Gastroenterology grew as a subspecialty in Germany in the 19th century. In
the 1880s and 1890s, Austrian and German clinics were attended by American
physicians who, on returning to the U.S., founded the American Gastroentero
logical Association in 1897. The creation of a subspecialty board, however,
had to wait until 1941. At The Mount Sinai Hospital, Dr. A.A. Berg was app
ointed Surgeon in 1899. His practice focused on the alimentary tract, which
in 1910 became one of the four surgical specialties. In 1914, further subd
ivision led to the stomach and duodenum becoming additional specialties. In
1917, wards were endowed for Dr. Berg's specialty. The first Mount Sinai p
hysician to have an interest in gastroenterology was Morris Manges, but the
first to limit his practice to gastroenterology was Dr. Edward Aronson, fo
r whom a specialist outpatient division was formed in 1913. Aronson died in
1922 and was succeeded by Dr. Burrill Crohn, who was followed in 1934 by D
r. Asher Winkelstein; all three collaborated closely with the surgeons, phy
siologists and biochemists. In 1958, Dr. Henry Janowitz became chief of the
Division of Gastroenterology; he was succeeded in 1983 by Dr. David Sachar
, who was followed in 1999 by his associate Dr. Steven. Itzkowitz. In 1958
Dr. Fenton Schaffner became chief of the Division of Hepatology (now headed
by Dr. Paul Berk), and in 1979 Dr. LeLeiko became chief of Pediatric Gastr
oenterology.