Another Doctor: Dr. Captanian

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Posted by brokenstrings on Monday, July 23, 2007

In the small New Jersey town of my childhood, I suppose Dr. Captanian stood out, with that Armenian surname and the round, dark eyes. But then so did we, with our homemade clothes and black bread and accents. A New York doctor friend, originally Viennese, took care of some of our shots, but Dr. Captanian presided over all our childhood illnesses.

Dr. Captanian made house calls. Cheerful, tubby, mostly bald guy. And once, when I was ill with mumps or measles or one of those childhood illnesses and everybody was making a fuss over me, he cast a glance at my little brother, looking forlorn. "Why don't you let the boy make the rounds with me today?" he suggested to my mother.

She was glad to accept. And my brother had a perfectly wonderful time. It was a kindness my mother never forgot. Dr. Captanian remains in my memory as the ideal of a family doctor.

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