I.S. Ravdin

Dr. Isidor Schwaner Ravdin (1894-1972) was a Doctor of the 20th General Hospital in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater During World War II.

Dr. Ravdin's description of his experience in the CBI Theater

What awaited Ravdin in India is best described in his own words. In one of his own reports dated 1943-1945 Ravdin said "The chota monsoon had begun the day before our arrival and where all before had been dust, now was mud. It was not possible to drive vehicles through the area. There were no roads, nor fires, no provision for messes, no satisfactory quarters for women. Real work lay ahead." Ravdin's work, and that of his unit, called for the clearing of a jungle and building a hospital. Their work was extraordinary enough to earn the 20th General Hospital the reputation as one of the best hospitals in the China-India-Burma theater.

The 20th General Hospital

The photograph shows the entrance of the 20th General Hospital during World War II. The hospital was located somewhere in India. The photo is Dr. Ravdin's collection of photos, shown in Penn's Base Hospitals in World Wars I and II

The hospital ultimately occupied 289 buildings and 162 tents, and in the twenty-eight months of operation during Ravdin's command, the hospital admitted close to 50,000 patients. The ratio of American to Chinese patients was two to one. Two thirds of all admissions went to the medical service and the remainder went to the surgical service. Among some of the medical problems faced by Ravdin and his staff were, a malaria epidemic, cutaneous diphtheria, hypohydrosis, and the maintenance of a "closed" psychiatric ward without any effective locks.

In commanding the 20th General Hospital, Ravdin was responsible not only for the welfare of patients, but that of the personnel. His talents as an administrator and motivator were clearly evident in his command of the 20th General Hospital. He considered it of the utmost importance to provide his staff with the best working conditions possible. In this regard a colleague, John Paul North, recalled Ravdin as having "the tenacity of a bulldog about securing the supplies which were needed and refused to be sidetracked along the chain of command but would go to the top if necessary-as he did to obtain air conditioning equipment from the top command in New Delhi." By securing the necessary supplies and insisting upon air-conditioning, Ravdin dramatically lowered the mortality rate at his hospital. As for the personal comfort of the staff, Ravdin worked hard to keep morale up and made recreation and living quarters one of his priorities. In addition, due to the academic backgrounds of many of the doctors, the 20th General Hospital became a center for professional meeting among other medical installations in the area. By 1945 Ravdin was made a Brigadier General, and in 1956 he retired as a Major General in the Medical Corps, the first person on non-active military service appointed Major General.

Correspondence between Dr. Ravdin and Gen. Sun

There is folder containing approximately 38 pages of correspondence, between Dr. I. S. Ravdin and Gen. Sun Li Jen, from the years of 1946 to 1955. The correspondence is very casual in nature and the majority of the letters are two paragraphs in length. The contents include letters of introduction, thank you notes and well wishes. In two of the letters Sun notifies Ravdin of his new assignments within the Chinese Army. Their friendship apparently developed as a result of their mutual involvement in the 20th General Hospital in the China-India-Burma theater during World War II.

Note that Gen. Sun was put under house arrest in 1955, and their correspondence and friendship were interrupted.