He took a down-to-earth approach to sexually transmitted infections, a subject no one wanted to discuss, arriving at novel methods of treatment and prevention.
By Michael S. Rosenwald – in the NYT (thanks to many residents who forwarded this article)
King K. Holmes, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Washington who almost single-handedly legitimized the study of sexually transmitted infections, turning a neglected, stigmatized subject into a major field of medical research, died on March 9 at his home in Seattle. He was 87.
The cause was kidney disease, his family said.
Once called “Mr. STD” by a colleague, Dr. Holmes founded some of the first clinics that specialized in treating sexually transmitted infections; pioneered the use of single-dose medicines to prevent illness after intimate encounters; and published the field’s definitive textbook, often referred to simply as “Holmes.”
“He brought sexually transmitted diseases out of the closet,” Judith Wasserheit, his colleague at the University of Washington, told The Seattle Times in 2013. “King did pivotal research on almost every aspect, every single STD, every diagnostic or treatment.”
Dr. Holmes began studying sexually transmitted diseases in the 1960s, the era of sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, which coincided with a surge of rashes and discharge in certain anatomical areas that patients and physicians were equally squeamish about discussing.
“This was not a well-developed specialty or an area of study in infectious disease,” Peter Piot, a global health expert who led an AIDS-prevention program for the United Nations, said in an interview. “There was no funding for it. Nobody liked talking about it.”
Dr. Holmes publicly challenged the medical community to do better. In interviews, he called the lack of interest in the study of sexually transmitted diseases a “conspiracy of silence” that was “ignorant,” “appalling” and “a disgrace.”
He also brought a frank, down-to-earth tone to an uncomfortable topic. His first book, written with Jennifer Wear, was titled “How to Have Intercourse Without Getting Screwed” (1976). A review in The Western Journal of Medicine quoted a passage from the book to illustrate its friendly tone: (continued)