Doctor Retires After More than 50 Years, 10,000 Deliveries

(WLTX) - Dr. Julian Salley received his medical degree in 1953. Since that day he's been a fixture in the Midlands community and in the hearts of his patients.

Dr. Salley says that his mother told him when he was six years old that he was going to grow up and be a doctor just like his granddaddy. Since that day, he never believed there was any other career for him.

In his 54 years as a doctor he's delivered 3 generations of babies for a number of families.

He says his most memorable delivery was triplets 30 years ago, before fertility drugs.

Dr. Salley says the thing he doesn't like about the ways some doctors practice medicine today is that some depend too much on monitors and machines and don't pay enough attention to the actual patient.

Dr. Salley has delivered at least 10,000 babies. If you break that down over 50 years that's 200 babies a year. He says he got it done by getting up a lot at night.

Dorothy Sue Childers has been a patient of Dr. Salley's since 1960. She says, "He delivered my daughter. She's 46 and she has 2 children that he delivered". Childers also said that Dr. Salley held her hand through 3 miscarriages.

Dr. Salley's son Mark has been working in the same practice for almost 20 years.

Dr. Mark Salley says that his dad is smart; he's got a lot of tricks! He also said that he plans to keep dear ole' dad busy with lots of chores.

Dr. Julian Salley said that he would like to thank all of his patients, many of which have been coming to him for 30, 40 even 50 years, for having trust in him.