In July 2023, we changed our name from AACC (short for the American Association for Clinical Chemistry) to the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM). The following page was written prior to this rebranding and contains mentions of the association’s old name. It may contain other out-of-date information as well.
1964 Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Chemistry
Dr. Donald D. Van Slyke was the 1964 Ames Award recipient.
The medal, scroll, and honorarium was presented at the 16th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Clinical Chemists, Aug. 18, at Boston, Mass. This highest award of the profession of clinical chemistry was made to Dr. Van Slyke in recognition of the many years of continuing active participation in the area of clinical chemistry and his numerous outstanding scientific contributions. It was noted that for many years Dr. Van Slyke was an active member of the the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (formerly AACC) Ames Award Committee and therefore could not be considered for this outstanding honor. A change in committee rules in 1963 enabled the Association to honor its most famous member. The presentation was made by Dr. Julius Sendroy, Jr., President of AACC and former associate of Dr. Van Slyke and by Dr. Alfred Free, Director of the Ames Research Laboratories. In his Ames Award Lecture, Dr. Van Slyke showed that water and electrolyte imbalance was noted as early as 1836 in the treatment of cholera by workers of the British medical service in India. The replacement therapy devised at that time saved many lives in the continuing epidemics in that area and is still considered the standard treatment for that disease there.
Dr. Julius Sendroy, Jr., President of the American Association of Clinical Chemists presents the Ames Award to Dr. Donald D. Van Slyke of Brookhaven National Laboratories, Upton, Long Island, N. Y. Looking on at the right is Dr. Alfred Free, Director of the Amos Research Laboratory of The Ames Co., Elkhart, Md.