The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-06-18
GLAND OPERATION
 PERFORMED UPON MCCORMICK, RUMOR
Physician and Members of Family Refuse to Discuss Report That Millionaire
 Would Extend Youth
By Associated Press

Chicago, June 17.-Mystery to- night yelled the exact nature of an operation performed on Harold F. Mccormick, chairman of the execu- tive committee of the International Harvester company, Monday night, the news of which did not become public until today.
 At the Wesley Memorial hospital 1t was first denied that MT. Mccormick was a patient there. although it was later admitted that he occupied an entire wing which had been walled off from the rest of the institution to insure his privacy.
 The operation was performed by Dr. Victor D. Lespinasse, widely known surgeon who figured some time ago in controversy with pr. Voronoff. of Paris. on the proper manner of transferring animal glands to humans. a branch of surgery in which he was said to be well versed. After having been questioned at length by newspaper men regarding the operation on MT. Mccormick. pr, Lespinasse issued the following statement:
 Harold F. Mccormick is patient in the Wesley Memorial hospital under my care. He has been in the hospital sometime and has under gone a minor operation. He was here principally for rest. both mental and physical"
 Extend Youth
 Dr. Lespinasse. members of the hos pital staff and of the Mccormick family refused to discuss widely pulp lished statements that Mir. McCor- mick had been the subject of 8 trans plantation of glands with the object of obtaining an extension of his years of youth.
 Mr. Mccormick sitting up in bed, received several reporters. In an- swer he said he was feeling fine" but when asked directly regarding the nature of the operation, he de- clared:
 You might inquire at the desk" and added that he had no statement to make.
 pr. Lespinasse first denied his identity and then refused to discuss the nature of the Mccormick opera tion. He did, however, tell of His ex- periments with the transplantation of glands.
 The surgeon asserted that he had known about the tranSpIanIatlnE or monkey glands long before Dr. vor- onoff. He asserted he had now dis carded this and operated with human glands. He said he had been inter- ested in this work, the object of which is the rejuvenation of human beings, for the past Is years.
 Mccormick is 61
 Mir. Mccormick is 51 years old and has recently occupied much space In the newspapers. Some months ago he was divorced by his wife, Mrs. Edith Rockefeller Mccormick, daugh- ter of John D. Rockefeller, on the grounds of desertion.
 Just recently MT. Mccormick re- signed as president of the Interna- tional Harvester company and be- came chairman of the executive com mittee of the board of directors. He said nothing about III health at the time but emphasized the fact that the change did not mean his retirement from active business but was only to relieve him of the burden of technical detail which he had carried for many years.
 Rumors that he might re-wed have been frequent since his divorce. One of the names most frequently printed in this connection being that of Mme Ganna WalslSa, Polls opera singer, whose divorce from Alexander Smith Cochran, wealthy New Yorker, was recently announced Mir. Mccormick has repeatedly refused to comment on reports coupling his name with that of Mime. Walska.