DR. OSCAR LEE ASHBY TORBETT

My brother Dr. Oscar Torbett was born January 17,1876, in the old log house which was built a short time before we moved to the new farm which my father had bought. When he grew up, Dr. Oscar was rather small, weighing about 145 pounds, and resembled our mother's people. He was very quiet and modest, never pushing himself forward.

Oscar was always dependable, honest and friendly, and made good grades in school, but he was a boy. He liked to sit around and watch the chickens and the barn- yard animals. He enjoyed hunting, and with an old shotgun which was longer than he was himself, he would kill rabbits and other small game. Sometimes he would have Mother worried because he came in late. He needed always to be appreciated and encouraged, and he seemed somewhat late in reaching maturity.

In September, 1891, he entered Centenary College, and later received his certificate and taught school at several places. After I came to Marlin and established the Bethesda Bath House and Infirmary, Oscar also came to Marlin, arriving here in 1902, and for a time was employed in the Martin Drug Store. He bought an interest in it later on; then went to Atlanta, Georgia, where he spent two years studying pharmacy. After graduating in pharmacy, he came back to Marlin and ran the drugstore, but his ambition was to become a doctor. So he went back to Atlanta and completed his course in medicine, graduating with honors in 1908. During his last year he taught college pharmacy.

Dr. Oscar Torbett returned to Marlin. He became a member of our staff. Later he trained as an Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist, doing many operations. He was especially successful in testing eyes for wearing glasses. He was always careful and painstaking in his work, kind to his patients, and very strict in his habits. Finally he took post graduate work in New York and in New Orleans.

Many patients returning here for treatments still speak with appreciation of the services he gave them years ago when they came to Marlin. His heart was always in his work, and he was absolutely dependable. He was a part of the institution, and of my own life, for the twenty-seven years that he served on our staff as a physician.

Oscar always liked to go back to the old home, and he did so one hot Sunday afternoon, September 3, 1935. He had a slight irritation in the form of Athlete's Foot, and when he returned the irritation spread and became an active infection. He developed a fever the next night and went to his home. I went out there to see him, and found he already had touched up the place with nitrate of silver and thought he would be all right.

Next morning, he still had fever, and I sent Miss Sontag, our laboratory technician, to get a blood count. When she returned, she found with horror that his blood had only 900 leucocytes and no granulocytes whatever. Otherwise the blood was perfectly normal. The technician recognized the seriousness of his case, and we brought him to the hospital. Just before he came, however, he had a chill, and his temperature ran up to nearly 105.

For several months my brother had been taking Amidopyrine tablets for a dull aching in his muscles-probably a dozen tablets a week. He never thought, of course, of the danger involved. He lived until September 13th, and then passed away in spite of all treatments, transfusions, and other emergency measures.

Dr. Roy R. Kracke of Atlanta, Georgia, where we both graduated, said that he had known of cases where the use of Amidopyrine had caused Agranulocytosis. In the old country-I think it was in Sweden-because of the frequent cases of Agranulocytosis caused by Amidopyrine, a law was passed against the sale of this dangerous drug without a physician's prescription.

My brother Oscar was married to Miss Emma Schneider of Giddings, a very practical and sensible young lady who was a great help and inspiration to him. They had two children: Oscar Lee, an aviator in the service, who is now married and has a fine boy, and Joy Audine, a lovely daughter who is married and has a beautiful girl baby.

Note: Oscar Lee Ashby Torbett was son of John Cornelius 1840 - 1919 & Mary Elizabeth 1846 - 1929 Torbett. kc