Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1908-01-09
PHYSICIANS OF OLD
THE PIONEER DOCTOR WAS IN
CLASS BY HIMSELF.
In Spite OF His Many Handleaps, He
Battled Successfully with Disease
His Limited knowledge Of
MaterIa Medica.

The pioneer physician waged an un-
equal war against disease because Of
his limited knowledge and equipment
for fighting II. He was something OF
a botanist and gathered many Of tie
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
mon sense, the rarest quality to be
found in men to this day.
This self-reiiance built up an indl.
v~iduality, 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 " 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 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 a half.pint to
a quart to further weaken him.
He was dosed with calomel till he
was a 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 a hardy race.
But this treatment was the excep-
ton rather than the rule. The doc.
tors doses we're drastic and mainly
Of his own compromising. 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 oun
try rides, 20 cents a mile; obstetric
fee, five dollars. There we're few med
ical colleges in the land and some OF
the most successful country doctors
never saw the inside Of n
When the law was passed requiring
the registering of diplomas with the
p~rothonotary 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 the
end, which leads to the suspicion that
some of our best doctors are born, not
made.
No preliminary education was re-
quired. A man went and lead in the
doctors Office and q few textbooks
the early doctor had. followed his pre-.
ceptor around and watched him care
fully, studying his book Of recipes for
compromising dope.
Then the doctor started out his stu
dent on some of the simpler cases.
like measles, w~hooping cough and
humps, till the young man thought
himself qualified to dc the trick alone
and then went elsewhere and hung
out his sign with Or" in front of his
anne
1t Is amazing to think how aome nf
these doctors, with limited advan-
tages and crude equipment, tied ar
%teries. set difficult fractures. ampu.
tated limbs by the light of barn Ian
terms with instruments and bandages
ished out of saddlebags o. greatcoat
pockets.
They must have been reeking with
germs, II there is anything in the germ
theory, and yet cases OF blood poison.
ing were comparatively unknown then.