Dr. Herman Krieger Goldberg, former chief of ophthalmology at Sinai Hospital and ophthalmologist-in-chief at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, died of cardiac arrest Monday while golfing at Suburban Club. He was 91 and lived in Brooklandville.
Dr. Goldberg, whose ophthalmological career spanned more than 60 years, was working, advising patients and writing until his death.
"He was a very important national and international figure in 20th-century ophthalmology and a beloved figure at Hopkins," said Dr. Morton F. Goldberg, director of Johns Hopkins Hospital's Wilmer Eye Institute.
Dr. Irvin Pollack, former chief of ophthalmology at Sinai, said, "He was one of those rare ophthalmologists who was not just a cataract surgeon, but he was also a specialist in glaucoma, strabismus, cornea and retina."
The son of Dr. Harry Goldberg, a respected pediatrician, Dr. Goldberg was born in Baltimore and raised on Eutaw Place. He was a 1928 graduate of City College, and as a member of the varsity baseball, football, basketball and tennis teams developed a lasting interest in athletics.
Dr. Goldberg earned his bachelor's degree from the Johns Hopkins University in 1932 and his medical degree from Hopkins School of Medicine in 1936. He completed his internship and residency in ophthalmology at Wilmer in 1940, and also was a resident in ophthalmology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
He served in the Navy at Bethesda Naval Hospital from 1944 until 1946, with the rank of lieutenant.
"He was a very competitive person, but in a very quiet way. He emulated his father and tried to mold his values after him," said Dr. Paul M. Leand of Pikesville, a surgeon and his son-in-law.
Dr. Goldberg had a private practice, first at a Cathedral Street office and later at Sinai Hospital, where he was chief of ophthalmology from 1941 to 1979.
He also was an associate professor of ophthalmology and pediatrics at Hopkins School of Medicine. He single-handedly directed a resident training program at Sinai for 30 years, and also at Wilmer. The programs were later amalgamated.
"Herman was a superb teacher and the kindest, most gentle, most generous man I ever knew. He loved the residents and they loved him," said Dr. Morton F. Goldberg, who is not related to him. "Patients loved him and his wonderful bedside matter. He was just a great person in all respects."
He established the Krieger Eye Institute at Sinai Hospital with the help of his uncle, the late Baltimore philanthropist Zanvyl Krieger.
Dr. Goldberg also developed an interest in dyslexia and wrote acclaimed textbooks and more than 40 articles on the subject.
Again with Mr. Krieger's help, he spearheaded the development of Kennedy Krieger, which specializes in treating brain-and learning-disabled children.
"Early on, he saw that learning disabilities were often associated with systemic or genetic medical conditions. This led him to propose to the chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Hopkins that a special center should be dedicated to learning-disabled children," Dr. Pollack said. "Herman enlisted the support of Mr. Krieger, and the Kennedy Krieger Institute subsequently rose to national prominence."
Although Dr. Goldberg stopped performing surgery in 1979, he remained a diagnostician and referring physician for patients.
In the 1960s, as a volunteer with FOCUS (Foreign Ophthalmological Care from the United States), Dr. Goldberg traveled to Haiti and treated the indigent blind. At the Friendship Center Senior Center in Naples, Fla., where he spent winters, Dr. Goldberg volunteered in a clinic, advising indigent patients without charge.
Services were held yesterday.
Dr. Goldberg is survived by a son, Harry Goldberg of Pikesville; two daughters, Barbara G. Leand of Pikesville and Cecelia G. Robb of San Jose, Calif.; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.