Read Online Amazing Medical Stories by George Burden - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: George Burden
Tags: BIO017000, MED039000
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charter that would enable it to grant this kind of academic recognition. OâLoughlin, a devout Catholic, had refused to attend Trinity College, a Protestant university. This dogmatic stance cost him the chance to earn a medical degree. Instead, he received only a license to practise medicine, although subsequently he did become a licentiate of the Kingâs and Queenâs College of Physicians in Ireland.
Dr. OâLoughlin, who never married, had a passion for the sea. Ironically, he once declared that when he died he wanted his body thrown into the sea, which for him must have represented the âmistressâ he loved very much.
Dr. OâLoughlinâs first responsibility, prior to the
Titanic
âs sailing, was to examine the crew and steerage passengers. His assistant, Dr. J. Edward Simpson, joined him in this important task. Heads were scrutinized for lice, and the doctors were also on the lookout for infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and trachoma, a highly infectious and potentially blinding disease of the eye. Any passenger with trachoma was unceremoniously ordered off the ship, since American immigration laws did not permit them to enter the country.
Dr. J. Edward Simpson, the assistant surgeon, was also Irish. Born in Belfast, he was the son of a doctor. He studied at the Royal University of Ireland, and unlike OâLoughlin, he did earn a medical degree from Queenâs University in Belfast. He was a member of the British Medical Association. Only thirty-seven at the time of the disaster, he was a married man and the father of a young son. Apparently, it was his poor health that had influenced him to pursue a âhealthyâ career at sea, and this decision led to his serving as a medical officer on several steamships.
The
Titanicâ
s reign at sea lasted only a few days, and during this brief period of glory, its passengers experienced few noteworthy medical problems. One lady, who was a first class passenger, fell down a flight of stairs, breaking a small bone in her arm. One account reports that her arm was placed in a plaster cast by Dr. Simpson. Another states that she was treated by Dr. Henry Frauenthal, a distinguished orthopedic surgeon who was also a passenger on the ship.
Dr. Frauenthal was the founder of the New York Hospital for Joint Diseases. Born in Pennsylvania, he had a background in analytical chemistry, and he studied medicine at Bellevue Hospital Medical Clinic. Early in his medical career he became convinced that a hospital devoted entirely to chronic joint diseases was desperately needed. In 1904, he opened a small clinic. On the first day only eight patients were treated, but by the end of that year it had provided almost ten thousand treatments. Dr. Frauenthal quickly earned a reputation as an outstanding specialist, and during the same time he acquired a sizeable fortune. He, along with his new bride and his brother, were first-class passengers on the
Titanic.
Dr. Alfred Pain was also a passenger on the ship. The young University of Toronto Medical School graduate was travelling in second-class accommodations. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, he had been an excellent studentand a fine athlete. After spending a short time as a house doctor at the Hamilton City Hospital, he had gone to England to further his studies. Originally, he hoped to finance his journey home by finding a position as a shipâs doctor. When this couldnât be arranged, he booked passage on the doomed
Titanic.
Dr. William Minahan, a graduate of Rush Medical College, Chicago, was the third member of his family to enter the medical profession. In 1899, he established a practice in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where he became a highly respected physician, well known not only for his surgical skills but also for the large amount of charity work he did. A first-class passenger, forty-four-year old Dr. Minahan was travelling with his wife, Lillian, and his sister.
Dr. Ernest Moraweck, an
Dr. OâLoughlin, who never married, had a passion for the sea. Ironically, he once declared that when he died he wanted his body thrown into the sea, which for him must have represented the âmistressâ he loved very much.
Dr. OâLoughlinâs first responsibility, prior to the
Titanic
âs sailing, was to examine the crew and steerage passengers. His assistant, Dr. J. Edward Simpson, joined him in this important task. Heads were scrutinized for lice, and the doctors were also on the lookout for infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and trachoma, a highly infectious and potentially blinding disease of the eye. Any passenger with trachoma was unceremoniously ordered off the ship, since American immigration laws did not permit them to enter the country.
Dr. J. Edward Simpson, the assistant surgeon, was also Irish. Born in Belfast, he was the son of a doctor. He studied at the Royal University of Ireland, and unlike OâLoughlin, he did earn a medical degree from Queenâs University in Belfast. He was a member of the British Medical Association. Only thirty-seven at the time of the disaster, he was a married man and the father of a young son. Apparently, it was his poor health that had influenced him to pursue a âhealthyâ career at sea, and this decision led to his serving as a medical officer on several steamships.
The
Titanicâ
s reign at sea lasted only a few days, and during this brief period of glory, its passengers experienced few noteworthy medical problems. One lady, who was a first class passenger, fell down a flight of stairs, breaking a small bone in her arm. One account reports that her arm was placed in a plaster cast by Dr. Simpson. Another states that she was treated by Dr. Henry Frauenthal, a distinguished orthopedic surgeon who was also a passenger on the ship.
Dr. Frauenthal was the founder of the New York Hospital for Joint Diseases. Born in Pennsylvania, he had a background in analytical chemistry, and he studied medicine at Bellevue Hospital Medical Clinic. Early in his medical career he became convinced that a hospital devoted entirely to chronic joint diseases was desperately needed. In 1904, he opened a small clinic. On the first day only eight patients were treated, but by the end of that year it had provided almost ten thousand treatments. Dr. Frauenthal quickly earned a reputation as an outstanding specialist, and during the same time he acquired a sizeable fortune. He, along with his new bride and his brother, were first-class passengers on the
Titanic.
Dr. Alfred Pain was also a passenger on the ship. The young University of Toronto Medical School graduate was travelling in second-class accommodations. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, he had been an excellent studentand a fine athlete. After spending a short time as a house doctor at the Hamilton City Hospital, he had gone to England to further his studies. Originally, he hoped to finance his journey home by finding a position as a shipâs doctor. When this couldnât be arranged, he booked passage on the doomed
Titanic.
Dr. William Minahan, a graduate of Rush Medical College, Chicago, was the third member of his family to enter the medical profession. In 1899, he established a practice in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where he became a highly respected physician, well known not only for his surgical skills but also for the large amount of charity work he did. A first-class passenger, forty-four-year old Dr. Minahan was travelling with his wife, Lillian, and his sister.
Dr. Ernest Moraweck, an
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