Definition of Beals, Rodney K.

Beals, Rodney K.: (1931- ) American orthopaedic surgeon who described a number of congenital malformation syndromes. After graduating from the University of Oregon Medical School in 1956, Dr. Beals joined the faculty of the Oregon Health Sciences University in 1961 and became head of the Division of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation in 1981. Dr. Beals' interests in genetic diseases arose by accident. Because of crowded quarters, Beals and Frederick Hecht, a medical geneticist, were assigned to share an office in the 1960s at the medical school in Oregon. Sitting at adjacent desks in the same small room for a number of years, they began sharing their interests and collaborating in clinical research. Beals syndrome is a form of bone dysplasia with short stature, broad shoulders, horizontal alignment of the clavicles, and peculiar ear shape). Beals-Hecht syndrome is a heritable disorder of connective tissue with features reminiscent of Marfan syndrome and arthrogryposis. Hecht-Beals syndrome is a heritable condition characterized by inability to open the mouth completely (trismus) and pseudocamptodactyly in which there are unusually short finger flexor tendons with wrist extension.