1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,279 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:13,400 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy Vie Wilson. And today's 4 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,319 Speaker 1: topic is a topic that actually came up because of 5 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 1: another show. Uh, one of the episodes on the current 6 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:28,160 Speaker 1: season of Criminalia to the different show that I do. Uh, 7 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 1: we are covering impostors this season, and there was a 8 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,919 Speaker 1: topic an impostor whose story made mention of Adolph Lawrence, 9 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:39,639 Speaker 1: the Bloodless Surgeon of Vienna, and I was instantly curious 10 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: about that, and it was not really Germaine to explore 11 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: in that episode, so that popped over here. So we're 12 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,560 Speaker 1: gonna talk a little bit about the incident that connected 13 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 1: Dr Lawrence to a fake doctor. But really his life 14 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 1: story is plenty compelling even without that odd little detail, 15 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: including lots of s rises, like you know, some protests 16 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 1: to him within his industry, his his life story, how 17 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: he was received and perceived by people. Uh, it's a 18 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: good one, so we'll jump right in. Adolf Lawrenz was 19 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: born on April eighteen fifty four and wide Nose, Silesia, 20 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: which is today vid Nava, part of the Czech Republic 21 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,840 Speaker 1: at the time, though it was sat within the Austrian Empire, 22 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:31,319 Speaker 1: this was not a wealthy family. Adolf's father, Johann Lorenz, 23 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:34,960 Speaker 1: worked as a saddler and as an innkeeper. His mother 24 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:40,119 Speaker 1: was Agnes Erlick Lawrenz, and after elementary school, Adolf moved 25 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 1: south to the city of Graz to live with his 26 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:45,320 Speaker 1: uncle from his mother's side, and he also, as part 27 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: of that move, started an apprenticeship as a shopkeeper in 28 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: a general store. He didn't really like that very much, 29 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 1: uh And while his life's work became medicine, in some ways, 30 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 1: he got there because as a child he was a 31 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 1: decent singer. As a young bull way, his vocal talent 32 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: led him to be chosen as a member of the 33 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: boys choir of St. Paul Benedictine Monastery in Corinthia, Austria, 34 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: and that meant that he could attend school there for free. 35 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 1: He did not have to pay a fee for it, 36 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: and it was through this move that he was able 37 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:19,360 Speaker 1: to gain really a strong enough foundation of early education 38 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: that he could then go on to higher education. When 39 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: Lawrenz was sixteen, he moved from the monastery at Corinthia 40 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 1: to high school in Klagenfurt, near austria southern border. During 41 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: this time he brought in money by working as a 42 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: tutor for students from wealthy families. He really barely got 43 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: by financially, but when he finished at the age of 44 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: twenty he started his formal medical training. He moved to 45 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: Vienna for that, and this was an area where Adolf 46 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: Lawrence showed promise from just the very beginning. While still 47 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: a student, he was offered the chance to take a 48 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 1: job as an anatomy instructor because he demonstrated such a 49 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:01,920 Speaker 1: thorough knowledge of this object. This really helped keep him 50 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:05,240 Speaker 1: afloat financially while he worked towards the bigger goal of 51 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: wanting to become a surgeon. Yeah, I read some accounts 52 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 1: that say like he got so skilled in the subject 53 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: of anatomy because that was one of the things he 54 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 1: was tutoring students at in his his prior school. Lorenz 55 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:21,720 Speaker 1: graduated from medical school in eighteen eighty at the age 56 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: of twenty six, and he got a job as an 57 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 1: assistant to an orthopedic surgeon named Johann von dune Rocker 58 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: at the Rudolphin her House Hospital in Vienna. Dune Rocker 59 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: died not long after Lorenz began working with him, and 60 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: he was replaced by Eduard Albert, who kept Adolph on 61 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: as his assistant. But as Lorenz became more and more 62 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: indispensable to Albert, a problem began to emerge. At this 63 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: time in history, carbolic acid was routinely used during surgeries 64 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: because of its effectiveness in killing bacteria, and it turned 65 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: out that Lorenz was allergic to it. He developed severe 66 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: dermatitis any time he was in contact with it. Ed 67 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: wired out there didn't want his promising assistant to abandon 68 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: medicine altogether because of this problem, so he asked him, quote, 69 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 1: if you cannot get along with wet surgery, why not 70 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: try dry surgery? And this is the genesis point of 71 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:19,920 Speaker 1: what would eventually be called bloodless surgery by Lorenz. So 72 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:22,839 Speaker 1: we should note here the term bloodless surgery has a 73 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:25,599 Speaker 1: very different meaning today than what we're talking about here. 74 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:29,280 Speaker 1: If you google it, you will find very different things today. 