Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1908-04-02
PHYSICIANS OF OLD
THE PIONEER DOCTOR WAS IN
CLASS BY HIMSELF.
In Spite of His Many Handicaps, He
Battled Successfully with Disease
His Limited Knowledge Of
Materia Medca.

The pioneer physician waged an I'M
equal war against disease because OF
his limited knowledge and equipment
for fighting it. He was something of
q botanist and gathered many of the
herbs he used in the woods during
mild months, and from his book of
recipes compounded many a drastic
dose. He relied largely on his com
non sense, the rarest quality to bs
found in men to this day.
This self-reliance built up an indi-
viduality, strong personality, often
peculiar and sometimes eccentric. He
knew his patients, he studied their pc
culiarities as we'll 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, Dover's 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 we'll.
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 it's
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 we'll. 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 compromising, and being
vegetable and from the earth, earthly
they we're 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, similar amount, and coun
try rides, 25 cents a mile; obstetrie
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
parliamentary 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 leada to the suspicion tina
some of our bee doctors are born, no
made.
No preliminary education was re
quired A man went and read in tn
doctors Office and few textbook
the early doctor had, followed his pre-
t ceptcr around and watched him care
fully, studying his book of recipes TO
! compromising dope.
4 Then the doetor started out his STU
> dent on some of the simpler cases
> like measles, whooping cough an
humps, till the young man though
himself qualified to do the trick alon
, and then went elsewhere and hun
= out his sign with CDR" in front of hi
a name
8 1t is amazing to think how some {
Y these doctors. with limited adyal
d tages and crude equipment, tied a
d teries, set difficult fractures. amp
e tated limbs by the light of barn la
q terms with instruments and bandage
fished out of saddlebags or greatco;
pockets.
IL They must have been reeking VIII
1T germs, if there is anything in the ger
thecsy, and yet cases of blood poiso
ing were comparatively unknown the