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Prosperity and Thrift: The Coolidge Era and the Consumer Economy, 1921-1929
Boone Papers. Chapter on President Coolidge from the Memoirs of His Physician, Joel T. Boone.
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As I have stated earlier in these memoirs, when I returned to Washington to check in to the White House to pick up my duties there again following the trip to South America with President-elect and Mrs. Hoover, I inquired how Captain Riggs' selection for Surgeon General had come about. I had not seen the newspaper announcement about it until I returned from South America, but I then did see a Washington STAR issue of some earlier day's publication, which said: "Captain Riggs Is Nominated As Surgeon General Of The Navy. Head Of Hospital Here Is Named As Successor {begin inserted text}Of{end inserted text} Stitt". Then there is a picture of the then Captain Charles A. Riggs. Upon his confirmation as Surgeon General, he was advanced to the rank of rear admiral to hold that rank while serving as Surgeon General. The article contained some biographical material pertaining to Captain Riggs. That same article included another item of interest to me, which stated:
"The Navy's Secretary issued orders yesterday for the convening of a board on January 7 (that would be 1929) to select from the captains in the Medical Corps an officer to be advanced to the grade of rear admiral to fill the post vacated by Rear Admiral Cary T. Grayson, personal physician of President Wilson, who was retired on December 20." (That would be 1928.)
The article detailed many of the assignments which Captain Riggs had been ordered in his career. There was one that in "March 1923, Captain Riggs was given command of the Naval Hospital at Newport, Rhode Island, and during that tour of duty he received special
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commendation for his action in assisting the civilian authorities in caring for the victims of the S.S. MACKINAC which suffered a boiler explosion on August, 1925, resulting in the death and injury of many of the passengers. Captain Riggs immediately utilized all the facilities of the Naval Hospital in this emergency, and his prompt assistance saved the lives of many of the injured."
While it was commendable for Captain Riggs, as Commanding Officer of the Naval Hospital, Newport, to open his doors to succor such civilian casualties and offer any assistance possible to any civilian catastrophe, military hospitals are always available for civilian injury to meet an emergency. Not to do so would be inhumane.
Dispatches reached the USS UTAH when the President-Ele
e
{begin inserted text}c{end inserted text}
t's party was cruising
aboard
{begin inserted text}toward{end inserted text}
the United States December 27, 1928
,
. Those of us aboard that vessel learned that Captain Riggs had been appointed Surgeon General
,
. Having served with him at Norfolk as a young medical officer when he was senior medical officer of the Training Station and Receiving Ship, and having had a friendly relationship with him, I wired him as follows:
"Heart
iest
{begin inserted text}y{end inserted text}
congratulations. Pleased to serve you. Happy New Year to wife and yourself."
He replied to me in longhand from the Naval Hospital January 9, 1929:
"Dear Daniel: (He called me Daniel at Norfolk and in a friendly way
{ILLEGIBLE}
and thereafter until the promotion fiasco of the summer of 1931.)
"Thank you for your telegram of congratulations in regard to my
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appointment, also for your good wishes to Mrs. Riggs and myself. Your wire probably enjoys the distinction of having traveled farther than any other that I received. Then too it came from very distinguished company. I want to take this opportunity to ask you to stop in at the Bureau any time after I get down there so we
h
can have a visit. There is something mutual in our responsibilities, I had my share when you came into the service so now is the time for you to do what you can, anyhow don't fail to give me a visit as frequently as possible. Again many thanks for your wire. Sin
d
cerely, C. E. Riggs."
I had a handwritten note on a slip of paper from Admiral Riggs, dated September 20, 1929:
"Dear Boone:
"This is a particular interesting and very well written paper. You have put it together splendidly so that each fact supports the main idea. I say it is mighty well done. Glad you showed it to me. Congratulations. (Signed) C. E."
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I learned that Mrs. Stearns had been quite ill while I was away. I deeply regretted not being on hand to render professional services to her, for she had been my patient {begin inserted text}for{end inserted text} four years when professional care was needed when she was in Washington or I was visiting her or on duty of one nature or another in the Swampscott area of Massachusetts.
