The Denver Jewish news. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1915-1925, 1919-10-22
Slams Sanitary Depart
ment Head ! Coloradoan
DR.. RALPH WALDO MENDELSON
NOW FIGHTING THE CHOLERA
EPIDEMIC IN THAT COUNTRY.


distance, yet not NO far, when merit.
science and executive ability are
sought. us is shown by the position
held under the Siamcse government by
DIR. Ralph Waldo Alendelson of this
state. DR.. Mcnslelson is in charge OF
Slams Sanitary department. and is
fighting the cholera epidemic now rug
ing in that country. lie is Colo.
RADIO young man, who tho just begin
ming the third decade of his life
lie is thirty years old--has already
had n very unusual career. Ills
ability. spirit Of adventure and pleas
ing personality have combined to send
him into unusual ,situations, where.
however. he always rose to all possible
requirements and emergencies.
Tho born in North Dakota in 1858
Dr. Mendelson IL considered Colo
radoan. for his parents. Mr.. and Mrs.
S. Il. Mcndelson, moved to La Junta
in his early childhood. and he was
raised and educated In the states Gle
mentary and High Schools He at
tended the State University at Boulder
tor a short time, later the Northwest
cin University. where he graduated
from Its Medical School He saw SONG
service as an inferno In the General
Hospital at Kansas City. and served
rs assistant surgeon in the L. 8.
Navy. s1
He resigned from the Navy to spec
ialize in preventive medicine and sani-
tation at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology Mt Harvard University.
In the spring of 1915 he was in
.vitcd to become member of the
Rockefeller Typhus commission for
Serbia and was assigned for service
as surgeon with the 18th Serbian reg
iment. He saw service. there until
the army was driven out Of Serbia
During this time he was IN caaasse Of
the Hospital In sessfA Established BY
Lady Paget Of England.
During this period. in conjunction
with Professor Castclant the we'll
known serum expert, they developed
a combination serum anti-typhus.
anti-typhoid and anti-tetanus. for
the treatment of these diseases.
1t is highly spoken of by British
Medical Journals. During the war a
special envoy under the flag of truce
from the Bulgarian army appealed to
Dr. Mendels0n. for the fame and cur
ntive value of the serum was known
in the Bulgarian army and he injected
the serum to many of the Bulgarian.
leaders.
Dr. MendclsOn returned to the Z. 8
after the commission was discha rged
and was invited by the German gov
eminent, before our entrance in the
war. to go to Siberia and act as ply
stefan to the German prisoners of war
in Siberian prisons.
Meanwhile request had been made
by the Slamese government thru the
State Department asking that cap
able sanitary physician should Ike sent
to Siam to act as chief sanitary ply
stefan of the Siamese army. On the
urge of the State Department DIR.
Mendelson went to Siam and remain
ed two years. Upon the declaration
of war he returned to the u. s. and
was assigned as captain to the Base
Hospital at Camp Pike. where he
served during the period of the war
When the armisticc was signed he re-
signed and went to Des Moines, Ia.
TO establish himself in private prac-
.ticc. He had hardly begun when the
urgent request came from. Siam that
he return to that country and take
charge and act as director of Slams
Sanitary department., and particular
ly7 to take charge of the cholera cpl
demic now raging there. DR.. Mendel-
son reached Bangkok, the capital OF
Siam, few weeks ago. He has been
contributor to various medical journ-
ais, and upol, his return from Sian
wrote book on diseases peculiar to
siam, which has been placed In the
Smithsonian library in Washington
In 1916 DR. MendelsOn married Mrs.
Edna Hartman. Of New York,
womanlof much charm and grace. A