Morris tribune., 1897-01-06
DOCTORS IN COLONIAL DAYS.

DOCTORS IN COLONIAL DAYS.
EecBoxz' Bills of Some Connecticut Valley
Settlements.
Educated physicians were so few
that almost perforce the clergy
znen were found shining forth in
Whist Mather, in the "Magnalia, "
called the 'angelical conjunction -
cumbining minister and physician
I'm ono. 1t is also pleasant to note
that the woman highly skilled IN
medicine had also come upon the
sezne as early as 1881, for the wife
of Rev. John Eliot was one OF those
possessing skill in both medicine
sad surgery, but attended the sick
and manned without reward, and
later ON, at the close of King Philip s
war, Mrs. Allyn was allowedp;20 for
attending sick and wounded soldiers
by the Connecticut council Also
the wife of William Miller OF North
aanpton sometimes acted as sur
geon, and in 1888, in an authentic
history of Virginia, "a gentleWom-
an. a noted female doctress, Is
mentioned, who cured those bitten
by mad dogs.
Many of the towns along the Con-
necticut river were without any res
ident physician for long periods, 80
and 10 years, but it was almost in
syitable that in their pioneer life
there should be calls for the knowl-
edge and services of a bonesetter-
and there are men just as surely in
slired to do this work as are the
dictionary makers and the collectors
of queer and useless articles. Their
vivisection must have been confined
to the killing and cutting up Of do
Inestic and wild animals for food,
for Eliot, writing in 1647, says, We
never had but one anatomy (skele-
tony in the country, which Mr.. Giles
Firmin did make and rede upon
well" But Mr.. Firmin was in adj
vance of his time in medicine and
found it scarcely paying business,
Tor he writes to Governor Winthrop:
ST am strongly set upon to study
divinitie My studyes else must be
lost, for physik is but meene
helpe." And he went back to Eng
land.
7 For half century after the settle
ment of the four towns Northamp-
ton, Hadley, Hatfield and Deerheld
the average annual expense OF doc
tors bills was not more than 5000,
Including those who were wounded
by Indians. In 1727 the town OF
Hadley voted to give $50 toward IN
ducing "a good bonesetter to locate
among them if other towns would
Join them. We occasionally read OF
some of those tough old pioneers
living to a great age, but let no one
imagine that those former days"
were better than ours. The average
agf human life was far shorter than
now, and plain food and early hours
Nere the rule, and the mischief OF
Intoxicating drinks was almost IN
known. Only those who can realize
za0w anasthetics alone save life-for
sample pain kills, if severe enough
q=an appreciate how suffering men
arad women laid down their lives
ESatarnely, because they had been
5born too soon, for, with all the flip
gsant sneers at doctors and their in
Sx table limitations, there is no ques-
ziCsn that well educated physician,
.saI.so endowed with common sense, is
10 valuable man in any community.
The above sketch includes palpa-
Eale diseases capable of being cured
by tangible remedies and does not
touch on the large province of the
disease of faith" and fascination,
SURROUNDED and enhanced by a pro-
found belief in the abilities of what
were called the powers of dark
ness, +" among which was witchcraft,
and the forces which were brought
10 bear against it.-IndeDendent