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This commute that we are now taking is one that I've been taking for the past fifty years
to the hospital.
I was born in Chicago, Illinois in November, 1923, which now makes me 87 years of age.
My father was a general surgeon, and over the years, his compassion, and the respect
that he was held in by his patients, just solidified my desire to become a surgeon.
As a young person, I used to accompany my father when he would make rounds at several
hospitals. And I can still remember the first operation I watched him do. They had these
amphitheater areas where you could observe surgery. And, as I was standing there watching
him operate, I fainted. One would have thought that might have been the end of my interest
in going into surgery.
Now we're entering on Pasteur Drive, the entrance into the hospital.
After completing my residency training at the University of Chicago, I came to Stanford.
I was married when I came. My wife was a high school classmate of mine. And it was during,
I think my junior year that I met her.
Wife: One day I was sitting in study hall and along he walked. And I thought, "Hm, now,
who's that? And so, I talked to my friends and I did a little research. And I thought,
"Boy, he's really cute and not only that he is a big gun, you know. He's a football player
and he's smart and he's all these things. Wow. I've got to meet him."
So, another day or so I saw him coming in and I dropped my pen I think it was on the
floor and he picked it up and gave it to me being a gentleman that you are. Anyway, then
he called me and it went on from there. See what happens when you drop a pen.
The hospital opened in 1959. I came a year later.
I spent many hours in the operating room,
What interested me most, were the challenging cases. I was a fairly aggressive surgeon.
The challenge and the ability to cure people was what I liked about surgery.
'Course the other thing that I enjoyed about surgery was the training of the residents.
That was one of the most enjoyable things, I think, in my career.
Ever since I came to Stanford, people started calling me Dr. O. If you try to say my last
name, which is really not very difficult, it's just the way it's spelled 'O-ber-hel-man.'
But I don't know how many different versions I have heard of people trying to pronounce
that name. So, Dr. O has stuck with me.
There have been a lot of changes in medicine since I first came here. As far as the practice
of medicine goes, the biggest change, has been the development of minimal surgery approaches—laproscopic
interventions.
This is Dr. So
Dr Soo: Harry's the master. I'm the apprentice, who has now become a master (laughter).
The other thing I think I've observed, is the private practice of medicine is sort of
disappearing, people are joining groups. That allows them to have time off. When I was working
actively I used to see my patients every day of the week, even on weekends.
Good Morning!
I have an interesting retirement history. After I had retired, an opportunity came to
join the International Medical Service as the Medical Director. And so I've been working
there for the past five years now. It keeps me out of trouble!
Anywhere we go, global or local, walking along with Harry is like walking along with a rock
star. Everyone knows him and loves him (laughs).
The large picture is my dad
You know, there's a saying from people who retire, that, if they were to give advice
to their kids about entering medicine, they would say, No, I would not recommend it, it's
become, so involved with paperwork, taking time from seeing your patients—it's not
like it used to be in my life.
But I don't think I would discourage that because it's still a great occupation.