Claude E. Welch

rdf:langString Claude E. Welch

rdf:langString Claude E. Welch

rdf:langString Claude E. Welch

rdf:langString United States

rdf:langString Claude Emerson Welch (March 14, 1906 – March 9, 1996) was an American surgeon who was internationally recognized, and whose career spanned forty years. For most of those forty years, Welch worked at Massachusetts General Hospital. He was involved with a variety of activities that included "patient care, teaching, clinical research, establishment of funds to maintain such activities, promotion of all aspects of medical education, and strengthening of ties between the government, the courts, the legal profession and physicians." Known as a "bold and skillful surgeon in the abdomen," Welch performed anywhere between 15,000 and 20,000 procedures by the age of 75. He served as president in 8 of the 20 medical associations to which he belonged, wrote more than 200 articles and chapters, authored or edited six books, including his own autobiography, developed a safe technique for performing a duodenostomy, and was one of only six physicians summoned to Rome to consult about the treatment of Pope John Paul II when he was shot in 1981. While there is no doubt about his skill with a scalpel, he set himself apart from other surgeons by establishing and maintaining a superb rapport with his patients – something he considered essential to good patient care. Beyond the operating room, Welch fought for racial equality at the American Medical Association (AMA) and to establish standards for American Medical Practice. Welch considered these items among some of the most important things he did. "His intelligence, diligence, attention to detail, restraint leavened with generosity, caring and a touch of humor brought him the trust of his peers and a succession of assignments, the summation of which truly characterizes him as one of the great surgical statesmen America has produced."

rdf:langString Distinguished Service Award from the AMA