Palmer O. EICHER1904–1988

Who’s Who in Orthopedics

hip resurfacing arthroplasty that he had seen there. This concept, which he developed, became known as the Indiana conservative hip. One of his proudest days was in the summer of 1979, when the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons sponsored a course in Indianapolis on resurfacing arthroplasty of the hip.

Dr. Eicher had excellent three-dimensional perception. He would internally stabilize intertrochanteric fractures on a standard operating table, using two plain radiographs to verify the correct position after placement of the nail. His Jewett nails were custom-made. These nails were not cannulated, and the inferior fin was several millimeters longer than the other two. All of the fins were very sharp.

When the Orthopedic Letters Club was begun, in 1950, Dr. Eicher was invited to be a founding member. He greatly enjoyed this club for its intel- lectual stimulation and camaraderie, and traveled frequently with fellow members to Europe and Canada.

Dr. Eicher was an associate clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine. He was at his fun-loving best with medical students, interns, and residents. He and his wife, Pluma, often entertained students and house staff in their home, and he greatly enjoyed house-staff parties. He repeatedly insisted that the years of postgraduate training were the best because of the rapid pace of assimilation of knowledge and the absence of the socioeconomic pressures of practice.

When Pluma died of neoplasia in January 1978, Dr. Eicher’s stamina seemed to wane. In 1982, after a bilateral cataract operation, a urinary tract infection led to a brain abscess. Next came a mitral valve replacement and then a mediastinal abscess. He recovered from all of these problems except the severe visual impairment, which was a great setback because of his insatiable reading habit.

In June 1988, Dr. Eicher had a heart attack, from which he did not recover. He died on August 30, 1988. In addition to his wife, his oldest son, Philip, preceded him in death. A son, Dan, and a daughter, Julie, survive.

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Palmer O. EICHER

1904–1988

Palmer O. Eicher was born on October 31, 1904, in Berne, Indiana, to Mennonite parents whose ancestors came from Bern, Switzerland. He attended Indiana University and received his MD degree in 1932. After internship at Indianapolis General Hospital, he began the practice of general medicine, in 1933, in Decatur, Indiana.

Had it not been for World War II, he probably would not have chosen to enter orthopedic train- ing. He joined the United States Army Medical Corps in 1942 and served a tour of duty in the Pacific theater. On returning to the United States, he requested assignment to an orthopedic service, even if it meant that he would not receive a promotion. He was assigned to the orthopedic service at Cushing General Hospital, Springfield, Massachusetts, of which Nelson Hatt was chief.

He greatly admired Dr. Hatt for his innovative ideas. Dr. Eicher attained the rank of Major before being discharged, in 1945.

From 1946 to 1947, Dr. Eicher served a resi- dency with Dr. Earl McBride at the Oklahoma Bone and Joint Hospital, Oklahoma City. In early 1948, strong Hoosier ties brought Dr. Eicher and his family to Indianapolis, where he practiced until his retirement in June 1976.

Surgery of the hip was Dr. Eicher’s primary interest, and he became a pioneer in the develop- ment of the intramedullary stemmed femoral prosthesis. After a visit with Professor Dr. Med.

Maurice E. Müller in Saint Gallen, Switzerland,

he became interested in the double-cup type of