Corcoran Article

Patrick J. V. Corcoran, M.D. A Twentieth-Century Pioneer and an Old Fashioned Doctor

By Ellen Corcoran Hegeman Evansville, Indiana 2014

Dedication

Preface

Growing up, my father was just a father who happened to be a physician.

Even in my young adulthood I did not have an appreciation of all that he did and accomplished. I was aware that he was involved in the education of health care professionals, medical and civic organizations, and the lives of his extended family. I was also aware that he was well known in our local community. It wasn’t until after his death while sorting through his personal files and letters (which he so carefully kept) that I really learned what he had done and accomplished in his lifetime.

While growing his medical practice and raising a young family he was also the sage and caretaker for his elderly parents, two elderly aunts and an elderly uncle. During this time he had to cope with their deaths as well as the death of his oldest child, all the while moving ahead with his professional and personal endeavors.

My sister, Mary Pat’s, death opened up another avenue of work for him.

When he learned that her death was the result of an adverse effect of a new drug she had been given for an ordinary childhood infection he was determined that that would not happen to another individual or another family. He set out on a course to require drug manufacturers to label side effects of drugs so that physicians would have that information before prescribing drugs to their patients.

My father had strong principles and a strong moral code. He was also proud of his Irish heritage and his western upbringing. He strove to instill these Margaret Alice, circa 1939

principles in his children.

I was inspired to write this brief biography about my father after reading

I dedicate this booklet to my mother, Margaret Alice (Booth) Corcoran.

the materials he left behind. I hope others enjoy learning more about him

She was the glue that held our family together and allowed our father to

just as I did.

pursue his work and avocations. It was their partnership that ultimately produced his achievements.

Ellen Corcoran Hegeman, April 2014

Patrick J. V. Corcoran, M.D.

It was in high school that Patrick honed his skills in leadership, administration, and communication. His senior yearbook points out that he held “prominence in school and class affairs.”15 Coincidentally, he was editor-in-chief of his senior year book, The Roundup, in 1930.

M

erriam Webster tells us a pioneer is “a person that originates or helps open up a new line of thought or activity or a new method or

technical development.” The pioneer spirit can be born from the genetic makeup, experiences and challenges one faces. What is an “old fashioned doctor” and how do we characterize one? Common terms that describe one are: kind, patient, compassionate, good listener, and unhurried. The study of the life and career of Patrick John Valentine Corcoran, M.D. suggests he was both a pioneer and an “old fashioned doctor.”

joining the Jesuit order. Sometime during that year he changed his mind and transferred to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.17 During his time there he decided on a career in medicine. After receiving his undergraduate degree he attended Northwestern University’s School of Medicine and received a Master of Science in Pathology in 1938 and

Patrick Corcoran descended from a long line of pioneers. His father, Timothy

Hospitals for his internship, followed by a residency in internal medicine.19

Patrick Corcoran, emigrated from County Cork, Ireland, in 1896, and settled

While there he also earned a certification in cardiology.20

to the New World on the Mayflower (the Edward Fuller and Samuel Fuller families)2 and one ancestral line (Jean Augustine or John Gustin) helped settle Canada in the early 1600s.3 Another maternal ancestral line (Joseph Weir/Ware) came over to colonial America from Ireland and settled in the colony of Virginia.4

5

Other lines (Patrick Dulin/Doolin, Margaret

Donovan, and Daniel Clark) immigrated to America prior to the Civil War, settling first in Massachusetts and Ohio and eventually homesteading in the Iowa Territory.

