Arthur Steindler
It’s been more than 50 years since Arthur Steindler’s death, but his fingerprints remain all over Iowa City.
There’s an orthopedic clinic on the north edge of the city that bears his name. Across the Iowa River, Steindler was instrumental in the development of the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, which was later named in his honor.
Steindler was born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Austria. He learned seven languages, wrote nine books and expressed an interest in pursuing a career in music until he followed the advice of his father, a lawyer, who suggested Arthur should get into medicine. He went to medical school at the University of Vienna, graduated in 1902 and moved to Chicago in 1907 to take an assistant position at the Home for Crippled Children.
Steindler moved to Iowa three years later to take a position in Des Moines as the professor of orthopedic surgery at the Drake Medical School. During his time in Des Moines, he formed friendships with state government officials, who facilitated Steindler’s later efforts to promote the development of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, including the Children’s Hospital.
Steindler joined the faculty at UI in 1912 and began traveling to Iowa City by train at least once a week to hold orthopedic clinics and instruct in orthopedic surgery at UIHC. He moved to Iowa City in 1915 to become the first professor of orthopedic surgery at UI.
Steindler also helped organize the hospital car and ambulance service. When he retired from UI in 1949, records showed he saw more than 70,000 patients.