Babe Ruth

George Herman Ruth, (b. February 6, 1895, d. August 16, 1948), better known as Babe Ruth, also commonly known by the nicknames The Bambino and The Sultan of Swat, was an American baseball player and United States national icon. He was one of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and he was the first player to hit over 30, 40 and 50 home runs in one season. His record of 60 home runs in the 1927 season stood for 34 years until it was broken by Roger Maris in 1961. He also was a member of the original American League All-Star team in 1933. In 1998, The Sporting News named Ruth as Number One in its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players."

Illness

After the war, Ruth continued to look for a chance to manage in the big leagues. While times before he had essentially been blackballed by owners, who for various reasons did not trust him, this time it was his health that would prevent the opportunity. In 1946, he began experiencing severe pain over his left eye. He was not concerned, thinking it was sinus problems, but this situation would be much more grave than his health problems of the past. In November, 1946, a visit to French Hospital in New York revealed Ruth had a malignant tumor in his neck that had encircled his left carotid artery, and physicians told him he would need surgery to have the cancerous growth removed. During the surgery, part of his nerves that led to the larynx had to be cut, and as a result his voice was reduced to a whisper. He would be unable to swallow foods and had to be fed with feeding tubes. Since physicians could not remove all the cancer, Ruth was given radiation therapy to treat the cancer that remained.

Related Topics:
War - Blackballed - 1946 - Eye - Sinus - November - New York - Malignant - Tumor - Neck - Carotid - Artery - Physician - Surgery - Nerve - Larynx - Voice - Food - Radiation

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Released from the hospital in February 1947, Ruth was now 80 pounds (36 kg) lighter. Although he regained some of his strength to play golf, hunt, and do other activities he had enjoyed, it was obvious to all those who saw him that his health was not good. The tumor had continued to grow, and he was in so much pain he required morphine. He did manage to attend Babe Ruth Day, an appreciation of what Ruth had done for the game, held April 27, 1947 at Yankee Stadium. It was on this occassion where Ruth spoke in a disheartening croaking voice to a capacity crowd of more than 60,000. He made a speech which included the line, "The only real game in the world, I think, is baseball."

Related Topics:
February - 1947 - Pounds - Golf - Tumor - Morphine - April 27 - Yankee Stadium

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In June, 1947, Ruth was in so much pain physicians tried an experimental new drug on him, a drug that was a synthetic form of folic acid. The ongoing treatments seemingly improved Ruth so much that his case was cited at an International Cancer Congress held in St. Louis. He seemed to have recovered some of his health and, with renewed energy, started the Babe Ruth Foundation, a charity for disadvantaged children. Another Babe Ruth Day held at Yankee Stadium in September helped raise money for his newest charity.

Related Topics:
June - 1947 - Drug - Folic acid - St. Louis - Children - Yankee Stadium - September

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Unfortunately, the apparent recovery was only a brief remission of the cancer. His health gradually declined, and he became sick and in as much pain as he had ever been. On June 13, 1948, a weak Ruth was barely able to attend the Yankees 25th anniversary celebration of the opening of Yankee Stadium. He met old teammates from the 1923 Yankee team and later stood for photographs. The highlight of the day was when his name was announced over the loudspeaker, and the crowd erupted into a loud roar. Ruth walked slowly to the microphone using a baseball bat as a cane, and his old Yankees uniform he wore appeared several sizes to large on his now frail body. Ruth spoke a few words a the microphone, saying how much he enjoyed seeing his old teammates and being a Yankee. After a 2-inning game played by the old players, Ruth left Yankee Stadium for the last time. Shortly before, he had a conversation with former teammate Joe Dugan. Ruth told Dugan, "Joe, I'm gone. I'm done Joe." a confession which had Ruth breaking down and crying, and Dugan crying with him.

Related Topics:
Cancer - June 13 - 1948 - Yankee Stadium - 1923 - Loudspeaker - Microphone - Cane - Joe Dugan

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There can be little doubt that the cause of Ruth's throat cancer was a lifelong habit of tobacco use. He began chewing tobacco at the age of seven, and in his teens began smoking cigarettes and cigars regularly, sometimes smoking up to a dozen cigars a day. He also used snuff in such large amounts that the dust would clog his nasal passages. Ruth's lifelong problems with colds and other respitory problems can also likely be tied to this habit. The direct link between tobacco use and cancer seemed to be medically conclusive in the 1920's (medical evidence of the link even goes back to the 18th century), but due to various reasons, the public was largely unaware of the risks of tobacco use until several decades later. This evidence, even if known during Ruth's lifetime, probably would have not influenced its use by Ruth or other ballplayers, as the baseball culture of tobacco use had been ingrained since baseball's beginnings.

Related Topics:
Throat - Cancer - Tobacco - Smoking - Cigarettes - Cigar - Snuff - Nasal - Cold - 1920's - 18th century

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