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The professor
Moments in surgery Many of our readers are the guardians of lore, amusing or illuminating, about our surgical heritage. This oral history will be lost unless it is captured now. The Editors invite you to submit anecdotes, vignettes, stories of your mentors (great and small), or simply the tall tales you tell your residents about the way it once was.
The professor Jerry M. Shuck, MD, DSc, Cleveland, Ohio
From the Department of Surgery, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
CLEARLY, WILLIAM A. ALTEMEIER, MD, was a highly respected surgical leader for 40 years until his death in 1983. He was also my chairman, both in medical school and throughout the course of my surgical residency at the University of Cincinnati. His reputation as a surgical bacteriologist and innovative clinician was recognized by his presidency of the American College of Surgeons as well as the American Surgical Association. He truly was a giant. To those he trained, he was and will always be “The Professor.” On a personal level, Dr Altemeier was quiet, softspoken, and not easily available. I never heard him raise his voice during my entire 6 years of training with him. Nor did he pass out compliments. He rarely spoke to residents other than to the chief residents. One day while making rounds, Dr Altemeier went to a patient’s bedside followed by the retinue of us. Since I was chief resident, I was the only spokesperson. I was fearful of what he might say since I had done something somewhat unusual. He asked about the patient, and I said that I had performed a cholecystectomy through a subcostal incision—and a hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy through the same incision at the same sitting. It had been technically fairly easy to do, and the patient had done very well. There was silence after I disclosed what I had done in front of this smiling and very happy patient. Dr Altemeier quietly and calmly took me aside and softly said to me, “Jerry, you’re already a fine surgeon. Unfortunately, if you do more things like this, people will not know who trained you.” This was the harshest word and the greatest criticism I received during my entire residency. Accepted for publication May 3, 1999. Surgery 2000;127:472. Jerry M. Shuck, MD, Department of Surgery, Case Western Reserve University, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106. Copyright © 2000 by Mosby, Inc. 0039-6060/2000/$12.00 + 0 doi:10.1067/msy.2000.99850
472 SURGERY
11/60/99850
The Berlin Wall was built during my second year of residency, and several of my colleagues were being drafted. I called Dr Altemeier’s office to get an appointment as to what I should do. I would get appointments but wait in the anteroom for 1 to 2 hours only to be told that Dr Altemeier couldn’t see me that day. This went on for almost a month and a half. I finally wrote him a letter stating that I was quite discouraged and was planning either to be drafted or to join the military. I received an appointment the day after he received my letter. Dr Altemeier asked me what my problem was. I said that I did not have any deferment and that I was at high risk of being inducted into the military. I needed advice. He looked through his door and said to his secretary, “Mrs Waldron. Please get me Dr Berry in Washington.” The Berry Plan was the deferment program for people in residencies at that time. As I sat silently in Dr Altemeier’s office, the phone rang and Dr Altemeier exchanged pleasantries with Dr Frank Berry, whose name was assigned to this draft deferment plan. After a few moments, Dr Altemeier said, “I have a young man in my office who wants to be in the Berry Plan.” After hearing some response from Dr Berry, Dr Altemeier said, “Oh yes, he wants to be in the army, not the other branches. Yes, he will be available when he finishes our program, and I am pleased that you will accept him in the army at that time. Send the forms and he will take care of what he has to take care of.” After Dr Altemeier hung up, he looked at me and he said, “Well, you are now in the army as a reservist. Filling out the papers will be a formality. Do you have any other questions?” I said, “No sir.” I left the office amazed that I had become a military surgeon and was to go into the army based upon no discussion, no preferences, and no input from me. The days of power and authority in the hands of departmental chairmen will never be the same.
The professor Jerry M. Shuck, MD, DSc, Cleveland, Ohio
From the Department of Surgery, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
CLEARLY, WILLIAM A. ALTEMEIER, MD, was a highly respected surgical leader for 40 years until his death in 1983. He was also my chairman, both in medical school and throughout the course of my surgical residency at the University of Cincinnati. His reputation as a surgical bacteriologist and innovative clinician was recognized by his presidency of the American College of Surgeons as well as the American Surgical Association. He truly was a giant. To those he trained, he was and will always be “The Professor.” On a personal level, Dr Altemeier was quiet, softspoken, and not easily available. I never heard him raise his voice during my entire 6 years of training with him. Nor did he pass out compliments. He rarely spoke to residents other than to the chief residents. One day while making rounds, Dr Altemeier went to a patient’s bedside followed by the retinue of us. Since I was chief resident, I was the only spokesperson. I was fearful of what he might say since I had done something somewhat unusual. He asked about the patient, and I said that I had performed a cholecystectomy through a subcostal incision—and a hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy through the same incision at the same sitting. It had been technically fairly easy to do, and the patient had done very well. There was silence after I disclosed what I had done in front of this smiling and very happy patient. Dr Altemeier quietly and calmly took me aside and softly said to me, “Jerry, you’re already a fine surgeon. Unfortunately, if you do more things like this, people will not know who trained you.” This was the harshest word and the greatest criticism I received during my entire residency. Accepted for publication May 3, 1999. Surgery 2000;127:472. Jerry M. Shuck, MD, Department of Surgery, Case Western Reserve University, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106. Copyright © 2000 by Mosby, Inc. 0039-6060/2000/$12.00 + 0 doi:10.1067/msy.2000.99850
472 SURGERY
11/60/99850
The Berlin Wall was built during my second year of residency, and several of my colleagues were being drafted. I called Dr Altemeier’s office to get an appointment as to what I should do. I would get appointments but wait in the anteroom for 1 to 2 hours only to be told that Dr Altemeier couldn’t see me that day. This went on for almost a month and a half. I finally wrote him a letter stating that I was quite discouraged and was planning either to be drafted or to join the military. I received an appointment the day after he received my letter. Dr Altemeier asked me what my problem was. I said that I did not have any deferment and that I was at high risk of being inducted into the military. I needed advice. He looked through his door and said to his secretary, “Mrs Waldron. Please get me Dr Berry in Washington.” The Berry Plan was the deferment program for people in residencies at that time. As I sat silently in Dr Altemeier’s office, the phone rang and Dr Altemeier exchanged pleasantries with Dr Frank Berry, whose name was assigned to this draft deferment plan. After a few moments, Dr Altemeier said, “I have a young man in my office who wants to be in the Berry Plan.” After hearing some response from Dr Berry, Dr Altemeier said, “Oh yes, he wants to be in the army, not the other branches. Yes, he will be available when he finishes our program, and I am pleased that you will accept him in the army at that time. Send the forms and he will take care of what he has to take care of.” After Dr Altemeier hung up, he looked at me and he said, “Well, you are now in the army as a reservist. Filling out the papers will be a formality. Do you have any other questions?” I said, “No sir.” I left the office amazed that I had become a military surgeon and was to go into the army based upon no discussion, no preferences, and no input from me. The days of power and authority in the hands of departmental chairmen will never be the same.