100-Year-Old Doctor Still Making Rounds

Georgia Gynecologist Delivered Generations of Babies

By Steve Hartman
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/

Play CBS Video Video 100-Year-Old Baby Doc
Augusta, Ga. resident Dr. Walter Watson is the oldest practicing physician in the country, and he has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. Steve Hartman continues the series, "Assignment America."

Dr. Walter Watson has delivered 10 percent of the babies in Augusta, Georgia. (CBS)

(CBS) Did you hear the one about the 100-year-old gynecologist? Dr. Walter Watson of Augusta, Georgia still sees a few patients every day. Then, he drives himself down the block to University Hospital where he still serves as chairman of his department.

In recent years, Dr. Watson has delegated most of his duties to other doctors, which is good, because I followed him around the hospital for an hour and never saw him directing much of anything.

The staff clearly loves him, and he loves them. But it's the patients who seem to most appreciate Dr. Watson and his tireless, unending devotion to medicine. Between 1944, when Dr. Watson delivered his first baby, and 1995 when he stopped doing obstetrics, Dr. Watson ushered in a small army of satisfied customers.

Today, they're known simply as the "Watson babies." They range in age from 15 to 66 and their ranks are innumerable.

So how many babies has Dr. Watson delivered?

"Somewhere between 15,000 and 18,000," Dr. Watson said.

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  Dr. Walter Watson, 100-years old, has delivered 18,000 babies in Augusta, Georgia. (CBS)

That's nearly 10 percent of the entire Augusta population. Many families have 3 generations of Watson babies.

"We went to a basketball game one night and he looked at the program and said, 'I delivered every one of these kids,'" said his wife Audrey.

Audrey says her husband delivered so many babies he rarely saw his own family of five. But Audrey says Walter told her when they got married she'd always be third in his life - behind God and his patients.

Dr. Watson plans on being around for a little while longer. He's even started taking new patients - three in the past couple of months.

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Black Doctor Arrested Driving To Hospital To Deliver Baby

From: http://www.newschannel5.com/

Dr. Terry Wynn

By Ben Hall
Investigative Reporter

PULASKI, Tenn. - The city of Pulaski has called in an outside law firm to investigate the arrest of a black doctor by a Pulaski police officer.

Police clocked Dr. Terry Wynn's car going 46 in a 30-mile-per-hour zone last Wednesday night. Wynn is an OB/GYN who was on the way to the hospital to deliver a baby.

Pulaski Police Chief John Dickey

She pulled over, and told Pulaski officer Chad Estes she needed to get to the hospital.

Police said she then left the scene and drove less than a mile to the hospital. Officer Estes followed Wynn and arrested her in the hospital parking lot.

"When she took off or sped away, and left him there, that constitutes under Tennessee law, evading arrest in a motor vehicle, which is a felony," said Pulaski Police Chief John Dickey.

The arrest has sparked outrage in Pulaski and even led to a debate online about who was right.

"They didn't look at her as a doctor. They looked at her as a woman of color, and they didn't believe that she was a doctor," said resident Georgia Paige-Peterson. "If they will do that to her I can't imagine what they have done to others."

Immediately after the doctor's arrest, a relative of the woman in labor called the Pulaski police chief and urged him to get the doctor out of jail so she could deliver the baby. Chief Dickey called the jail and had her released before she was officially booked.

"The issue that most concerned me is there was a patient that needed care," said Dickey.

The chief says it's too early to say whether or not his officer did anything wrong. He is waiting for the outside investigation to be finished, but he was adamant that race was not a factor.

"Nothing has surfaced with any of these officers or anybody in this department that we have anything like that going on here," said Dickey.

NewsChannel 5 Investigates discovered this is isn't the first time Officer Estes has been involved in a racially charged arrest. Terra Hollis sued him for violating the civil rights of her 17 year old son.

Trey Hollis

"To me, it says he's out of control," said Hollis.

Video obtained by NewsChannel 5 Investigates from 2008, shows Trey Hollis leaving a crowded McDonalds as police arrived to break up a fight. Trey was not involved in the fight, but officer Estes grab him and push him against a table.

"They slam him on the table," said Hollis. "They throw him out the door. They slam him on the police car."

Hollis is a basketball player on track to graduate this year. Police also arrested Hollis' grandmother and aunt.

"I was told to shut up and go to my car or I would be arrested," said Hollis.

All charges against the family were dropped. The lawsuit claims the arrests were racially motivated, which Chief Dickey denies.

"People have their opinion and their perception of things and I respect people's feelings, but that doesn't mean I agree with them," said Dickey.

