All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories

Biographical Bytes from Bala #016

Anna Meister was a Swiss immigrant in the 1850s who declared she was actually the third person of the Christian trinity and changed her name to Jehovah Elimar Mira Mitta.  She had a following for many decades, even years after she died.  Today you will hear the story of this bizarre religious cult from South Philadelphia on Biographical Bytes from Bala: J. Elimar Mira Mitta: A Cult of One’s Own.

All Bones Considered #046, Part 3

Dr. Samuel McClintock Hamill was one of the most prominent pediatricians in the country, but early in his career he had conducted controversial experiments on orphans and abandoned children, some of whom were left with permanently damaged eyesight. 

All Bones Considered #046 - Part 2

Dr. William Henry Pancoast was a famed surgeon who performed the post-mortem examination on the 19th century conjoined twins, Chang and Eng Bunker, the original “Siamese” twins.  The same year he artificially impregnated a woman who had a sterile husband, but without her knowledge or permission.

All Bones Considered #046, Part 1

Dr. George McClellan, father of the famed Civil War Union general, was founder of Thomas Jefferson medical school, but annoyed his colleagues so much he was expelled from the board of the school he had created.

• Dr. George McClellan, father of the famed Civil War Union general, was founder of Thomas Jefferson medical school, but annoyed his colleagues so much he was expelled from the board of the school he had created.

These three physicians are the topics of today’s edition of All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories – Father of American Medicine, Part III – Some Ethical Dilemmas. 

Biographical Bytes from Bala: Laurel Hill West Stories #015 - Pulling Out All the Stops - The Organ Episode

Part 3: Larry Ferrari

Lazarus "Larry" Ferrari was a fixture on Philadelphia's Sunday morning television screens for decades.  Anyone who encountered him had essentially the same thought: "What a nice man!".

Biographical Bytes from Bala: Laurel Hill West Stories #015 - Pulling Out All the Stops - The Organ Episode

Part 2: The Curtis Organ

The story of the Irvine Auditorium is very straightforward, but campus legends have given a certain mystical pique to this Gothic structure, and the organ donated by Cyrus H.K. Curtis has only added to its mystique.  

Biographical Bytes from Bala: Laurel Hill West Stories #015 - Pulling Out All the Stops - The Organ Episode

Part 1: The Wanamaker Organ

The world's largest playable organ is in the Wanamaker Building next to City Hall.  It contains a staggering 28,750 pipes in 464 ranks controlled by 6 manuals.  Free concerts are offered twice daily to any who wish to listen.  

Biographical Bytes from Bala #015

• The Wanamaker Organ is the largest playable musical instrument in the world and sits in Center City Philadelphia; there are several Laurel Hill connections. 

All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories #045: Stogies, Coffin Nails & Spittoons, part 4

Henrietta Garrett married into millions.  Snuff manufacturer Walter Garrett fell in love with Henrietta on first meeting, even though they were from opposite side of the tracks.  The marriage was strong and Walter's death left her a very rich widow.  Years later when Henrietta died, nobody could find her will.  "Long lost relatives" appeared out of nowhere.  It took years to settle the estate.