Dr. Bernhardt Schwartz was a legend in the boxing-wrestling world. He was also a hero to a young child and his family. In his younger days, he saved the life of a young toddler. The child had gotten a safety pin stuck deep in his throat, and Dr. Schwart got it out before the child swallowed it. It must have been a big deal back then because it got a write-up in some newspaper. He proudly had the newspaper clipping taped to a glass partition in the lobby of his office.
His office was on 111 Street, a few doors south of Broadway, in South Central L.A. He would arrive and leave early: 5: 00am-11:00am. I asked him why those hours, and he said he aimed to be in and out before the gangsters got out of bed. The good doctor had his own file system. It was a system like no other you have ever seen. His patient files were on bundles of paper bound with rubber bands. He had a mountain of files on top of a desk. The good doctor didn't need any darn cabinets!
Although he had a gruff exterior, he was a soft-hearted man. Boxers and wrestlers were treated by the good doctor whether they could pay. Sometimes he wouldn't accept payment; when asked how much you owned him, he would tell you, "Nothing, next time, just bring me a cigar."
His health deteriorated with his wife's passing, but he remained the fight doctor because he was dedicated and loved boxing and wrestling. But, there were times when you could see in his eyes that his heart was in it anymore. So - I genuinely believe that he died from a broken heart.
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