William Stewart Halsted: Letters to a young female admirer

Objective To present the first new information in the past 25 years concern ing the life of Dr. William Stewart Halsted. This paper reports on recently discovered personal correspondence of Dr. Halsted, beginning at age 66, to a young lady, Elizabeth Blanchard Randall, 40 years his junior, Summary Background Data Dr. William Stewart Halsted is generally considered the most important and influential surgeon that this country has produced. During his Hopkins days in Baltimore (1886-1922) he was rather reclusive, and little is known of his personal life. He was married but had no childre n. Several biographies written by Halsted's contemporaries constitute the b ulk of what is known about Halsted's personal life. Methods All extant letters from Dr. Halsted to Miss Randall were reviewed. Archival materials were consulted to understand the context for this friend ship. The correspondence between Halsted and Randall took place during a 3- year period, although their acquaintance was probably long-standing. Results The letters reveal Dr. Halsted and Miss Randall's great and warm af fection for each other, despite their 40-year age difference. The letters h ave a playful nature absent in Halsted's other correspondence. This relatio nship has not been previously noted. Conclusions Late in Halsted's life, he developed a warm and affectionate re lationship with a young lady 40 years his junior, as revealed in Halsted's correspondence. Halsted's warm, personal, and playful letters are in stark contrast to his biographers' portrayals of him as a more serious and reclus ive person.