# Portland, Oregon: Its History and Builders/Volume 1/Chapter 25

CHAPTER XXV.
1850—1910.
The first educated physician that came to Portland was Dr. Ralph Wilcox, who landed here in 1847; and finding no opportunity to practice his profession for want of any population, opened the first school for the city of Portland; a private school, taught in a little house at the foot of Taylor street.
Dr. Wilcox was born in Ontario County, New York, July 9, 1818. He graduated at Geneva Medical college in that state; moved to Missouri and practiced medicine in that state in 1845. In 1846 he joined the immigration to Oregon and landed here in 1847. The same year Governor Abernethy of the provisional government appointed him judge of Tualatin County (now Washington), and in the same year he was elected to the provisional legislature, and re-elected the next year. Besides being elected speaker of the provisional legislature, he was also lected speaker of the territorial legislature in 1850, and president of the council in 1853 and 4. During the years 1856 and 8 he was register of the U. S. land office at Oregon City, and in 1858 was elected county judge of Washington County (formerly Tualatin), and held that office until 1862 when he was again elected to the legislature. In 1865 he was appointed clerk of the U. S. district court for the district of Oregon, and held that office until his death on April 18, 1877. His widow and one son still resides in the city. Dr. Wilcox was a man of much more than ordinary talent, and ability; and while occupying public office throughout his whole career in the state, he lived a life of unimpeachable integrity.
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PIONEER PHYSICIANS 1 — Dr. Mary Thompson, first woman physician at Portland. 2 — Dr. R. B. Glisan. 3 — Dr. William H. Watkins. 4 — Dr. R. Glisan. 5 — Dr. Henry INIeKinnell. first homeopath ​and successful career as a pioneer and builder of the institutions of the city. In 1854 he married Caroline E. Couch, daughter of Capt. John H. Couch, by whom he had a family of four daughters and three sons, two of whom—Holt C. and George Faye, are leading members of the medical profession; the last named being a member of the advisory board of this history.
Subsequent to Dr. R. B. Wilson, Drs. Watkins, Davenport, Chapman and Glisan were useful and distinguished members of the medical profession. Dr. Wm. H. Watkins was born in the state of New York, received an academic education, studied medicine with the distinguished practitioner. Dr. Austin Flint, and graduated at the Buffalo Medical college; came out to Oregon on the gold discovery immigration to the Pacific coast, and settled in the gold mines of Josephine County, and was elected a member of the convention to form a constitution for the state. After the close of the convention Dr. Watkins settled in Portland, where he practiced his profession until the day of his death, which took place at a prayer meeting in the old Taylor Street Methodist church, the doctor dropping dead on his feet while delivering an animated address in favor of missionary work. He was one of the founders of the Oregon Medical college, and the Portland hospital, a prominent and influential leader in his church, and had in his day a very large family practice; and devoted his life to the welfare of his fellow-man rather than to making money.
Dr. Glisan came in after Wilson and Watkins, and took a leading place in the profession, having been an army surgeon for years, and that gave him a ready entry to society and a good practice. He was a graduate of the University of Maryland, and had both literary ability and culture, as well as ability as a physician and surgeon. His book, "Journal of Army Life," is an interesting and instructive volume treating of frontier life from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to Portland, Oregon.
Dr. J. A. Chapman was born in Allegany County, New York, in 182 1. He studied medicine and graduated at the Geneva Medical college in 1846. On the breaking out of the southern rebellion in 1861 he was appointed a surgeon in the U. S. army, and after serving through several campaigns, he was transferred to an overland expedition and came to Oregon as a U. S. surgeon with the rank of major in the army. He formed a partnership with Dr. Watkins, and was the chief surgeon in this vicinity under the old style practice. He was popular with the people and was three times elected mayor of the city.