75 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: Bloodless surgery is an approach to surgical procedures that uses 76 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:36,720 Speaker 1: no transfusions of blood from a donor source. But for Lorenz, 77 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: that term was used in a sense of no blood 78 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: being drawn. He did not make incisions in his patients, 79 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,560 Speaker 1: so the work that he did would be more accurately 80 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:52,160 Speaker 1: described in today's terms as orthopedic manipulation is carefully moving 81 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: and shifting a patient skeletal structure to correct problems and 82 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:01,159 Speaker 1: improve their mobility. And this was a really very new 83 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 1: area of medicine in the eighteen hundreds, and Lorenz, with 84 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:09,320 Speaker 1: his masterful understanding of anatomy, was really drawn to it. 85 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 1: Early on in his career, Larenz started working primarily with children. 86 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 1: He developed treatments that used a series of plaster casts 87 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 1: to correct pediatric orthopedic problems. As his patients grew over 88 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 1: several years, he developed treatments for several congenital conditions, including scoliosis, 89 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:31,920 Speaker 1: hip dislocation, and club foot, and soon Larenz began publishing 90 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:35,400 Speaker 1: books about his work, a detailing, for example, the various 91 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 1: mechanical means that he used to correct scoliosis and treating 92 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:44,160 Speaker 1: club Lorenz developed a system that stretched the patient's tendons 93 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:47,920 Speaker 1: and ligaments over time and then put the affected leg 94 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 1: in a final stage leg cast and it stayed there 95 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: until it was healed in the proper position. But it 96 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 1: was really hip dislocation that became his specialty. So this 97 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:02,159 Speaker 1: is a situation where during fetal development, the hip joint 98 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 1: doesn't form as it should. It's not aligned properly, and 99 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 1: that creates an instability in the joint that worsens as 100 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: the child grows. You'll also see this referred to as 101 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 1: developmental displayia and Dr Lorenz's approach was, as with his 102 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: other treatments, all about slowly forcing the head of the 103 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:24,239 Speaker 1: femur into its proper position using a series of casts 104 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: along with traction and surgical manipulation. Again no incisions. One 105 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: contemporary description of the Lorenz method for treating congenital hip 106 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:37,919 Speaker 1: displacement describes the first stage as one where the child 107 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 1: is placed under anesthesia and the operator manipulates the leg 108 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:46,039 Speaker 1: to stretch and sometimes even tear the muscles of the 109 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,600 Speaker 1: legs so that they're not pulling on the femur. Next, 110 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:53,200 Speaker 1: the operator manipulates and shifts the femur until it quote 111 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: drops into the socket. Then quote to prevent relocation, the 112 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 1: leg is drawn outside ways to an angle of ninety 113 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 1: degrees and is held in this position by a plaster cast. 114 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:09,360 Speaker 1: After a brief period of recovery, the child would be 115 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 1: encouraged to use the leg as part of recovering. Although 116 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 1: there wasn't anticipated six months to two year period of 117 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:21,920 Speaker 1: being in a cast, Lorenz estimated the success rate with 118 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: this is about sixty. That seems low to me, but 119 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:32,960 Speaker 1: but uh, you know, my knowledge of orthopedic procedures is nil. So. 120 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: In eighteen eighty four, Lorenz got married to a woman 121 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:39,040 Speaker 1: named Emma Lecker, and their wedding took place on October 122 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:42,000 Speaker 1: five of that year. Eleven months later, the couple had 123 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:46,120 Speaker 1: a son, Albert, on September two, eighteen eighty five. Albert 124 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:49,600 Speaker 1: would eventually follow his father into orthopedics, and then much 125 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:52,240 Speaker 1: later in nineteen o three, Adolph and Emma had a 126 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:55,640 Speaker 1: second son, Conrad, who went into the animal behavior field. 127 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: In eighteen eighty nine, Lorenz was granted a special professor 128 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 1: a position at the University of Vienna so he could 129 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: share his methods with the medical students there. He taught 130 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:12,120 Speaker 1: his approach to the students and researchers and other doctors. 131 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 1: Among his colleagues in Austria, he gained the nickname Gibbs 132 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:20,040 Speaker 1: doesn't or plaster teacher. Yeah, that's one of those things 133 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 1: that people often note, like, hey, that sounds almost kind 134 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: of like uh an insult, but he didn't really seem 135 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:30,000 Speaker 1: to mind. According to Lorenz, he was asked to consult 136 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 1: in the case of young King Alfonso the thirteenth of Spain. 137 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:35,920 Speaker 1: Alfonso had been born a king, his father had died 138 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: not long before he was born, and his mother, Maria Christina, 139 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 1: who was serving as regent, was Austrian. So she reached 140 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:45,360 Speaker 1: out to the Austrian doctor, who was already seen, if something, 141 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 1: as a miracle worker, to treat her son, who was 142 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:52,079 Speaker 1: reportedly just generally sort of weak after a childhood about 143 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 1: with the flu during the pandemic. He did, of course, 144 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 1: you know, after treatment, continue to live in rule. So 145 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 1: asumably things went well. In the late eighteen nineties and 146 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: early nineteen hundreds, things were very busy for Adolph. He 147 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:10,559 Speaker 1: published his book on the Healing of Congenital hip Dislocation 148 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:13,720 Speaker 1: in eighteen nineties. Six that year he also became an 149 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:17,199 Speaker 1: advisor to the Austrian government. In nineteen o one, he 150 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:22,199 Speaker 1: co founded the German Orthopedic Society. He gave numerous lectures 151 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 1: at medical conferences explaining his techniques, and then he started 152 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:29,439 Speaker 1: traveling the world to meet demand for his treatments. In 153 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:31,480 Speaker 1: just a moment. We're going to talk about the wealthy 154 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:35,680 Speaker 1: patient whose treatment rocketed Lorenz onto the public stage. But 155 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:39,880 Speaker 1: first we're going to pause and have a little sponsor break. 