by Jenny Davis, Staff Reporter

Dr. Francis L'Esperance '49, a "pioneer in laser surgery," received the Deerfield Heritage Award on Tuesday, October 12th. In a school meeting, Dr. L'Esperance gave students and faculty a slide presentation and lecture, after graciously accepting his award.

Dr. L'Esperance is one of the world's most renowned doctors, mostly for his prominent role in the development of laser eye surgery.

In his school meeting presentation, Dr. L'Esperance thanked the school for "bestowing this great honor and privilege," and stressed the influence that Deerfield has had on his education and career. He noted Frank and Helen Boyden as his mentors during his time at Deerfield; as a student, Dr. L'Esperance took all of the school's chemistry and physics courses with Mrs. Boyden, and described them as "grounding." Upon graduating in 1949, he also received the John Gunther Award for "promise in the field of math and science."

In an earlier interview, Dr. L'Esperance revealed a lighter side of his Deerfield experience; he described squirt gun fights with classmate Louis Marx and running toy trains between dorm rooms.

At school meeting, Dr. L'Esperance also discussed his education after Deerfield. He matriculated to Dartmouth, where he was president of his senior class, then attended Harvard Medical School, and later Columbia as a surgical intern. Among several pieces of advice, Dr. L'Esperance offered the wisdom of the Harvard Medical School Rotunda: "In the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind."

He then explained the technological developments which made his discoveries possible. At Harvard, he "got the idea that if we could focus light, we could focus on bad blood vessels, or tumors."

In the mid-fifties, he had access to one of the first tools for photocoagulation called the "Xenon Arc." A few years later, he was introduced to the laser, which he said "had potential to 'outshine'" previous surgical tools.

Dr. L'Esperance guided his audience at school meeting through a history of lasers, from the start of the "Laser Era" in 1968 to the present, now that millions of people have had lasers reshape and correct their corneas in the surgical technique which he pioneered.

To conclude his presentation, Dr. L' Esperance offered students some of the advice he acquired at Deerfield and throughout his life. "You are the architect of your own future," he said, "Optimize the present, perfect the future." He concluded with that familiar credo, "Be worthy of your heritage."

A question and answer session followed Dr. L'Esperance's lecture. Students asked about the future of eye surgery, how much it costs (anywhere from one- to five- thousand dollars for both eyes), whether it is painful ("Pain is minimal"), and whether laser surgery was complicated at high altitudes ("yes, you have to adjust treatment").

Probably the most controversial question was from Jared Vazalez '00, regarding medical ethics. He wondered why surgeons hope to make everyone's vision as strong as 20-5, when 20-20 is normal. Dr. L'Esperance answered the question. Vazalez later said that "in this day and age, with the technology we're creating, you can't just do something because you have the ability. You have to question it." L'Esperance's reply to the question of 'why?', and a reply which symbolizes his impressive body of work: "Because it's there."