The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1915-06-09

story Of these three country doc,
tors.
DR.. w. w. Mayo, the father
who died in his ninetieth year
was a New Highlander and lived
in New York when he was a
boy. In 1916 he left New York
to make a home in what was
then considered to be out West.
He went to Buffalo and nine
years later to Indiana and there
set up the practice of medicine.
There were no large institutions
in those days to look to for adj
vice. The elder Mayo was large
ly self-taught and gained his
knowledge by experience.
In 1862 he was awarded dip
Iona which constituted him a
full fedged member of the med
ical profession. For fifteen years
he was a country doctor, labor
ing among the people Of the
countryside, content for the
time with the reward they were
able to bring him. Finally, in
the early '80s, he moved to the
town of Rochester, at the same
time taking a farm on the out
skirts of the village, where his
sons, William J. and Charles H.,
were born and grew to young
manhood. They attended public
school, but did not complete
their high school course. They
went to work instead.
Both Went to Work
Both found employment in
drug stores and there they
learned pharmacy. For them it
was a natural step from the
practice Of pharmacy to the
practice of medicine and both
resolved to become surgeons.
For this purpose they left home
for school. William J. took the
full course in the medical de-
partment of the University of
Michigan at Ann Arbor, while
Charles H. attended the Chicago
Medical College, now the Medi.
cal School Of the Northwestern
University. Both were graduated
with honors. While they were
at work St. Mary's Hospital at
Rochester was founded, the re-
suit of Roman Catholic behe-
Violence.
One summer a tornado swept
over the town and nearly de-
stroyed it. Of the inhabitants
more than 100 were injured. To
care for these small shelter
was built. While at work in
this temporary hospital DR..
Mayo conceived the plan Of es-
tablishing a hospital in the town.
He spoke Of his idea to the Cath
Ollie Sisters of ST. Francis, and |
they took it up eagerly. From
that beginning the present in
stitution has grown.
Enter St. Mary's
Returning from college the
two young Mayos entered St.
Mary's and at once demonstrate
ed their ability in surgery. The
hospital was then the only in
stitution of it's kind in the State,
just as it is the only institution
of it's kind in the world now,
and at first it's patients were
townspeople, farmers and stock
men, with an occasional victim
Of a wreck upon the only line
of railroad running through the
place.
The Mayo brothers worked
hard and successfully. They
saved the lives of patients whom
other and older practitioners
had given up in despair. Grad
ually their fame spread as their
work increased and their knowl-
edge of all kinds of surgical
cases became more sure. When
success came they did not gra-
vitate to other cities but stayed
in Rochester. They did not let
success spoil them. When a
brother surgeon did something
especially well they left Roches-
ter and hunted him up, always
alert to learn new methods.
From ST. Mary's Hospital the
fame of the Mayo brothers ex-
tended round the globe, and ply
sicians of England, France, Ger
many, Austria and Italy did not
hesitate to visit Rochester when
unable to find in the Old World
the knowledge they needed. A
French savant connected with
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