It was with bittersweet pleasure that I read the "JAMA Classics" article "Dr. William W. Duke:  Pioneer in Platelet Research" that was just published June 3, 2009.  Dr. Kickler, in his commentary on this classic article (first published in 1910 by Dr. Duke) states:

...when Duke published an article in JAMA on the role of platelets in hemostatis, probably few individuals realized that this report would be judged as one of the outstanding contributions to the science of medicine during the first half of the 20th century...this JAMA Classics article by Duke is historically important for 2 reasons:  it defined the role of platelets in hemostasis and it documented the therapeutic efficacy of blood transfusion in treating thrombocytopenia..."

There is always a danger in "cherry picking" a great physician's body of published work--you might give the erroneous impression that's ALL they really accomplished....  I pointed this out in my earlier commentary on a recent article on Dr. Warren Vaughn, another Renaissance Allergist, published in the JACI that didn't (in my humble opinion) adequately due justice to his contributions to the field of food allergy.  

In truth, I count 97 total publications by Dr. Duke over his lifetime.  Less than 10% of these actually deal with platelets.  Dr. Duke was fascinated by the wide range of symptoms that food sensitivity could cause, and abided by the maxim "one mucosal surface" instead of the mantra "one respiratory tract" (used by so many "allergists" today) to describe the wide range of manifestations that allergic disease could cause.  Here are some articles he also published:

Duke, WW:  Food Allergy as a cause of abdominal pain.  Arch Int Med.  Chicago 28:151, 1921.

Duke, WW:  Food Allergy as a cause of abdominal pain.  South M J Birmingham 15:599, 1922.  

Duke, WW:  Food Allergy as a cause of bladder pain.  Ann Clin Med 1:117, 1922.

Duke, WW:  Food allergy as a cause of irritable bladder.  J Urol, Baltimore 10:173, 1923. 

Duke, WW:  Meniere's syndrome caused by allergy.  JAMA 81:2179-1923.

Duke, WW:  Urticaria caused specifically by the action of physical agents (light, cold, heat, burns, mechanical irritation, and physical and mental exertion) JAMA 83:3, 1924.  

Duke, WW:  Mental and neurologic reactions of asthma patient.  J Lab & Clin Med 13:20, 1927.

Duke, WW:  Allergy as a cause of gastrointestinal disorders.  South M J 24:363, 1931.

Duke, WW:  Rapid and more accurate method of determining pollen count in air.  JAMA 99:1686, 1932.

Duke, WW:  Soybean as a possible important cause of allergy.  J Allergy 5:300, 1934.

Duke, WW:  Wheat miller's asthma.  J Allergy 6:568, 1935.

I stress this is only a fraction of the allergy articles published by Duke--it is by no means a complete list.  It is ironic that the commentator of the article on Duke and platelets (Dr. Thomas Kickler) did not at least reference JAMA's OWN TRIBUTE on Duke's life:

William Waddell Duke 1883-1946, JAMA 130:1185, 1946.  

Duke was obviously a brilliant allergist who made important contributions to the specificity of food allergy, in addition to making important contributions in the field of hematology.  How do I know about Duke?  One of my mentors (Dr. Theron Randolph) recalled seeing Dr. Duke at an allergy conference in 1933 in Atlantic City New Jersey, while he was a senior in Medical School.  He studied Duke's life, and published his bibliography.  I have a copy of that bibliography.  Dr. Randolph stated that  

"Duke's remarkable book published in 1925 really opened up the field of food allergy...Duke related specific foods and simple chemicals to a wide range of allergic symptoms, including headache and bewilderment resembling delirium..."

William H. Duke:  Pioneer in Platelet Research

                             AND...

                    Renaissance Allergist.

Something to think about.

Later, Dude