Brief History of the Osteopathic Hospital of Maine • In order to understand the situation in this hospital I think it is necessary to detail the background of .u... uwn factors which have influenced the growth and ser'li.ce of this hosjd.tal to date and the elements which will cause its demise. Altho this drama has piD11W11 K parallels in many hospitals 'both MD and DO )one must always bear in mind that there are considerations in an Osteopathic Hospital which do not exist otherwise, or at least to the same degree.
The total history is one which is really known only to one who has lived thru and participated in SYery EJYent which has changed the course of the hospital. The hospital really started as a result · or a number of things. In the 1930's in Maine a tu1l practice law for OOs had been in effect !or only a few years. MDs were refusing to consult with 00s on patients. Patients who were seen by MDs were r.ever seen again by their DO. There were isolated instances where individual relationships existed particularly in Laboratory, X-Ray and Surgery, however distinctly minor • .A. fw internships were aTailable in Osteopathic Hospitals sought after and prized by the lucky ones who were accepted. OOs with hospital training began to come to Maine to add to the pressure of discontent with the then current situation. An Osteopathic surgeon from Massachusetts became very actiwe in consulting on the cases of Maine DOs raising hopes that surgery could be done here in an Osteopathic hospital instead of trans!ert:l.ng the patients to iwapta• Boston. During this period a so called round table luncheon was held at the Columbia Hotel, nov the Portlander, f!IVery Wednesday noon with most of the local 00s attending. Many things were discussed, patients, medical papers, football, golf and the frustrations of DOs in an MD dominated medical world. At this time and in this atmosphere the AMA dropped the bomb of forbidding laboratory or X-Ray reports to DOS on pain of loss of AMA appron.l. This was the stimulus which needed only a leader to carry the torch. The leader was ready with a buUt in personal reason for establishment of a hospital. He was an Obstetrician who had for years done home deliveries and who nov found himself wU}wlMK without any place to have his Caesarians done. An Osteopathic Hospital would provide him with a place to send his surgical Obststrics and would also provide on the job training for him so that he would eventual.ly' take aver on his own. He could probably be called the founder of the Osteopathic Hospital of Maine.
Altho the official. history of the hospital starts with the hospital ~ this,• ne s perated in uth rtland in a small printe hospital formerly run by a local MD. Here the surgery was done by the Osteopathic Surgeon from Boston, c02llllltlding as requirede-tbis lasted a very short time when the opportunity to parchase a large wood trame building on Pleasant .A.Yenue formerly' a mu'Sing home. Here soon after it was opened a surgeon and a roentgenologist was added to the starr. The rest of the starr vera general practitioners only a few of whom had \1ad any hospital connection or wxpwd ••K experience of any kind. The Board of Directo•s was composed or the older members of the group who had had the money ( Y~ to put into the hospital. Thera was no democratic process at that _ il '{{wtime as the Board was completezy in colltrol of all aspects of the '-:·"'; hospital and its functions·. From this Board .arose the strong man " who controlled the Board and thereby controled the hospital. There were no departments·. These wera the days when in many hospitals the major effort was surgical and what staadards of practice were set were largely restrictive in nature as to who would or woul.d not practice major surgery. There weee few recognized specialties. Commonly the X=Ray man also consulted in medical probl
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