by Pete Zizka
11-25-2023
In July, 1912, after spending three months in the Isolation Hospital, the City’s Health Director Doctor Keating submitted a bill for $4469.96 for his services. It had not been paid as of the end of August. Local citizens and the newspapers took up the cause since people could not understand why the man who had to “bear the brunt of the work” had not been compensated. One newspaper article said that no other physician would have done that job “for any figure” and that what Doctor Keating requested was “little enough for an expert on smallpox”. The doctor who had replaced Doctor Keating as the city health officer for the duration had received not only a salary but an extra $600. On October 11, 1912, Doctor Keating and was finally paid $3,500. In 1914, Doctor Keating married Elsie W. Greene of Mattawan, New York. The wedding took place at Saint Joseph’s Church and the officiant was Doctor Keating’s brother, Father Paul F. Keating of New London. The new Mrs. Keating was a nurse and had practiced at Doctor Mason’s hospital. In 1903, Keating had been commissioned a First Lieutenant in the CT National Guard and had served in Nogales, AR during the Mexican Border the war and was then transferred to the Army Reserve. While there, he was credited with saving the life of a soldier who had been struck by lightning and given up for dead. Doctor Keating had worked over the man for almost five hours. In 1917, Doctor Keating was sent to France with the 102nd Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division, and was appointed as battalion surgeon. He served in the front line trenches and was then transferred to the 148th Field Artillery as medical instructor. He was wounded and gassed at Chateau-Thierry and was transferred to Bordeaux as sanitary officer. In 1918, the Spanish Flu pandemic was raging. Some thought that it had originated at the Fort Riley Army base in Kansas since one of the first recorded cases was at the base. Overcrowding and unsanitary conditions had created a fertile breeding ground for the virus. Within one week, 522 men had been admitted to the camp hospital suffering from the same severe influenza. Doctor Keating had to deal day and night with the epidemic among the 2600 soldiers in France. At the same time, his wife, being a nurse, was appointed to take care of Spanish Flu victims at the Armory in Willimantic from October 2-17, 1918. Doctor Keating also commanded a German prisoner’s camp for four months and was promoted to Captain. He returned to Willimantic in July, 1919. Upon his return, Doctor Keating continued his military service in the Connecticut National Guard, resumed his medical practice as well as his duties as Willimantic’s Health Officer and School Physician. Almost immediately upon his return, Doctor Keating had been appointed not only as Town Health Officer but also the physician overseeing the town’s public schools and he soon began regular school inspections. In 1921, he was kept busy with the measles epidemic that was spreading throughout the state and in local schools and during the next four years had to deal with outbreaks of smallpox, diphtheria and scarlet fever. He made regular reports to the town such as one monthly report in which he said that he had examined 600 children during which he had found “defects” such as tonsils and adenoids which affected 201 students, 39 with “bad teeth” and 9 with “valvular diseases of the heart”. He remained in the position of Health Officer through 1927. Doctor Keating also maintained a private medical practice. He had been appointed Chief Medical Examiner by an insurance company and held daily hours at his Willimantic office. He also assisted in operations with other doctors and with tooth extractions by dentists by administering ether. And, of course, he also delivered babies, which, at that time he referred to in diaries as “confinement cases”. Throughout the years, Doctor Keating maintained his close ties with military organizations. He was appointed physician at the Noroton Soldiers Hospital and served there for several years. He was instrumental in setting up Post #19 of the American Legion in Willimantic and was elected Chairman, the first permanent Officer of the Camp. In July 1920, he was appointed Member of Executive Board of Dept of American Legion.and in January 1921, was elected as Commander of the Yankee Infantry Division Veterans Association. Doctor Keating died in 1958. He had devoted his entire life to helping others and to serving his community and his country
