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“yuo WAS DR. MUNSON"

E.F. Sladek, M.D.
‘April 12, 1961

This is a recording of a meeting of the medical staff, together with

 

 

 

 

 

2 of rs P
to hear Dr, Edward F. Sladek of Traverse City reminisce about Dr. Jane:
Decker Munson. Dr. McKenney, a resident of the State Hospital Medical Staff
arranged this meeting on April 12, 1961. :

hat dur Jical
society meeting he talked about Dr. Munson and found that Dr. Sladek
intinatelfknew Dr. Munson. Anongst the present staff of the State Hospital,
there were<only a very few people who had known Dr. Munson.

ne eee felt that it would be appropriate to have a program which

ee

his acépaplichnents, and his contributions to the welfare and understanding

Jy ill patients. It would bring to the present staff of the Traverse
H 1 a knowled

it, m

 

Dr. Edward F. Sladek: Mr. Chairman, Members of the Staff of the Traverse
City State Hospital.

whey say that one of the reasons that there is a deterioration in
mental health as one grows ‘older is because you think in the past, you don't
think in the future, and maybe now I am a candidate for a Little mental.

deterforation.

 

 

James Décker Munson, M.D., was the first superintendent of the Northern

Michigan Asylum, now know os the Traverse City State Hospital. ue energetically

: built it from awilderness until it and the grounds becane the most

beautiful of ony state institution. I never thought of £t as such, but

there was nothing om the grounds at all except cut over pine land. The

-——tanmatr-am“bay-interests-cut- offal the trees, and vhen they went through an—
area of trees, they didn't leave anything except savdust and stumps.

Dr. tion into what was recognized as the aost efficient
and one of the best managed mental institutions in the country. Ke made
efficient mental patient attendants out of farm boys. He made R.N.'s out of

| fam girls. He developed the farm, and its dairy herd had a national
reputation. For years the butterfat content of the Traverse City dairy
: herd was a leader of any similar herd anywhere in the country.

Dr. Munson was born on June 8, 1848, in Oakland County on a farm. He

in Pontiac, Michi He

School of Medicine. At that time, they had to schools—the honoepathic school
of medicine and the allopathic school. He was 25 years old at the time of
graduation. He started practice in Detroit, and because he was an exceptional

student in medical school he soon developed a reputation for knowledge in

 

: about Detroit.’ In 1904 he received an honorary degree of M.A. from the

University. He stimulated the formation and wes a charter nenber of the Detroit

1908. He

anatony at the Detroit College of Medicine shortly after graduation, and

while there he got use of the microscope and became intensely interested in

 

 

 

 

 

the microscopic structure of neurological tissue. That-probably was the
Ta fact,

on the histological and pathological makeup of neurologic tissue. He was

 

 

and gave many talks on general medical subjects. Because of his interest

 

 

 

findings, he was appointed as the Chief Medical Assistant of the newly built
Fastern Michigan Asylun in Pontisc, 1878. 1 am not quite certain, but I
believe that Pontiac was the second state hospital in the state. He was sent
for a few months training in preparation for his new job to the first

mental institution built by the state at Kalamazoo.

In 1885 he was selected and appointed as the Medical Superintendant

kmowledge, he cleared the land and planned its landscaping and beautification.
thi ds and look at those t:

out there. Sone evening just walk around the grounds and lock up. Don't

look down. Look up at those trees. Pretty soon when they just begin to

Jeaf out, just take a tour around there’and see the different kinds of trees

that are here, All these trees were planted by Dr. Munson. The planting

was entirely planned by Dr. Munson. The trees were selected by hin, and he

a little different variety fron the Willows on the other side of the creek.
You will notice this as the leaves begin to come out; all of it was planned
by Dr. Munson, and he has really made these grounds beautiful. Sone of you

the trees

 

 

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with the background of the tovered building here, Really, it is quite exciting.
his approach to the care of psychiatric patients, I believe that

his was one of the first ideas in eliminating the straight jacket, and he tried

to treat the patients. In the early days this was an asylum-~it wes not 2

hospital. It was an asylum-—a place to put people and keep them confined, and

 

as T Said, he Wad an dea that these people should be treated an they shoulé—
get considerable care.
"He believed that productive work was excellent therepy for th
nentelly 111, He planned and established the farm activities of the hospital
using many patients to work the crops mich to their mental and physical
Aimprovenent.

