[4] He served as president in 8 of the 20 medical associations to which he belonged,[5] wrote more than 200 articles and chapters,[3] authored or edited six books, including his own autobiography,[3] developed a safe technique for performing a duodenostomy,[6] 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.
"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.
[7] From a very young age, Welch showed great intellectual promise, advancing through the first three grades in the city school in a mere three months.
Wanting to take advantage of this, he took as many courses as possible from a wide spectrum of disciplines including astronomy and English – all while fulfilling the requirements of chemistry major.
This earned him his "Honor D."[11] Two months before graduation, Welch decided that he would rather go into the medical field than work in a laboratory as a chemist.
Before he entered medical school, however, Welch not only had to fulfill some premedical requirements, but he wanted to earn his master's in chemistry.
After making arrangements with the Dean of Harvard Medical School, he enrolled at Columbia University where he fulfilled his premedical requirements over the summer.
[12] While at the University of Missouri, he completed the required classes, wrote his thesis on a new diketopiperazine compound that he had discovered, and worked as a professor in the chemistry department.
Another factor that potentially played a role in Paton's decision was the fact that it was in the middle of the Great Depression and nursing school was significantly cheaper than Smith College – even with a scholarship.
[19] After graduating from the Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing in 1936, Paton returned to her native Montreal and enrolled in McGill University.
[22] He left behind one son (Claude E. Welch Jr. born June 12, 1939) and a pregnant wife, as well as his job at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
[23] He departed Boston with 123 other surgeons, physicians, and nurses from the Massachusetts General Hospital to Camp Blanding, Florida for training.
This was because some medical treatments used in prior conflicts were simply not effective for the different situations that World War II presented.
General Ogilvie, in charge of the British Armed Forces based in the eastern desert of North Africa, found that his wounded patients had to be transported by ambulance or truck for long distances after emergency operations.
His service in World War II was a significant part of his life for not only did he learn many important medical lessons, but he formed friendships that would last a lifetime.
A man who has parted from his home and risked his life has learned the comparative unimportance’s of social position and riches.
"[29] So when a patient of his in the late 1930s presented an inflamed duodenum and there was a no choice but to remove two-thirds of the stomach, Welch used a new method which he had been developing.
After discovering two other surgeons who had used a similar technique, Welch reported this new method of performing a duodenostomy to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 1949.
In his role as chairman, he helped to institute postgraduate courses at the Massachusetts General Hospital in cancer and gastrointestinal surgery.
[28] Welch took his responsibilities at Harvard Medical School very seriously and indeed "viewed his contributions to education as second only to his role in improving patient care.
[35] He ended his speech with the following declaration: "It is our contention that this council and House must have such power whenever any action is so fundamental that it involves guarantees extended by the Constitution of the United States.
Hoffman not only was from a smaller, less liberal state than Massachusetts (West Virginia), but had served as secretary of the board of trustees at the AMA.
[37] During his bid, Welch pressed for "professional standards review organizations" and chaired an AMA committee that drew up "model criteria for patient care.
During his time as chairman, the board ruled that "physician’s could not refuse to treat welfare patients just because they were on Medicaid, that women were entitled to full information about the alternative treatments for breast cancer, and that continuing medical education be required for licensure.
[44] These bonds were partly the result of the fact that doctors whose licenses were being taken away were often the ones being brought forward before the courts for medical malpractice.
What Welch, and others were concerned about however, were the large – sometimes arbitrary – settlements that patients received which cause a huge burden for physicians in the form of malpractice insurance.
He discussed diverse topics such as quality of care, teaching of surgery in medical schools, and the surgical fee system.
Claude Welch's final book was titled A Twentieth Century Surgeon: My Life in the Massachusetts General Hospital.
[51] These titles highlight not only Welch's awareness and knowledge of the broad aspects surrounding GI and oncologic surgery, but also of medical economics and organizations.
As Welch's reputation as a caring physician and daring crusader for equal rights grew, he began to win recognition for his achievements.