Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-12-04
OLD COUNTRY DOCTOR
AS a Rule His Methods Were
Crude But His Patients Re.
covered Just the Same.

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The pioneer physician waged on
unequal war against disease because
OF his limited knowledge and equip
ment for fighting It. IIo was some.
thing of hotanist. and gathered
many of tho herbs lie used in the
woods during mild months, and from
his book OF recipes compounded many
n drastic dose. He relied largely on
his common sense, the rarest quality
TO he found In men to this day.
This sclfrclancc built up an indI-
vidnality. II strong personality. often
peculiar and sometimes eccentric. He
knew his patients he studied their pc
culiaritics as well as their ailments.
md the combined knowledge gave
him marked degree of SUCCESS.
i'he early doctor had limited know.
ledge OF mnteria mctica. HIS supply
consisted Of medicines of his own
compoundlng: also calomel, Dover's
powders, lobella, and tartar enetlc,
which took hold: powerful. blster!ng
salvc. pair Of old turkeys fer ex-
irac,ing teeth. which brought forth
tho most recalcitrant root. and spring
and thumb lnnccs for bleeding.
Everybody had to be bled, sick or
we'll.
The treatment OF somc cases-well
typhoid fever, FOR instance. was hero
ic and unique. Every particle OF wa.
ter was taken away from the patient
being consumed by the awful fever
Wasted with tho disease and weaken.
cd by It's ravagcs, he was bled for n
half pint to quart to further weaken
him.
He was dosed with caiomol TIL he
was robins egg blue and his teeth
loosened. But, Notwithstanding, he
generally got we'll In spite of the
doctor. rather than with his assist
ance. for he was of u hardy race.
But this treatment was the excep.
ton rather than tho rule. Tho doc
tors doses were drastic, and mainly
OF his own compromising, and being
vegetable and from the oarth, earthly.
they were well suited 10 mans needs.
bleeding commenced to 20 out OF
general fashion about 1850. Twenty
five cents was the bleeding fee Visits
III town, similar amount. and coun.
try rides, 20 cents mile; otstetric
fee, s.. There werc n few medical
colleges in the land. ana some of the
mcst successful country doctors never
saw tho inside OF one.
When the law was passed reuuir-
Ing the registering OF diplomas with
the parliamentary Of tho judicial dis.
trict, some of the most export OF the
old-fash.oned doctors had none 20 reg.
ister. Tho law allowed them to prac
ticc as before. which they did to the
end. which leads to the suspicion that
some of our best doctors are born.
net made.
No preliminary education was re.
oulred. a man went and read in the
doctors oti|cc tho few textbooks the
early doctor had, followed his pre-
ceptor around, and watched him care
fully, studying his hook of receipts for
compromising dope.
Then the doctor started out his stu.
dent on some of the simpler cases.
Ike student on some OF the simpler
eases, like measles. whoSping cough.
and mumps. TIL tho young man
thought himself qualified to do the
trick alone, and then he went else
whore and hung out his sign with
DIR In front of his name.
II is amazing to link how some
of these doctors, with limited advant-
ages and crude equipment. tied mr.
tories. set difficult fractures. amputat.
cd limbs by tho Hight of barn lanterns
with instruments and bandages flshod
ont of saddle bags or great coat peck.
cts.
They must have been reeklng with
germs. II there is anything in tho germ
theory. and yet cases of blood poison.
Ing We're comparatively unknown
Observation-Disclosures North American.
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