Joe Wilder, M.D. F.A.C.S.

Joe Wilder was a man for all seasons, an individual who will forever be an inveterate achiever, a man who has made this a better world by setting a high standard for others to follow. The New York Times hailed him as a "Renaissance Man." In this autobiography he encapsulated a half century as a committed doctor highlighting the powerful forces and actions which take place in a major hospital setting. This book combines the compassion of this exceptional and surgeon and his forceful paintings from inside the operating room to paintings of sports and still life paintings representing the beauty of nature. He brings to bear skills perfected as a surgeon, acute powers of observation, knowledge of anatomy, concentration and a delft bold hand. Joe was a "healer" every minute of his life and that is how he wanted to be remembered. He never refused help to anyone regardless of their ability to pay. He saved thousands of lives in the operating room and taught his skills to the thousands of surgeons he trained during his thirty five years as a Chief and Professor of Surgery. He said that he owed much of his success in life to his parents and to his education at Dartmouth where he became an All- American Lacrosse player establishing records that have never been broken. Joe was the all-time highest goal scorer per game against all opponents and in 1987 was inducted into The Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He was awarded many honors in his lifetime including the Markle Award, The Dartmouth College Presidential Medal for Leadership in Art and Science; he was honored as "Man of The Year" at The Yankee Stadium in New York along with Willie Mays and was elected to membership in the Dartmouth College Phi Beta Kappa. Joe Wilder understood what Hippocrates meant when he wrote "Wherever the art of medicine is loved there is also the love of humanity." This ethical statement is in effect the motto that explains the motivation of his surgeon paintings and this autobiography.