6 7 8 9

Shortly before Patrick was to begin his residency at St. Louis University he discovered some nodules on his right side.21 Upon consultation with the chief of surgery it was decided they should be removed as they looked suspiciously malignant.22 No malignancy was found but the surgery left him with an extensive wound extending across his back. As a consequence of the surgery, he lost a year convalescing, including 4 months in St. Louis University’s Fermin Desloge Hospital from the initial surgery and 4 succeeding plastic surgeries. He then had an additional 7 months at home in Great Falls while the skin grafts healed. (He also experienced residual

His mother’s family emigrated from Iowa to Great Falls in 1900

after her

effects for the rest of his life). During the time he spent in the hospital as

father developed health problems. They moved to be close to extended

a patient, a nurse by the name of Dorothy Booth organized a group of

family who lived there. His parents Timothy P. Corcoran and Mary V. Clark

nurses (including her sister, Margaret) to provide him with private duty

met and married in 1907. Patrick was born on Valentine’s Day in 1912.

nursing. That was the beginning of a lifelong romance between Patrick

He was named Patrick John Valentine and was known as Val until he left

and Margaret.

11

10

12

for college in 1930. His father worked for Anaconda Copper Company and moved up in the company through his 55 years of employment there.13 The family lived in company housing on Smelter Hill just north of the city and Patrick attended Great Falls public schools. He had one sibling, Joseph Charles, 14 years younger.14 Patrick’s early years were complicated by occasional absences of his mother due to hospitalizations. Not much is known about these except that she had a “fragile personality.” Patrick had a good relationship with both parents, but he was especially close to his father. There were many extended family members from both his maternal and paternal sides living in the Great Falls area; the Corcoran family had close relationships with all of them.

1

Washington.16 He went there with the intention of becoming a priest and

a Doctor of Medicine in 1939.18 He then went on to St. Louis University

in Great Falls, Montana,1 during the city’s early years. Four ancestors came

Patrick J. V. Corcoran circa 1912.

After graduation Patrick attended Gonzaga University in Spokane,

On November 21, 1942, Patrick and Margaret Booth were married in

“D orothy Booth organized a group of nurses (including her sister, Margaret) to provide him with private duty nursing.

That was the beginning of a lifelong romance between Patrick and Margaret.”

St. Louis.23 After finishing his residency, the couple moved to Evansville, Indiana, for the summer of 1943. Dr. Corcoran was to take over the practice of a friend and former classmate while his friend and new bride honeymooned. The Corcorans planned to move to Oak Park, Illinois, where Dr. Corcoran was to join a medical practice; however, they never left Evansville. Dr. Corcoran found the practice of medicine in Evansville attractive. Eventually he opened a private practice with another physician, George Willison.24 As time went on, other physicians joined the group.

It was not long before Dr. Corcoran developed a reputation as a physician who gave his patients the time they needed and who listened to their

2

problems and concerns. His children, who worked as medical assistants

regulation of drugs.33 Dr. Corcoran wanted an avenue developed to inform

in his office during the summers of their high school and college years,

physicians of possible adverse reactions of a medication prior to prescribing

would hear him say, “I am the poor man’s psychiatrist.” Also, for many

it. This was the beginning of the standard of practice of labeling/listing the

years he was the only physician in the tri-state area who was certified in

known side effects of medications.34 35

the area of cardiology. His practice flourished.

During Dr. Corcoran’s tenure as President of the Indiana State Medical

Dr. Corcoran enjoyed teaching, so he quickly became an instructor for

Association (ISMA) he guided the development of a pilot program between

the local hospitals’ schools of nursing. He also had an interest in the

the U. S. Department of Transportation and ISMA to post highway signs

development of medical practices and medical politics, so he became active

giving directions to the nearest emergency services.36 The program

in the Vanderburgh County Medical Society. He served on many society

eventually expanded nationwide. Likewise, under his tutelage, ISMA

committees and in 1958 was elected president of the society. He served,

sponsored a bill in the state legislature to require any motorist involved in

as well, on a number of medical and civic committees/organizations on

an auto accident to undergo a blood alcohol test.37

25

the county and state level. In 1967 he was named the President Elect of the Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA)26; he assumed the presidency of

“After his daughter’s

ISMA the following year.27

In 1969, Dr. Corcoran was appointed by Gov. Edgar Whitcomb to the 30 member Committee on Medical Education.38 The mandate of the committee was to inventory state resources for programs for medical education and to

