence of subsequent strokes. He was a founder of Massachusetts General Hospital Stroke Service. He contributed greatly towards the current use of anticoagulants for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation.

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