Dr. James T. Goodrich, 73, a renowned pediatric neurosurgeon who successfully operated on conjoined twins, passed away from Covid19 on March 30, 2020.
Goodrich was the worldâs leading expert on separating such twins, a procedure called craniopagus surgery. He traveled the world lending his expertise to more than 100 cases of conjoined twins. Not every case he examined resulted in surgeries; some were too complex.
Just 1 in 2.5 million live births results in twins born conjoined at the head. Before the mid-1980s, it was accepted medical practice to sacrifice one child on the operating table to save the life of the other. âParents had to choose which baby would live,â he said at the time.
Many times, both babies died during surgery. Goodrich thought that was unacceptable and dedicated his career to trying to save both twins during operations.
Goodrich established the practice of performing the separation of craniopagus twins in several shorter stages, instead of one operation that could stretch more than 50 hours. That made the procedure easier on the babies and the surgeons.
His colleagues at Montefiore hospital called Goodrich âThe Most Interesting Man in the World,â a title he cherished as much as any of his surgical accolades. With a thick white beard and white hair, Goodrich bore an uncanny resemblance to the Dos Equis pitch man from the famed beer ads.