Elmer Belt
He was an early practitioner of gender-affirming surgery, an advocate for the founding of UCLA School of Medicine, and a book collector known for assembling a library of research materials about Leonardo da Vinci—the Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana—which he donated to the University of California, Los Angeles between 1961-66.
Elmer Belt (the form of name he preferred) received his early education in Orange County, California, and attended Los Angeles High School, traveling there on horseback.
[4]) Belt then attended UCSF School of Medicine, where he was chosen to be a fellow of the Hooper Institute for Medical Research, working in urology with Dr. George Whipple and Dr. Frank Hinman.
To be closer to his son and provide better care, Belt applied for a residency in General Surgery at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and spent a year working under Harvey Cushing.
[5][3]) While in medical school, Belt took a non-credit elective course in the History of Medicine taught by George W. Corner.
During this time, his growing reputation in the field earned him positions as a staff, attending, or consulting urologist at numerous hospitals in Los Angeles County.
During World War II, he advocated for funding to treat sexually transmitted diseases and to address prostitution, which he viewed as significant issues near military camps in the state.
[14][15] Despite his rising status and influence, Belt's efforts were hindered by the economic and political upheavals of the Great Depression and World War II.
As Governor Earl Warren’s personal physician, Belt seized the opportunity during a consultation to passionately advocate for the establishment of a medical school under UCLA’s administration.
[16] Before leaving Belt's office, Warren pulled out a notebook and outlined a ten-step plan to move the project forward and secure approval from the state legislature.
"[17] On February 19, 1946, Belt stood alongside other dignitaries as Governor Warren signed a bill allocating $7 million to establish a medical school at UCLA.
Concerned that the school might be placed far away, possibly at the county hospital downtown, Belt took it upon himself to scout Westwood, Los Angeles for viable land.
He identified a nearly vacant 33-acre tract stretching from Wilshire Boulevard to Strathmore Drive and from the western edge of Westwood Village to Veteran Avenue.
Dr. Belt consulted Dr. Edward Janss, the developer who had donated the land for UCLA’s campus, and discovered the property was owned by the Veterans Hospital Association.
Securing the land would require an act of Congress, which meant drafting a bill to transfer ownership to the University of California.
After persistent efforts, UCLA Chancellor Clarence Dykstra finally agreed to facilitate the transfer with the Veterans Hospital Administration.
After hearing Dr. Belt’s appeal, Pauley called President Truman directly and persuaded him to sign the legislation.
This act secured the land transfer from the Veterans Administration to the University of California, paving the way for the medical school’s construction.
[23][24] However, ascertaining exactly when he did them is not possible because a fire in Belt's medical office in 1958 destroyed many, if not all, records prior to that year.
In 1954 a committee of UCLA doctors, including Goodwin and members of the Psychiatry Department, decided that these surgeries should no longer be performed under the aegis of the university.
[30] In early 1962, facing pressure from his wife, his son Bruce, and his office manager, Belt decided to stop performing gender-affirming surgery.
Knowing that other doctors, such as Goodwin and Georges Burou, could take on these patients, Belt ultimately chose to refer them elsewhere.
[33] In 2014 the remainder of Belt's collection was sold at auction including an illuminated manuscript by Dante Gabriel Rossetti of The Blessed Damozel by Alberto Sangorski; California mission etchings by Henry Ford; a handwritten manuscript by Bertrand Russell and a signed Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail by Ansel Adams.
By 1945, the Leonardo collection had grown to the extent that Belt hired a full-time librarian, his former patient Kate Steinitz, to manage it.
The wood-paneled rooms were furnished with Renaissance furniture, antiques, artwork, and art objects donated by the Kress Foundation and Norton Simon.
She was as well a founding director of the World Affairs Council and national vice president of the Travelers Aid Society.
