Walter Dishell

Walter David Dishell (born July 16, 1939[1]) is an American physician who has served as a medical consultant on several long-running TV shows, including M*A*S*H, Medical Center, Trapper John, M.D., and Knots Landing.[2][3][4] Dishell is an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist, head and neck surgeon, and facial cosmetic surgeon.

Walter Dishell, M.D.
Born
Walter David Dischell

(1939-07-16) July 16, 1939
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
OccupationOtolaryngologist, medical consultant, TV screenwriter
Years active1966-present
Known forMedical advisor for TV series: Medical Center
Trapper John, M.D.
M*A*S*H
Knots Landing

Early life

Dishell was born in Detroit, Michigan. He attended medical school at the University of Michigan.[2]

Career

Dishell, who is subspecialized in facial cosmetic surgery, began using his medical background in entertainment when, soon after he completed his residency in plastic surgery at UCLA, CBS asked him to be a medical adviser for the show Medical Center in the 1960s. Like many similar shows, Medical Center focused on physician-patient relationships instead of the actual medicine itself. Dishell said that "the disease itself didn't matter... [CBS] would give me a dramatic story and then I would build the medicine around it.”[3]

One challenge Dishell faced as a medical consultant for M*A*S*H was always making sure that the medicine Alan Alda and his fellow actors and actresses practiced was not too advanced. Dishell consulted medical textbooks from the 1950s and professional publications like the Journal of War Surgery to ensure the show’s historical accuracy.[3]

Dishell was also the medical reporter for NBC News from 1983 to 1985, and frequently appeared on ABC's A.M. Los Angeles as a medical consultant. In 1986, he established the Aesthetic Surgery Associates of Encino, California.[4]

References
  1. Video: Walter Dishell, MD - Archive of American Television Interview (FULL, from 2003) on YouTube
  2. Hoover, Eleanor (6 March 1978). "When TV docs (from M*A*S*H to Maude) want a second opinion, they call in Walter Dishell". People.com.
  3. "The emergency medicine delivered by Hawkeye and Hot Lips was always the best—and Walter Dishell was there on the TV battlefield to make sure of it". Retrieved 23 Jan 2011.
  4. "About ASAE". Retrieved 23 Jan 2011.
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