Collection: Books and Periodicals > Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins

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Title: Volume 027-4 - October 1973 Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Collection Name: Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins # of Pages: 6 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2014-01-26 11:37:14 OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.4.1 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 04:05:33 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 04:05:33

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

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drop her at herhome, and after they had driven out of Chinatown, he inquired where she lived, ‘Why Dr. Naffziger,’? she answered in surprise, ‘‘at ournurse’s home.’’ Two days later, as they chanced to meet in the hospital elevator, the beautiful Chinese girl, dressed in her nurse’s uniform, smiled demurely and greeted him with ‘‘Good morning, Dr. Naffziger.”’ While attending a dinner at the Palace Hotel in early 1916, he met Colonel Edie, then at Letterman Hospital, who advised him to get into the medical reserve for it appeared that all would be in World War I. This Naffziger did, and in the spring of 1916 was commissioned a First Lieutenant. Later, when the U. C. Base Hospital was organized, the Universtity listed the faculty according to those essential for teaching. Naffziger was put on the essential group over his objections, He was single, with far more operative experience than others on the staff, and had only his mother as a dependent. He asked repeatedly to be taken off the list and allowed to enter the service, but tono avail. Finally he made it clear that he would enter independently ( and not on the Base Hospital Staff) and was told that if he did this, there would be no place for him on the U. C. faculty when he returned. After much deliberation, he went into the service in the fall of 1917 and was commissioned a Captain. His first assignment was to Camp Sevier, in South Carolina, and in 1918 to Fort McHenry, where neurosurgical casualties were centralized. At Camp May, New Jersey, as a Lieutenant Colonel, he became head of neurosurgery before being sent overseas. Their convoy arrived safely but the ship upon which he had embarked was sunk as it started on its return voyage. Young Howard Natiziger the year before Dr. Naffziger in 1948, (Mrs. Howard he received his M.D, degree. (Mrs, C. Naffziger collection.) Howard C, Naffziger collection.) 6. From Vichy, France to Neufschateau, he joined Dr. Cushing, who sent him off on an inspection trip of the neurosurgical teams at the front. He was assigned to the most advanced mobile hospital in the army just before the armistice, and as a troop surgeon in charge of the Hopkins Unit, was sent home. His active military service terminated at the army’s Letterman Hospital in San Francisco, where he became Chief of Surgical Services and in charge of all peripheral nerve cases. On his return from France, his mother, having sold their Nevada City home, was living at the Casa Madrona where he had lived. On June 18, 1919, fhe Doctor was joined in marriage to Louise McNear at her home in Petaluma. Returning to San Francisco, they lived in a flat on Webster Street, ane then in the spring of 1922 moved into their own home at 2565 Larkin. Th:ee daughters were born to this union, Marion, (Mrs. William H, Orrick Jr.); Jesn-Louise, (Mrs. Nicholas Gilman Thacher); and Elizabeth, who married Walter Eugene Stern. Dr. Naffziger often admitted to being outrageously spoiled by his adoring wife, mother and three daughters. He had been in doubt as to his reception at the University of California in view of his independence in enlisting in the medical reserve and his disassociation with the U. C, Base Hospital during the war. However, he was asked to resume his work there again. In the fall of 1919 he gave up general surgery due to the demands of neurological surgery. In addition to the work at the University and San Francisco hospitals, there were the responsibilities of consulting at Letterman and other hospitals about the Bay and State. It soon became too heavy for one man. In 1927 he was asked by Dr. Campbell, the President of the University of California to visit eastern medical schools in regard to their teaching methods particularly in surgery. At Mayo he was shown the development procedures of the Clinic in its various aspects, such as management, finances, etc., and Dr. Naffziger made out a detailed report. In the spring of 1928, Dr. Campbell decided to put a Department of Surgery on a full-time basis at the University and offered Dr. Naffziger the Professorship. He was greatly surprised and perturbed when the doctor refused and they met in the hopes of working out some agreement. Dr. Naffziger explained that although he was interested in the professorship, he could not accept it under the present conditions, and would have to be certain of what he considered to be essential if the department was to develop. He explained that his practice had become very large and too time consuming to carry it on at U. C. and do justice to both; also, that he had commitments to his associate, Dr. Fleming in their down-town office. His practice included many consultations at other hospitals and as it was not always possible to transfer patients to U. C., he would like the privilege of occasional operations elsewhere. He explained that for the development of the department, certain radical changes were necessary but would not be popular. The curriculum would have to be revised, lectures reduced, and bedside teaching increased. In general, the third year students to have instruction at the San Francisco Hospital on infections and injuries of the various systems, applicable clinical anatomy, lymphatic drainage, etc. The fourth year students to have out-patient work as well as their hospital work at U. C. and instruction to be on specific diseases. The major change was to develop a resident system and the clinical treatment. Insofar as their capacities warrented, to be by the resident staff; the faculty to act as consultants to them, assist them at operations etc. Internships to be straight internships on the major services, surgery and its specialties and the interns would rotate within these fields.