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1906: It Was a Very Good Year

Dear Readers,

Earlier this year, I featured in this column a speech that Dr. William J. Mayo delivered in 1906. In this issue, I'd like to highlight another event from that year — the addition of Dr. Henry S. Plummer as an early partner in the Mayo practice.

Henry Plummer was ... unique. The English language is rich in descriptors, although many that would be applicable to Henry Plummer were not in common usage a century ago. To name a few: egghead, nerd, geek, propeller-head, grind, brainiac. Another term, often overused, is entirely applicable here: genius. Henry Plummer was a towering intellect, an innovative thinker whose contributions continue to touch our lives even today.

While most of us would be thrilled to come up with a single "big idea" during our career, Dr. Plummer spawned several. He is credited with conceiving the integrated group practice of medicine, bringing specialists together on behalf of the patient. Equally as notable, he developed the unit medical record, which collated all relevant information about a patient into a single dossier — and which followed the patient wherever he or she went in the clinic. (That seems like an obvious necessity to us today, but consider that most people in this country still have their records distributed among multiple various specialists in a community.)

Plummer was an outstanding clinician whose expertise in hormonal disorders led to numerous advances, including the identification of a syndrome that bears his name. His work with the thyroid gland, in particular, was years ahead of its time. He pioneered electrocardiography (EKGs) and radiologic (X-ray) diagnosis and treatment to the Mayo practice, and he understood how to apply the technological advances of the day (such as the telephone) to make medical care more efficient. And to the everlasting gratitude of those who endure those six-month Minnesota winters, he conceived of underground tunnels between clinic buildings to allow patients and staff to move about without risking frostbite.

Dr. Henry Plummer

Although the aforementioned accomplishments might typically be thought of as "left brain" products, Plummer was blessed with a formidable right brain as well. The Tudor home he designed and built is elegant and well-proportioned, with flower gardens that blend beautifully with the native landscape — another example of thoughtful integration. The Plummer Building, Henry's brainchild, is a magnificent example of medical form and function. It also features a number of delightful architectural highlights, such as whimsical stone carvings commemorating the results of the Presidential election of 1928, the year the building opened: a jubilant elephant (symbolizing the victorious Republican, Herbert Hoover) and a dejected donkey (representing the defeated Democrat, Al Smith).

How did Henry get so smart? Perhaps it was the corn and country air. Born in 1874 in Hamilton, Minn., and schooled at Northwestern University in Chicago, Plummer began his career in medicine by joining his father in practice. His creativity and mental agility soon attracted the attention of the Mayo brothers, and Dr. Will referred to his hiring as "the best day's work I ever did." Soon thereafter, the brothers blessed Henry's marriage to their niece, Daisy Berkman, who worked in the clinic's laboratory.

Henry Plummer, literally and figuratively, "made" the Mayo Clinic. Although his life was cut short by a stroke on New Year's Eve 1936, his legacy lives on whenever and wherever medical professionals work together as a team to serve you, our patients.

Sincerely,

George B. Bartley, M.D.
Chief Executive Officer