156 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:48,600 Speaker 1: By nineteen o two, Adolf Lorenz's reputation was so well 157 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:52,079 Speaker 1: established that he was requested to travel to Chicago by 158 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:56,000 Speaker 1: the wealthy Armor family to treat Lolita Armor. That is, 159 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:59,680 Speaker 1: incidentally the same Armor family name you have likely seen 160 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:02,199 Speaker 1: in your local grocery store because they made their fortune 161 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:07,560 Speaker 1: in meatpacking. Lolita had congenital hip dislocation, and Dr Lawrenz 162 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:10,920 Speaker 1: treated one of her hips. She had already had surgery 163 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 1: on them performed by a doctor named John Ridland, and 164 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:17,359 Speaker 1: while that first surgery was initially reported as a success, 165 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:20,520 Speaker 1: before long one of her hips was displaced again, and 166 00:10:20,559 --> 00:10:23,120 Speaker 1: that was when her parents reached out to Dr Larenz. 167 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:27,080 Speaker 1: The arrival of a doctor from Europe intending to practice 168 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 1: medicine in the US got the attention of the Illinois 169 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 1: Board of Health. That board insisted that he needed to 170 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 1: be licensed in the state before he treated anyone. There 171 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:41,520 Speaker 1: were both supporters and detractors for this, and plenty of 172 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:44,560 Speaker 1: Lorenz supporters saw it as an insult to the man 173 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:48,200 Speaker 1: in his work, but Dr Lawrenz didn't seem to mind 174 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 1: and consented to take the State Board exam, which he passed. Yeah, 175 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:55,360 Speaker 1: that's an issue that comes up again. Leader. The Chicago 176 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:59,720 Speaker 1: Tribune ran a lengthy article shortly after the procedure in 177 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:03,240 Speaker 1: which Lorenz described the whole thing of that that first 178 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:07,080 Speaker 1: initial treatment in detail. He told the Tribune quote, it 179 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 1: required about two hours to perform the operation. The right 180 00:11:10,559 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 1: leg was drawn down until the end of the femur 181 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: reached the socket where it could rest. Then I turned 182 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:18,959 Speaker 1: the limb out at right angles and applied to heavy dressing. 183 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:22,319 Speaker 1: Over this was placed a thick plaster of Paris cast, 184 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:25,600 Speaker 1: which will hold it in place until spring. The cast 185 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 1: is so placed that it will allow free movement of 186 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:30,120 Speaker 1: the knee, so that it will be possible for the 187 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:33,040 Speaker 1: little girl to walk after two or three weeks. She 188 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:34,920 Speaker 1: will be able to sit up in a few days 189 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:38,080 Speaker 1: and will not suffer much at any time. It was 190 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:42,079 Speaker 1: reported in the papers that Lorenz received a whopping seventy 191 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:46,120 Speaker 1: five thousand dollars for treating six year old Lolita Armor, 192 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,080 Speaker 1: but also in his time in Chicago, he visited numerous 193 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:53,959 Speaker 1: hospital wards to consult and treat patients for free. This 194 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:56,400 Speaker 1: was something that he did any time he was in 195 00:11:56,440 --> 00:11:58,920 Speaker 1: the States throughout his life. After World War One, he 196 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,440 Speaker 1: told the press he would always do it because the 197 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:04,320 Speaker 1: US had helped the children of Austria with food and 198 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:08,520 Speaker 1: supplies during the conflict. This treatment of the beloved child 199 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,080 Speaker 1: of one of the richest families in the United States 200 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:14,160 Speaker 1: came with a significant amount of media attention. I mean 201 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:17,280 Speaker 1: this was like a headline event in a lot of 202 00:12:17,280 --> 00:12:20,880 Speaker 1: papers after his work with Lolita. When he was expected 203 00:12:20,920 --> 00:12:23,400 Speaker 1: to visit a city, there were always multiple write ups 204 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:25,880 Speaker 1: in the local press about it, and as a consequence, 205 00:12:26,559 --> 00:12:30,000 Speaker 1: lines of people would form outside of any hospital he 206 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:33,360 Speaker 1: was expected to visit to give these free clinics made 207 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:36,280 Speaker 1: up of parents just hoping that he could offer their 208 00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:39,240 Speaker 1: child a little bit of hope and possibly some treatment. 209 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:43,079 Speaker 1: When he moved on to Baltimore after Chicago to see patients, 210 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:47,240 Speaker 1: their interest was so great among other medical practitioners that 211 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:50,319 Speaker 1: one of his bloodless surgeries had to become a ticketed 212 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:53,080 Speaker 1: event just to try to manage the crowd that wanted 213 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:55,840 Speaker 1: to observe it. Didn't charge money for these tickets, but 214 00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 1: it was basically like if you didn't get a ticket, 215 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:00,959 Speaker 1: you cannot come in. While he was in the DC area, 216 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:04,120 Speaker 1: he was also invited to meet President Theodore Roosevelt, so 217 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:06,080 Speaker 1: that gives you a sense of just how big a 218 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:08,560 Speaker 1: name he was at this point. But there were also 219 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:11,640 Speaker 1: plenty of doctors who were really flummixed by all the 220 