Background
Albert G. Walter was born in Germany on June 21, 1811.
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Albert Walter
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He received the degree of doctor of medicine from K"nigsberg University, and then took a year's graduate work in Berlin.
Career
He was the pupil and assistant of the celebrated Johann Friedrich Dieffenbach, who suggested that he emigrate to America. The ship which carried him was wrecked off the coast of Norway and he lost all his belongings. Making his way to London, he worked for a year to earn sufficient money to continue his passage to America. Meanwhile, he pursued his studies and made the acquaintance of the distinguished English surgeon Sir Astley Cooper, who always remained his firm friend. Upon reaching the United States, he went to Nashville, Tenn. , where he remained two years and then, in 1837, removed to Pittsburgh, in which city he lived until his death. His chief claim to distinction is based on his performance of an epoch-making laparotomy for the relief of ruptured bladder, January 12, 1859, the patient making a good recovery. A partial bibliography of his writings records more than forty, the most of which were articles which appeared in various periodicals. Particular mention should be made, however, of his Conservative Surgery in Its General and Successful Adaptation in Cases of Severe Traumatic Injuries of the Limbs (1867). He was impressed with the work of Lister and early practised antisepsis, although he argued against the value of carbolic acid and with great enthusiasm set forth the value of pure air. This, he said, "is not only harmless but priceless to man and to the rest of creation whether in a healthy or an afflicted condition. Poison mingled with the air and not pure air is the enemy the surgeon has to contend with and the only method of averting injurious effects is the prompt removal of the patient to a place free from all contaminating influences" (Conservative Surgery).
Achievements
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Walter's versatility as a surgeon is revealed by the fact that he was one of the earliest American pioneers in the field of orthopedic surgery, a skilled oculist, and a most resourceful general surgeon. He is reputed to have cut more tendons in one patient than had any other surgeon; his fame as an accident surgeon, also, was nationwide.
Personality
His faults were open and glaring: he was intolerant, greatly lacking in consideration for his colleagues, and highly egotistical. On the other hand he was a man of remarkable talent and marvelous industry. He was fond of animals and was the first president, 1874, of the Humane Society of Pittsburgh. It was his love of surgery and his ability to do it well, combined with his driving energy, that made him impatient, blinded him to the rights of his colleagues, and led him to fail to conform to professional etiquette. His criticisms were generally well founded, for surgery in Walter's day was for the most part badly done; but unfortunately they were not tactfully expressed. Had he possessed leadership with tact he might have had the profession solidly behind him, for he is easily the outstanding figure in the medical annals of Pittsburgh, and holds an important place in the surgical history of the United States.
Connections
In 1846 he married Frances Anne Butler, daughter of Maj. John J. Butler and niece of Dr. Joseph Gazzam, a well-known local practitioner. He left a son and daughter.
