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Morton's facility, built in 1990 by the Amish and Mennonite communities he serves, has become a model for rural health care |
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In fact, it was not the first case, nor would it be the last,
from Amish country. Curious about the nature and cause of
Danny's cerebral palsy, Morton decided to visit him at the
Lapps' home near Leola, Pa. Danny, who was six at the time, sat
strapped to a wheelchair, his legs flailing, while his parents,
John and Ida, told Morton about many Amish parents who had
endured similar heartbreaks. Five years after Morton's first
visit, Danny Lapp died of the disease.
"What began as a personal challenge quickly became a personal responsibility," recalls Morton, a West Virginia native who worked the Great Lakes iron-ore and coal boats and served in the Navy before studying biology and psychology at Connecticut's Trinity College and getting his M.D. at Harvard. "I knew from the start I could treat these disorders, and I soon felt a great responsibility to these children without knowing how I could possibly care for them." Recognizing that the Old Order Amish and Mennonites (who suffer from a similar genetic disorder called maple syrup urine disease) could not reach major medical centers if their children became ill--particularly since the condition often deteriorates in a matter of hours--Morton and his wife Caroline decided to build a clinic in Lancaster County. Lacking government, university or foundation support, they applied for a second mortgage on their home in St. Davids, Pa., to raise money for lab equipment. Their chief need was for a mass spectrometer that, together with a gas chromatograph and a computer workstation, would provide the technical means to diagnose and record cases. Having read about Morton's work in the Wall Street Journal, Hewlett-Packard co-founder David Packard donated all three machines, and within three months the Mortons were screening Amish newborns. Grateful that Morton had diagnosed a granddaughter's illness during his early visits to Lancaster County, Jacob and Naomi Stoltzfoos sold the Mortons, at half market value, 2 1/2 acres of land as a site for the clinic. Two Mennonite congregations contributed a liquid chromatograph for analyzing blood samples of children who might suffer from maple syrup urine disease. One blustery November afternoon in 1990, 12 Amish carpenters and 55 Amish and Mennonite farmers raised the Clinic for Special Children. Wielding sledgehammers, Douglas fir timbers and stout oak pegs, they framed the post-and-beam building by the end of the day. "Now when Jake's mules turn at the end of a row," says Morton, "he often looks to see if I am at my laboratory window. He has grandchildren with the disease I'm studying, and we both hope they can live to work in the field."
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