A prominent figure in the history of the American Mission Hospital (AMH) was Dr Donald Bosch, who served as the chief medical officer in Bahrain during the 1960s.
While his tenure in Bahrain was relatively brief, his medical career primarily unfolded in Oman, where he led the AMH.
In 1951, Dr Bosch and his wife, Eloise, began what was to be a lifelong commitment to the people of the Middle East.
Under the aegis of the Reformed Church of America, they travelled first to Iraq, where Dr Bosch worked as a surgeon for two years while the couple learned Arabic. Having gained reasonable proficiency in Arabic, the Bosches moved to the Sultanate of Oman. Except for a year each in the countries of Kuwait and Bahrain, filling in for furloughing colleagues, the Bosches lived for the next 30 years in Oman, continuing a work that had been started by their predecessors in 1892.
Dr Bosch succeeded the renowned Dr Wells Thoms (for over a decade, Dr Thoms was Oman’s only doctor), who retired in 1970 and passed away on October 17, 1971. Interestingly, it was Dr Thoms’ parents who had established the original AMH in Bahrain in 1902.
Dr Bosch was a highly skilled surgeon, known for his tireless dedication and ability to handle demanding workloads. According to ARAMCO World, he would often treat more than 200 patients and perform up to 10 surgeries in a single day, operating under challenging conditions with limited assistance. As late as 1970, electricity was a novelty and Oman contained less than 30km of paved road.
Beyond his medical achievements, Dr Bosch was a multifaceted individual with a diverse range of interests. He served as a decorated soldier in the Second World War, was an accomplished public speaker, a competitive tennis player, and most notably, a world-renowned expert in conchology, the study of mollusks i.e seashells.
Dr Bosch and his wife shared a passion for seashells, collecting specimens and conducting extensive research. Their contributions to the field of conchology were significant, leading to the discovery and naming of several new species of mollusks.
In recognition of their achievements, the American Museum of Natural History honoured the Bosches by incorporating their names into the official zoological names of certain mollusks; conus boschorum, idyla castalia boschi, ranularia boschi, and cymatium boschi. But, acteon eloiseae is named particularly after Dr Bosch’s wife Eloise.
Additionally, the Sultanate of Oman issued a commemorative stamp in their honour.
Dr Bosch was the first American to receive the Order of Oman, a prestigious award bestowed upon him by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said in 1972, in recognition of his exceptional service to Oman.
