Leo Eloesser
Encyclopedia
Leo Eloesser a noted thoracic surgeon, was born in San Francisco. He spent his undergraduate years at Berkeley and in 1901 went to Germany to study medicine. He became a pioneer in the field of thoracic surgery and joined the faculty of the Stanford Medical School in 1912. Known for his work among the poor and indigent, Dr. Eloesser served as the physician for Tom Mooney
, whose trial and imprisonment on charges stemming from a 1916 bombing made him a cause célèbre
of the American Left
. He met Diego Rivera
in 1926 and became Frida Kahlo
's lifelong friend and medical adviser. In the Spanish Civil War he saw service at Teruel
and on the Ebro front with his own Mobile Surgical Hospital. At the end of World War II he was in China with the Eighth Route Army
under the auspices of UNICEF. He spent the last 25 years of his life in Mexico with his companion, Joyce Campbell.
Thomas Mooney
Thomas Joseph "Tom" Mooney was an American political activist and labor leader, who was convicted with Warren K. Billings of the San Francisco Preparedness Day Bombing of 1916...
, whose trial and imprisonment on charges stemming from a 1916 bombing made him a cause célèbre
Cause célèbre
A is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning and heated public debate. The term is particularly used in connection with celebrated legal cases. It is a French phrase in common English use...
of the American Left
American Left
The American Left consists of individuals and groups, including socialists, communists and anarchists, that have sought fundamental change in the economic, political and cultural institutions of the United States. Although left-wing ideologies came to the United States in the 19th century, there...
. He met Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera
Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez was a prominent Mexican painter born in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, an active communist, and husband of Frida Kahlo . His large wall works in fresco helped establish the Mexican Mural Movement in...
in 1926 and became Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo de Rivera was a Mexican painter, born in Coyoacán, and perhaps best known for her self-portraits....
's lifelong friend and medical adviser. In the Spanish Civil War he saw service at Teruel
Teruel
Teruel is a town in Aragon, eastern Spain, and the capital of Teruel Province. It has a population of 34,240 in 2006 making it one of the least populated provincial capitals in the country...
and on the Ebro front with his own Mobile Surgical Hospital. At the end of World War II he was in China with the Eighth Route Army
Eighth Route Army
The Eighth Route Army was the larger of the two major Chinese communist forces that formed a unit of the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China which fought the Japanese from 1937 to 1945. In contrast to most of the National Revolutionary Army, it was controlled by the Communist...
under the auspices of UNICEF. He spent the last 25 years of his life in Mexico with his companion, Joyce Campbell.