He started a training school for nurses in 1906, and I bel

requirenents then were only two years of high school and thet they should

I used to teach orthopaedics, and I only had the vaguest idea of what orthopaedics
was. I could take care of a fractured leg or something like that, but that
vas all--yet, I taught the nurses orthopaedics. And what else did I teach?
There was some other course, I think it was therapeutics. All of us had
a lot of fun doing the teaching.

‘Then in 1920 4t was Dr. Monson's idea that there was a need for social

tal di 4m an instdtuti

and all of you know what that idea has devéloped into. We was very civic
minded. He mixed in with all activities downtown. I believe everyone in town
kmew who he was. For instance, in his frequent trips to the berbershop—
in those days the barbers used to shave a person, and he would go down and

je his beard trimmed, etc. le would visit the barbershop quite frequently,

 

and it was a common thing when someone would see, Dr. Munson go inte the

barbershop, word would quickly pass around the inmediate neighborhood,

State Mental Health Commission was coming to town to inspect the institution.

 

weren't groomed enough or the carriage wasn't as meticulous as it should have
been, and evidently Dr. Munson cracked down on the person who was supposed
to have teken caze of that and mentioned the fact that how avful it was to
to send out &
By 4
‘thing Dr. Munson was going to do was to take this Commission--this vas
in the early daye when he was first starting his farm--out to the watermelon

patch, and he was very, very proud of it, and he was going to show then

Commission--down to the railroad station, which at that time was on
Union and 6th Streets-—thie man went out end cut off all the watermelons--
removed them all! When Dr. Munson went to show his beautiful patch of
watermelons, there wasn't anything there--much to his chagrin.

I first met him when I cane to town, as I said. We was very
interested in medical work, and he would attend our Medical Society Meetings.
Of course I was @ new doctor in town, so they made me secretary of the
County Medical Society, a job which I held for quite a while, and I quickly

 

 

y imp
so mich so that within about 6 months I rented an office in his office
building. I don't believe that was the reason that we became so friendly,
and that I became the femily physician. Anyhow, the description in 1878

absolutely fitted him in 1920, and there is only one physician that even

 

that is our Louis Hirschman. They could stand up together and neither
to the other Ds

he went downtown--Oh! Dr. Hirschman does too.

 

their needs. Me never lost sight of the beneficial value of the personal
relationship. Peychiatry vas with him only a phate of medical science and
early in hic administration he introduced drug therapy ‘in the care of his
patients and he insisted on minimal restraint of patients.

Dr. Munson was married twice. His only child, Janes Fred Munson,
graduated fron the medical school of the University of Michigan, specialized
im pathology. He entered service in World Wax I, but fell a victim of
influenza and died in 1918. His, widow, Mrs. Helen Munson, is still alive
and lives in New York City. The loss of his con was quite 2 blow to
Br, Munson.

Fred Munson was @ high school classmate of our Dr. E.L. Thirlby. As
a student, he was somewhat shy and retiring, alvays was innaculately dressed,
even to wearing gloves on many occasions. Possibly, becuse opposites
attract he and Ted Thirlby became fast friends. They were together constently
and Ted spent much of his time visiting the Muncon apartment at the hospital.

In the meny high school escapades, many conceived by the little devil that

 

Ted was, it was always Fred who took the brunt of responsibility. He
was blamed, Ted was clear.
In the last year of high school, Fred Munson was already being groomed

i to the M

Dr. Munson kept talking about the great opportunities in medicine and

 

It was in 1924 in July he resigned from the Traverse City State Hospital.
At that time he was 76 years old, and I can assure you that he was at. least

: 10 years younger in physical activity end mental activity. He was a grend
old men. I recall many times after he retired, when I was taking care of

4 him with his final illness--I recall many times his remarking—my wife

would often go out to the farm that he retired to, and we would make the call

together, and he would remark-—He would say "Now Bess and Bd--rémenber,

don't put off things until you get too old. I never went on an extended

vacation while I was at the hospital", and I doubt that he ever went on a

| vacation,..until he retired, Three years after he retired his wife died--

| she had a brain tunor--and he vas left really alone. His wife's son lived

Now, some

t bi
St used. 4 Pa

to him, and we ell tated

 

 

 

 

his description and his idea of this wonderful inetrunent. Of course,
now it {9 a common diagnostic instrument. Everyone knows about it, although
they all don't use it. On one of his trips-he was 76 years old when he
resigned as I said~on one of his tripe back fron California-—it was early
in 1929, March, I believe, and he was at the Pantlind Hotel, and hi

aGETeE-oy Uhattine-we het-vars, vf course, tAnyhow, his cheuffer-came-——

dom t6 pick him up and Dr. Munson, in getting out of his bed, covght a
toe in the bed clothes and slipped and had a fractured’neck of the femur.

