The Arts Of Medicine

Consulting Physician

Former Detroiter Walter Dishell is the doctor
behind the medical accuracy of TV shows like
"M*A*S*H" and "Trapper John, MD."

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F

acial plastic surgeon Walter
Dishell, an early planner of
the University of Michigan
Medical School sesquicen-
tennial celebration, has devoted part of
his career to putting a good public face
on his profession.
While maintaining a private practice,

Center and asked about the medical con-
sultant. I did M*A*S*H for its full 11
years and was intimately involved with
every script. When Medical Center went
off the air, the producers did Trapper
John, so I did that, too."
Dishell describes his script work as fig-
uring out what disease would go with a
show that was otherwise written, wherein
he could address a health issue or deal
with a specific disease.

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"The show that gave
Left: Dr. Walter
Dishell carved a special
me the greatest pleasure
Dishell, left, as a
niche as a medical adviser
had to do with a patient
medical consultant on
for TV shows and feature
in my practice," says
the set of "M*A*S*H*
films as well as health
Dishell. "She was a
with actor Alan Alda.
reporter for the NBC
teacher in Los Angeles
affiliate in Los Angeles.
Right: Dishell,
and had cancer of the
Dishell's series credits
center; on the set
parotid gland. I had to
include Medical Center
of "M*A*S*H* with
cut a nerve in order to
with Chad Everett,
actors David Ogden
get the tumor our and
M*A*S*H with Alan Al da
Stiers, front, and
reconstruct that nerve, so
and Ti-tipper John, M.D.
Jamie Farr, right.
she
had a partial paralysis
with Pernell Roberts and
on
one
side of her face.
Gregory Harrison. His
"The
L.A. schools
film assignments include
would
not
renew
her
contract
because of
For the Boys starring Bette Midler.
the cancer, and I took this to Medical
One job led to another for this
Center. They did a show about the prob-
Mumford High School graduate and
lem, and a legislator in Sacramento saw it
former youth cantor at Congregation
and sponsored a bill that made it illegal
Shaarev Zedek.
to discriminate against cancer patients
"My wife, Marilyn, was working for
employed
in California."
an interior design firm when her boss'
Dishell,
a former president of the
husband was developing a television
University of Michigan Medical
show about university medical center
Center Alumni Society, went to great
doctors," recalls Dishell, 61, about the
lengths to achieve accuracy for the
start of his media career. "I was chief
shows he served and ultimately was
resident at the University of California
part of writing the scripts.
at Los Angeles then, and he asked me
"For M*A*S*H, I'd look through the
to do the pilot for Medical Center.
Journal
of War Surgery, the military
"After the show got picked up and was
journals
and a medical textbook from
running on CBS, the producer of
1959
because
all of the medicine had
of
Medical
called
the
producer
M*A'"S*H