In 1947 the Corcorans’ first daughter, Mary Patricia, was born. They would

make recommendations for improvements. One of the recommendations

welcome 4 more daughters, Ellen, Sheila, Monica, and Val. They would

was to train more physicians. Subsequently, Indiana University Medical

also adopt a son, Timothy. In 1952 tragedy struck the family. Mary Pat

School expanded its enrollment by opening eight regional campuses. One

developed an infection. Her pediatrician prescribed a new antibiotic

of those was located in Evansville, Indiana. In 1970, Dr. Corcoran was

to treat the infection. Within a short period of time she was diagnosed

named Director of the Evansville Center in order to create, develop, and

with aplastic anemia. The Corcorans took her to Washington University

execute the plans for the new campus; 39 and in 1971, he was appointed

it happened and to

Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, and Toledo Clinic in the hopes of finding a

Professor of Medicine and eventually Assistant Dean of Indiana University

lifesaving treatment as well as an etiology of the disease. The antibiotic,

Medical School, Evansville.40

ensure that it would

chloromycetin, was determined to be the cause of Mary Pat’s illness but

death, Dr. Corcoran made it his mission to determine why

not happen to another family.”

no curative treatment was found. She died within 3 months of diagnosis.

As a professor at the medical center, Dr. Corcoran “went out of his way” to teach his students “as much as possible about the practice of medicine,

After his daughter’s death, Dr. Corcoran made it his mission to determine

not just the scientific aspects.”41 He taught a class he titled “Psycho-Social

why it happened and to ensure that it would not happen to another

Perspectives in Medicine” and invited local practitioners as guest lecturers

family. He sent letters to doctors all over the country inquiring about their

from various fields including religion, law, sociology, and psychiatry among

experience with the use of chloromycetin. In many cases the antibiotic

others.42 His idea was to broaden the student’s concept and understanding

was beneficial, but there were also hundreds of cases in which the patient

of the physician’s place in the community of health care providers.

developed significant morbidity including death after the administration of

The course was a novel concept at the time. He also formed a volunteer

the drug. He continued to communicate with and gather information from

clinical faculty by convincing his fellow practitioners that it was their

the physicians and families who experienced a similar fatality. Eventually

“professional and moral obligation to teach and mentor those following

that would lead to: 1) a series of lawsuits against the manufacturer,

29 30

in their footsteps.” 43 This volunteer faculty increased in number over time.

2) a resolution presented by Dr. Corcoran to the Indiana State Medical

As of October 2014, the Indiana University School of Medicine–Evansville,

Association asking the AMA to exercise diligent care in advertising in its

lists on its website over 200 practitioners on their volunteer faculty.

28

journals and/or promotion of approved products, 3) collaboration with

Patrick circa 1929

31

Dr. Allen E Hussar (Symposium on Antibiotics) in recommending the creation of a “National Registry of Fatal Antibiotic Reactions,” 32 and 4) collaboration with Senator Kefauver’s committee on the marketing and

3

He also served on the Council on Medical Education of the AMA and was the chair in 1980.44 Throughout his tenure on the council he advocated for the selection of students with good interpersonal communication skills.

He believed medical schools should educate physicians who can practice 4

the “art” of medicine. Although recognizing the importance of intelligence and academic achievement, he also believed a physician must be able to

Epilogue

engage his or her patients in the physician/patient relationship, and that this was paramount to the success of medical care.

During Dr. Corcoran’s years as Director of the Evansville Center, research in the area of alcoholism was demonstrating that it is a disease and not “an aberration of behavior,” and is therefore treatable.45 At the request

us. Nurses, who had been his students, have mentioned how much they learned from him in training and, later, in their working years.

of the Indiana Department of Mental Health, he was asked to provide a

In patient care, he strove to give each individual the time required to meet

46

program for first year medical students on alcoholism and its treatment.

