William A. Nolen Explained

William A. Nolen (March 20, 1928 – December 20, 1986) was a surgeon and author who resided in Litchfield, Minnesota. He wrote a syndicated medical advice column that appeared in McCall's magazine for many years, and was the author of several books.^[1] He died on December 20, 1986, at the University of Minnesota Medical Center from heart disease.

Career

Nolen's best known book is The Making of a Surgeon, which continues to be a popular (though now dated) narrative about his experiences as an intern and resident surgeon-in-training at Bellevue Hospital in New York City.^[2] Many students contemplating medical school find that it guides their decision.

Nolen conducted research at a 1967 Kathryn Kuhlman fellowship in Philadelphia, with 23 people who claimed to have been cured during her services.^{[3] [4] [5] [6]} Nolen's long term follow-ups concluded there were no cures in those cases.^{[7] [8]} Furthermore, "one woman who was said to have been cured of spinal cancer threw away her brace and ran across the stage at Kuhlman's command; her spine collapsed the next day, according to Nolen, and she died four months later."^[9]

Nolen is also known for his book Healing: A Doctor in Search of a Miracle (1974). He spent two years examining faith healers and concluded that no patients with organic disease had been cured.^[10] He investigated psychic surgery and discovered it was based on sleight of hand trickery.^[11] He uncovered many cases of fraud.^[12]

Publications

• The Making of a Surgeon. Mid List Press (1970, 1990)
• A Surgeon's World. New York: Random House (1972)
• Healing: A Doctor in Search of a Miracle. New York: Random House (1974)
• Surgeon Under the Knife. Book World Promotions (1976)

External links

• William Nolen Biography from Mid List Press

Notes and References

1. News: Dr. William Nolen, 58, Dead; Author of Books on Medicine . . . Dec 23, 1986 . 2007-11-12 . subscription.
2. News: William Nolen Dies; Wrote 'Making of a Surgeon' . . Dec 23, 1986 . Burt A.. Folkart. 2007-11-12.
3. News: Psychic Healing? Investigator declares no . . Aug 16, 1975 . 2007-11-12. Also see: William Nolen, Healing: A Doctor in Search of a Miracle. New York: Random House
4. News: Dr Nolen Looks at Faith Healing . . Mar 7, 1975 . 2007-11-12.
5. News: Men of medicine and a medicine man . . February 2, 1975 . Michael . Michaelson . 2007-11-12.
6. News: Extra-Dispensary Perceptions . https://web.archive.org/web/20090114084338/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,913003,00.html . dead . January 14, 2009 . . Mar 17, 1975 . 2007-11-12.
7. News: Inside Religion: Kuhlman Tested By md's Probe . . Nov 8, 1975 . 2007-11-12.
8. News: A follow-up study of 23 patients 'cured' in a Kathryn Kuhlman service . . Nov 2, 1974 . 2007-11-12.
9. Book: Randi, James . James Randi . 1989 . . Prometheus Books . 0-87975-535-0 . 228.
10. [Ray Hyman|Hyman, Ray]
11. Neher, Andrew. (2011). Paranormal and Transcendental Experience: A Psychological Examination. Dover Publications. pp. 170-171.
12. Williams, William F. (2000). Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience: From Alien Abductions to Zone Therapy. Facts on File Inc. p. 287. "Minnesota physician William A. Nolen researched faith healing in general and wrote Healing: A Doctor in Search of a Miracle (1974), a book that uncovers many cases of fraud, including the first exposure in the United States of psychic surgery."