Dr. James DeLine outside a home in La Farge, Wiusconsin. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel photo by Mark Hoffman) |
La Farge, pop. 750, is a hotbed of rare genetic diseases because of its large Amish and Old Order Mennonite population. Sometimes known collectively as the Plain People, the Amish and Mennonites generally marry within their communities, which increases the chances that rare genetic diseases will be expressed, Johnson reports. La Farge has the second-largest cluster in the world of sitosterolemia, a very rare disease that causes blood-vessel linings to thicken, and a much higher than average incidence of other rare genetic diseases. As a result, DeLine has worked with geneticists from as far away as England to help diagnose and learn more about such diseases to help his patients.
Four years ago, the La Farge Medical Clinic opened its Center for Special Children, "which focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of children born with rare genetic and metabolic diseases. Many, but not all, of the center’s children come from Amish or Mennonite families," Johnson reports.
La Farge in Vernon County, Wisconsin (Wikipedia map) |
DeLine was on his own for years, but in 2003 his clinic was purchased by Vernon Memorial Healthcare in the nearby town of Viroqua, so now the clinic has two more doctors and a staff of 25, Johnson reports. DeLine says he hopes to practice for another five years or so before retiring.
It will surely be difficult to fill DeLine's shoes, according to Byron Crouse, retired associate dean for rural and community health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "He’s maintained the Norman Rockwell bedside manner skills, and yet he’s working on the cutting edge of 21st-century medicine, the very newest science,"Crouse told Johnson. "I can’t think of anybody else who has that ability."
No comments:
Post a Comment