John Reese
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| "Bonesetter" Reese | |
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| Born | May 6, 1855 Rhymney, Wales |
| Died | November 29, 1931 Youngstown, Ohio |
John D. "Bonesetter" Reese (May 6, 1855 - November 29, 1931) became a beloved figure in early 20th major league baseball because of his ability to get injured athletes "back in the game". Known nationally as the "baseball doctor", Reese is said to have retained the "common touch" and "drew no line between rich and poor patients".[1] Until his death, he reportedly provided medical care to industrial workers, celebrity athletes, and heads of state alike.
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[edit] Early life
Reese was born in Rhymney, Wales, to a coal miner who died while Reese was still an infant. With the passing of his mother about a decade later, Reese was left an orphan and immediately went to work at the Welsh ironworks. He was taken in by an ironworker named Tom Jones, who taught Reese the trade of "bonesetting", a term the Welsh used for treatment of strains of muscle and tendon, not actually the setting of broken bones.[2] Reese remained under Jones' tutelage until he left for the United States in January 1887, at age 32.[3]
[edit] From laborer to "bonesetter"
Reese became a coal miner and then roller's helper at Jones & Laughlin Steel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He later moved to Youngstown, Ohio, where he took a job at the Brown-Bonnell Mills. Within a short period of time, he assumed the skilled position of "roller" at the Mahoning Valley Iron Company.[4] There, his skills as a healer came to the attention of one of the mill's administrators, James A. Campbell, who later became chairman of the board of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company. Campbell encouraged Reese to pursue his medical career full time.[5] He attended Case University (now Case Western Reserve University) in Cleveland for three weeks. Reese and his wife, Sarah, raised five daughters: Mary Ann, Sarah, Gertrude, Elizabeth and Kathryn. Sarah (his wife) died in 1911.
[edit] "The baseball doctor"
Reese's involvement with baseball players was reportedly a sideline. He preferred baseball players but also worked with other athletes. The primary focus of his practice was treating his one-time colleagues, the mill workers of Youngstown. Reese's unique ability to manipulate muscles and ligaments put working men and ballplayers alike back to work, giving him the reputation of miracle worker in some circles.
By the 1920s, Reese was a national phenomenon. As Time magazine wrote: "His deft fingers developed Reese into an outstanding and nationally famed expert at rehabilitating errant bones. Especially desired is he of athletes--precious professionals require the delicate care of specialists, hardy amateurs must please the alumni regularly--and many a sports luminary has hastened to Reese as a Good Samaritan".[6] His eclectic group of patients included baseball luminaries such as Cy Young, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, Walter Johnson, and John McGraw. But, Reese also treated international leaders such as fellow Welshman Lloyd George.[7]
Yet, Reese's growing celebrity never distracted him from the essentially humanitarian nature of his vocation. His compassionate and egalitarian approach to medical care was conveyed in a brief article that appeared in a local newspaper about a year before his death. The article stated: "Athletes, theatrical people, rich men, poor men, bakermen, and no, not thieves, but others, in all walks of life have made their way to the home of John D. Reese to have him lay his healing hands on their broken bodies, and restore them to health and usefulness".[8]
[edit] Death and legacy
Reese died in 1931, at his stately residence on Youngstown's North Side. He was 76 years old. His passing was noted in the Youngstown Daily Vindicator like that of a major head of state. Reese's obituary noted that he treated patients as they came in, that the famous had to stand in line. Patients paid what they could afford, while widows and orphans of mill workers were not charged for his services. At Reese's funeral service at Youngstown's Welsh Congregational Church, the presiding minister described Reese's contributions in the following terms: "He began to serve early in his life and kept on. He was faithful to the end. The only life worth living is the life of service".[9] Youngstown's famous "baseball doctor" was interred at Youngstown's Oak Hill Cemetery, where his wife, Sarah, had been buried 17 years earlier.[10]
[edit] References
- ^ The Youngstown Telegram, Youngstown, Ohio, Nov. 30, 1931
- ^ David L. Strickler, Child of Moriah: A Biography of John D. Bonesetter Reese, 1855-1931 (David L. Strickland, 1984), p. 28.
- ^ David L. Strickler, Child of Moriah: A Biography of John D. Bonesetter Reese, 1855-1931 (David L. Strickland, 1984), p. 76.
- ^ The Youngstown Telegram, Youngstown, Ohio, Nov. 30, 1931
- ^ David L. Strickler, Child of Moriah: A Biography of John D. Bonesetter Reese, 1855-1931 (David L. Strickland, 1984), p. 99.
- ^ "Gropings", Time, July 12, 1926. Retrieved on 2007-03-11.
- ^ The Youngstown Telegram, Youngstown, Ohio, Nov. 30, 1931.
- ^ The Youngstown Daily Vindicator, Youngstown, Ohio, Jan. 12, 1930.
- ^ The Youngstown Telegram, Youngstown, Ohio, Dec. 2, 1931
- ^ The Youngstown Telegram, Youngstown, Ohio, Dec. 2, 1931
