TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | m a y 7, 2 0 1 4 5 Building a City of Medicine: The History of the Texas Medical Center B y A l e x O r l a n d o If one inquires into the history of the texas Medical center, one deals with individuals; their thoughts, their actions and the substance of the human character. — n. don Macon "mr. John h. freeman and friends: a story of the texas medical center and how it began" Hermann Hospital opened to the public and admitted its first patient in 1925. They would later become a member institution of the Texas Medical Center. (Credit: John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center at the Texas Medical Center Library) A t the turn of the 20th century, Monroe D. Anderson, a banker and cotton trader from Jackson, Tennessee, along with his brother and brother-in-law, founded a successful cotton merchandising firm called Anderson, Clayton and Co. The profits they generated continue to benefit the community to this day, thanks to the massive endowment created by Anderson for "the betterment and welfare of mankind." Although he was not born in Houston, Anderson's love for the city was fostered when he was a young man. In 1907, after leaving his hometown to capitalize on Houston's growth as a financial center, Anderson quickly realized the city's tremendous potential. "Mr. Anderson had a wide acquain- tance among Houston people, but he was reticent and had the appearance of being shy," said Colonel W. B. Bates, one of Anderson's close friends and attorneys. "Only a few people knew him intimately. Those who did admired and loved him." In conjunction with Bates and John H. Freeman, Anderson created the MD Anderson Foundation in 1936 to keep his business partnership, Anderson, Clayton and Co., from dissolving due to estate taxes in the event of his death. Anderson exercised caution in his management of money and property, a likely result of the aftermath of the Civil War and the financial toll of Reconstruction. It was only fitting, then, that the trustees of his estate would be deliberate in their allocation of his fortune, to be used "[for] the establish- ment, support, and maintenance of hospitals… the promotion of health, sci- ence, education, and the advancement and diffusion of knowledge." Upon Anderson's death, the foun- dation, as the principal beneficiary of his estate, received over $19,000,000 in funding. It was the largest charita- ble foundation ever created in Texas. Although Anderson became ill and died before he could formalize any specific plans for the funds, he met regularly with Bates and Freeman to discuss his ideas. "He came by the office almost every morning to talk things over," recalled Freeman. It was Bates and Freeman who determined how to best fulfill Anderson's wishes. They sought a project that would bring the greatest good to the greatest number of people. They named Horace M. Wilkins, president of the State National Bank, as a third trustee. Knowledgeable in law, finance, and Houston's rich history, Freeman, Bates and Wilkins started to develop a plan that would realize Anderson's dream, and one day lead to the creation of the Texas Medical Center. Ernst W. Bertner, M.D., a native Texan who graduated from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 1911, was instrumental in the development of the Texas Medical Center. For many years, Bertner traveled across the United States and throughout Europe to study and analyze the great medical centers of the world. Dreaming of a modern "City of Medicine," a contemporary reimagining of those described in Greek mythology as the domain of Asclepius, Bertner keenly saw the advantages of bringing together all aspects of medical education and patient care in one physical location. Bertner, along with Frederick C. Elliot, M.D., dean of the then unaffili- ated Texas Dental College of Houston, were key figures in sparking the Anderson trustees' interest in medi- cal institutions. They encouraged the public's interest in bringing a medical school to Houston, which could be used as a focal point to form a great medical complex of research and healing institutions. On June 30th, 1941, two years after Anderson's death, a single legislative decision gave these ambitions a solid foundation upon which to build: Texas Governor Lee O'Daniel signed House Bill 268, which authorized a state cancer research hospital and appropriated $500,000 towards its construction. State Representative Arthur Cato drafted the bill out of a personal interest in cancer research. His wife's parents and his own father had died from cancer. The Anderson trustees recog- nized the value of House Bill 268, contacting Homer Rainey, M.D., the president of the University of Texas at Austin, almost immediately. A series of informal conversations followed, including several on the back porch of Bates' home. These conferences led to the announcement on March 27th, 1942, that the new cancer research hospital would be located in Houston. In late September, the Board of Regents formally announced that they would name the hospital The M.D. Anderson Hospital for Cancer Research of the University of Texas. "We believe Houston, more than any other city in this part of the world, offers the best opportunity for a medi- cal center," said Rainey. (continued page 8)

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