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:15,160 Speaker 1: media attention around this doctor who was doing things. They 221 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:18,679 Speaker 1: didn't feel like we're groundbreaking at that point. And the 222 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:23,280 Speaker 1: Literary Digest in nineteen o two an article was included 223 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:27,880 Speaker 1: titled the Significance of Doctor Lorenz's Visit that quotes from 224 00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:32,160 Speaker 1: another article in The Independent. According to that right up quote, 225 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 1: Professor Lorenz does not come to teach our American orthopedic 226 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 1: surgeons are specialists in the treatment of deformed children, something 227 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 1: they did not know before. Lorenz's operation has been practiced 228 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:47,720 Speaker 1: in this country for almost, if not quite a decade 229 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:51,120 Speaker 1: of years, and some of the best results attained by 230 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: the use of the method invented by the Vienna professor 231 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:58,760 Speaker 1: have been exported from America. The point made in this 232 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:01,880 Speaker 1: writing is that the significance that was referenced in the 233 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:06,160 Speaker 1: title of the article was really that the press around 234 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:09,320 Speaker 1: Lorenz's work meant that a larger number of people in 235 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 1: the US knew about that work and they might seek treatment, 236 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:16,560 Speaker 1: not suggesting that the significance was that it was really 237 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: all that new. No, they did credit him for really 238 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:23,360 Speaker 1: pioneering some treatments, but they were like, yeah, but we've 239 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:27,480 Speaker 1: all been doing it for a while at this boy um. 240 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:29,120 Speaker 1: And it was one of those things where for a 241 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 1: lot of families, particularly families that did not have a 242 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:37,120 Speaker 1: whole lot of income, there was kind of an expectation 243 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:39,160 Speaker 1: prior to this that if you had a child that 244 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 1: had an orthopedic problem, you kind of taught them to 245 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:44,320 Speaker 1: live with it lot brether than getting it treated, and 246 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:48,000 Speaker 1: that this shifted that idea a little bit. Lorenz was 247 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:50,360 Speaker 1: asked to visit other cities when he returned to the 248 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:52,720 Speaker 1: US in nineteen o three for his follow up care 249 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:55,560 Speaker 1: with Lolita Armor. He was invited to speak at the 250 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 1: American Medical Association's annual meeting in New Orleans in three 251 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:03,320 Speaker 1: and he up did that. He also visited Dallas, Texas 252 00:15:03,400 --> 00:15:06,160 Speaker 1: right after that appearance, and that visit is credited with 253 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:09,840 Speaker 1: inspiring the construction of what would become the Baylor Medical Center. 254 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:14,000 Speaker 1: That press and the popularity that Lorenz had gained in 255 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:17,560 Speaker 1: the US came with some problems. Many members of the 256 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:21,160 Speaker 1: medical community in the US thought that Lorenz and showing 257 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:25,120 Speaker 1: up and only seeing patients briefly was really creating more 258 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 1: problems than he solved. Right. Remember, these are long term treatments. 259 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:32,440 Speaker 1: They're not super quick, so it's like you're giving them hope, 260 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:34,280 Speaker 1: but you can't really do the follow through if you 261 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 1: then go back to Vienna. Almost twenty years after he 262 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:40,720 Speaker 1: had been called to Chicago to treat Lolita Armor, and 263 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:44,800 Speaker 1: having returned to North America repeatedly to see sometimes hundreds 264 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 1: of patients a day at any hospital he visited, he 265 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:50,320 Speaker 1: was once again planning a trip to the US in 266 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:53,880 Speaker 1: one when a public statement was issued by a group 267 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 1: of Chicago doctors who thought that Lorenz should not be 268 00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 1: allowed to practice medicine in their facility. In an article 269 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 1: covering this Chicago uproar, the New York Times listed St. 270 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 1: Luke's Presbyterian Hospital, Children's Memorial, and the Home for Destitute 271 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 1: Crippled Children among those hospitals that were very adamant in 272 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:18,479 Speaker 1: their stance that Dr Lorenz was not welcome there. This statement, 273 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:23,600 Speaker 1: made by the Collective of Orthopedic Surgeons which honestly, like 274 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:26,560 Speaker 1: the name of the hospital that we just read, contained 275 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:30,840 Speaker 1: some very outdated language that's offensive by today's standards. That 276 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:34,200 Speaker 1: statement reads, quote the proposed visit of Dr Lorenz will 277 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 1: accomplish more harm than good, and we are opposed to 278 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:41,200 Speaker 1: any plan by which countless numbers of cripples will have 279 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:44,920 Speaker 1: their hopes raised to the skies, only to have them 280 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:48,520 Speaker 1: blasted when they find they have been misled. His visit 281 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:52,560 Speaker 1: will serve only to make every cripple in America dissatisfied 282 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 1: and disappointed. Some would be disappointed because they were unable 283 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 1: to reach the quote miracle man, others because he would 284 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:02,400 Speaker 1: not be able to treat them. As a matter of fact, 285 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:05,600 Speaker 1: all those who came in contact after he left with 286 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:10,199 Speaker 1: the many cases which Professor Lawrenz operated upon during his 287 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:14,160 Speaker 1: former visit, saw many results they were glad they were 288 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:18,040 Speaker 1: not responsible for, and for which they felt Professor Lawrenz 289 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:22,280 Speaker 