the patient’s needs. Sometimes patients would wait up to 2 hours to see

This subsequently led to research conducted at the center, the development

him; however, for the most part, patients didn’t seem to mind. A number

of treatment programs at the hospitals and mental health center, and

of his former patients (or a family member) have shared stories about the

community educational programs. In 1985, he was recognized for his

care received and what a “wonderful doctor” he was. A contemporary of his

leadership in this area of medical education and practice by the organizers

described him as “devoted to the profession and has [sic] real compassion

of the Summer Institute for Alcohol and Drug Studies at the University

for people. He is one of the doctors who still tries to always see that whatever

His life experiences in personal and professional circles

he does is in the interest of the patient.” (The Evansville Press, January 5, 1971)

with individuals who suffered with the disease of alcoholism probably

At Dr. Corcoran’s funeral, a former patient shared that Dr. Corcoran’s

shaped Dr. Corcoran’s interest in and dedication to this area of medical

personal attention and counsel enabled him to kick his addiction to alcohol.

education and practice.

Dr. Corcoran would frequently say, when speaking about his profession,

of Evansville.

47 48

Dr. Corcoran received other awards including the Sagamore of the Wabash Award by Gov. Robert Orr in 1985,49 The Evansville Press Distinguished

“Primum non nocere” or “First do no harm.” Also, after his death, several former students wrote notes to the family that evidenced their high regard

“Dr. Corcoran “went

out of his way” to teach his students “as much

for his professionalism and interest in their careers.

as possible about the

community,50 and the Laureate Award by the Indiana Chapter of the

The most important legacy for our community, the state of Indiana,

American College of Physicians in 1990.

The Sagamore Award was “in

and Indiana University School of Medicine resulted from Dr. Corcoran’s

practice of medicine,

recognition of a lifetime of service to Indiana, the medical profession,

tireless efforts in building a stellar, regional medical school. He was

the Evansville medical community, and the Evansville Center for Medical

appointed director of the proposed Evansville Center in December 1970

Education.”

The Laureate Award is the highest honor awarded by the

and spent two years developing its program and facilities; he continued

American College of Physicians. He was honored “just for being a kind and

in that post for twelve years. The initial class of first-year medical students

compassionate and wise physician; for being a doctor’s kind of doctor.”

arrived in the fall of 1972. At the time of the Evansville Center’s inception,

Community Service Award in 1983 “for exemplary leadership” in the

52

51

53

Genetic traits, life’s experiences and challenges shaped the life choices and career of Dr. Corcoran. The choice of a life’s mate (a strong, independent Patrick in Medical School, 1938

Dr. Corcoran’s legacies are numerous; most are probably unknown to

and intelligent woman) was likely also influenced by those factors, but that is a story for another time.

not just the scientific aspects.”

it was envisioned that it would evolve into a four-year program. We are now anticipating construction of a state of the art, four-year medical school and allied health care facility in downtown Evansville.

Other legacies stem from Dr. Corcoran’s work both as director of the Indiana University School of Medicine–Evansville (IUSM-E) and as a member of the American Medical Association Council on Medical Education.

He believed that there needed to be more focus on traits that “lead to becoming a good practitioner, who will actually be delivering health care.”

He embraced the idea that there is an “art” to the practice of medicine. In a, “President’s Page”, Dr. Corcoran, maintained that “Admissions procedures to medical school deserve very careful scrutiny. Academic qualifications

5

6

and high scholastic achievements are not always the crucial criteria in

This was the precursor of community programs acknowledging alcoholism

selecting future physicians.” (Indiana State Medical Association Journal,

as a disease and treatment programs geared to that model.

September 1969, Vol. 62, #9, p. 105) Prospective students who did not have the requisite GPA would come to him for advice on applying to medical school. Some of these students were successful in gaining admission.

Eventually the admission requirements were broadened to consideration of an applicant’s skills with interpersonal relationships.

Patrick & Margaret Corcoran had five daughters and one son. The Corcorans always stressed the value of education and they exemplified volunteerism.

