2 April 1929–12 July 2020
It was with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of Professor Solly Levin. Prof, as he was fondly referred to, was a legend in his time, recognized both locally and internationally in the field of Paediatric Cardiology.
He was a giant of a man, a gentle man who influenced countless students, registrars and fellows, during a career that spanned close to 70 years. His reputation was far reaching, and he made many close friends and commanded respect amongst the top paediatric cardiologists around the world. He was officially acknowledged as the grandfather of paediatric cardiology in South Africa, a man who was willing to train, teach and mentor numerous junior doctors over many years. Generations of students, registrars, fellows and colleagues are indebted to him as they clung to the pearls of wisdom he willingly imparted, simplifying and bringing to life the fascinating and growing field of Paediatric Cardiology.
He was born in Johannesburg on 2 April 1929. After schooling at Boksburg High School, he matriculated at a young age of 15 years. Medicine was a calling for him, and he qualified as a medical doctor at the University of the Witwatersrand in November 1950 at the age of 20 years. However, he had to wait another 6 months until he turned 21 years of age before being allowed to graduate.
From 1953 to 1956, he studied in England, working in the paediatric departments at Guy's and Hammersmith hospitals, as well as in the departments of pathology and infectious diseases. He went on to complete a Diploma in Child Health (DCH) in London, then qualifying with an MRCP in 1956. In 1957, he joined the Department of Paediatrics at the Witwatersrand University and completed his registrar time in 1960.
In 1968, he was awarded the Cecil John Adams Memorial Trust travelling fellowship, which enabled him to spend a year at the Children's Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University, Chicago, as a fellow in the Department of Paediatric Cardiology. On his return, he was appointed as principal paediatrician in the Department of Paediatrics initially at Transvaal Memorial Hospital and then later at the Johannesburg hospital. He was elected as a fellow (FRCP) in 1972 by the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh.
In 1974, he was appointed as an Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics and then in 1978, ad hominem Professor of Paediatric Cardiology at the University of the Witwatersrand.
At the age of 64 years, he went into private practice, but maintained a more than active part-time academic presence at the Johannesburg hospital until 1998, which spanned an illustrious academic career of 41 years. Prof never really retired at all, and he continued to teach students and registrars with the same enthusiasm right until the very end. He maintained an ongoing interest in academic medicine and continued to contribute and present at our journal club meetings. He continued to teach and lecture right to the very end, and he was working on a publication just before his demise.
Prof's contribution to the world of academia remains legendary, and he published well over 120 articles in both local and overseas journals, including seven chapters in books. In addition, he was on the editorial board of the Paediatric Cardiology Journal and Cardiology in the Young.
He presented at numerous local and overseas congresses and had a long association with the SA Heart Association, the Paediatric Cardiac Society of SA as well as the Colleges of Medicine of SA, where he was a founder and a member of the examination and credentials committee.
He was honoured and received many awards during his career, including those from the Paediatric Cardiac Society of SA and the Johannesburg branch of the SA Heart Association and in 2002 he received an Exceptional Service Medal from the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of the Witwatersrand.
Despite all these accolades, he remained an extremely humble man, and never flaunted any of his achievements. His lectures and tutorials were never missed by the students, and he was the ultimate clinician. The examination of the patient always took precedence over technology and always emphasising the importance of listening to the mother and taking a good history, warning the students to never ignore the mother's recount of her baby's symptoms.
He had an insatiable appetite for knowledge, evident by his huge collection of postmortem congenital hearts that he kept in the Department of Paediatrics. His collection of 300–400 hearts could match any collection worldwide. Each heart was meticulously categorized and carefully dissected. In conjunction with this, he would painstakingly document and photograph all the dysmorphic features in his patients; his slide collection was legendary and filled many drawers in the department.
He was a kind and wonderful husband to Cynthia, a caring father to his three accomplished children, Bethia, Trevor and Haidee, as well as a doting grandparent to numerous grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, of whom he was extremely proud. His face would light up and he became very animated when talking about his family.
Although Professor Solly Levin's passing leaves a void in many doctors’ lives, his legacy lives on, and we will continue to carry the wonderful memories of him and will cherish the time we had together.
Dr. Jeff Harrisberg