1: would have been heartily ashamed could he have stayed in 290 00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:25,199 Speaker 1: the country to take care of them. At the end 291 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:28,480 Speaker 1: of the statement, the group affirms that Lawrence's presence is 292 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:32,119 Speaker 1: an insult to the orthopedists already working in Chicago, that 293 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:35,080 Speaker 1: he can't do anything they can't do themselves, and that 294 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:37,639 Speaker 1: they will not give follow up treatment to any patient 295 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:42,159 Speaker 1: he treats. Yeah, it's an interesting thing because on the 296 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:45,760 Speaker 1: one hand they're saying he's doing things that are hurting people, 297 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:48,920 Speaker 1: and then they also say those are the same exact 298 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:51,119 Speaker 1: things we're already doing, and so it's a little like, 299 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:55,480 Speaker 1: wait a minute, there's some you're contradicting yourself a little 300 00:17:55,480 --> 00:18:00,280 Speaker 1: bit there. Um. The controversy around Lawrence's night teen t 301 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:04,119 Speaker 1: one trip to the US continued, and when Lolita Armour's 302 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:07,040 Speaker 1: case was brought into the discussion as not having been 303 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:09,200 Speaker 1: the success that it was touted as in the early 304 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 1: nineteen hundreds, it was the Armor Heiress herself, at this point, 305 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:17,159 Speaker 1: an adult married woman, who came to his defense. She said, quote, 306 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:20,040 Speaker 1: I cannot say that a perfect cure has been affected 307 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:23,080 Speaker 1: in either hip, but the hip treated by Dr Lorenz 308 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:25,400 Speaker 1: is far better than the other one, which he could 309 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:28,200 Speaker 1: do little with because it had been too badly mishandled. 310 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 1: He said, I myself believe that had it not been 311 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:33,840 Speaker 1: for the work done before he was called on my case, 312 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:37,600 Speaker 1: he would have effected a complete cure. She also gave 313 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:41,439 Speaker 1: the statement to a paper quote Dr Lorenz is undoubtedly 314 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 1: a much better orthopedic surgeon than any we have in 315 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:47,440 Speaker 1: this country. He proved that when he cured me after 316 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:51,960 Speaker 1: all others here failed. Lorenz's problems with access to US 317 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:56,880 Speaker 1: medical facilities continued well beyond Chicago. When he was invited 318 00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:00,119 Speaker 1: to visit various New York clinics by Health commission or 319 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:04,640 Speaker 1: Royal s Copeland. The staff members at several hospitals protested. 320 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:07,359 Speaker 1: There was also a statement from the State Board of 321 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:11,440 Speaker 1: Education making clear that Lorenz was not licensed in New 322 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:16,040 Speaker 1: York and warning him not to perform any surgeries. On 323 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:21,159 Speaker 1: top of that controversy, news broke on December three that 324 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:24,000 Speaker 1: the assistant who had been helping Dr Lorenz in New 325 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:26,439 Speaker 1: York was not a doctor assigned to him by the 326 00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:29,199 Speaker 1: Health Commissioner as he had claimed to be, but was 327 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:32,520 Speaker 1: in fact a man with no medical credential simply posing 328 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:35,720 Speaker 1: as a doctor. That man was Stephen Weinberg, who was 329 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:39,040 Speaker 1: a serial impostor. This is the story we referenced at 330 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:41,000 Speaker 1: the top of the show, and in the case of 331 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:43,960 Speaker 1: Dr Lorenz, he had met Lorenz's ship at the dock 332 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,160 Speaker 1: when it arrived, and he introduced himself to Lorenz as 333 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:50,119 Speaker 1: Dr Clifford Wayman, who was sent to assist the visiting 334 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 1: orthopedist and in his guide Weinberg was accepted at his word, 335 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:58,119 Speaker 1: but to be clear, uh he wasn't performing any medical 336 00:19:58,160 --> 00:20:01,320 Speaker 1: procedures or therapies in this room. He was basically handling 337 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:05,280 Speaker 1: administrative needs for Lawrenz, such as managing appointments and taking 338 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:08,840 Speaker 1: notes during meetings. This ruse lasted a week before an 339 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:12,359 Speaker 1: anonymous tip was called into the hospital where Lawrence was working, 340 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:16,320 Speaker 1: and the impostor was quickly replaced with a more appropriate assistant. 341 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:19,400 Speaker 1: But this whole thing was more bad press for Lorenz, 342 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 1: which did not help his situation. The protests eventually led 343 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:28,119 Speaker 1: the City Health Department to rule on December tenth that 344 00:20:28,359 --> 00:20:32,320 Speaker 1: Dr Lawrence could not perform any of his surgeries himself 345 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:36,240 Speaker 1: in New York, but could direct other doctors in what 346 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,080 Speaker 1: to do, and they could do it and remain within 347 00:20:39,119 --> 00:20:41,960 Speaker 1: the letter of the law. He was notified of this 348 00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:44,080 Speaker 1: and sent the forms he would need to fill out 349 00:20:44,119 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 1: to apply for his license. The New York State Board 350 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:51,119 Speaker 1: of Regents, who supported Lawrence's work, accelerated the process and 351 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:55,440 Speaker 1: issued him a special license to address the matter. As 352 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:59,960 Speaker 1: a consequence, Lawrence did perform and estimated twenty orthopedic surgery 353 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:02,200 Speaker 1: is in his visit to New York and saw more 354 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:06,280 Speaker 1: than two thousand other patients. Throughout his years of visiting 355 00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:09,480 Speaker 1: the US, crowds had continued to gather in the hope 356 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:12,960 Speaker 1: of getting treatment from him during his charity clinics. Yeah, 357 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:17,840 Speaker 1: there are press photos and even some early newsreels of 358 00:21:18,119 --> 00:21:22,399 Speaker 1: literally just crowds outside of hospitals waiting for him to 359 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:24,600 Speaker 1: arrive and hoping that they can get their child and 360 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:28,760 Speaker 1: to see him. Lawrence never lacked for supporters, even when 361 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:31,760 Speaker 1: protests against him within the medical community were at their height. 