I was given a newspaper article which stated
.
(I believe it appeared in the Washington STAR): "Specialists Treat White House Guest", "Mrs. Frank Stearns Reported Improving After Consultation of Five Doctors", "Turning Point is Passed". The article:
"Five physicians, including two noted specialists from Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, yesterday were called into consultation at the White House over the condition of Mrs. Frank W. Stearns, White House guest and wife of the lifelong friend of
the
President Coolidge, who was reported as suffering from a 'severe cold'. (I had long learned not to be misled by published announcements of people having severe cold; too often, I knew it was a cover-up of something more serious.)
"The condition of Mrs. Stearns, stricken Monday, was reported last night as 'very much improved'. Her condition was regarded as dangerous, however, because of her advanced age, and a chronic disorder from which she suffers.
"Yesterday when the patient's temperature and general condition reached alarming proportions, Colonel James F. Coupal, White House physician, who was ordered by the President to remain at the White House to care for Mrs. Stearns during the President's and Mrs. Coolidge's
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Thanksgiving trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, called in the other physicians.
"Doctors L. S. Barker and J. M. T. Finney of Johns Hopkins University; Colonel William Keller, Chief of Physicians at Walter Reed Army Hospital, and Commander Walter A. Bloedorn, U. S. Navy, Retired, responded.
"During the consultation of the physicians, Mrs. Stearns reached the turning point in her illness, it was reported, and the general improvement during the day caused Colonel Coupal to announce shortly after 6 o'clock last night that Mrs. Stearns' condition was 'very much improved'.
"Several nurses were in constant duty in the sick chamber directly above the East Room at the White House. (The Stearns, whenever they visited the White House, were assigned to what was known as the Blue Room for their use. It was in the southeast corner of the second floor of the White House. Besides the large bedroom, there was a smaller bedroom east of the large bedroom.)
"Doctor Finney is one of the world's moat noted surgeons. He was Chief of Consultant Surgery of the American Expeditionary Forces in France during the World War (World War I, that is.) with the rank of brigadier general. He was decorated with the Distinguished Service Medal for service rendered the American Army during the war. He also rec
ie
{begin inserted text}ei{end inserted text}
ved decorations of several foreign governments. (I had Doctor Finney in consultation when Mrs. Harding was very, very ill in the fall of 1922. He and I became very intimate friends. I had tremendous admiration for him. I had known him in France slightly
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when I visited the hospital, French hospital, which he was assigned to clean up hundreds of wounded infected cases, which he did with great success. I never saw such a mass of infected limbs as I saw when I visited that hospital during World War I.)
"Doctor Barker,also of Johns Hopkins Univer
isyt
{begin inserted text}ity{end inserted text}
Hospital, is a noted diagnostician. (Better said, "internist". He was more than a diagnostician, he was a therapist as well.) He has been called into consulta
{begin inserted text}t{end inserted text}
ion on many famous medical cases."
I had Doctor Barker in consultation and sent patients to him in other years
when
{begin inserted text}while{end inserted text}
was
in
{begin inserted text}at{end inserted text}
the White House. He was a very charming gentleman, highly trained, great teacher, as well as a clinician of note.
Doctor Walter Bloedorn and I had been brother Naval medical officers. I had worked closely with him while he was on active duty and had him, whenever I felt it was necessary, in consultation for White House and other patients for whom I was physician. I depended on Walter Bloedorn a great deal. He was one of the best students of medicine, a delightful personality, fine sense of humor, very thorough analyst. All patients that I ever sent him became amoured to him. It was a very great loss to the Navy when he retired for physical reasons. He subsequently was able to build up a very large practice in Washington, highly respected by the profession of the District of Columbia, for many years was the Dean of the George Washington Medical School, served on a number of national medical boards, such as the National Board of Medical Examiners. He was very active in the Association of Medical Colleges.
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