Inside the Mayo Clinic: A Memoir (Hardcover)

by John T. Shepherd (Author), Walter F. Mondale (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Inside the Mayo Clinic is John Shepherd’s fascinating tale of an Irish academic who tested the rules in boarding school, stood watch as a medical student against German bombers in Belfast, and, inspired by The Doctors Mayo, set sail for the United States to work at the famed clinic as a Fulbright scholar on sabbatical from Queen’s University. Three years later, Shepherd moved his family to Rochester, Minnesota, to begin his career as a researcher at the renowned medical practice.

Nearly half a century later, this son and grandson of Presbyterian ministers weaves generous doses of Celtic humor into his historical account of Mayo’s evolution from simple frontier practice to cutting-edge clinic. From his perspective—as researcher, medical school dean, and esteemed member of the clinic’s boards of governors, trustees, and development—Shepherd relates unique insights about explosive growth at Mayo during the past five decades. Recounting the dramatic changes he has not only witnessed firsthand but also helped bring about, he remarks on the colorful cast of colleagues and characters—from royalty to presidents to corporate moguls—with whom he met and worked at what is, arguably, the world’s best-known medical institution.

About the Author
JOHN T. SHEPHERD is an internationally recognized authority on cardiovascular disease whose distinguished career spanned forty-four years at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. During those years, Shepherd also served as president of the American Heart Association, medical delegate to the Soviet Union, fraud investigator for the National Institutes of Health, even as a researcher with NASA. As an emeritus staff member at Mayo, Shepherd chairs the clinic’s Committee on the Application of Gene Therapy. He and his wife, Marion Etzwiler Shepherd, live in the Twin Cities and Rochester.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Afton Historical Society Press (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890434612
• ISBN-13: 978-1890434618
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,199,973 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific book! Must be on your book shelf !, March 12, 2004

A Kid's Review

Everyone has heard of the famous Mayo Clinic, but do you want the inside story? Dr. John T. Shepherd has had the unique experience of participating in making the descisons that have affected the course that the Mayo Clinic has taken. He tells of his experiences at N.A.S.A. Where he went to school and why he choose to do reaseach at Mayo. A must read book. Comes highly recomended.

5.0 out of 5 stars A most enjoyable autobiographical reminiscence, March 7, 2004

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Inside The Mayo Clinic: A Memoir is an insightful remembrance of Dr. John T. Shepherd, an Irish-American immigrant whose varied life eventually saw the Mayo clinic grow from a simple frontier practice to a top-of-the-line medical research and treatment clinic over the course of five tumultuous decades. Dr. Shepherd's tenure as researcher, medical school dean, board member, and trustee offered him a unique and authoritative inside view of the daily problems and triumphs of this famous American medical institution. A most enjoyable autobiographical reminiscence, Inside The Mayo Clinic is engagingly narrated and laced with throughout with Dr. Shepherd's wry Celtic humor.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating inside story, February 22, 2004

By A Customer

If you have any association with the Mayo Clinic, you will be captivated by this "inside" story. During his long tenure there, John Shepherd interacted with all areas of the Mayo Clinic. He tells wonderful, and often humorous, stories from the development of the anti-gravity suit for flyers during WWII to tales about physicians and Board members, all based on his personal experiences.