362 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:37,040 Speaker 1: On January two, two so just a month after all 363 00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:39,760 Speaker 1: of that hubbub, the New York Daily News ran a 364 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:42,840 Speaker 1: short piece that was titled better Late than Never, and 365 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:46,560 Speaker 1: that piece opened with quote at alf Laurenz, Viennese surgeon, 366 00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:48,880 Speaker 1: has been granted a license to practice in the state 367 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:52,200 Speaker 1: of New York. Thus, after weeks of delay, the state 368 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:54,600 Speaker 1: Board of Regents has started to make amends to a 369 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:57,760 Speaker 1: man who came to the American people in altruism and 370 00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:01,240 Speaker 1: who was paid in abuse. He in behind the adverse 371 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:06,119 Speaker 1: criticism was professional jealousy. Adolph Larenz suffered his name and 372 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:10,360 Speaker 1: pictures to occupy countless newspaper front pages. It isn't done 373 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:14,520 Speaker 1: in the American medical profession. It isn't ethical. We're going 374 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:18,280 Speaker 1: to talk about a questionable surgery that Dr Lorenz had 375 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:21,320 Speaker 1: to try to treat his lagging energy, but we will 376 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:24,400 Speaker 1: pause for a minute first to hear from the sponsors 377 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:35,520 Speaker 1: that keep stuffy miss in history class going in. Dr 378 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:38,919 Speaker 1: Lorenz made headlines not as a medical practitioner but as 379 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:42,919 Speaker 1: a patient when he had a quote rejuvenation surgery that 380 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: was performed by Dr Eugene Steinoch, also a Vienna, and 381 00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:50,720 Speaker 1: this surgery followed a period in which Lorenz had collapsed 382 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:54,119 Speaker 1: from exhaustion several times while visiting hospitals in the US. 383 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:57,639 Speaker 1: But the Steinoch procedure, which was touted as a means 384 00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:01,720 Speaker 1: for aging men to regain their useful and g and vitality, 385 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:05,200 Speaker 1: it was really just a partial vas ectomy. Steinach, who 386 00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:09,199 Speaker 1: had plenty of problematic ideas about sexual health and gender 387 00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:13,200 Speaker 1: identity and de aging treatments, believed that his procedure would 388 00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:16,160 Speaker 1: cause the body to be flooded with hormones and result 389 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:20,080 Speaker 1: in increased energy. This procedure was a fad for a time, 390 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:23,880 Speaker 1: but it was of course eventually discredited. As for Lorenz, 391 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:26,560 Speaker 1: he always spoke very highly of the results and how 392 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:29,399 Speaker 1: much better he felt after having the surgery, but the 393 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:31,919 Speaker 1: reality was that this had been done as a secondary 394 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:35,959 Speaker 1: procedure that he had while also undergoing prostate surgery. So 395 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:38,640 Speaker 1: it's very likely that his improvement was really the result 396 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:41,560 Speaker 1: of having a more serious issue addressed. This is one 397 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:44,080 Speaker 1: of those things that kind of gets talked about because 398 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:47,040 Speaker 1: it involves I imagine personal things, and also because people 399 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:51,879 Speaker 1: don't understand it in these very sort of hazy, cloaked references, 400 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:54,720 Speaker 1: and I think nobody really understood what was being done 401 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:57,840 Speaker 1: in the general press, uh, And so it is one 402 00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 1: of those things of like, oh, this surgery fixed everything 403 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:03,639 Speaker 1: for him. They didn't really understand what was done or 404 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:05,399 Speaker 1: what else he was having done. At the same time. 405 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:09,840 Speaker 1: The year after the rejuvenation surgery at alf Lawrenz retired 406 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:13,560 Speaker 1: from active practice, but he kept visiting the US regularly 407 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:17,000 Speaker 1: for the next thirteen years to consult with doctors and patients, 408 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:20,880 Speaker 1: primarily in New York. In the early nineteen thirties, Lorenz 409 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,399 Speaker 1: was asked by the press to weigh in on whether 410 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:28,639 Speaker 1: paralysis would negatively impact a person's ability to lead. This 411 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:30,840 Speaker 1: is part of an effort to create a commentary on 412 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:35,400 Speaker 1: the health of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. When asked about it, Lorenz, 413 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:40,119 Speaker 1: who was speaking specifically about infantile paralysis, stated quote, this 414 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:43,520 Speaker 1: disease does not in the least affect mental qualities. It 415 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:46,200 Speaker 1: has absolutely nothing to do with the brain. A person 416 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,159 Speaker 1: stricken may get crooked limbs, but we'll never get a 417 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:53,600 Speaker 1: crooked brain. The person who has had infantile paralysis could 418 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:59,480 Speaker 1: never be your run champion, but he could be king, emperor, president, executive, 419 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:04,439 Speaker 1: or what ever else needs like qualifications. Lawrenz cited the 420 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:06,880 Speaker 1: thousands of patients he had seen in his fifty plus 421 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:10,280 Speaker 1: years of practice who had some level of paralysis, none 422 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:14,040 Speaker 1: of which appeared to him to be mentally affected. He 423 00:25:14,119 --> 00:25:16,840 Speaker 1: also worked on his autobiography during this time, which was 424 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:20,080 Speaker 1: published in nineteen thirty six and was titled My Life 425 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:24,080 Speaker 1: and Work. And this book got pretty mixed reviews. Most 426 