Dr. James A. Wolff. III. First pediatric hematologist at Babies Hospital

Since there was no position for a full-time pediatric hematologist, Dr. Wolff practiced general pediatrics for 10 years while he volunteered as director of the hematology clinic at the Babies Hospital. He was appointed full-time Director of Pediatric Hematology in 1959. His early clinical studies were concerned with treatment of erythroblastosis fetalis and use of frequent transfusions and desferroxamine in children with thalassemia. The combined tumor clinic at the Babies Hospital, established in 1952, was one of the first to use the multidisciplinary approach to treatment of the child with cancer. In 1957, the Children's Leukemia Group A, later called the Children's Cancer Study Group, was established by Dr. Joseph Burchenal. Dr. Wolff was one of the first members. This group led to the establishment of various national intergroup committees for clinical study of cancers in children. In 1954, Farber began to use dactinomycin for treatment of Wilms' tumor. At first this drug was used only for treatment of metastatic tumors, but later it was also used to prevent metastases. Subsequently, other childhood tumors were found to be amenable to chemotherapy.