Walter Dishell
| Walter Dishell, M.D. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Walter David Dischell July 16, 1939 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation | Otolaryngologist, Medical consultant, TV screenwriter |
| Years active | 1966-present |
| Known for |
Writer/Medical-Technical advisor for such TV series as: Medical Center Trapper John, M.D. M*A*S*H Knots Landing |
Walter Dishell, M.D. (born Walter David Dishell on July 16, 1939[1] in Detroit, Michigan) is an Otolaryngologist - Head and Neck Surgeon (or ENT - ear, nose, and throat specialist) who served as a medical consultant on several long-running TV shows, including M*A*S*H, Medical Center, Trapper John, M.D., and Knots Landing.[2][3][4]
Career
Dishell, who is subspecialized in facial cosmetic surgery, first began using his medical background in entertainment when, soon after he completed his residency in plastic surgery at UCLA, CBS asked him to be a medical adviser for the show Medical Center in the 1960s. Like many other similar shows, Medical Center focused on physician-patient relationships instead of the actual medicine itself. Dishell said that "the disease itself didn't matter... [CBS] would give me a dramatic story and then I would build the medicine around it.”[3]
One challenge Dishell faced as a medical consultant for M*A*S*H was always making sure that the medicine Alan Alda and his fellow actors and actresses practiced was not too advanced. Dishell consulted medical textbooks from the 1950s and professional publications like the Journal of War Surgery to ensure the show’s historical accuracy.[3]
Dishell was also the medical reporter for NBC News from 1983–1985, and frequently appeared on ABC's A.M. Los Angeles as a medical consultant. In 1986, he established the Aesthetic Surgery Associates of Encino, California.[4]
References
- ↑ Video: Walter Dishell, MD - Archive of American Television Interview (FULL, from 2003) on YouTube
- ↑ "Walter Dishell at the Internet Movie Database". Retrieved 23 Jan 2011.
- 1 2 3 "The Emergency Medicine Delivered by Hawkeye and Hot Lips Was Always the Best—and Walter Dishell Was There on the TV Battlefield to Make Sure of It". Retrieved 23 Jan 2011.
- 1 2 "About ASAE". Retrieved 23 Jan 2011.