William A. Nolen

Who was William A. Nolen?

William A. Nolen, M.D., was a retired surgeon and author who resided in Litchfield, Minnesota. He wrote a syndicated medical advice column that appeared in McCall's magazine for many years, and was the author of several books. He died on December 20, 1986, at the University of Minnesota Medical Center from heart disease.

His best known book is The Making of a Surgeon, which continues to be a popular narrative about his experiences as an intern and resident surgeon-in-training at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. Many students contemplating medical school find that it guides their decision.

He also wrote Surgeon Under the Knife and eight other books.

Nolen conducted research at a 1967 Kathryn Kuhlman fellowship in Philadelphia, with 23 people who claimed to have been cured during her services. Nolen's long term follow-ups concluded there were no cures in those cases. Furthermore, "one woman who was said to have been cured of spinal cancer threw away her brace and ran across the stage at Kuhlman's command; her spine collapsed the next day, according to Nolen, and she died four months later."