T believe he wes seen by the Hotel physician, but he was a stubborn fellow
done to him, He wanted to go home, and so hic chevffer drove him out to the
farn--out here near Bowers Harbor, and he went to’bed there, and I went cut
co see hin, He refused an Kray. He refused to heve any extension put on,

end co the only thing T could do wes practically daily go out there end
to try to give him a Littl €

I think that he was very, very discouraged in those last few years of his
Life because he was so alone. He lived alone in the hovee and the caretaker
of the farm and his wife would come in and cook the meals. and do the house
work, but he stayed th the place all slone, which, of course, ds not good
for anyone, He died on June 24, 1929, of a hypostatic pneunonia, end 1s
Buried in Pontiac, Michigan. .

io another story IT forgot. I just heard this one today. He

was, as you can suppose, a very meticulous individual, and the enployees

 

is i inlaid 4 on
this stock. In some way he thought he had laid the gun up against @ tree,

but if he did, £t fell down on the ground and his autonobile wae there,

 

 

 

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he ina Wi

He broke the stock of this beautiful gun. He took the gun with the broken
stock down to Stan Ray, who was in town here, and asked Stam whether he
could replace this stock in such a way that no one could ever teli that it was

repaired. Stan sent the broken walnut to the gun factory and had them replace

to kind of review this and go over it end recall some of the things~-Oh!

Wait! Wait just a minute! Munson Hospital! I completely forgot about

:
8
3
2
E

In 1915 the Smith Sanitarium-—this is a speech that I gave to the two
Rotary Clubs, one Lions Club and one Optimists Club. The Smith Sanitarium

4m Greilickville--just over the line where Garthe's little shop is, which

Dr. Munson, because of his interest in the commumity and the medical profession,

 

y P .
apartments are and gave it to the commnity for a hospital.
two-story building, and he gave it to the doctors of ‘the conmunity for their

use so that they could treat their patients. His argument was that instead

of sending their nurses outside of town for their general medical training, this
1d be used Lh

ital, treini Laundry.
No charge for nursing--no charge for food. ‘The daily hospital cost--I have
forgotten what it was exactly--was around $2.50 or $3.00 ¢ day or something

like thet. =

tal Fund

 

Traverse City, end then tried to stimulate the community into building

 

 

 

ule pital: 5 -
in going over the booke-~there was an item--$35,000 for General Hospital

Fund. So he quest4oned that; no state hospital has a general hospital,

and Dr. Munson said "We have, and it is used’ by the community". “Well,

there is no such thing as a general hospital-that will go into the State
General Fund", and 00 the Traverse City State Hospital lost that anount

of money. Dr. Munson immediately got on the ball’ and stimulated a conmittee

of some 30-35 people, including Dr. E. L. Thirlby, who made a trip down to

comiittee--"We can't do anything ‘about this, That money 1s gone. The only
thing we can do is to create in the Traverse City State Hospital a general
hospital, and we will put in a bill ereating such--we will put in $78,000
to build st". So, the bill wes passed, and it is,-I believe, the only

i tate mental dnstituts
hospital to be used by the surrounding community. Of course, when they
started to build the thing, it vent way, way up beyond the $78,000.
fact, it was somewhere around $225,000 to build the original Munson Hospital,
and of course, it was named after Dr. Munson because of his interest in this.

until,

 

I think, in Dr. Sheets’ tenure here when it was turned over to the community

 

 

 

on a lease basis and the land was granted to the community. That used
to be State’ Hospital grounds there.

80, Dr. Monson was really responsible for the Munson Hospital, and
we all were happy that he still lived when it was dedicated. He wa

great man of medicine.

 

Thank you very much.

Dr. McKenney:

Dr. Sladek: You have certeinly béen successful in bringing the past
to Life, und J an sure that al of us vho are here now--will appreciate
the qualities of Dr. Munson end that as we cone and go through our grounds

we will look up at the trees, Thank you, Dr. Sladek.