Goethe Link

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Dr. Goethe Link (1879-1980) was a noted Indianapolis surgeon who specialized in the treatment of goiter and thyroid problems, developing many innovative surgical techniques for these conditions.

He was born in Pike County, Indiana and went to high school in Petersburg, Indiana. After two years at Wabash College he transferred to Indiana University and received the M.D. degree in 1902. He was one of the founders of the Indiana University Medical School and practiced in the Indianapolis area until well into his 80's. By 1970 he had performed over 22,000 operations on the thyroid. He was also a pioneering aeronaut, who won the National Balloon Race in 1909. He was also an amateur astronomer. He built a 36-inch telescope in his own observatory, which was donated to Indiana University in 1947 and named the Goethe Link Observatory. An asteroid discovered at the observatory in 1968 was named for him.