|
|
Av Katcher MD FAAP (continued)
"After being released from service, I returned to my home town of Philadelphia, and asked around in the area where I had lived about pediatric openings. I learned there was a father and son pair, in practice together with a third man, who now was going to leave to go out west. I interviewed with the father and son; it went well, and an agreement was reached. It so happened that the father was Dr. Philip Barba, a well known pediatrician and a former President of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He introduced me to the chief at Childrens' Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Joe Stokes MD, and I agreed to volunteer a half day a week there, and practice with the Barba's (pronounced "Barbay. I had some good experience providing coverage for some of the attendings at CHOP, and met people such as Chic Koop, chief of surgery and later Surgeon General, USA, and John Rose, chief of psychiatry. But Philip Barba provided for me an important experience, without even knowing he had done so. I was making a house call one Sunday for a patient who normally went to him. The toddler had a URI, nothing serious, and when the mother and I had arrived at an understanding about this she invited me to have coffee. We chatted about things and she repeatedly praised Dr. Barba's work for her little one. Intrigued, in order to learn more, I inquired what it was that he did that led to her admiring him so. She replied, "Dr. Katcher, you know I'm a ninny. I'm not too smart. But when I take my child to see Dr. Barba, he makes me feel like I'm the smartest and best mother in the world!" Whammy! I felt as if doors had opened. I've never forgotten that moment, and to this day I could describe the kitchen where this little exchange took place, as well as the patient, and his mother. It is too bad that we
all can not have learning of this sort. Another mentor was Dr. Bill McFadden, who also practiced in Germantown. He took care of our first born till we moved away. He once told me an anecdote about about a mother who phoned him, to say she thought her baby had a fever, what should she do. He suggested checking the temperature to be sure. She replied that she had never done this before. "It's easy," said Bill. "Turn the baby over on her tummy. Take off her diaper. Grab your thermometer. Put your hand on the upper part of her back. Run your finger down the middle of her back. The first hole you come to, but the tip in and hold it there for three minutes."
"Two people who also taught me a great deal were our first-born daughter, Ruth, and my wife, Estelle. When Ruth was born at the U of Pennsylvania hospital, the OB invited me to be in the delivery room. Within a minute or two after delivery, she watched her mother, and me closely, smiled, paid rapt attention, and did other things that at the time I did not know that newborn infants could do. The next day and the day after I came down to HUP to see Estelle and Ruth, and both times found Ruth nursing on the breast. As I watched Estelle, I realized that she knew distinctly more about handling and breast-feeding this newborn that this great pediatrician had ever learned in training or in practice. So I watched, and learned, and I've been watching, listening and learning ever since, to the profit of my skills."
"Six months after Ruth was born, we moved to Flemington, NJ where we have been ever since. Hunterdon is an unusual and wonderful place to live; our Medical Center a very satisfying place to practice, and altogether we have been very fortunate. Hunterdon Medical Center has been well known as a model small scale community hospital. It was founded in the early 1950's by a group of far seeing and thoughtful local citizens. One could write a book about it. I did. Title: A Time to Remember----A Health Care Ideal for the People. If you are interested, write to Hunterdon Medical Center, at 2100 Wescott Drive, Flemington, NJ 08822. Don't know if there are copies left, but if you want one, write to the address. Hunterdon is the name of our county."
"The Hunterdon Medical Center opened with a unique setup. All the family physicians then practicing in the county were invited to join the staff. The hospital searched for specialists in such fields as cardiology, general surgery, obstetrics, about a dozen all told. These specialists came in on a straight salary. They all had the same salary. There was no special income for the typical high income specialists. The first pediatrician, Andy Hunt, earned the same as the chief of surgery. The specialists all did consulting work only. That is, they did not see patients except on referral from a family doctor. Every resident of Hunterdon County was guaranteed care by a family physician and consultations by one of the specialists’, except in instances, for example neurosurgery, where there was no one competent in the field needed. Every patient was seen whether or not they had the money or insurance to pay for the care needed. Some of you may know of the chief of internal medicine, a physician named Ed Pellegrino. He started work about a year before HMC opened. I could go on and on about this place: I worked there (as the second pediatrician, when Hunt left to enter academic medicine) practicing alone from 1959 to 1966, when a second pediatrician came to join me. My one-man pediatric practice has grew to around a dozen over the years including several women, one of whom is now the Chairperson."
"We lived for two years in a rented old farm house, and then bought one like it to be closer to my work. This farmhouse was built about 1832. We remained there, long after my retirement in 1964, until moving to a small ranch house requiring less work in 2006. Our main home was on six acres, with a large pond full of frogs, woods, and much grassy field which I worked on with a mower. My inherited background was in farming. My grandfather and father walked from their home in Hoboken, New Jersey to their farm with a horse and wagon. They could not ride, because it would have been too hard on the horse. They farmed in Hunterdon, just 3 or 4 miles from where we lived for so many years. My father left for college; my grandfather gave up the farm. When we came to our long-standing home, it was not over a mile from where they had farmed. I always enjoyed gardening and outside work. I set aside an area with a high fence (deer, you know) to do my own farming. I tried all sorts of things, corn, lettuce, other greens, tomatoes, apples and several other sorts of fruit trees, and many other kinds of greens. We also had many different kinds of flowers. The picture that appears at the front of this essay is of a large Dahlia===I loved dahlias, my favorite flower. "
"As you can see, we were lucky. We still live in Hunterdon although much has changed. Even though I am retired, both Estelle and I would not move away unless something happens to us. As many of you probably know, what could equal the thrill of walking down Main Street in Flemington (our county seat) and be greeted by someone as old or older, being called by name, and reminded of how you took care of their child decades ago. Priceless."
(Av Katcher MD FAAP, October 15 2009)
(Webmaster Note - we'd like to include your memories and pictures. Please email or contact Webmaster Jerry Aronson MD.)
|
|