Dr. Isaac A. Davenport was an educated man, a graduate of a London medical college, and considered by many people a very skillful physician. He was a man of energy and very positive with abrupt manners. He was never married; saved as much money as his somewhat irregular habits would permit; bought land that made many of his distant relatives rich; founded the Skidmore drug store on First street with Stephen Skidmore as salesman and manager for many years, gave it to Skidmore on his death on conditions that Skidmore should give it to somebody else on his death, which condition Skidmore (the builder of the Skidmore fountain) did on his death, giving it to his clerk, Mr. Charles E. Sitton.
Since the days of Wilson and Watkins, Portland has had many able and distinguished surgeons. Dr. John T. Wells, coming here from Virginia was the first man to introduce the modern practice of surgery. Wells performed many great operations and would have had a great career, but was cut off by tuberculosis in the prime of life.
Dr. Alfred Kinney of Astoria was a compeer of Dr. Wells, and both had their offices in the Union block on First street. Dr. Kinney was quite the equal of Wells in surgery, but at that day twenty-five years ago there was not enough surgical practice in Portland for more than one first-class operator; and so Kinney took himself off down to Astoria by the sounding seas where nobody ever gets sick, or meets with an accident worse than drowning in the river or ocean, t And about the same time that Wells and Kinney were attracting attention by superior surgical work Dr. A. D. Bevan opened an office in Portland. Bevan ​
was an up-to-date man in everything, and a man of fine native talents and per- sonal attainments, with practical experience of great value. He soon concluded that Portland was too small a field for his ambition and went to Chicago, where he stands at the head of his profession.
The homeopathic school of medical thought and practice took a firm hold of Portland people very early in the history of the city ; and its promotion was greatly aided by the character of Dr. H. McKinnell, one of the best men in the history of the medical profession in Portland. Dr. McKinnell, organized a medical college to teach and promote homeopathic ideas and practice of which college McKinnell was president. The college existed more as a society than a school ; but it rapidly increased the believers in the school of medicine founded at Leipsic, Germany, in 1755 by Dr. C. F. S. Hahnemann ; the fundamental principle of which is ex- pressed by the Latin adage "Similia similibus curantur" (likes are cured by likes.)
Dr. Z. B. Nichols, who passed away in 1895 was also another founder of the homeopathic school in Portland. Dr. Nichols was a native of Vermont, a grad- uate of Dartmouth university and a physician of very extensive practice — twenty years at Fairbault, Minnesota, fifteen years at Walla Walla, and ten years in Portland. Drs. A. S. and Herbert Nichols, of Portland, and Dr. Clarence Nichols, of Hood River are sons of Dr. Z. B. Nichols.
THE WOMAN PHYSICIAN.
The woman physician had a long and stubbornly contested battle to secure recognition as a practitioner of medicine. But she won the victory over prejudice, selfishness and society ridicule, and today has a certain fixed and useful position in this most useful of the learned professions. Rachel Perry Gaston, the grand- mother of the author of this book, was probably the first woman in general prac- tice of medicine and surgery in the United States ; although she was not the first woman graduate of a medical college, or a graduate at all. Elizabeth Black- well was the first graduate of a medical college, after making a fight for many years to obtain the privilege of entering a medical college.
Rachel Perry Gaston studied medicine with her husband. Dr. Alexander Gas- ton of Morristown, Belmont County, Ohio, where she was rearing a family of eight children, two of whom became physicians — Dr. Ephraim Gaston of Morris- town, Ohio, and Dr. Joseph Gaston of Lloydsville, Ohio. For ten years before the death of her husband in 1825, Mrs. Gaston took charge of the greater por- tion of his practice, and attended to calls to the sick in a greater part of the county, riding horseback as far as thirty miles from her home, ridding astride, enveloped in a fur coat, that being long before the invention of rubber coverings from the storm.
Dr. Mary Thompson, still in good health in Portland, was the first woman practitioner of medicine in the city; and well and faithfully discharged every duty laid upon her as such by all the ethics and obligations of the medical profession. Aside from her standing in the profession, Dr. Thompson has been a leader and maker of wholesome public opinion on all the moral and civic questions of the day as they affected the rights and privileges of women, or influenced the well being of the rising generation. Her character and record in the building of the city, doing everything possible within her opportunities and means to accomplish results, is a credit to the medical profession and an honor to herself. There are now about twenty woman physicians in regular practice in Portland ; and all of them doing a fairly good business alongside the male members of the profes- sion. And the total number of physicians and surgeons of all schools of belief and practice now practicing in the city amounts to two hundred and fifty, or something more than one doctor to each one thousand people.