He said the TBI investigated, and a grand jury did not indict officer Estes or anyone else.

Terra Hollis believes if Estes had been disciplined after her son's arrest, the latest incident may not have happened.

"I'm very sad it happened because in my mind I think the incident could have been prevented," said Hollis.

Dr. Wynn could still be charged with evading arrest and, at this time, she is not commenting. Everyone is waiting for the outside investigation to be finished.

The baby's family released a statement saying the baby is healthy. The family said the police officers involved in the arrest of Wynn used bad judgment, and they hope the city takes appropriate steps to keep it from happening again.

E-mail: bhall@newschannel5.com

Doctor, 100, still working after delivering 18,000 babies

A doctor who has delivered 18,000 babies over a career spanning more than 60 years is still practising at 100 years old.

By Laura Roberts

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Dr Walter Watson Photo: Barry Bland / Barcroft

Dr Walter Watson, nicknamed "Papa Doc", has been present at the births of generations spanning from grandparents down to grandchildren during his 63 years as an obstetrician.

The doctor from Augusta, Georgia, USA is thought to be the oldest practising medic in the world.

Among his patients is Sabra Allen, 77, who he has treated for 59 years. He has delivered 17 members of her family.

“He delivered all five of my kids and twelve of the grandkids,” said Mrs Allen, a retired hospital administrator.

“There ain’t no one like him, he’s the best.”

Dr. Watson, who still goes to work every day, said: “There is nothing quite as amazing at witnessing the miracle of life.

“Trouble is I remember the births with complications more vividly than the ones that went perfectly. Once you’ve done several thousand they start blending in together.”

Dr. Watson qualified at the brink of the Second World War but served in Korea until 1947.

When the war ended he returned to Georgia, his wife of 65 years Audrey and the practice of medicine.

Dr Watson turned 100 on February 25.

“I get up at 6.45, have my breakfast and get to the hospital by 8.30,” he said.

“I stopped delivering babies when my eyesight got bad but I do my rounds at the nursing stations and operating rooms just like I’ve always done.”

The women’s centre at University Hospital in Augusta, Georgia, bears Dr Watson's name and there is a bronze statue of him holding a newborn baby.

Dr Watson also delivered his colleague at the hospital, Dr Michel McDonough, who is young enough to be his grandson.

Dr. McDonough said: “His work ethic is unsurpassed by anybody.

“He was around before beepers – back then you were either at the hospital, at home or at church.”

Dr. Watson says he has no plans for retirement despite suffering from minor arthritis and diminished eyesight and hearing.

“I love medicine and I love having contact with people," he said.

“It gives me a reason to crawl out of bed in the mornings.”

According to records Dr Watson is the oldest practising doctor.

The previous record holder was Dr. Leila Denmark, also of Georgia, who practised until she turned 102 in 2000.

Cream 'could stop genital herpes'

The cream appears to disable the virus' ability to replicate

US scientists say they have developed a cream which could for the first time prevent someone from becoming infected with genital herpes.

The virus is carried by half a billion people worldwide - the disease can be controlled, but it is hard to stop it spreading to others through sex.

This topical treatment, which has so far been tested only on mice, stops the virus from replicating in a new host.

The research appears in the journal Cell Host and Microbe.

The type-2 herpes simplex virus is sexually transmitted and can cause painful, fluid-filled blisters to develop.

It can also be passed from mother to child during childbirth, putting the infant at risk of brain damage and even death if left untreated.

If we can reproduce these results in people, this could have a powerful impact on preventing transmission Professor Judy Lieberman

The cream, developed at Harvard Medical School, uses a technique called RNA interference, which stops the genes the virus needs to replicate from working properly.

"One of the attractive features of the compound we developed is that it creates in the tissue a state that's resistant to infection, even if applied up to a week before sexual exposure," said Professor Judy Lieberman, who led the research.

"This aspect has a real practicality to it. If we can reproduce these results in people, this could have a powerful impact on preventing transmission."

Gynaecologist Dr Gillian Vanhegan said the cream sounded "very interesting indeed".

"Obviously you would have to know when to use it - but it could definitely be of value to people with a partner who was carrying the virus."

Dr Nathan Sankar, a consultant in genitourinary medicine at the UK's Newcastle General Hospital, said it was an "exciting" development but warned there was still a long way to go.

"It is still at the very early stages. In many ways a vaccine which could be taken and forgotten about would be better, but the cream is definitely promising."

As well as looking into whether the cream can be developed for human use, the team is investigating whether the same principles can be applied to protection against HIV/Aids.