Rutkow I M
Hernia Center, Freehold, NJ, USA.
Arch Surg. 1996 Feb;131(2):123-7. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.1996.01430140013002.
The life and times of William Stewart Halsted have become a blend of fact and sometimes fiction. Lost in this hagiographic haze are certain true aspects of his upbringing, family life, and professional activities. Whether Halsted remains as monumental a figure in the evolution of American surgery as he is presently perceived, remains a master of historical inquiry. For instance, the important consideration of Halsted's independent wealth and its impact on his ability to accept a "full-time" faculty position at The Johns Hopkins Hospital is a question of interest. Newly available information shows that Halsted's father, William Mills Halsted, Jr, was involved in numerous financial irregularities centered around the family's business, Halsted, Haines & Co. Among the father's alleged misconduct was the apparent embezzlement and fraudulent assignment of company funds. Included in these abuses was, at the time of the firm's bankruptcy, the providing of "preference loans" to William Stewart Halsted, which became the basis for the surgeon's later affluence.
威廉·斯图尔特·霍尔斯特德的生平事迹已成为事实与虚构的混合体。在这种圣徒传记式的迷雾中，他成长经历、家庭生活和职业活动的某些真实方面被掩盖了。霍尔斯特德在美国外科学发展历程中是否仍像目前人们所认为的那样是一位具有重大影响力的人物，这仍是一个有待深入探究的历史问题。例如，霍尔斯特德的独立财富以及这笔财富对他在约翰·霍普金斯医院担任“全职”教职能力的影响，就是一个值得关注的问题。最新可得信息表明，霍尔斯特德的父亲小威廉·米尔斯·霍尔斯特德卷入了围绕家族企业霍尔斯特德 - 海恩斯公司的众多财务违规行为。这位父亲被指控的不当行为包括明显挪用和欺诈性分配公司资金。在这些违规行为中，公司破产时向威廉·斯图尔特·霍尔斯特德提供“优先贷款”，这成为这位外科医生后来富裕的基础。