MEDICAL EDUCATION.
For a time Portland had two medical colleges. The first was the medical college of the Willamette university, removed from Salem to Portland, in 1878. ​
For some time the sessions of the college were held in a building near the inter- section of Fourth and Morrison streets. But in 1885, Dr. W. K. Smith donated a lot at the corner of 15th and Couch streets, and the Methodist church people raised $25,000 and erected thereon a regularly equipped medical college building, in which the college professors held their sessions and delivered their lectures. The first faculty of this college consisted of Dr. L. L. Rowland of Salem, Pro- fessor of Physiology and Microscopy ; Dr. Abram Sharpies of Corvallis, Profes- sor of Surgery; Dr. D. Payton of Salem, Psychology and Psychological medi- cine; Dr. W. H. Watkins of Portland, Theory and Practical Medicine, Dr. R. Glisan, of Portland, Obstetrics; Dr. P. Harvey, Diseases of Women and Chil- dren; Dr. O. P. S. Plummer, Materia Medica; Dr. S. E. Josephi of Portland, Surgical Anatomy; Dr. Rex, Portland, Organic Chemistry; Judge Matthew P. Deady, Medical Jurisprudence; Dr. E. P. Frazer of Portland, Hygiene; Dr. Holt Wilson, Portland, Eye, Ear and Throat Diseases. After running for a few years this college was moved to Salem, and its place in Portland taken by the medical department of the State university.
The first faculty under the management of the State university were all Port- land men as follows :
Judge Matthew P. Deady, president of the board of regents and lecturer on Medical Jurisprudence.
Dr. S. E. Josephi, Dean of the Faculty and Chair of Obstetrics.
Dr. Curtis Strong, Secy, of Faculty and Chair of Guynacology.
Dr. Holt C. Wilson, Principles and Practice of Surgery.
Dr. Otto S. Binswanger, Chemistry and Toxicology.
Dr. K. A. J. Mackenzie, Theory and Practice of Medicine.
Dr. A. C. Panton, General and Descriptive Anatomy.
Dr. J. F. Bell, Materia Medica and Therapeutics.
Dr. M. A. Flinn, Professor of Physiology.
Dr. G. M. Wells, Diseases of Children.
Dr. Henry E. Jones, Gynaecology.
Dr. W. H. Saylor, Clinical and Urinary Surgery.
Dr. A. J. Giesy, Dermatology and Hygiene.
Dr. T. B. Eaton, Diseases of Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat.
Dr. Wm. Jones, Clinical Surgery.
Dr. Richard Nunn, Demonstrator of Anatomy.
The college was first located in the Good Samaritan hospital, where lectures were delivered in 1887. Since then a college building with all the accessories of lecture rooms, dissecting gallery, chemical and optical apparatus, has been erected and is now occupied across the street from the hospital. This college is more fully noticed in the chapter on schools and colleges.
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IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS.
The medical profession in Portland has always taken an active and influential part in public interests. The services of Dr. Chapman as mayor to the city for three terms has already been mentioned ; and it is no more than justice to add that Dr. Chapman gave his services to the city without salary, as at that day it was considered an honor to render useful service to the city, without fees or hope of reward. Henry Failing and other citizens have done the same thing, and it is questionable whether the city has had better service from the mayors who have drawn large salaries for their services. Dr. Harry Lane has also served the city as mayor with notable usefulness, and as a reformer in many depart- ments of the public service.
