Elmer Belt
| Elmer Belt | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 10, 1893 Chicago, Illinois |
| Died | May 1980 Los Angeles, California |
| Fields | Urology |
| Institutions | University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Academic advisors | Herbert McLean Evans |
Elmer Belt (April 10, 1893-May 1980) was an American urologist, surgeon and pioneer in sex reassignment surgery. He was also known as a collector of works relating to Leonardo da Vinci that now reside in the University of California, Los Angeles Library System.
Contents
Biography
Early life and education
Arthur Elmer Belt was born April 10, 1893. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1916, a master's in 1917 and a doctorate's in 1920. Belt was a member of the first class taught by Herbert McLean Evans.[1]
Career
Dr. Belt was associate professor of urology and clinical professor of surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. Dr. Belt began performing male to female sex change operations after being contacted by Dr. Harry Benjamin.[2] Before the Christine Jorgensen story became headline news, Belt had been quietly performing sex changes for a few years. He performed primarily male-to-female operations but did perform a few female-to-male. Some of his most well known patients were Patricia Morgan,[3] Mario Martino and Aleshia Brevard. After family pressure, Dr. Belt finally ceased performing sex change operations in 1962.
Dr. and Mrs. Belt gave some notable collections to Los Angeles-area academic libraries:
- The Upton Sinclair Collection to the Occidental College Library in 1950[4]
- The UCLA Elmer Belt Florence Nightingale Collection to the UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library in 1958
- The Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana[5] to the UCLA Arts Library in 1961.
Marriage and children
Belt married the former Mary Ruth Smart in 1919. The couple had two sons, Charles Elmer and Bruce Gregory.
Death and afterward
Dr. Belt died in May 1980.[6]
Published works
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Awards and honors
- 1951: honorary Phi Beta Kappa key[7]
- 1962: honorary Doctor of Laws degree, University of California, Los Angeles[8]
- 1972: Sir Thomas More Medal for Book Collecting, University of San Francisco
- 1977: Aesculapian Award, University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine[9]
References
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