In 1883, Christian began to study
medicine at Würzburg, and received his MD degree in 1889. He devoted his
attention to diseases of the nervous system.
Dr. Deetjen emigrated to the US
in 1895, eventually settling in Baltimore. He bought a house at 1702 Eutaw
Place where he both resided and practiced. About the same time as his arrival
in Baltimore, Wilhelm Röntgen announced his discovery of x-rays. Rontgen had
been Deetjen's teacher in Wurzburg and Deetjen decided to enter this new field.
He made many experiments with
x-rays and was soon called upon by numerous physicians to assist in diagnoses
and to give treatments.
The physicians in this field were
unaware of the destructive effects that x-rays had upon their bodies, and Dr.
Deetjen, like others, begain to see his digits burned and scarred. By 1930, his
forearm had been amputated and he remained in constant pain.
Dr. Deetjen underwent several
operations for burns of the hands brought on from exposure to the x-rays.
During one surgery, fourteen such spots being cut out and fresh skin from the
thighs transplanted to their sites.
Deetjen was a long-time member of
the journalist, H.L. Menken’s Saturday Night Club.
One of his hobbies was making candles from beeswax at Christmas. This hobby led to a severe accident when a pot of melting wax upset and a sheet of flame severely burned his face, hand and arm.
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