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This dissertation examines the history of the architecture firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) between 1936 and 1956. While focusing on the birth and growth of SOM, this study attempts to position the firm in a larger historical development of the United States in the mid-twentieth century. While Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel A. Owings established the firm in 1936, the dissertation begins at the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929. During the 1930s, Skidmore and Owings learned critical lessons from industrial designers about the significance of the public as well as how to attract their attention. The founders discovered the importance of investigating people's reactions to certain forms and spaces, mainly working on small shops and exhibition halls. During WWII, SOM worked on prefabricated houses in the town of Oak Ridge, TN, which was part of the Manhattan Project. While working confidentially for the military for about three years, SOM mastered diverse kinds of building technology and gained experience with the various programs necessary for a conventional town. In addition, the firm constructed a modern architecture-engineering firm, which could handle complex architectural and engineering projects. As a result of their previous experience, SOM evolved into a leader in designing glass and steel office buildings after WWII, refining the architectural language it had discovered during the war. In the 1950s, the firm continued designing and constructing large town projects for American military and other corporations throughout the world. This dissertation records the shifts in the profession of architecture in each historical context throughout the mid-twentieth century. The first three chapters cover the years from 1929 to 1939, 1939 to 1945, and 1946 to 1956 respectively. The fourth chapter addresses the architecture community's perception of SOM and the firm's organizational characteristics. This dissertation investigates how SOM attempted to modernize architecture as a whole, responding to new materials as well as to the spatial and cultural conditions of the world.

Clinical severity of scrub typhus ranges from mild to fatal. Acute pancreatitis with abscess formation is a rare complication among patients with scrub typhus. This paper reports a case of scrub typhus in a 75 years old man with acute pancreatitis with abscess formation and multiorgan failure. Abdominal computed tomography showed multiple infected pancreatic pseudocysts with peri-pancreatic infiltration. Multiorgan failure was successfully treated with doxycycline, ceftriaxone, and supportive management. The pancreatic abscess was successfully drained percutaneously and the sizes of pseudocysts decreased remarkably.

Small cell lung cancer is characterized by an aggressive clinical course and a high tendency for early dissemination in spite of a good chemotherapy response. Topotecan is a topoisomerase I inhibitor, and it is used as second-line treatment for small cell lung cancer. The reported dose-limiting adverse reactions to topotecan are mainly hematologic. Yet pulmonary toxicity associated with topotecan is known to be rare. We report here on a case that showed the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome during the 3rd cycle of topotecan chemotherapy in a patient with small cell lung cancer. He developed dyspnea and respiratory failure, and the chest CT scan revealed diffuse ground-glass opacity that was probably due to chemotherapy-related pulmonary toxicity. He finally died of acute respiratory distress syndrome. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2008;65:142-146)Key Words: Small cell carcinoma, Topotecan, Acute respiratory distress syndrome