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Juan A. del Regato, MD, DSc

JAMA. 1989;262(14):1998-2001.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

In September 1926, I registered for basic medical studies at the University of Havana (Cuba). In exchange for serving as a scribe in the admission office, I was given room and board in the interns' quarters of the 2000-bed university hospital. Within 3 weeks, a hurricane hit Havana dead center; thousands were killed and many more injured. The flow of casualties was overwhelming and all hands were needed. I learned to place tourniquets and to give ether anesthesia. Blood transfusions required the presence of a qualified donor and were done arm to arm with large syringes.

In the aftermath of the hurricane, I was assigned as a male nurse's aide to apply dressings and give injections in the dermatology pavilion. Professor Pardo-Castelló came early to do his rounds and, in the absence of his interns, I followed him with the order book. In the process, he taught me a lot. . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
Dr del Regato is emeritus professor of radiology at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa; Distinguished Physician of the Veterans Administration; and historian at the American Institute of Radiology, Reston, Va.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to 3101 Cocos Rd, Carrollwood, Tampa, FL 33618 (Dr del Regato).

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