Pediatrician

An appointment with a pediatrician Thursday was a "big relief" to Katie Bauer, whose seven-month pregnancy with rare "momo" twins was at first confusing and then exhausting. "It's all behind them, these guys are doing just fine," Dr. Joseph A. Garcia said after he finished immunizing Nolan and Brooks Bauer, identical boys who developed in the same fetal sac, exposing them to dangers not encountered during most pregnancies. The boys were born Feb. 13. Babies like Nolan and Brooks have at least one chance in 10 of dying during the last weeks of pregnancy or the first month after birth — so Garcia's upbeat assessment at two months was an important milestone for the Perry Hall family.

An appointment with a pediatrician Thursday was a "big relief" to Katie Bauer, whose seven-month pregnancy with rare "momo" twins was at first confusing and then exhausting. "It's all behind them, these guys are doing just fine," Dr. Joseph A. Garcia said after he finished immunizing Nolan and Brooks Bauer, identical boys who developed in the same fetal sac, exposing them to dangers not encountered during most pregnancies. The boys were born Feb. 13. Babies like Nolan and Brooks have at least one chance in 10 of dying during the last weeks of pregnancy or the first month after birth — so Garcia's upbeat assessment at two months was an important milestone for the Perry Hall family.

Dr. Robert G. Holthaus, a retired pediatrician who cared for thousands of Baltimore-area children during his nearly 30-year career and a noted autograph collector, died Sunday of cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The Glen Arm resident was 71. The son of a Baltimore police officer and a homemaker, Dr. Holthaus was born in Baltimore and raised in Highlandtown. He was a 1957 graduate of Patterson High School and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1961.

Dr. Ronald L. Gutberlet, a retired pediatrician who was a specialist in the care of premature infants, died of metastatic bladder cancer Wednesday at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. The Cockeysville resident was 78. Born in Baltimore, he attended the Cathedral School and was a 1952 Loyola High School graduate. He earned a degree at Washington and Lee University and received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1961. Dr. Gutberlet completed his residency at the University of Maryland and spent time as a young physician at Mercy Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, where he later returned.

An Ellicott City pediatrician is scheduled for arraignment Nov. 6 in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court on charges of tax perjury. Dr. Alfredo J. Herrera, 53, of the 2900 block of Poland Springs Drive was accused in an indictment last week of lying on state tax returns he filed for 1996, 1997 and 1998. The indictment alleges that Herrera tried to evade taxes by claiming personal expenses as business expenses. The Maryland attorney general's office, which is prosecuting the case, refused to elaborate on the charges - each carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Services for Dr. Herman J. Dorf, a retired pediatrician, will be held at 3 p.m. today at the Sol Levinson and Bros. funeral establishment, 6010 Reisterstown Road.Dr. Dorf, who was 98 and lived at Levindale, died of pneumonia yesterday at Sinai Hospital.He retired more than 20 years ago from a practice that included 28 years as chief of pediatrics at the old St. Joseph Hospital in East Baltimore.Dr. Dorf was on the staff of St. Agnes Hospital for more than 25 years and had worked in state baby clinics and in the clinic of the Babies Milk Fund Association.

Babies can develop complications so quickly that sometimes even fiveminutes is too long to wait for expert care.So whether it's noonor 3 a.m., there is a doctor in the house at Carroll County General Hospital who specializes in infants and children.The pediatrician might be in the nursery, the pediatric ward or the small room next to the nursery that has a desk, a chair and a bed for the overnight shift.One year after starting an in-house pediatrician program, the hospital has worked up to 24-hour coverage.

