THE HISTORY OF THE SURGICAL SERVICE - San Francisco General Hospital

THE HISTORY OF THE SURGICAL SERVICE

AT SAN FRANCISCO GENERAL HOSPITAL

William Schecter, Robert Lim, George Sheldon,

Norman Christensen, William Blaisdell

i

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to our patient and understanding wives

Gisela Schecter, Carolee Lim, Ruth Sheldon, Sally Christensen,

and Marilyn Blaisdell. Their help and support not only made our

careers possible but also ensured that they would be successful.

ii

PREFACE

I was delighted and honored to be asked to assist in the

publication of this landmark book on the History of Surgery in the

San Francisco General Hospital. The authors are to be

commended on their accurate, readable and historic portrayal of

the evolution of this center of excellence in trauma and general

surgical patient care. As I read through the manuscript, it brought

back warm and clear memories of days spent here both as a junior

medical student and later as a resident in the University of

California, San Francisco surgical program. It presents an

impressive timeline of surgeons who have taught here, a number of

whom have moved on and become outstanding leaders in the field

of surgery. After 40 years of practice as a surgeon, I look back on

my training here at this hospital as one of the most important

contributors to my overall surgical and medical education. This

hospital and its surgical staff imbued me with the essential

knowledge and technical skills necessary to be an accomplished

general surgeon and, most importantly, they taught me the value of

seeking advice from a more experienced specialist when the

occasion arose.

I feel certain that every surgeon, who during their training

has passed through the portals of San Francisco General Hospital,

will also find in this book a powerful reminder of how important it

has been in their life.

Robert Albo

Oakland, California

September 2007

iii

CONTENTS

Dedication

Page i

Preface

Page ii

Introduction

Page 1

Chapter I

The Brunn¨CRixford¨CEloesser Years:

1915-1945

Page 2

William Blaisdell

Chapter II

The Mathewson¨CGoldman Years:

1915-1966

Page 34

William Blaisdell

Chapter III

The Blaisdell Years:

1966-1978

Page 77

Robert Lim, George Sheldon

Chapter IV

The Trunkey Years:

1978-1986

Page 150

William Schecter

Chapter V

The Lewis Years:

1986-1993

Norman Christensen

Page 185

1

INTRODUCTION

The authors of this history of San Francisco City and County

Hospital¡ªalso known as San Francisco Hospital or San Francisco

General Hospital (SFGH) by its official names over the years¡ª

have enjoyed putting this document together. It not only serves as

the surgical history of this hospital, still affectionately referred to

as ¡°the County,¡± but it also represents the history of surgery itself

during the 20th Century. This was the period described as the Age

of the Surgeon, as it was during this period that our specialty

emerged in full flower.

Throughout almost its entire history, San Francisco General

Hospital has served as a training ground for medical students,

interns, and residents. In 1864, Hugh Toland built his first medical

school adjacent to the original County Hospital in North Beach,

and in 1865, Toland was granted permission to use the hospital for

clinical instruction. In 1872, Toland Medical School became the

medical school of the University of California (UC).

In 1872, a new County Hospital was built on the present

Potrero site. In 1879, UC negotiated an agreement with the San

Francisco County Supervisors that gave the University

responsibility for professional care and staff appointments and

allowed medical students¡¯ access to patients. Shortly thereafter,

Cooper Medical College, which in 1908 became Stanford Medical

School, developed a similar arrangement.

At the same time, four internship appointments were

negotiated¡ªtwo for UC and two for Stanford. The number of

internships was gradually expanded, but it was not until the new

brick and mortar hospital opened in 1915 that the first junior

residents, called house officers, were added. Formal postgraduate

surgical training emerged gradually during the 1920s.

Our description of the County Hospital Surgical Services

starts in 1915 with the dedication of the new hospital, called the

Renaissance Hospital because of its filigreed appearance.

Definitive organization of the Surgical Services, including the

specialties of surgery, dates from that time. Formal training

programs in surgery followed shortly thereafter during the 1920s.

The contribution of the hospital and its surgical staff,

including its flamboyant chiefs of service, to the care of patients

and to the development of surgery are the subject of this book.

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download