Major General Paul H. Streit, the first military otolaryngologist

Military Medicine, Apr 2002 by Mair, Eric

So often in American history, great people have risen from humble origins. This can certainly be said of the late MG Paul H. Streit (1891-1976) (Fig. 1). Streit's story starts much like that of most Americans, near the turn of the last century. He was the second son of first-generation Swiss-German immigrants. He grew up in a community transplanted from the heart of Prussia to rural Texas. Founded in 1849, the "Berlin Community" just outside of Brenham, Washington County, Texas, was considered home to Streit until he left for college. It was a friendly, God-fearing community. German was the primary language, yet most learned English in deference to their new nationality. The Methodist religion was the lifeblood and common thread that maintained the fabric of this community. The simplicity and sanctity of this small Berlin Community made it an ideal setting for another act of the drama called the American Dream. With a continuously growing cast of millions, the American Dream has been in performance nationwide since the dawn of this beloved country. This article briefly chronicles the life and times of one such cast member, MG Paul Henry Streit, the military's first board-certified otolaryngologist. Exploration of the life of this great officer, the father of military otolaryngology, provides roots and perspective for our latest generation of military otolaryngologists.

In 1883, at 27 years of age, John (Hansli) Streit, Paul Streit's father, sailed from his home in Switzerland to Canal Dover, Ohio. Several family friends had made the voyage previously, and John was eager to see the New World. As a child, John had been a strong academician and favored thoughtful endeavors over laborious ones, a quality not well admired by his farming family. His mindful pursuits had led to his completion of high school, a scholarly accomplishment at the time. After graduation from high school, John attended the Teacher's College at Bern, Switzerland. After living in Ohio for several years employed as a schoolmaster and estate manager, John followed the advice of a friend and migrated south to attend a new school for Methodist ministers (Blinn Memorial College) established in a remote Berlin Community outside of Brenham, Texas. Schooling was a heavy financial burden, but John's attendance was made possible by the generosity of the Weiss family. As a boarder of the Weiss family, John met Loise Weiss. The two were married, and at the completion of his training, John and Loise began the journeyman's life required of the Methodist clergy. They would have three children: August John, Paul Henry, and Selma Augusta. Paul H. Streit, their middle child, was born on March 18, 1891, in Seguin, Texas.

As was the custom of the church, John and Loise moved from congregation to congregation every 1 to 2 years. This mobile upbringing exposed the young Streit family to several towns and cities across the South. Paul Streit would later acknowledge that the most memorable of these was New Orleans. Then a seedy port town, New Orleans was known for its lack of moral vigilance. Filth and sewage ran free in the streets, and diseases endemic to tropical climates were in abundance, not to mention the ubiquity of venereal disease. Judging from his future character, the luridness of this town obviously had no impact on the life of the then 8-year-old Paul Streit. New Orleans was important to Streit because it was the site of his first contact with medicine and the military.

While in New Orleans, his older brother August contracted a nearly fatal course of typhoid fever. The saving grace for his brother was his father's medical intervention. Against the advice of the local quack doctor, John Streit followed the suggestions of an available medical text and administered a series of enemas, which broke the boy's fever and marked the beginning of his convalescence. Soon after this ordeal, the rest of the family would know the scourge of tropical residence: yellow fever. The disease for which MAJ Walter Reed earned his acclaim claimed the Streit family as victims. During the course of his disease, Paul Streit would learn the most valuable lesson any physician could learn. He learned what it meant to be seriously ill. The family all recovered fully, but Paul Streit would never forget the valuable lesson he had been taught as a young child afflicted with yellow fever.

After his introduction to the world of medicine and disease, Paul Streit witnessed the most awesome sight of his youth. The battleship USS Maine was docked in New Orleans, and the Streit family attended a public review. The precision and professionalism of the crew of the Maine stunned the young boy and emblazoned an idealization of the military that would persist his whole life.

After a few more years of traveling, the family finally returned to their Texas homeland for good. August John Streit, Paul Streit's older brother, had always been viewed as the more intelligent and socially gifted of the two sons. August was very much his father's son. He matriculated at the University of Texas at Austin in 1907. In recognition of his scholastic aptitude, August was accepted into the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston after only one semester of undergraduate work. Upon graduating, August went on to a successful career at the Buie Clinic in Marlin, Texas. He concentrated his practice on the medical care of the eye, ear, nose, and throat. It was August's advice that led Paul Streit down the professional path to otolaryngology.