The four daughters who lived to adulthood obtained undergraduate degrees and continued on to obtain advanced degrees: one in social work, one in law, one in medicine, and one in library science. Their son who was

Dr. Corcoran also developed and taught a class entitled “Psycho Social

a special education student finished high school. To date the Corcorans

Perspective of Medicine.” He included guest lecturers from a variety of fields

have seven grandchildren and one great grandchild.

and professions, including attorneys, clergy, sociologists, psychiatrists.

The students’ understanding of the physician’s place in the larger community was extended. He also developed a volunteer clinical faculty that is still strong today and is a hallmark of the Evansville Center.

Author’s Note: The information in this Epilogue is largely culled from the recollections of the author and/or her sisters and documents available to them. September 2014

Dr. & Mrs. Corcoran provided two significant bequests to IUSM-E: 1) “Patrick J. V. & Margaret B. Corcoran Lectureship” and 2) “Patrick J. V. Corcoran Scholarship.” The former annually brings a nationally known

Sources

guest lecturer to the IUSM-E campus to impart information to all members of the regional health care community. The latter provides a scholarship to deserving second-year students selected by the faculty.

Dr. & Mrs. Corcoran also established the “Mary Patricia Corcoran Endowment” in honor of their deceased daughter to benefit the parochial school their children attended. The money generated by the endowment is used to update technology and the library, and for the special needs of its students.

After the death of his daughter, Dr. Corcoran searched for the cause and determined that it was the antibiotic, chloromycetin, that precipitated her death. He collaborated with others and was asked to testify before Congress during the Kefauver hearings on the issues of concern to those harmed by the antibiotic. One of the results of these efforts was the labeling of side Medical School, circa 1939

effects/adverse reactions on medications mandated by the passage of the Kefauver-Harris Amendment.

Legacies resulting from Dr. Corcoran’s time as president of the Indiana State Medical Association include: 1) blood alcohol tests for those involved in automobile accidents 2) highway signage for the nearest medical treatment facilities to inform and direct those in need of emergency medical treatment to the nearest facility.

In 1972, Dr. Corcoran was asked by the State Department of Mental Health to provide a course for medical students on alcoholism and its treatment.

7

Author unknown. “Medical Aid Signs Planned.” Anderson Harold, 8 August 1969.

Newspaper Archives Database. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah: 2013.

Author unknown. “Drug Causing Blood Disorders Still Will Be Used When Needed.”

Undated clipping, from unidentified newspaper. Memorial Record of Mary Patricia Corcoran. Privately held by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman.

Author unknown. “P.J.V. Corcoran, M.D., President Indiana State Medical Association 1968-69.” Journal of the Indiana State Medical Association 61 (Jul-Dec 1968): 1556-1557.

Author unknown. “Medical Society Names New President Elect.” Evansville Courier, 12 December, 1956. Vanderburgh County Medical Society, loose paper files, Evansville, Indiana.

Corcoran family letters. Privately held by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman, Evansville, Indiana.

Corcoran, Timothy. “Application for Irish Citizenship.” Application to Consulate General of Ireland, 400 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago, Illinois, 21 October 2004; photocopy held privately by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman, 2013.

Corcoran, Valentine, editor-in-chief. The Roundup, Great Falls, Montana: publisher not specified, 1930.

“Drug Firm Sued in Girl’s Death.” Undated clipping, ca 1953, from unidentified newspaper. PJVC personal papers 2000, privately held by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman.

Dr. Corcoran and Margaret on Smelter Hill in Great Falls, circa 1945

First Families of Ohio. Application files. Ohio Genealogical Society Library, Belleville, Ohio.

Hackett, Joan D. and Good, Rebecca H., compilers. Frederick County, Virginia Marriage Bonds, Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, Inc., 1992.

Hegeman, Ellen Corcoran. Personal knowledge. Evansville, Indiana.

Hussar, Allen E., M.D. “A Proposed Crusade for the Rational Use of Antibiotics.”

Presentation to the Symposium on Antibiotics, n. d., n. l. Carbon copy privately held by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman.

8

Endnotes

Iowa, Fayette County. 1860 U S census, population schedule. Digital images. Ancestry. com. http://www.ancestry.com: 2009.

