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HEATHER HILL
THE MID-COUNTY MEMO
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| Dr. Bennett Alberts, seated, who came to Mid-county in 1966, closes his practice after 41 years, over 5,000 surgeries and 7,000 babies later. Here he consults with his partner of 22 years Dr. David J. Sargent. |
| MEMO PHOTO: TIM CURRAN |
Born in Omaha, Neb., into a family of physicians, all but one of who practiced ob/gyn, Alberts attended the University of Nebraska, interned at the University of Indiana in Indianapolis and performed his residency at the University of Louisville Hospital in Kentucky before a stint in the armed services brought him to the West Coast.
He settled in Argay Terrace, and for the past 41 years has continuously practiced in the east county area. In that time, he estimated, he has delivered about 7,000 babies, performed approximately 5,000 surgeries and ridden the wave of technological innovation that has completely transformed the field of medicine.
“When I started practicing, we didn’t have fetal monitors, we didn’t have ultrasound. We just had to examine and guess and be astute. I was in practice for about 10 years before we got ultrasound,” Alberts said.
Alberts was quick to grasp the advantages of the new technology. He embraced minimally invasive surgery methods like laparoscopy and hysteroscopy, which use small telescopic lenses to help navigate minuscule incisions for the least scarring.
Until about 30 years ago, physicians routinely recommended hysterectomies as the only surgical option for gynecological problems. This included even non-life-threatening ailments like benign fibroid tumors that sometimes grow in the uterus.
Alberts, among other forerunners, advocated extracting only the tumor singly without taking the drastic step of a hysterectomy. This simple consideration earned him the praise of patients, many referrals and even an interview in Vogue Magazine.
“I was the first doctor in the Pacific Northwest who would talk to a woman over 40 who was told she needed a hysterectomy and (tell) her, ‘I will try to fix you without taking the uterus out,’ and I was laughed at a little bit then, but I had some grateful patients,” Alberts said. “Women from over half the U.S. came to see me as well as (from) many foreign countries. I did about 1,000 removals of fibroid tumors.” He quotes his success rate at 99.9 percent.
At the height of his practice, Alberts inhabited a 3,000-square-foot office with the help of five assistants. However, due to health problems, he was forced to give up obstetrics about 15 years ago, which limited his practice. Once his diabetes began to affect his balance and he could no longer perform surgery, he decided to close his practice altogether.
He has referred his present patients to his longtime associate Dr. David Sargent. “He practiced with me for about 25 years and he knows how I do things, so I’m sure my patients will be happy,” Alberts said.
Alberts plans to keep his license active and his name on the door for about a year, though the telephone number is soon to be disconnected and forwarded to Sargent’s office.
As for future plans, Alberts hopes to engage in volunteer work, when he is not busy helping his wife run a small business selling weight-loss lollipops out of their home. The Alberts credit the product, called Power-Pops, with their ability to lose over a combined 250 pounds and keep it off for five years.
As for hobbies though, Alberts said sadly, “My only hobby was my patients. It’s very hard. My patients always appreciated the fact that when I was in the room with them, they were my only patient — I tried to make them feel that way.”
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