Evarts G. Loomis papers

Regarded as "the father of holistic medicine" Evarts G. Loomis, MD, is an internationally known homeopathic physician, surgeon, author, lecturer. It was at Haverford that Evarts made a major career shift. While a third-year biology major, he happened to pick up a pamphlet about the career of Albert Schweitzer, whose life was dedicated to ameliorating the suffering of natives who had no access to skilled medical care. Evarts was taken by his concepts of "welt-anschauung" (world view) and "reverence for life." That night, he picked up a phone and informed his parents that he was shifting to pre-med. World War II served as a surgeon with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Association in Algeria. Bored by a lack of surgical cases, he requested and was assigned by the Friends Ambulance Unit (Quaker) to the bombed-out city of Tenchung, China. There, in a converted ancestor worship temple, he directed a hospital and clinic and, along with an international medical team, treated civilians, as well as Chinese and American military personnel. They eventually purchased Meadowlark, a property once owned by movie magnate Louis B. Mayer. In 1958, America's first holistic medical live-in retreat welcomed its first guest. The following year, Evarts inaugurated a series of three groundbreaking inter-professional conferences to explore the nature of the healing process. In 1973 he inaugurated a preceptorship program for medical students. As executive director of Meadowlark, Evarts and his staff treated more than 6,000 guests before finishing his pioneering work in 1991. The overall program had considerable success in treating arthritis, cancer, and other chronic illnesses.