William Henry Welch and the Heroic Age of American Medicine

By Simon Flexner and James Thomas Flexner

Book Overview

During American medicine's "Heroic Age," when medical training and practice underwent revolutionary change, William Henry Welch emerged as a singular, revolutionary hero. The first full-time faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, he became the undisputed leader of American scientific medicine and the greatest shaping force in American medical education. He won international fame as America's preeminent authority on medical issues--"our greatest statesman in the field of public health," in the words of Herbert Hoover--and earned the enduring affection of generations of colleagues and students as "Popsy", a brilliant, charming, and dedicated mentor.

William Henry Welch and the Heroic Age of American Medicine was originally published in 1941. By then Welch--who died in 1934 at age 84--was already a legend. He had founded the country's first pathological laboratory at the Bellevue Hospital Medical College. His "radical" innovations at the new Johns Hopkins School of Medicine had become the standard in American medical education: high entrance requirements, instruction in the laboratory, emphasis on basic science, and fostering of research. His vision had shaped a variety of other important institutions, including the Rockefeller Institute, the Association of American Physicians, Peking Union Medical College, and the country's first school of public health and hygiene, established at Johns Hopkins largely through his efforts. Welch's eightieth birthday had been celebrated nationally, with ceremonies in Washington, D.C., attended by President Hoover and broadcast around the world.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801845017
• ISBN13: 9780801845017
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Length: 568 Pages
• Weight: 2.13 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.3" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Read for historical appreciation but not for excitement

This is a classic in the history of medicine. It is laboriously written and rather detailed, but it captures much of the person of Welch and of the culture that existed in American medicine at the turn of the century. To someone with minimal medical background, this tome is probably dull. To me, after years of medical schooling and practice, this book is an inspiring revelation of the transition of medical education and medical care from centuries of alchemy to the scientific discoveries that now form the basis of medicine. The person of Welch looms very large indeed over the present system of medical eduation and research, but I never would have appreciated the depth of his contributions without reading this book. A must for anyone interested in the history of American medicine.

A very comprehensive account of a distinguished American.

Simon Flexner portrays William Henry Welch as probably the biggest contributor in helping establish the backbone for medicine / pathology as we know it today. Simon Flexner was a very good friend of Welch's, and this source is one of the best secondary sources available to explore what is basically a patriotic American who helped his country in every single way (including the war) but did not get the fame or credit he deserved because to achieve all that this man had, he could not afford to concentrate on any one topic. This is a book which has enabled me to access what his most intermediate friends described him as, and not only was it a good source, but also an excellent read. If you want to know why American medicine really reached its pinnacle, this book is the answer.