Kahle, P. Jorda

Submitted by Mike Miller

Kahle, P. Jorda, prominent New Orleans physician and specialist, was born in New Orleans, La., Nov. 25, 1882; son of Herman and Nisida (Jorda) Kahle, born respectively in Goettingen, Germany, 1853, and New Orleans, La., 1858. The maternal grandfather, P. Jorda, was born in New Orleans, and during the Civil war served 4 years as a Confederate soldier, his command being attached to the Army of the Tennessee. He died in 1904, at the age of 83 years. The Jorda family has for several generations lived in New Orleans. Hermann Kahle graduated from Goettingen university, and came to New Orleans from the fatherland, in 1870, with the object of engaging in the cotton business with his uncle, Gen. Carl. Reichard. He has from that time continued a resident of New Orleans being now assistant cashier of the Metropolitan bank. P. Jordan Kahle attended the public schools of New Orleans, and in 1898 entered the academic department of Tulane university, taking a scientific course, and graduated with the degree of B. S., in 1902. At this time he was elected teacher of French and Spanish under Prof. Fortier, and continued in this capacity for 9 years, being so engaged while taking a medical course at the university. He graduated from Tulane, with his medical degree, in 1905, with distinction, having done original work, set forth in an article on agglutintum [sic] tests for tuberculosis, which was recommended for publication. Shortly following his graduation, he spent some time in Panama, under the direction of the Louisiana state board of health, with the object of preventing yellow fever being brought to New Orleans. His labors in Panania being successfully concluded, he returned to the city of his birth and engaged in the practice of medicine, but after about 1 year he accepted a position as acting assistant surgeon in the Marine Hospital service, and was stationed in Honduras during an epidemic of yellow fever there. While so engaged he was asked by the Honduran government to undertake the sanitation of Puerto Cortez, the main port of entry on the Atlantic coast, and also to devise means and to supervise the work of placing all the towns along the Intra-Oceanic R. R. in sanitary condition. This work was undertaken and successfully completed, with the result that the quarantine was raised and no epidemic of yellow fever followed. Returning to the United States, Dr. Kahle, in 1907, took a special course at Rush Medical college, Chicago, in genito-urinary and venereal diseases, following which he returned to New Orleans and resumed practice in the specialties for which he had fitted himself. In 1911 he resigned as a teacher in the academic department of Tulane university, and in 1913 was elected assistant in surgery of the genito-urinary organs and rectum, which position he fills at this time. Dr. Kahle is a member of the Orleans Parish Medical association, Louisiana State Medical association, American Medical association, and the American Urological association. He is now clinical assistant in genito-urinary and venereal and rectal diseases at Tulane Post-Graduate Medical school, and also visiting surgeon at the New Orleans Charity hospital. Dr. Kahle has 1 son, Henry Reichard, born 1910.

Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 228-229. Edited by Alcée Fortier, Lit.D. Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.