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:26,480 Speaker 1: write ups about it note that it comes off as 427 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:31,560 Speaker 1: really self aggrandizing. Fellow orthopedes Dr Frank D. Dixon wrote 428 00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:35,320 Speaker 1: a review of Lorenz's autobiography in the October ninety six 429 00:25:35,359 --> 00:25:38,520 Speaker 1: issue of the American Journal of Public Health, and that 430 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:41,560 Speaker 1: review reads, in part quote, the revealing side of the 431 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:45,720 Speaker 1: book lies in its frank egoism and egotism. That Dr 432 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:49,680 Speaker 1: Lorenz gave himself undue supremacy in his thoughts is evident 433 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:52,320 Speaker 1: from the very beginning of the book. That he gave 434 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:55,760 Speaker 1: himself undue prominence in speech becomes a conviction as the 435 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:59,879 Speaker 1: last words read. That Dr Lorenz contributed greatly to the 436 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:04,760 Speaker 1: advancement of orthopedic surgery is unquestioned. That he was a superman, 437 00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:08,080 Speaker 1: accomplishing cures that were beyond the skill of others is 438 00:26:08,119 --> 00:26:11,160 Speaker 1: open to debate. Yet his words can leave no other 439 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:14,399 Speaker 1: impression than that he felt that he stood out above 440 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:18,400 Speaker 1: all others of his guild. Dr Lorenz died on February 441 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:23,280 Speaker 1: twel at the age of ninety one in Altenburg, Austria, 442 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:26,040 Speaker 1: which is northwest of Vienna, and a lot of the 443 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:29,600 Speaker 1: treatments that Lorenz developed have been refined, of course, significantly 444 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:31,800 Speaker 1: over the years, but a lot of them still often 445 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:36,080 Speaker 1: resemble Dr Lorenz's approach. The most common treatment for club 446 00:26:36,119 --> 00:26:38,720 Speaker 1: foot in babies is still a series of casts to 447 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:41,280 Speaker 1: correct the position of the leg and foot as the 448 00:26:41,359 --> 00:26:45,120 Speaker 1: child grows. Scoliosis has a wide range of treatments now, 449 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:48,240 Speaker 1: depending on the severity of a patient's condition and their age, 450 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:52,840 Speaker 1: from spinal bracing to surgical procedures, and congenital hip dislocation 451 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 1: is treated in a variety of ways today, from a 452 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:58,639 Speaker 1: soft splint known as a pavlic harness in infants to 453 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:02,480 Speaker 1: full surgeries. I know we touched on this earlier, but 454 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:05,280 Speaker 1: it just made me think about how also there was 455 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:08,320 Speaker 1: a common treatment for scoliosis which was to do nothing, 456 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:11,719 Speaker 1: which I am pretty sure was the course of action 457 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:16,760 Speaker 1: for my grandmother. Lots of people never got treated, rehemming 458 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:19,160 Speaker 1: all of her skirts because they were an inch too 459 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:22,639 Speaker 1: long on one side, because her hips were uneven. Like, Yeah, 460 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:27,359 Speaker 1: that was the level of attention paying to that. So Lorenz, 461 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:31,560 Speaker 1: as we've discussed, UH drew criticism as well as praise 462 00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:35,520 Speaker 1: during his lifetime, and even today it becomes difficult to 463 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:37,720 Speaker 1: grapple with some of the things that he said over 464 00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:40,880 Speaker 1: the years. One of the most difficult and one which 465 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 1: is often left out of discussions of his life is 466 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:47,040 Speaker 1: his really ablest views on children who were born with 467 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:50,840 Speaker 1: all kinds of medical challenges In his book My Life 468 00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:53,399 Speaker 1: and Work, he asserts that it's better for children with 469 00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:57,040 Speaker 1: some conditions to die than to live in quote untold 470 00:27:57,160 --> 00:28:00,879 Speaker 1: misery and suffering. He also stated and while visiting New 471 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:04,400 Speaker 1: York in late ninety five, that two members of his family, 472 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:07,359 Speaker 1: a daughter in law and an uncle, who were quote 473 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:12,120 Speaker 1: incurably diseased, had been given excessive narcotics to hasten their 474 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:15,359 Speaker 1: deaths as a form of mercy killing, and during that 475 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:19,160 Speaker 1: same interview he said he believed that every physician has 476 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:22,000 Speaker 1: probably been a mercy killer, and that he would want 477 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:26,000 Speaker 1: the same for himself. In contrast to those controversial and 478 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:30,440 Speaker 1: troubling ideas, Lawrence also had some strong feelings about quality 479 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:34,840 Speaker 1: of life that are far less problematic and actually fairly insightful. 480 00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:38,880 Speaker 1: He believed that the quote American way of life as 481 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:42,080 Speaker 1: he witnessed it evolving in the early twentieth century was 482 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:45,920 Speaker 1: at its core unhealthy. In nine six, he gave an 483 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:48,960 Speaker 1: interview in which he expressed a belief that the pursuit 484 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:53,040 Speaker 1: of prosperity that was driving culture in the United States 485 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:56,360 Speaker 1: was only going to make life worse for most people. 