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David Mitchell
Sorry to have made such a long story about my dad. I was merely trying to establish a frame of mind from which to answer M/Ms post.
(and you've all gathered by now tha Long Winded-ness is one of my calling cards)
But it reminds me of many "kitchen table" stories straight from the mouth of an "insider" in the OSU Medical faculty back in the '50s and 60's.
But most of the stories were from Dad's private practice, downtown in the Beggs Bulding, overlooking the Statehouse. Stories of well known Columbus citizens who Dad could not name, to a couple of Catholic Bishops, dozens of Catholic priests, and scores of Nuns, all of whom Dad treated for allergies, Hay fever, Asthma or Dermatology isues. (and mostly free of charge - which some of them took advantqage of in rather ungrateful ways).
Of course, they came to Dad because he was a Catholic Doctor
The nuns would often bring gifts (especially near Christmas) in lieu of payments. The gifts ranged from sensible and useful (handicrafts - weaving - linens - needle point, etc.). And baked goods all year long - usually very welcome items. But some of the gifts were more of the exotic and absurd. One gift was an 18-inch long huge copper spoon. It had no practical use. It was from one of their own foreign Sisters somewhere in Africa. It was heavy, huge, and a bit on the ridiculous side and we laughed and made jokes about is as a family for years.
"Allergy" had not been a separate specialty until about the '30s (I think). There had been studies on Hay Fever going back to the 1800s. But in 1937, my Dad's older brother, Dr. John Mitchell, took my Aunt Norma (his wife) to England to study under the doctor who was sort of collecting and cataloguing all the separate studies on "Allergies". They spent a year at Old St. Mary's University Hospital in downtown London, gaining knowledge on the subject of "Allergies" .
They returned on a boat in 1938 and uncle John began diseminating what he had learned to a small group of friends at OSU Hospital - including his younger brother - my Dad. That same group began to take positions in other universities and thus the spread of Allegies as a "practice" got it's legs. If I recall correctly, one went to Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, one went to St. Louis University, one went to LSU (I think I met him years later), and one went to "that little school up north". That one stayed in close touch and would excahnge football tickets tickets every year so they would be Uncle John's guests one year in Columbus, and would host Uncle John and Aunt Norma in Ann Arbor the other year.
I beleive Uncle John might be credited with starting the American practice now known as Allergist, but he was not very attacted to an administrative role and turned the "Department Head" role over to someone else. But then his litle brother Bill (my dad) came back from his B-29 joy ride in "the Pacific" in 1945 and became the head of the new "Allergy Department" at OSU (wher he had played in the construction of the "Horsehoe" as an 11 year old kid in 1922). I think Dad held the position for about 45 years - which granted me free tickets to ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING in the way of tickets to football, baketball (those Lucas and Havlicek yeras), baseball, track and field - (Glen Davis - the most exciting athlete I ever watched - won 400 meter hurdle gold at Melbourne 1956 and Rome in 1960), swim meets, AND famous speakers (Dr. Tom Dooley III, Werner Von Braun, etc)
Yes, it was a very priviledged (and interesting) childhood in many ways.
To be continued..........
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