Henry Assists in Brain Surgery - Part 2

Cooper’s surgery stopped the shaking pulse. Cooper did separate surgeries for each side. If the right hand shakes he operates on the left side of brain. They recover from the first surgery and then he does surgery on the right side of the brain so the other hand stops shaking. You know the brain reverses sides. 

Did the surgery last?  Did the tremors come back?

No.  No, that’s funny. Never come back.  Rigidity maybe, maybe rigidity, but no shake.

Oh, his patients were very grateful to Dr. Cooper. He was making money like crazy and we have many famous patients. Many rich people from other countries came to St. Barnabus. I took care of Margaret Bourke-White, the photographer. She had Parkinson’s. There were some movie stars, but not very famous ones. There were some parents of movie stars; Nancy recognized their names. I took care of (state) senator (John A., Jr.) Murdy from California. Oh, and Chester Bowles, US ambassador to India. Nobody could get into his room in the hospital.  

Note – Until I started cross-checking references for Dr. Irving Cooper, I didn’t realize how really well-known and famous he was in the medical community. His actual technique was to ‘freeze’ or ‘ligate’ a specific artery in the brain to stop tremors – depending on how technical a medical journal you want to read.  He is in several that are readily available on the Internet. He also authored many texts himself. By 1976 the technique he pioneered was used by over 1,000 surgeons in 15 countries. 

So take this thought one step further. In the early 1960’s there was no Medicare, and I’m not sure what health insurance looked like back then. If Dr. Cooper was THE surgeon in the world to cure your disease, and you had the resources to get to New York City to be his patient, then I’m presuming many/most of his patients were wealthy enough to fund all travel costs and likely paid cash for the surgery, hospital stay and attendant medical costs. 

 
Accordingly, Henry really was good friends with a world-class neurosurgeon, and was a physical therapist to the rich and famous.

Note – Chester Bowles was the U.S. Ambassador to India in 1951 – 1953 and again 1963 – 1969. http://chennai.usconsulate.gov/ambindia1.html.

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