Henry W. Ochsner, MD – The Ochsner Lineage in Medicine

Hector Ventura; John L. Ochsner

The members of the Ochsner Clinic are very familiar with the life, career, and contributions to medicine of Dr. Albert Ochsner and Dr. Alton Ochsner. However, many of us may not be familiar with another member of the Ochsner family, Dr. Henry W. Ochsner, a first cousin of Albert Ochsner. This well-written and well-researched manuscript by Dr. Paul Mueller from the Mayo Clinic gives a wonderful account of the life of Dr. Henry W. Ochsner.

Dr. Mueller describes Henry Ochsner's upbringing in Wisconsin, his academic studies and success at the University of Wisconsin, and his years as a medical student at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Moreover, Dr. Mueller details Henry's short internship in Baltimore, under the tutelage of William Osler, and his tragic death from typhoid fever in November 1902, only a few months after he began his internship. Along with the facts, Dr. Mueller presents the humanistic side of the personalities involved in the story, information about Henry's life, family, and personality, as well as William Osler's relationship with Henry and his reaction to Henry's death.

Kudos to Dr. Mueller, an excellent historian and fellow Oslerian, for his account about the short life of Henry W. Ochsner. The story adds to the rich lineage of the Ochsner family.