A Twentieth-Century Surgeon: My Life in the Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts: Massachusetts General Hospital, 1992. AS4 - A hardcover book SIGNED and inscribed by author to previous owner on the front free endpaper in very good condition in very good dust jacket. Dust jacket has some wrinkling and chipping on the edges and corners, dog-eared on the front flap, scattered rubbing and scratches, light discoloration and shelf wear. Book has some bumped corners, some light stains on the page edges, light discoloration and shelf wear. 9.5"x6.5", 392 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Claude E. Welch was an internationally recognized surgeon whose career spanned forty years. For most of those forty years, Welch worked at Massachusetts General Hospital. He was involved with a variety of activities that included "patient care, teaching, clinical research, establishment of funds to maintain such activities, promotion of all aspects of medical education, and strengthening of ties between the government, the courts, the legal profession and physicians." Known as a "bold and skillful surgeon in the abdomen," Welch performed anywhere between 15,000 and 20,000 procedures by the age of 75. He served as president in 8 of the 20 medical associations to which he belonged, wrote more than 200 articles and chapters, authored or edited six books, including his own autobiography, developed a safe technique for performing a duodenostomy, and was one of only six physicians summoned to Rome to consult about the treatment of Pope John Paul II when he was shot in 1981. While there is no doubt about his skill with a scalpel, he set himself apart from other surgeons by establishing and maintaining a superb rapport with his patients - something he considered essential to good patient care. Beyond the operating room, Welch fought for racial equality at the American Medical Association (AMA) and to establish standards for American Medical Practice. Welch considered these items among some of the most important things he did. . Signed by Author. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.