Definition of Thorn, George W.

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Thorn, George W.: American endocrinologist (1906-2004) who was a pioneer in the use of cortisone for treating Addison's disease; a member of the medical team responsible for the first successful kidney transplant; and editor-in-chief of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, a key medical textbook. Dr. Thorn served for three decades as Chief of Medicine at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, now known as Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston. He was instrumental in inspiring the wealthy industrialist Howard Hughes to donate money for medical research which eventually led to the creation of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 1953.