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  • Walter E. Dandy Letter 03/15/1913

    The Johns Hopkins Hospital

    Baltimore, Md.

    March 15, 1913

    Dear Mother and Father,

    Well I am in the midst of great work and consequent great enjoyment. Everything at present running very smoothly and nothing to complain about. Have had an exceptional day.

    Dr. Finney did one of his wonderful operations yesterday and pulled a poor woman out of the jaws of death, for a time at least. It was wonderful. She had obstruction of the bowel due to a blood vessel clogging. Was very weak. When he got through she was gasping apparently dying, but by careful watching she has pulled up well and is now doing very well. I don't think I ever saw anyone quite so far gone as she was. Nor have I ever seen a more beautifully performed, steadily and rapidly executed and difficult operation. He is a perfect wonder. The ultimate in things surgical. His judgement which means so much was perfect and the execution without a flaw. He is the most perfect ideal in every way it is possible to conceive.

    What a stimulus it ought to be to young fellows like myself. I ought to be thankful for this if nothing else, that I am away from baneful influences like Cushing and [with] the best like Finney. I am of a stamp a little too headstrong, I think. Too little influenced by others, a little too self impressive and self confident but I yield without question of possible criticism to everything Dr. Finney does or says. It almost seems he can't do wrong. He is a practical man throughout, no theory which cannot be thoroughly applied, pays little attention to details but assails the essentials with all the vigor possible. The more you see of some people the less you think of them but the more you see of a very few the more impressive they are. You are almost tempted to worship his every act and even his physical attributes and regard them as perfection. Certainly one could conceive of few human ideals more impressive.

    Tonight he gives a talk on surgical judgement and I hope to drink it all in. You never hear complaints about his overcharge of fees, they never bother anyone. He accepts fees almost with a reluctance and his patients seem to be chagrined at his modesty in this regard. He spends as much thought and care and time on the humblest as the most wealthy. It is not unusual to find the whole operating room waiting for him while he would be carefully listening to some tale of physical woe of a friend of a scrubwoman etc. He and Poppsy Welch are almost aloof from human beings if possible.

    Well I am glad you are enjoying your stay. Wish I could give you some definite news but I can't, but everything usually is the best. The man from Detroit was here especially to see me and try to get me to go to Detroit, but I don't think it is worth accepting. He offered me the position in neurological surgery, a part of his office and probably $50 a month and the hospital to work in, but I want general surgery and that would impinge upon his field and I could hardly expect to do that. He married one of the Ford (automobile) daughters so he has money to burn but I don't know that he is a big enough man professionally to be a superior to me and I don't know how seriously I will consider the proposition. He wants me to come and look it over. They are starting a new hospital which they expect to be as large as Hopkins and built about like it.…

    Your loving son, Walter

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