Iowa, Fayette County. 1870 U S census, population schedule. Digital images. Ancestry. com. http://www.ancestry.com: 2009.

Joycelyn Winnecke. “Doctor honored Corcoran to be cited as pioneer in alcoholism treatment, “The Evansville Press, June 1985. Reference Microfilm, Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library, Evansville, Indiana.

Klinger, Ed. “A medical steamroller started in Evansville…,” Hello Evansville, 6 May 1953.

Radio broadcast. WJPS, ABC in Evansville, Indiana.

Klinger, Ed. “‘Miracle Drug’ Action Called Inadequate.” Undated clipping, from unidentified newspaper. Memorial Record of Mary Patricia Corcoran. Privately held by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman.

MacGunnigle, Bruce Campbell. Mayflower Families through Five Generations, vol. 4, Third edition. Plymouth, Massachusetts: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2006.

Massachusetts. Middlesex County. “Marriage Register 1859.” Massachusetts Archives, Boston.

Meader, Thomas. Adverse Reactions, New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc, 1994.

“Memorial Record of Mary Patricia Corcoran.” Funeral Home Register. Evansville, Indiana, 1952. Clipping from unknown newspaper by Ed Klinger. Privately held by Ellen C. Hegeman, Evansville, Indiana, 2000.

“Memorial Record of Mary Patricia Corcoran.” Funeral Home Register. Evansville, Indiana, 1952. Clipping from unknown newspaper by unknown author. Privately held by Ellen C. Hegeman, Evansville, Indiana, 2000.

Montana, Cascade County. Birth Certificates. Office of Vital Statistics, Montana Department of Health and Human Services, Helena.

Montana, Cascade County. 1900 U S census, population schedule. Digital images.

Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com: 2004.

Montana, Cascade County. 1930 U S census, population schedule. Digital images.

Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com: 2002.

Myles Brand. (Bloomington, Indiana) to Val Corcoran Wenzler, M.D. Letter, 15 August 2000. Privately held by Val Corcoran Wenzler, M.D., Indianapolis, Indiana. 2000.

Ohio, Warren County. 1850 U S census, population schedule. Digital images.

Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com: 2009.

Photocopy of marriage certificate of Timothy P. Corcoran and Mary V. Clark held privately by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman.

Dr. Corcoran and wife Margaret circa 1950

PJVC personal papers 2000. PJVC resume. ca 1980. Privately held by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman, Evansville, Indiana.

Roberta Heiman. “Evansville doctor to be honored,” The Evansville Courier, November 1985. Reference Microfilm, Evansville, Indiana.

Silverman, Milton. The Drugging of the Americas, Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1976.

1900 U S Census, Cascade County, Montana, population schedule, Great Falls, Montana, p.27, dwelling 270, family 270, Timothy Corcoran; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 19 October 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 910.

1

Bruce Campbell MacGunnigle, Mayflower Families through Five Generations, vol. 4 (Plymouth, Massachusetts: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2006).

2

Gustine Courson Weaver, The Gustine Compendium (Cincinnati, Ohio, 1929.)

3

Membership application, Laura Ellen Corcoran Hegeman, no. 4191, First Families of Ohio, Ohio Genealogical Society Library, Belleville, Ohio.

4

Joan D Hackett and Rebecca H Good, Frederick County, Virginia Marriage Bonds (Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, Inc., 1992), 2.

5

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, “Marriage Register 1859,” vol. 126, p. 157, Patrick Dulin and Margaret Donovan; Massachusetts Archives, Boston.

6

1850 U S Census, Warren County, Ohio, population schedule, Wayne, p. 387 stamped, dwelling 761, family 761, Daniel Clark, digital image, Ancestry.com (http:// www.ancestry.com: accessed 19 October 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 737.

7

Cascade County, Montana, birth certificate no 76 (1912), Patrick John Valentine Corcoran; Office of Vital Statistics, Montana Department of Health and Human Services, Helena.

