The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1908-03-18
PHYSICIANS OF OLD
TIE PIONEER DOCTOR WAS IN
CLASS BY HIMSELF.
In Spite Of His Many Handieaps, He
eattIed Successfully with Disease
His Limited knowledge Of
Materla Mediea.

The pioneer physician waged an un-
equal war against disease because Of
his limited knowledge and equipment
for fighting 1t. He was something Of
botanist and gathered many Of the
herbs he used in the woods during
mild months, and from his book Of
recipes compounded many drastic
dose. He relied largely on his com
mon sense, the rarest quality to be
found in men to this day.
This selfreliance built up an indi-
viduality, a strong personality, often
peculiar and sometimes eccentric. He
knew his patients, he studied their Pc
culiarities as well as their ailments.
and the combined knowledge gave him
a marked degree Of success.
The early doctor had limited knowl-
edge of materia medica. His supply
consisted of medicines of his own COM
pounding; also calomel, Dovers pow
ders, lobelia and tartar emetic, which
took hold; powerful, blistering salve.
a pair OF old turkeys for extracting
the most recalcitrant root. and spring
and thumb lances for bleeding. Every
body had to be bled, sick or well.
The treatment Of some cases-well.
typhoid fever, for instance. was heroic
and unique. Every particle Of water
was taken away from the patient being
consumed by the awful fever. Wasted
with the disease and weakened by Its
ravages, he was bled for half-pint to
quart to further weaken him.
He was dosed with calomel till he
was robins egg blue and his teeth
/ loosened. But. Notwithstanding. he
generally got well. in spite Of the doc.
tor. rather than with his assistance
for he was of hardy race.
But this treatment was the excep
ton rather than the rule. The doc
tors doses were drastic and mainly
of his own compounding. and being
vegetable and from the earth. earthly
they were we'll suited to mans needs
Bleeding commenced to go out OF
/ general fashion about 1850. Twenty
five cents was the bleeding fee. Visits
in town, a similar amount, and coun
try rides, rs cents q mile; obstetrit
fee. five dollars. There were few med
! ical colleges in the land and some o.
the most successful country doctors
never saw the inside of one.
When the law was passed requiring
the registering of diplomas with the
prothonotary Of the judicial district
some of the most expert OF the old
fashioned doctors had none to regis
ter. The law allowed them to prac
tice as before. which they did to thu
end. which leads to the suspicion tina
some Of our best doctors are born, no
made.
No preliminary education was re
quired. A man went and read in thu
doctors office and few Textbooks
the early doctor had. followed his pre-
ceptor around and watched him care
fully, studying his book Of recipes To-
compounding dope.
Then the doctor started out his stu
dent on some OF the simpler cases
like measles. whooping cough ant
humps, till the young man though
himself qualified to do the trick alon,
and then went elsewhere and hum
out his sign with Or" In front Of hi
name.
1t il amazing to think how some o
these doctors. with limited advan
tages and crude equipment, tied ar
teries, set difhcult fractures, ampu
tated limbs by the light Of barn Ian
terms with instruments and bandage'
flshed out Of saddlebags or greatcoa
pockets.
They must have been reeking Will
germs, II there is anything in the germ
theory, and yet cases of blood poison
ing were comparatively unknown then