In the matter of the health of sanitation of the city the medical profession has taken the leading and efiFective part in bringing about needed reform ; ​and
much patient, persistent and hard work has been demanded and freely given on the questions of destroying the garbage, securing pure water and pure milk, eradicating tuberculosis from dairy herds, providing sanitary school buildings, ex- purging contagious diseases from the school children, destroying the fountain heads of typhoid, organizing a state board of health, providing for a city physician and board of health, and the insistance of proper drainage of all parts of the city. No class of citizens have persistently advocated and insisted upon these reforms with higher motives and less selfishness than the doctors of Portland ; and the consequence is that Portland, Oregon, is about the healthiest place to live in the United States ; and the doctors should have due credit for it.
And without making preferential notice the public services of some of these men may be mentioned. Dr. Andrew Smith has in addition to an extensive prac- tice so well discharged his duty as a state senator as to become the favorite of a large portion of the republican party for the office of governor; although in no way seeking such favor or desiring such office. Dr. Smith undoubtedly stands high in the estimation of the political party he is affiliated with, and if called to serve the public in high station would be found faithful to his trust and zealous for justice and good government.
DR. GEO. F. WILSON.
Another man in the profession not called to public office, has rendered dis- tinguished service in another field of great public interest. After faithfully serv- ing the United States as an army surgeon for nearly ten years. Dr. George F. Wilson was directed by the secretary of war to accompany Lieut. Schwatka, in his second expedition to the Arctic regions. This was a severe trial of physical strength and endurance on the part of every man in the expedition, and especially on the surgeon, as he had to look out for the welfare and health of all others in the party to make sure they would get safe back to civilization from the hyper- borean regions of Alaska. Secretary Seward had bought Alaska of the Rus- sians for the United States, and handed over seven million dollars in gold for an unknown region supposed to be eternal ice and snow, and absolutely worthless. To find out where it was, and what it was, the government organized a reconnois- ance into the depths of Alaska. Frederick Schwatka, an Oregon boy from Salem, a graduate of West Point with a lieutenant's shoulder straps, was given command of the party because he had gone up into and beyond the furthest limit of former explorations into the far north ; had found and recovered the remains of the long lost Sir John Franklin, and safely returned with all his men and the relics of Franklin's ill-fated expedition. Here then were two Oregon boys, native sons ; one from Salem, and one from Portland, that were entrusted with the per- ilous duty of finding out whether Alaska was worth anything, or whether the Muscovite had sold Uncle Sam a "gold brick."
The party, consisting of the commander, surgeon, and seven picked men from the infantry service left Fort Vancouver in April, 1889, and sailed for Chilcoot inlet on the west coast of Alaska. Here they left the ship and took to the snow fields and mountains with two Indians and dog sledges to transport provisions. From Chilcoot the party struck directly east, crossing over the extreme north- west extension of the Rocky mountain range on to the headwaters of the Yukon. From that inland point the party worked slowly down the Yukon valley until they reached St. Michaels at the mouth of the great river, from whence they sailed on their return trip safely home without the loss of a man, being absent five months. The party composed the first white men to penetrate that unknown region, make reliable maps of it, and describe its character, geography and resources, giving names to everything but the Yukon river, and Mt. St. Elias. And while they did not discover the great coal, copper and gold fields of that region, they ​
did find out that the g-overnment had made a first-class real estate deal in pur- chasing Alaska for seven million dollars.
DR. WOODS HUTCHINSON.
Another name familiar to the profession in Portland, and now attracting the attention of thousands of readers in all parts of the United States, got his first boost in this city. Dr. Woods Hutchinson started on his upward career to na- tional fame in Portland, Oregon. He had received all the advantages of home and foreign education in the greatest hospitals, and schools of England, and America, and came here to practice the art or science of healing the sick. Hutch- inson's brain and disposition was not cast in the ordinary mould. It may not be superior to other brains, but it is a whole lot different. Hutchinson said that all diseases were set going by infinitesimal bugs or germs. And all the other doctors assented to the proposition and suggested that his ideas were not strictly original. "Well but," quoth the said Hutchinson, "no matter if they are not new, let's get after them and kill them. Do you see that fly on the wall. He is worse than any fly in the ointment. He is a peddler of diphtheria, scarletina, typhoid, tuberculo- sis — everything bad. He lights down on a sick man, picks up on his toes the dis- ease germs and trails around upon the cooking utensils, food, supplies and food stuffs until he infects the whole house with disease. And I can prove that one fly will start one million, more or less, points of disease in twenty-four hours. We must get after him and utterly destroy him, and all his chances for doing business."
