MUHLENBERG STAFF 1950 #1

Rather then dwell on Friday night's mele at the teen dance at the YMCA, or the shootings (3) on West Front St. I am going back into memory lane.

In 1950 the Muhlenberg's Medical Staff was organized into various departments characteristic of all hospitals in that era. Today the same basic but expanded structure exists.

What was characteristic of the 1950 staff that with the exception of Merton Griswold non of the physicians were board certified. Board Certification was just beginning to become a criteria of training. By the time I became President of the Staff Muhlenberg was one of the few local area hospitals that required every applicant for a staff appointment to either be certified or eligible pending taking the tests in their specialty.

But in 1950 the active staff members had all started their practice as general practitioners, and gradually added competency in a specialty. Many had served in the armed forces during WWII, and had 4 years to reestablish themselves.

The Department of General Surgery consisted of;

4 Senior Attending Physicians-

• Ben Glass,
  
• Leo Salvatii,
  
• Charlie Hoffman,
  
• Charlie Steffens
  

4 Junior Attending Surgeons-

• John Cannis,
  
• Dick Peters,
  
• Ted O'Brien
  
• Art Seybold;

4 Assistant Junior Surgeons-

• Bruce Caroll,
  
• John Nevius,
• Mert Griswold
  
• Frank Romano.

Of the Seniors, Steffens and Glass were prob ably the most skilled. Charlie Hoffman who had been a colonel during the war was noted for his bedside manner especially with "little old ladies"
Leo Salvatti, Eugene's uncle, was in Westfield. Leo was a little gruff and bombastic but a wonderful human being.

Of the Junior Attendings; John Cannis had the advantage of not having been in service. John was notorious for making rounds during visiting hours and being sure to be paged several times so that the public became acquainted with his name. E.J. O'Brien was a outgoing Irishman who rapidly built up a large family practice. He probably did as many tonsillectomies as some of the pure EENT specialists. His obstetrical practice was second only to the Obstetricians. He was well aware of his limitations and did not hesitate to either have a consultant or refer his patient to a Senior Attending in that field. Art Seybold was very quiet , and Dick Peters also established a large general practice but was not doing obstetrics.

The Assistant Junior Attendings; Bruce Carroll after serving in both WWII and the Korean War developed an extreme interest in Vascular Surgery. He did some training under Crawford in Texas, one of the leading Heart Surgeons of that era and had a close relationship with him. Frank Romano had a general practice in Dunellen and assisted Dr Fitch the Neurosurgeon. Griswold the only board certified gradual limited his practice to plastic surgery. Nevius also had a general family practice and like all of us at that time delivered babies.

There were other doctors on the staff heads of subspecialty departments that did major operations in general surgery. None attempted to operate in the Chest.

To be continued from time to time.