Reflections on Pediatric Medicine from 1943 to 2010
One Man’s Odyssey through the Golden Years of Medicine—A True Dual Love Story
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This saga will trace the impact of the major medical milestones on the different facets of medicine as seen and experienced by this pediatrician during his 37 years of private practice. This tale paints with a word brush beginning with the high school years to the present day concerning the intense struggle a dedicated pediatrician endured while being torn between the seductive wiles and embrace of medicine versus the love and demands of a wonderful family. This story has the magic of romance, pathos, love, major achievements, memoirs, an autobiography, and the early medical history moments which demand to be told. This story describes the early years of medicine when there were few specific therapies with which to treat patients except for the vigorous applications of supportive care until the body could conquer the disease process or succumb to it. As a Junior Medical student, the author saw the first use of penicillin when it cost $ 25 per million units and was dispensed in 5000 unit doses. He watched the miracle of the different antibiotics on various infectious disease states. The author takes the reader from the introduction of immunizations and their effect on the childhood diseases of measles, mumps, Pertussis (whooping cough) to the almost total eradication of the scourge of polio. He describes the improvised handling of the severe complications of measles and other situations long before there were modern techniques to address the problems. This saga paints the picture of the early problems of laboratory testing, the need for make-shift dialysis methods, cardiac imaging and similar techniques which had to be improvised as there were no alternatives. The author was one of the early pioneers in the use of the exchange transfusion in infant rH problems, in exploring the adolescent years, in studying school failure problems due to specific learning disorders coupled with the attention deficit disorder with and without hyperactivity, in applying modern management techniques to the private practice of pediatrics, and in the computer applications to healthcare and healthcare delivery. The growth of the author and his family with their exciting adventures is detailed. The book is a journey through time the likes of which few people have ever experienced.
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About the Book
Come take a stroll down the memory lane of medical history. Reflections on Pediatric Medicine from 1943 to 2010 recounts the struggles of a dedicated pediatrician as he attempts to strike a balance between a normal family life and the demands of the rapidly evolving world of modern medicine. Through vividly drawn stories compiled from a career that spans more than half a century, author Byron Oberst takes readers on an amazing journey from the early years of medicine, when there were few specific therapies with which to treat patients, to the wonders of today. From the eradication of the scourge of polio to the miracle of antibiotics to the era of organ transplantation and body imaging, Oberst offers a rare chance to experience medical progress and discovery as it happens. Written in eight parts, each spanning a unique decade, Reflections on Pediatric Medicine from 1943 to 2010 is an unforgettable trip down memory lane—with many interesting side excursions.
About the Author
Byron B. Oberst, MD, FAAP, is an Omaha pediatrician and was in private practice for thirty-seven years. He is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He was the president of the Omaha Children’s Clinic PC for over twenty years.