12

13 Floyd Weimer, Anaconda Copper Mining Company, Great Falls, Montana, to T. P. Corcoran, letter, 4 March 1955, congratulations of management on 55 years of employment; personal files, 2000; Corcoran Family, genealogy binder; privately held by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman, Evansville, Indiana.

14 1930 U S Census, Cascade County, Montana, population schedule, Great Falls, 14B, dwelling 282, family 282,

Timothy P. Corcoran; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 20 October 2013; citing NARA microfilm publication T626; roll 1253.

15 Valentine Corcoran, editor-in-chief, The Roundup (Great Falls, Montana: no publisher specified, 1930), 50.

Wheeler Coy, Jr. Unnamed University, Seattle, Washington, to Patrick John Valentine Corcoran, Esq., letter, 2 October 1930, personal correspondence, 1930-1939, Corcoran family letters; privately held by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman.

16

1960 U S Census, Fayette County, Iowa, population schedule, Clermont, p. 77, dwelling 594, family 533, Daniel Clark; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www. ancestry.com: accessed 19 October 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 322.

17

1870 U S Census, Fayette County, Iowa, population schedule, Clermont, p. 29A stamped, dwelling 78, family 78, Patrick Doolan; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 19 October 2013; citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 391.

20

8

9

1900 U S Census, Cascade County, Montana, population schedule, Great Falls, p. 9B stamped, dwelling 200, family 205, John W. Clark; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 19 October 2013; citing NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 910.

10

11 Timothy Corcoran, Application for Irish Citizenship, marriage certificate; application to Consulate General of

9

Ireland, Chicago, Illinois, 24 October 2004; photocopy held by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman.

PJVC resume, in PJVC personal papers 2000, ca 1980; privately held by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman, Evansville, Indiana, 2013.

Ibid.

18

Ibid.

19

Personal knowledge of the author, Ellen C. Hegeman, Evansville, Indiana.

Hegeman, the daughter of P.J.V. Corcoran, obtained this information during personal interviews of her father.

Dr. Corcoran and wife Margaret circa 1954

Ibid.

21

Patrick J. V. Corcoran, St. Louis, Missouri, to Mother and Dad [Mary and Timothy Corcoran], letter, 17 April 1939; personal files 2000, letters 1930-1939; privately held

by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman.

22

23 J. Roger Lyons, S. J., catholic priest, to Patrick J. V. Corcoran and Margaret Alice Booth, 21 November 1942; original marriage certificate, family copy, personal files 2000; privately held by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman, 2013.

10

R. L. Polk and Company, compilers, Bennett’s Evansville (Vanderburgh County) City Directory (St. Louis: Bennett Directory Company, 1947), 158.

24

“Medical Society Names New PresidentElect,” 12 December 1958, from the Evansville Courier; loose paper files, Vanderburgh County Medical Society, Evansville, Indiana.

Author unknown. “Medical Aid Signs Planned,” Anderson Herald, 8 August 1969, Newspaper Archives Database, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah: accessed 15 May 2013.

36

25

“Evansville Doctor Named New President of I M A,” 13 October 1967, from the Evansville Courier; loose paper files, Vanderburgh County Medical Society, Evansville, Indiana.

26

27 Author unknown, “P. J. V. Corcoran, M.D. President Indiana State Medical Association 1968-1969,” Journal of the Indiana State Medical Association 61 (Jul-Dec 1968): 1556-1557.

Ed Klinger. “A medical steamroller started in Evansville…,” Hello Evansville, 6 May 1953, radio broadcast, WJPS, ABC, Evansville, Indiana.

28

29 “Drug Firm Sued in Girl’s Death,” undated clipping, ca 1953, from unidentified newspaper; PJVC personal files 2000, privately held by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman, Evansville, Indiana, 2013.

Author unknown. “ISMA Backs Alcohol Test for Drivers,” Anderson Herald Bulletin, 19 October 1968, Newspaper Archives Database, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah: accessed 15 May 2013.

