Carl B.A.J. Puylaert was a radiologist in Tilburg, the Netherlands for 17 years (1955-1972) before he started his career as professor of radiology in the University Hospital of Utrecht for the next 15 years (1972-1986). He educated 23 fellows in radiology in Tilburg and 75 in Utrecht, and five of his pupils later became professors of radiology themselves.
Left: This portrait of Carl Puylaert was given to him on his farewell from his department on 19 June 1987. All images courtesy of Dr. Kees Vellenga. Right: Carl Puylaert proudly wore the tie of the Utrecht University during his retirement from his department in June 1987.For five years he was secretary, and for three years he was chairman, of the Radiological Society of the Netherlands, and he was ultimately made an honorary member. He always had a keen interest in the organization of radiology, as shown by his many contributions to the International Society for the Planning of Radiological Departments (ISPRAD), European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), and other societies.
On 13 December 1991, Carl Puylaert met with Dr. George Ziedses des Plantes, who invented tomography in 1931 and was founding president of the European Society of Neuroradiology.His scientific contributions focused especially on Dotter Procedures on renal arteries. In his Tilburg period, he was already very active scientifically. As a professor in Utrecht, he published 100 scientific papers and presented 200 lectures. He was a promoter of about 20 theses, and he regarded the most remarkable to be those by Dr. Piet Van Andel (Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty: The Dotter Procedure, 1976) and Dr. Frits Barneveld Binkhuysen (The effectivity and medical efficiency of radiology stressing computed tomography: An investigation also concerning medical efficiency, demand assessment, government policy in the Netherlands, 1988).
He was internationally recognized with honorary membership of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE), and of the national radiological societies of Portugal, Luxemburg, and Thailand.
After his retirement in 1987, he became manager of the archives of the Dutch Radiological Society (1988-2000) and wrote important chapters in the society's books in 1995 and 2001. Starting in 1993, he indulged in history. He was a very active member of the history committee of the Dutch Radiological Society (1993-2010). Again, he published many papers. One of his many hobbies was genealogy. For more than 50 years, he studied the roots of his own and many others' families.
Apart from being a distinguished gentleman and a very amiable man, the most important thing is that Carl Puylaert was always interested in new developments and young colleagues. He was a real family man and a true patriarch for his large family.
He remained very active until his unexpected death on 19 June 2012, exactly 25 years after his retirement, and two days after his 89th birthday, which he celebrated in good health amidst his whole family.
To read an extensive Dutch-language interview article with Carl Puylaert, click here.
A meeting of the history committee of the Dutch Radiological Society in August 2011, including Dr. Kees Vellenga, Dr. Carl Puylaert, Dr. Gerd Rosenbusch, Dr. Peter van Wiechen, Dr. Joris Panhuysen, Dr. Hans Vermeij, and Dr. Kees Simon.
