Remarkable True Stories from an Unusual General Practice

During the 1950's and '60's, my Dad, Dr. Jack Kamen, was a general practitioner in a raucous, rough, and ethnically mixed section of Indiana Harbor, Indiana. He later became an anesthesiologist and Director of an Intensive Care Unit at a Gary hospital system. As I came of age and mingled with guests at home and at functions, I was privy to his "this is what happened" stories.

From the woman whose perfectly healthy eye fell out of her head to the goings on at the neighborhood house of prostitution, Dad was/is never embarrassed by the somewhat graphic content of these stories because, as he says, "this is as it was," and patient privacy was scrupulously protected. These are the most "how-could-this-have-happened" snippets from his professional life as a general practitioner, jointly written. They were most entertaining to his listeners through the years, and we are quite sure they will be just as amusing to you.

Dad's stories ranged from the peculiar to the downright bizarre. One patient, a seemingly healthy woman, experienced the unexpected and unsettling event of her eye simply falling out of her head. In another instance, Dad recounted the goings-on at a local house of prostitution, recounting the sights and sounds that were part of his everyday experience as a community doctor.

Despite the graphic nature of these anecdotes, Dad remained unfazed, believing that "this is as it was" and that patient confidentiality was of the utmost importance. He took these experiences in stride, using them to entertain and enlighten those around him.

As I grew older and had the opportunity to interact with Dad's guests, I became privy to these captivating stories from his time as a general practitioner. The listeners were always enthralled, finding the tales to be both shocking and humorous in equal measure.

Now, we are pleased to share these most "how-could-this-have-happened" snippets from Dad's professional life with you. We are confident that you will find them just as entertaining as his original audiences did, providing a unique glimpse into the sometimes bizarre and always fascinating world of a community doctor in the mid-20th century.

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