486 00:28:57,080 --> 00:28:59,920 Speaker 1: He noted that while at home in Austria prior to 487 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:02,880 Speaker 1: World War One. He was considered well off and successful, 488 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:06,400 Speaker 1: though not rich by US standards, but he lost his 489 00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:09,480 Speaker 1: small fortune in World War One and was able to 490 00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:12,440 Speaker 1: continue on with his life without much anxiety because he 491 00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:15,720 Speaker 1: felt his greatest assets were his health and his ability 492 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:19,920 Speaker 1: to find happiness, not his finances. Some of his words 493 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:22,480 Speaker 1: on this topic were laid out graphically, almost as though 494 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:24,840 Speaker 1: it were a poem, as the lead into an article 495 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:28,239 Speaker 1: in the Miami Herald in February, and it reads, in 496 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:32,240 Speaker 1: part quote, you live too swiftly, and you're ever increasing 497 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:35,840 Speaker 1: pace kills and is killing you. Your great fault, as 498 00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:39,600 Speaker 1: I see it, is the tendency to overdo more and more. 499 00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:42,600 Speaker 1: You make life a fit, full fever. You regard life 500 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:45,160 Speaker 1: as a race course along which you must tear at 501 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:48,800 Speaker 1: heart straining speed. You refuse to stroll in its happy 502 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:52,360 Speaker 1: veils or to tarry in its peaceful gardens. You're almost 503 00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:56,160 Speaker 1: hysterical mode of living, maybe productive of financial results, but 504 00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:58,800 Speaker 1: you will pay a penalty in nerve racked bodies and 505 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:02,080 Speaker 1: shortened lives if you would be healthy and happy and 506 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:05,880 Speaker 1: live your allotted span. You must practice moderation in all things. 507 00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:08,960 Speaker 1: You rush through your work, you rush through your play. 508 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:12,240 Speaker 1: You rush through your meals, you rush through romance, and 509 00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:15,400 Speaker 1: you rush to your graves. In the last decades of 510 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:18,680 Speaker 1: his life, Adolf Lawrenz was nominated for a Nobel Prize 511 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:23,120 Speaker 1: in Medicine eight times. He never won, though his younger 512 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:26,840 Speaker 1: son Conrad did with the Nobel Prize in Physiology and 513 00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:30,680 Speaker 1: Medicine for his work in animal behavior in nineteen seventy three. 514 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:39,080 Speaker 1: There's always secret horror that is always the lesson. Definitely. 515 00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:45,400 Speaker 1: Uh yeah, do you have listener mail for us? Yes? Uh, 516 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:50,320 Speaker 1: this is um also medical sort of hearkening back to 517 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:54,080 Speaker 1: our our episode on John Dalton. Uh. It is from 518 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:57,680 Speaker 1: our listener Erica, who says I really enjoyed your episode 519 00:30:57,680 --> 00:31:00,480 Speaker 1: on John Dalton, and especially Holly's note of learning that 520 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,400 Speaker 1: her dad had anomalous color vision very late in life. 521 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:05,520 Speaker 1: It reminds me of a friend of mine. We were 522 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:08,040 Speaker 1: at a weekend gathering and someone had brought a bag 523 00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:11,720 Speaker 1: of wasabi dried peas which were brownish red or brownish green. 524 00:31:12,360 --> 00:31:14,320 Speaker 1: We were all debating whether there was a difference in 525 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:16,680 Speaker 1: the spice levels between the two. When my friend walked 526 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:19,080 Speaker 1: in and we asked his opinion. He ate a green 527 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:20,920 Speaker 1: one and gave it a thumbs up, and then we 528 00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:23,000 Speaker 1: asked him to try a red one, and he laughed 529 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:25,760 Speaker 1: like we had told a joke. A bit confused, we 530 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:29,280 Speaker 1: asked him again. He chuckled again, but with far less certainty, 531 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:31,320 Speaker 1: and after one more round, it came out that he 532 00:31:31,360 --> 00:31:33,800 Speaker 1: thought we were messing with him, and that they were 533 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:36,760 Speaker 1: all the same color. Said friend was at the time 534 00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:40,320 Speaker 1: of this story, a thirtysomething engineered a big software company. 535 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:42,520 Speaker 1: An immigrant to the country, he was married. He had 536 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:44,880 Speaker 1: generally lived in the world a great deal, and he 537 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:49,760 Speaker 1: discovered his own anomalous vision by way of a party snack. Uh. Incidentally, 538 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:52,360 Speaker 1: his wife came in shortly after, and upon hearing this story, 539 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:55,520 Speaker 1: laughed and said, well, that explains some things. Thank you 540 00:31:55,560 --> 00:31:57,680 Speaker 1: so much for the podcast. I'm not keeping up as 541 00:31:57,720 --> 00:32:00,120 Speaker 1: well as I did pre pandemic as my commute is 542 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:03,880 Speaker 1: no more. Don't worry. We all have falloffs. There's nothing 543 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:09,640 Speaker 1: to apologize for me too, honestly. Yeah, but I do 544 00:32:09,760 --> 00:32:11,760 Speaker 1: enjoy listening to it while running and have turned my 545 00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:14,720 Speaker 1: mom onto it as well. Best Erica. Thank you so much, Erica, 546 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:18,240 Speaker 1: And like I said, nobody ever apologized for falling behind. 547 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:21,600 Speaker 1: Time is finite and whatever you need to do to 548 00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:25,640 Speaker 1: make the most of yours is great. Do that? Yes, yeah. 549 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:28,760 Speaker 1: I Also my podcast listening fell off because it was 550 00:32:28,840 --> 00:32:30,680 Speaker 1: normally what I would have playing while I would walk 551 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:33,880 Speaker 1: to the grocery store or the library or you know, 552 00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:39,320 Speaker 1: the pharmacy or whatever, and um, during the pandemic, those 553 00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:44,480 Speaker 1: walks greatly reduced. Right, none of us were transiting in 554 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:47,800 Speaker 1: any manner quite as much. But we thank you so much, 555 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:51,440 Speaker 1: Erica Good. It's always there to go back to. If 556 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:52,760 Speaker 1: you would like to write to us, you can do 557 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:55,880 Speaker 1: so at History Podcast at I heart radio dot com. 558 00:32:55,920 --> 00:32:58,160 Speaker 1: You can also find us on social media as Missed 559 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:00,880 Speaker 1: in History. Yeah. If you have yet subscribe to the 560 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:03,160 Speaker 1: podcast and think that sounds like something you'd like to do, 561 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:05,240 Speaker 1: it is easiest pie. You can do it on the 562 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:07,640 Speaker 1: I heart Radio app or anywhere else you listen to 563 00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:15,000 Speaker 1: your favorite shows. Stuff you Missed in History Class is 564 00:33:15,040 --> 00:33:18,240 Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from 565 00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:21,600 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 566 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:23,720 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.