Dr. Stanley L. Blumenthal, a retired pediatrician, died Friday of cardiac arrest at his North Baltimore home. He was 83, and had been under treatment for multiple myeloma. Born in Baltimore and raised on Reisterstown Road, he was a 1936 graduate of City College. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa at the Johns Hopkins University, where he earned a degree in biology and played football and lacrosse. He attended the Hopkins School of Medicine and had his internship in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Dr. Raymond Leopold Clemmens, a retired pediatrician, died Friday of a heart attack at his Towson home. He was 76.Dr. Clemmens was director of the Central Evaluation Clinic for Children at the Walter P. Carter Center in Baltimore from 1958 to 1984, and professor of pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine from 1954 until his retirement in 1985.He was renowned in the fields of atypical child development, hyperactivity and behavioral and learning problems in childhood, and was the co-author of "Behavioral Pediatrics and Child Development."

Dr. Mary S. Farber, a retired Baltimore pediatrician and longtime volunteer, died Monday of Alzheimer's disease at her home in the Roland Park Apartments. She was 88. Born Mary Streeter in Baltimore, she was raised on Eutaw Place and later on St. Paul Street in a Guilford home that her father had designed. She was a 1936 graduate of Bryn Mawr School and earned a bachelor's degree in zoology from Vassar College in 1940. She earned her medical degree in 1943 at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and completed her internship and residency in pediatrics at Union Memorial Hospital in 1947.

Dr. Sherman Samuel Robinson, a retired pediatrician who had been the athletics physician for Severna Park High School, died of cancer Monday at his Edgewater home. He was 79. Born in Pittsfield, Mass., and raised on Staten Island, N.Y., he earned a degree in biology and chemistry from Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, W.Va. He also belonged to the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He was a 1957 graduate of the Georgetown University School of Medicine. While at Georgetown he met his future wife, Joan McCarron.

Dr. Edwin H. T. Besson, a retired pediatrician who was the former chairman of the St. Agnes Hospital pediatric department, died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, Dec. 4 at his Ellicott City home. He was 85. In a memoir, he recalled that after his birth in Carbondale, Pa., he often moved with his family and wound up living in the small town of Stockton in Worcester County. His family had suffered economic hardship in the Depression and they lost their home.

Going back to school, particularly if it's a new school, can be a daunting time for kids and their parents. There's a lot to consider, from sleep schedules to proper nutrition and immunizations. Much can be accomplished by establishing good habits, says Dr. Julie Yeh, a pediatrician at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, who answered questions about handling the coming school year. How do I get my child off a summer sleep schedule and back to a school schedule? How much sleep does a child need for school, and does it vary by age?

Dr. Barbara Starfield, a professor and health services researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health whose work in the field of primary care and health policy brought her international acclaim, died June 10 while swimming at her home in Menlo Park, Calif. The former Mount Washington resident was 78. "She was found floating in the pool and may have died of an apparent heart attack. We are waiting for the autopsy report from the coroner," said her husband of 56 years, Dr. Neil A. Holtzman, a pediatrician and a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. Robert G. Holthaus, a retired pediatrician who cared for thousands of Baltimore-area children during his nearly 30-year career and a noted autograph collector, died Sunday of cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The Glen Arm resident was 71. The son of a Baltimore police officer and a homemaker, Dr. Holthaus was born in Baltimore and raised in Highlandtown. He was a 1957 graduate of Patterson High School and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1961.

Some of Dr. Maria Brown's young patients won't be getting a prescription they can fill at a pharmacy. Instead, they'll be instructed to fill their lungs with fresh air, feel the sunlight on their skin and stretch their muscles in the great outdoors. They will be told to walk around the block, visit a nature center or take a bike ride with their parents. Brown is a nature champion, trained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to teach other health care providers at St. Agnes Hospital about the benefits of getting children outside to combat obesity and accompanying diseases such as diabetes and asthma.

Dr. Michelle A. Leverett projects the kind of image Baltimore County would like to reclaim: young, enthusiastic, energetic.The 32-year-old Johns Hopkins pediatrician is the choice of County Executive C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger III to become director of the county Health Department.The selection -- subject to approval by the state health department -- fulfills a promise Mr. Ruppersberger made in February to the Baltimore County West Ministerial Alliance, an association of black ministers, to seek a black department head.