All the doctors, theoretically knew all about disease germs as much as Dr. Hutchinson, but the theoretical facts did not strike them the same way, or with such practical force. Hutchinson took up the idea and wrote it up in the papers and journals. He agitated for a state board of health in Oregon and Portland, and for an appointed physician that should have for the city authority to inves- tigate foods, diseases, and persons, to ascertain the location of and the means of destroying the sources of disease at the fountain head, and before they had in- fected innocent persons and healthy surroundings. His articles written in his old office in the Marquam building attracted the attention of the colleges and health officers of New York city, and he was offered a large salary to go there and teach. He went; and has prospered in the great city, of the continent; and his articles on public health questions command enormous prices from the great magazine publishing houses. This paragraph is not written to exploit Dr. Hutch- inson. He will probably never see it, or hear of it. But it is to the credit of the city, that it has sent out reformers, and men who can and do mould the public sentiment of a great nation.
DENTISTS AND THEIR SCHOOLS AND ETHICS.
The first dentist to settle in Portland was Dr. E. H. Griffin ; he practiced his profession here for many years and then removed to Albany in Linn County, where he died a few years ago.
The next member of the dental profession to locate in Portland was Dr. J. R. Cardwell, who is still here in good health and with his office still open for busi- ness. Dr. Cardwell was born in the state of Illinois in 1830 and emigrated to Portland in 1852, and engaged in the practice of his profession, taking high rank as a careful and successful operator. First and last he made a large fortune in the practice of his profession, and spent the most of it in promoting the cultivation of rare and valuable fruits, importing many different varieties from foreign countries. He was chairman of the state board of dental examiners for many years, and aided largely in raising the standard of excellence in the profession, and of professional honor among its members. He expended a large sum of money in the importation of the woods, bark and blooms of the p ​runes raised
in France and Germany, so as to verify the fact that Oregon prunes are for the same varieties, the same as those of France and Germany. He also expended money freely on remedies for the diseases of fruit trees. He was for fourteen years the president of the Oregon Horticultural Society, and twice president of the Oregon Dental Society, as well as professor of Dental Jurisprudence and Ethics in the Northwestern Dental College of this city.
Of the early dental practitioners, the best ;remembered are Drs. Hatch, Glenn and Barber. Dr. Hatch held the leading position for many years, and then re- moved to San Francisco, Dr. S. J. Barber succeeding to his practice and holding the same by attention to business and excellence of dental work. Dr. Glenn was eminently a good citizen, and a good neighbor, but cared but little for money or professional reputation. For years Dr. Norris Cox not only maintained the repu- tation and good name of Glenn dental office, but by his excellent social qualities as well as his superior dental work, added largely to the patronage and income of both men.
Fifty years ago the dentists styled themselves "dental surgeons," and asserted and maintained the same code of ethics as the medical profession. It was then a very profitable profession, although the dentists had not one-tenth the facilities for doing good work as today. They all got their porcelain teeth from one fac- tory in old Philadelphia, made their own gold plates from U. S. coin, or block tin, and attached the teeth with platinum rivets. The first tooth pulling operation the writer of this book witnessed was sixty years ago; and the operator pulled the tooth with a "turnkey," which operated on precisely the same principle as the "peavey" used to roll logs in a logging camp — and there was no chloroform used then. The first set of "false teeth" I ever saw were owned by Dr. Robert Morrison of Morristown, Ohio; and they were teeth selected from the mouth of a sheep, mounted on plates of block tin, held in place by spiral springs, and made and worn by the doctor himself — his first job.
Afterward Dr. Morrison went to Pittsburgh and learned something of den- tistry, and after that traveled a circuit of towns and villages in central Ohio, and gave satisfaction to his customers. Most of the dentists sixty years ago were traveling dentists.
