Bonica, John J., 1917-1994

John J. Bonica was born 16 February 1917 in Filicudi, Italy; emigrated to U.S. in 1928; B.S. from New York University (1938); light heavyweight world champion wrestler as Johnny "Bull" Walker (1941); M.D. from Marquette University (1942); married Emma Louise Baldetti (1942); specialized in anesthesiology at St. Vincent's Hospital, N.Y.; headed anesthesiology section at Madigan Army Hospital, Fort Lewis, Washington in World War II; Chief of Anesthesia at Tacoma General and Pierce hospitals (1947-1960); taught anatomy (from 1948) and anesthesiology (from 1955) at University of Washington (UW) in Seattle; professor and founding chairman of UW Dept. of Anesthesiology (1960-1992); co-founded UW Multidisciplinary Pain Clinic; organized International Symposium on Pain at Issaquah, Washington in 1973; books include The management of pain (1953); honored in 1990 by Pope John Paul II. Bonica died on 15 August 1994 in Seattle.

From the description of Papers, 1938-1996. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 42941179

From the description of Illustrations and original artwork for Bonica's Principles and practice of obstetric analgesia & anesthesia, 2d ed., 1967-1995. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 54610378

Biography

John J. Bonica (1917-1994), called "pain relief's founding father" by Time magazine (11 June 1984), was an academic and clinical anesthesiologist, educator, and founder of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

Bonica was born February 16, 1917, to a prominent family in Filicudi, a small island in Italy. His parents, Antonio and Angela, were middle-class, his father serving both in the Italian army during World War I and as deputy mayor of the island. Despite a comfortable and peaceful existence in Filicudi, Antonio, disturbed by Italy's emerging fascism, decided to move the family to America, and emigrated by himself in 1925. In 1928, the Bonica family joined Antonio in Brooklyn, New York, losing their considerable savings in the process. Antonio died in 1932, leaving John, 15 years old and the only son, to support the family by working several jobs. A collegiate wrestler, Bonica began his most lucrative odd job in 1936: wrestling professionally. He was able to support his family and finance his education through wrestling and working as a carnival "strong man" in the summers, and eventually became light heavyweight champion of the world (1941) under the name Johnny "Bull" Walker. He continued wrestling until 1950, well after he needed the money it brought him. Ironically, the sport that financed Bonica's medical schooling, allowing him to make so many advances in the field of pain management, was ultimately responsible for chronic hip and shoulder pains that resulted in numerous operations and lifelong discomfort.

Bonica's interest in medicine began early, while he was still a boy on Filicudi. He studied pre-medicine at Long Island University and at New York University, from which he graduated in 1938 with a B.S. He was then an honor student for four years at the Marquette University School of Medicine. After receiving his M.D. degree in 1942, he married his long-time fiancée, Emma Louise Baldetti, and began a war-shortened internship and specialty training in anesthesiology at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City. Immediately upon finishing this training, Bonica was assigned to head the anesthesiology section of Madigan Army Hospital at Fort Lewis, Washington, where he was also in charge of training physicians and nurses in anesthesiology before they were sent overseas.

After the war, in 1947 he went to work as Chief of Anesthesia at Tacoma General Hospital and Pierce County Hospital in Tacoma, Washington, where he co-founded the Washington State Society of Anesthesiologists (WSSA) and helped to found the Northwest Society of Anesthesiologists (NWSA), eventually being elected to the presidency of both societies. At this time he also began work on his 1,500 page monograph The Management of Pain, which was published in 1953 and soon came to be considered the "bible" of pain diagnosis and therapy. Additionally, Bonica was teaching anatomy (from 1948) and anesthesiology (from 1955) at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle.

In 1960 Bonica decided to leave private practice in Tacoma to accept the Chairmanship of the newly created Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Washington. Shortly after assuming this position, he, along with a nurse and a neurosurgeon, founded the UW Multidisciplinary Pain Clinic, the model for similar clinics throughout the world. He continued as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology until 1977, and as Chairman Emeritus and Professor from 1978-1987. He continued working at UW as Professor and Chairman Emeritus until 1992.

In 1973 he organized an International Symposium on Pain, a six and one-half day program that attracted over 350 scientists and health professionals from 13 countries who represented most of the basic science and clinical disciplines. In addition, Bonica suggested the founding of both an international association devoted to the study of pain and an international multidisciplinary journal. The following year the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) was officially founded; its journal, PAIN, was first published in 1975. In 1980, Bonica was elected president of the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists at its 7th World Congress, held in Hamburg, Germany.

Bonica wrote and edited 41 books, was a collaborator and contributor to 60 other books, and wrote almost 300 scientific articles, two-thirds of which were devoted to pain research and therapy. Bonica's many honors include a degree of Doctor of Medical Science (honoris causa) by the University of Siena, Italy, a Doctor of Science degree from Northwestern University, the Silver Medal by the Swedish Medical Society, the Gold Medal for Neuroscience from the German Neurophysiologic Society, and the Gold Medal from the Italian Algologists. He was elected Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Anaesthetists of the Royal College of Surgeons, a group that is limited to 20 members worldwide. In 1967 he was made Commander and two years later, Grand Officer of the Knights of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy --the latter being the highest award given by the President of the Republic to foreign nationals. More recently, he was made Hereditary Knight in the Noble Order of Cingolo Militare at the rank of Baronet by Prince Cesare d'Altavilla/Napoli/Sicilia.

In 1990 he was honored by Pope John Paul II for his contribution to improve the welfare of people worldwide, and the Pope requested a copy of the second edition of the two-volume The Management of Pain, published that year, for his private library. Bonica considered his greatest honor to be the establishment by the University of Washington of the John and Emma Bonica Endowed Chair for Anesthesiology and Pain Research, which is to remain in perpetuity.

John J. Bonica died on August 15, 1994, following his wife of fifty-two years by just over a month. They are buried in Seattle, and are survived by their four children, Angela, Charlotte, Linda, and John.

For more information on the lives of John and Emma Bonica, see the processor's Bonica page:

John J. Bonica Virtual Archive

From the guide to the John J. Bonica Papers, 1938-1996, (Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections Division)