Dr. Henry “Harry” de Forest Webster, retired chief of the NINDS Laboratory of Experimental Neuropathology, died at home in Cockeysville, Md. on Nov. 16, 2012.
Webster received his M.D. degree from Harvard Medical School and trained in neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital. After serving on the faculty at Harvard and the University of Miami medical schools, he was recruited to NIH in 1969 as chief of the section on cellular neuropathology at NINCDS (now NINDS). Webster was appointed chief of the Laboratory of Experimental Neuropathology in 1984 and held that position until 1997, when he became scientist emeritus. He continued to serve as a scientific mentor until his departure in 2009, taking a particular interest in the careers of women scientists.
During his career, Webster published many papers and received numerous awards and honors including the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s Senior U.S. Scientist Award, to do research in Germany with German scientists, and the American Association of Neuropathologists’ Meritorious Contributions to Neuropathology Award in 2001.
Webster began his scientific research when electron microscopy was first applied to the nervous system. He quickly became a master of the technique, using it to show how the myelin sheath forms and how it is disrupted in disease. Among his discoveries was a growth factor that could limit immune cells from entering the brain and attacking the glial cells that make myelin. His work advanced knowledge of the autoimmune basis of multiple sclerosis and contributed to the development of a variety of approaches to dampen the immune system to treat multiple sclerosis.
One of his most lasting contributions was the compilation of electron micrographs in the Fine Structure of the Nervous System, which he co-authored with Drs. Alan Peter and Sandy Palay. “Many generations of graduate students, including myself, viewed this as an essential reference,” said NINDS director Dr. Story Landis.
Outside the laboratory, Webster applied his considerable darkroom skills—gained through electron microscopy—to photography, particularly of natural landscapes. He exhibited them at shows and often gave his prints as gifts. His colleagues noted that he had an excellent sense of humor and would often play the devil’s advocate. “His quirky sense of humor and often contrarian viewpoint made many of us in Bldg. 36 pleased when we ran into Harry in the hallways,” said Dr. Brian Andrews. “He would go off on some topic out of left field, but nonetheless interesting. These were great conversations.”
Webster’s wife of more than 60 years, Marion Havas Webster, died in 2012. Their survivors include 5 children and 6 grandchildren.
