Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Summer 2017 - 18

a salute to those who served to save lives
continued from page 17
At one point, Dr. Jimerson and his company crossed the
Belgium-German border into Aachen, Germany. "There was almost
complete destruction of the city. We were billeted in one of the
remaining houses, where we found many books about Hitler and
his activities. We found an underground hospital, and I liberated
a few surgical instruments and two primitive tubular stethoscopes.
As we drove through the country we passed the famous Maginot
Line. In the fields were many destroyed tanks, cannons, and military
vehicles, and many dead farm animals. In the forests the trees looked
like telephone poles, with their leaves and limbs shot off. We stayed
a few days in Cologne, where two huge bridges were destroyed
and lying in the Rhine River. The famous Cathedral of Cologne
was pockmarked from gunfire. There were many snipers in the
buildings."

his position in 1781 at age 72, when the hospital was closed by
the Army command. Following the war, Otto returned to practice
in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Then, in 1785, he returned to his
son, John, and to a practice in Reading, where he died in 1787.
He is buried at Trinity Lutheran Church, where he was an honored
member. His other son, Bodo, Jr., a Colonel of New Jersey troops,
died of consumption, contracted while he was in the Army.

Immediately after V.E. Day, Dr. Jimerson was placed in charge
of medical care at a large camp for displaced persons near Aachen.
In the camp were 9,000 residents, 7,000 Russians, 2,000 Poles,
and 1,000 homeless persons from other countries in Europe. A
Russian nurse was treating all her patients using cupping. "A small
detachment from our famous Pennsylvania 28th Division - known
by the German soldiers as the 'Bloody Bucket' and recognized by the
Pennsylvania emblem on the front of their helmets - were known
for their fierce fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. These soldiers
protected us and they regularly inspected the displaced persons
living in quarters to get rid of hidden guns in order to decrease the
shootings and riots."
For his battle service, Dr. Jimerson was awarded two Bronze
Star Medals. Thanks to the efforts of Pennsylvania Representative
Mark Gillen, Dr. Jimerson's wartime service was recognized again
very recently, on the House floor, in conjunction with Rep. Gillen's
Resolution #323 recognizing all the medical professionals who serve
our country.

Harry Ramsey, MD

Around 1772, Berks County welcomed its fourth and most
renowned doctor, Bodo Otto. He was born in 1709 in the Kingdom
of Hanover, Germany, to a distinguished family in the service of
Privy Counselor Baron Bodo von Oberg (who was both young
Bodo's namesake and godfather). His education in surgery was
received at the University of Gottingen, where he also studied
anatomy, physiology, botany, and physics. He served as a physician
in German military hospitals before coming to America in 1755.
Like many of the immigrants from his country, Otto settled in
Germantown, where he gained recognition for his medical and
surgical skills. After nearly 20 years of medical experience, Bodo
Otto relocated to Reading in the 1772-73 period, where he took
over Dr. Kuhn's Apothecary, which had been in Reading since 1753.

Capt. Harry Ramsey served as Battalion Surgeon for the 31st
Combat Engineers in support of the 1st Air Cavalry in Phouc
Vinh, Republic of Vietnam, from February 1970 to February 1971.
Doc was known as "The Wizard of Gauze" (see above picture with
his Jeep) during his service. He ran the battalion aid station and
commanded approximately 40 medics providing medical care for
our military personnel and South Vietnamese troops. In addition,
he was responsible for monitoring and providing potable drinking
water stations for the troops. When time allowed, he and his
medics provided care for local Vietnamese civilians through the
military MedCap (Medical Civic Action Program), which was a
good will program initiated by the US military to "win the hearts
and minds" of the local people and provide humanitarian assistance
to the beleaguered nation caught in the conflict. A favorite site for
Capt. Ramsey and his medics was the Catholic orphanage in Phouc
Vinh. During his year in RVN, Capt. Ramsey had the benefit of
treating numerous illnesses he had never seen before nor would ever
see again in the USA.

At Reading, Otto joined with Dr. Potts in the organization of
Revolutionary forces. Although America was his adopted country,
and he was nearly 70 years old, he volunteered his services to
General Washington. Otto and his two sons, John A. and Bodo, Jr.,
both doctors, served at Valley Forge, in charge of the field hospital at
Yellow Springs during the terrible winter of 1777-78. Otto resigned

For his service he was awarded the Bronze Star. Upon returning
to the U.S. he was assigned to Aberdeen Proving Ground in
Maryland before resuming his formal medical training at the
Reading Hospital and Medical Center and later Hahnemann
University. Upon finishing his training, Dr. Ramsey returned to the
Berks County area as a Hematology/Oncology specialist.

Bodo Otto, MD

18

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Summer 2017
