Frederic Eugene Basil Foley, MD (April 5, 1891 – March 24, 1966)

     Born in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Frederic Eugene Basil Foley did not aspire to be a doctor from the time he was in diapers. Instead he graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor's Degree in English in 1914. A year later, he was admitted to the medical school of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, graduating in 1918. He stayed to continue his studies by scrubbing in to surgeries and exploring pathology with Dr. William Stewart Halsted at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. After two years, Frederic moved to Boston, Massachusetts and secured a position as a laboratory assistant at Harvard University in the Department of Surgical Research.

     Frederic was considered a "pioneer" in medicine, as he developed seven urologic devices, including his renowned Foley balloon catheter. Frederic Foley and rubber chemist R.A. Lees created the first prototypes of the balloon urethral catheter and presented at the American Urological Association national convention in 1935. While Frederic was perfecting his model, companies Raiche and Davol patented their own version of the balloon catheter.

     Though patent rights were never awarded to Frederic Foley, the C.R. Bard Company of New Jersey began distribution of balloon catheters under the name of Foley catheters. Though the materials used to create today's catheters are different, the original structure and design remain from the 1930s.

(Reference: Tatem, Alexander J., et al. "Frederic Eugene Basil Foley: His Life and Innovations." Urology, vol. 81, no. 5, 2013, pp. 927–931., doi:10.1016/j.urology.2012.12.035.

https://www.urologichistory.museum/histories/people-in-urology/f/frederi...)

That was innovative back then but old hat these days.

An answer to a prayer! So happy to learn about your relief through this lighthearted verse. (Is there any subject you can't turn into quality poetry?) May God continue to watch over you.