Hall of Cottage

Softcover. Good binding and cover. Some discoloration to covers. Clean, unmarked pages. "In the 1870s, Santa Barbara began to develop a national reputation as a health resort. Yet, ironically, the city did not have a hospital. This changed in December 1891 with the opening of Cottage Hospital. The first director of the hospital's surgical department was a transplant from New York, Dr. Richard Hall, who had overcome incredible obstacles in getting to Santa Barbara. Hall was a native of Ireland and immigrated to New York City with his family at age 12. His father was the Reverend John Hall, who became one of the foremost clergymen in the U.S. In 1886, Hall performed the first successful appendectomy in this country. Before this time, the treatment of acute appendicitis was problematic at best. Hall's operation truly was a milestone in internal medicine. What makes this breakthrough even more remarkable was that Hall was a drug addict when he performed his groundbreaking feat. In 1884, Hall and his close friend and colleague, William Halsted, had become interested in the use of cocaine as an anesthesia. They began using themselves as subjects in experiments to determine the proper dosage for local and regional anesthesia. In one experiment, Hall submitted to dental work while under the drug. It was not long before both surgeons became addicted to the narcotic. Halsted ended up receiving hospital treatment and went on to a highly distinguished surgical career. Hall moved to the West Coast in an attempt to escape the drug's clutches. The Halls were acquainted with the Rowland Hazard family of Mission Canyon and decided to relocate to Santa Barbara late in 1889. After several self-described 'ups and downs,' Hall managed to free himself from his addiction. In any case, the move from the metropolis of New York City to the small town of Santa Barbara must have been quite an adjustment. Hall opened a practice on Garden Street with Dr. G. Walther Otto and both men lectured and practiced at Cottage Hospital. The two were also instrumental in founding the Santa Barbara County Medical Society in 1894. Hall became chief surgeon at Cottage, and the hospital became one of the primary surgical centers in the state." - Santa Barbara Independent. …