Charles Miller Fisher

Charles Miller Fisher graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School in 1938. During the Second World War he was in a German prison camp for three and a half years. He became the doctor for the other prisoners and took the opportunity to learn German. This would later allow him, upon his return home to Canada, to access important original German literature regarding cerebrovascular disease.

Fisher worked at the Montreal General Hospital and then at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He wrote extensively on cerebrovascular accidents.

With a strong belief in clinical observation and an interest in cerebrovascular pathology, Fisher brought attention to new areas of stroke. First, he observed that the narrowing of the carotid artery caused stroke. Second, he described little clots that were a warning for stroke. These warning attacks were called transient ischemic attacks, which led to the discovery that aspirin and other drugs can prevent stroke by preventing the formation of these clots. Fisher also identified common rhythm disorders of the heart as another source that could result in stroke.

Fisher was the recipient of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada's Prize in Medicine and the Soriano International Award.