DENTAL ETHICS.
Fifty years ago dentists did not advertise their business any more than mem- bers of the medical profession. It was considered unprofessional to do so. But in these later times a large section of the dental profession has taken on a de- cidedly commercial flavor. There are incorporated dentists, Yale dentists, New York dentists, Chicago dentists, Harvard dentists, with advertised prices, sign boards and column advertising equal to a department store. What will it be in the next fifty years?
DENTAL EDUCATION.
With great energy, public spirit and liberality, the dentists of Portland have succeeded in establishing a dental college equal to anything in the United States. And their efforts in this respect have been highly appreciated, and the college has been liberally patronized from its first opening.
The course of study in this college covers a period of three years, or four years, as the students may decide.
The students are graded into freshmen, junior and senior classes, these with but few exceptions having separate and distinct courses of study. In the opera- tive and prosthetic clinics the teaching is directed to the individual pupil, and adapted to his particular needs.
NORTH PACIFIC COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY.
Board of Directors — Herbert C. Miller, president and treasurer; James R.
NORTH PACIFIC COLLEGE OF PHARMACY.
Under practically the same management a school of pharmacy has been established at Portland to meet the demands of government and people alike for men qualified to compound and sell drugs and medicines in conformity to the recent legislation of congress and the several state legislatures.
The enactment of "the pure food and drug act" by congress, and of similar legislation by many of the states has placed an importance upon pharmacy and pharmaceutical chemistry greater than it has ever before enjoyed in this country. The demand for educated pharmacists was never so great as it is today. Not only are salaries for this class higher than ever before, but there are more opportunities for advancement. The demand is for good men, those having business capacity and a good pharmaceutical education. There is no liklihood that there will be any material change in this report, unless it be to intensify the present demand for the kind of pharmacists now most needed. Employers are looking for men who have a college education, and the supply is not equal to the demand.
SANITORIUMS.
The sanitorium is the smaller and more exclusive form of the hospital, and is an evolution of medical practice which has been made possible in America by the increase of wealth, the development of specialists in medical practice, and the desire for more exclusive and better service. Portland has already a large number of these institutions, and all seemingly well patronized. There are two at Mt. Tabor, one in Holladay's addition, one in southeast Portland, and two in old west side Portland. They are all private enterprises, the city and state governments exercising no control over them further than to send the grand jury to investigate complaints of improper treatment or management of insane patients at one of them.
HEALTH AND SANITATION.
The city, county and state authorities have each devoted much time and expense to the subject of public health. The city maintains a crematory to burn garbage—at an annual expense of $23,000, and a street cleaning department at an annual expense of $164,000. The health department is highly commended for its efficient service by the mayor who states in his annual report for January 5, 1910, that the mortality of the city is only 7.04 per 1,000 of the population, which is probably better than any other city of its size could show. The officials in charge of the public health are: city physician, health officer, three assistant health officers, market inspector, milk inspector, bacteriologist, four medical inspectors of schools, school nurse and pest house nurse.
PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS.
As a part of the equipment of a modern city to maintain the public health, parks, and playgrounds for children are now in all civilized countries deemed a necessity. The scenic and geographical capabilities of Portland favor the disposition and development of this factor of the public health in a high degree. And the park board have bestowed much care and thought to this subject, so that the foundations have already been laid for a large and beautiful system of parks and boulevards. First meeting of the board of park commissioners was held on October 20, 1900, in office of mayor.
Members of First Board of Park Commissioners, 1900—Mayor H. S. Rowe, Gen. Charles F. Beebe, Rev. Thomas L. Eliot, Mr. Henry Fleckenstein, Colonel L. L. Hawkins, Hon. Rufus Mallory, and City Engineer W. B. Chase.
The board of park commissioners for the year 1910 are: The mayor, Joseph Simon, I. Lang, Ion Lewis, Dr. J. R. Wetherbee and Dr. E. G. Clarke.
​Parks and park grounds already acquired are:
Name.Cost.