37

38 Author unknown. “Whitcomb Names Members of Medical Education Unit,” Kokomo Tribune, 15 June 1969, Newspaper Archives Database, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah: accessed 15 May 2013.

39 “Medical Center Chief Starts Educating City,” 5 Jan 1971, Evansville Press; loose paper files, Vanderburgh County Medical Society, Evansville, Indiana.

Myles Brand, Bloomington, Indiana, to Val Corcoran Wenzler, M. D., letter, 15 August 2000, Memorial Resolution; privately held by Val Corcoran Wenzler, M.D., 2013.

40

Myles Brand. Ibid, p.2.

41

Myles Brand. Ibid, p.2.

42 43

Myles Brand. Ibid, p.3.

44

Ibid. “A medical steamroller started in Evansville…”.

Jocelyn Winnecke, “Doctor honored [,] Corcoran to be cited as pioneer in alcoholism treatment,” The Evansville Press, 6 June 1985, p.21, col.1, Evansville Vanderburgh County Library, Reference Microfilm, June 1985.

31

Hussar, Allen E., M. D.”A proposed Crusade for the Rational Use of Antibiotics.” Antibiotic Symposium.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Veterans Administration Hospital: Montrose, New York, ca 1955; carbon copy held by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman.

32

Personal knowledge of the author, Ellen C. Hegeman, Evansville, Indiana.

Hegeman, the daughter of P.J.V. Corcoran, heard conversations between her parents about correspondence with the Kefauver Committee.

45

46 Mike Bellwood, “Welborn doctor honored for drug, alcoholism fight,” The Evansville Courier, 7 June 1985, p. 36, col.

6, Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library, Reference Microfilm, June 1985.

Joycelyn Winnecke. Ibid.

47

Mike Bellwood. Ibid.

48

33

Dr. Corcoran circa 1968

34 “Memorial Record of Mary Patricia Corcoran,”unpaginated; Funeral Home Register, clipping from unknown newspaper by unknown author, 1952 (Evansville, Indiana; privately held by Ellen C. Hegeman, Evansville, Indiana, 2000.)

“Memorial Record of Mary Patricia Corcoran,” unpaginated; Funeral Home Register, clipping from unknown newspaper by Ed Klinger, 1952 (Evansville, Indiana; privately held by Ellen C. Hegeman, Evansville, Indiana, 2000.)

35

11

Dr. Corcoran and Margaret circa 1988

Myles Brand. Ibid, p.3.

30

“Settlement of Damage Suit by Drug Firm in Child’s Death Is Used for Memorial Trust,” undated clipping, unidentified newspaper; PJVC personal files 2000 privately held by Ellen Corcoran Hegeman, 2013.

Margaret and Dr. Corcoran circa 1978

Myles Brand. Ibid, p.1.

49

“A community’s honeymoon,” undated clipping, ca 1983, from unidentified newspaper, loose paper files, Vanderburgh County Medical Society, Evansville, Indiana.

50

51 Roberta Heiman, “Evansville doctor to be honored,” The Evansville Courier, 30 November 1990, p. A5, col. 1, Evansville Vanderburgh County Library, Reference Microfilm, November 1990.

52

Myles Brand. Ibid, p.1.

53

Roberta Heiman. Ibid.

Corcoran Children (left to right) Front row: Tim, Monica; Back row: Ellen, Sheila, and Val

Acknowledgements Many people supported and assisted me in writing this biography.

I especially want to thank my husband, John Hegeman, for allowing me the time away from family and home chores to research and write.

He, along with my sister, Monica Corcoran, proofed and provided writing suggestions. I want to thank several individuals and organizations for their help in finding source information and photos: Caren Whitehouse, executive director of the Vanderburgh County Medical Society; Catherine Zimmerman, IU School of Medicine Evansville; staff of the Indiana State Medical Society; staff of the LDS Family History Library. I also want to thank Lyn Martin, Special Collections Librarian for Willard Library, for her technical advice on footnotes and publication formats.

Knowledge for Life

C14-111908