Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-02
IN OLD WASHINGTON
By James Croggon.

By James Croggon.
About the year 1900 DIR. Frederick May, |
who came from Boston and settled on
twenty building HILL took up his resi-
dence on New Jersey avenue, Capitol
Hill.
| DR.. John Bullus was located on 7th and
l. street southeast. Tradition says he had
| a small drug store there. A DIR. Carroll
| was near the corner of Pennsylvania ave-
nue. and 18th street about the same time.
| Beside these were other physicians not
| in private practice. Among them DR.. Will
! liam Thornton, who planned the Capitol,
and surgeons of the navy who attended
| the families of the officers and the small
| force then in the city; DR.. Edgar Cutt-
bush and DR.. John Harrison of the navy
and DR.. Elisha Harrison of the army, who
later established a drug store at 14th
| street and the Avenue.
Physicians Organize.
| According to the researches of the late
DR.. j. NJ. Toner. there were nine physi-
| clans and two apothecaries in the city in
1915. Two years later. however, the 22d
of September, 1877 sixteen physicians. in
Guiding those of Georgetown. formed a
medical society. This meeting was held
/ at TenniSons Tavern, which is still stand
! ing on Pennsylvania avenue east of 18th
street. in 1902. being known as Lovells
and afterward as the City motel, and con-
| Quoted by Mcleod. Sanford and others
An act Incorporating the society was
approved in 1919. a medical hall was es-
| tablished at McPhails Academy, on 10Th
street north of ST. Johns Church. Among
the members were Dr.. Thomas Sim, resid-
ing in the Seven buildings; Dr. Arnold
Elsey, 18th and, G streets; DIR. Henry
Hunt, 18th street and the Avenue: DIR.
Elisha Harrison, who kept drug store at
the latter place: DR.. j. II. Blake. who had
been mayor of Washington, on 10th street
above the Avenue; DR.. Thomas Sewall, on
who lived for many years at AZ and G
street; DR.. Frederic May, New Jer
sey avenue and street southeast: DR..
James Ewell. 1st and A streets southeast;
Dr. Alexander McWiliams. l street be-
tween 9th and 7th streets southeast; DR.. |
Richmond Johnson, at Az between n and
streets southwest, and William Jones. |
Pennsylvania avenue between 10Th and |
18th streets.
The lines were not, however. closely |
drawn. Treatment other than by the reg |
ular NJ. DIS prevailed. Many were prone |
to try home remedies. those of herb doc |
tors before calling on the regular physi |
clan. Notwithstanding, in the early years
of the board of health. which was formed
soon after, the mortality was slight, |
usually less than fifty per month in a |
population of $4,000.
In the twenties and for many years
after the regular practitioner. In gig or
on horseback carried his medicine case.
Some families kept the Family Physi- |
clan" receipts close at hand and others |
prepared remedies from old family re- !,
ceipts of untold age.
Indian Remedies Popular.
Those alleged to have come from the |
Indians were popular. At the market |
house the housekeepers who were unable |
to go into the woods for roots, vines, |
leaves and berries of medical plants. |
made purchases from the slaves and |
others who brought such there for sale. |
Thus it was that regular physicians
had to battle for the success of the pro- |
fession. In some sections such was the |
faith in their regular practitioner. black |
and white, male and female, that the |
physician was not called until it was
necessary to get a permit for interment. |
There were few patent medicines of
more than local reputation. Other than |
the anti-billious pills. for which the
apothecaries were the agents, other
medicine chest prepared by DIR. James |
Ewell for families
Blood letting was much resOrted to, and |
the leecher was frequently called E. Nc |
Reding, on the south side of the Avenue |
between 9th and 10th streets was the |
leading dealer in leeches in the twenties. |
Later s. Devaughn, on 9th street near |
the Avenue. and afterward at Sth and |
streets: Warren ChOate near Louisiana |
avenue and 9th street, and others were |
engaged, and the leech raised in |
some of the ponds then existing.
The apothecary shops had their in |
sigma of gilt mortar and pestle displayed |
at their front doors. Their windows were |
filled with colored globes. They made |
their appearance slowly. Some of the |
stands recalled are those of DIR. John |
Bullus at the navy yard, Dr. Elisha Har |
risOn at 18th street and Pennsylvania |
avenue; David OFT. Pennsylvania avenue |
between 9th and 10th streets; John Duck |
worth New Jersey avenue south of the |
Capitol; j. a. Brereton, on the south |
side of the avenue between 9th and 9TH
streets; Thomas Webb, on the north side |
of the avenue opposite Brereton's. DR.. |
| northwest. then on Pennsylvania avenue |
between 9th and 10th streets, and DR.. |
William Gunton. at the corner of 9th and
the Avenue. who was followed by others
until the present day.
In the Seven buildings on Pennsylvania
avenue between 18th and 10th, was Joel
| Wright, who was followed by Peter
Seyne In 1890 Nathaniel Jewett came
| out from Georgetown and took Dr. Har
rison's store at 18th and the Avenue. In
| the same decade John Duckworth came
| from Capitol Hill and succeeded OFT on
| the Avenue between 9th and 10th streets.
| Richard Stabler following him. The
Duckworth stand on New Jersey ave-
nue. about the same time was in the
hands of Clark e. GunneIl. and after
| ward was conducted for several years
| by William II. Gunnell. On the Navy
| Yard F. W. Clark was at the stand at
| eth and L streets for several years and
| the business was carried on by his widow
| until after the forties.
First Homeopathic Doctors.