Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-11-08
The Country Home
Progress of Medicine in Modern Days
BY MRS. w. lei. FELTON,

experience there have been great
changes in medical practice and
treatment of the sick. In nothing is
scientific progress made more ap-
parent to the plain citizen than the
way the modern doctor treats his av-
erage patient.
My dear mother was delicate and
ailing very often in my childhood,
and I was always afraid she might
die. had seen doctors attend people
who never any more became well,
and our family doctor was a tall,
gaunt reticent person, enveloped in
mystery to my youthful imaginings.
He always came on horseback. He
had a pair of what was called by
the common people "pill bags" The
medicine he left to be taken by his
patient was generally held in very
small phials. So many drops to
dose, accurately counted, by my
strong, capable father and dropping
the dose was always interesting to
the wide-awake little girl.
The doctor pulled teeth also, and
bled sick folks. He was imam OF
all work." and when his remedies
did not cure there was no place in
all the land to find medical treat
ment, outside the home OF the pa
tient.
I was a stout specimen of small
humanity I presume, for knew next
to nothing about personal illness I'M
til I married and became a mother,
in the early sos.
Bleeding at that time was exceed
ingly popular with medical practl-
TONERS.
We had some doctors who always
employed the lancet sooner or later.
I had a bad headache at one time
and was feverish when our famlly
doctor decided it was proper TO
bleed me, my first experience OF
blood letting. My left arm was
handaged tightly above the elbow
and the doctor expected to see the
vein bulge up and become plainly
apparent. But l. had a serviceable,
sound plump arm, and the expected
vein was "slow in arriving to the
surface" -.
The first cut with the lancet did
not ROUGH a vein. Then and there
I decided I would never be an advo-
cate for any sort of blood letting.
The second lancet cut was more
accurate. I had a dear old mldW!re
neighbor who opened vein in the
side of her own foot, when she Ielt
badly. She lived to a good old age
hut I always felt some uneas1ness
about what might happen to her IN
her lancet operations on hersef.
In the years that rolled along,
Wnen we needed family remedies.
we laid in sulphur of champion, tur-
pentine, castor oil, etc., and mus
lard to make poultices
We had a considerable slave Fam.
ilv. and I was in "active practlce
$50 to speak, all the time until aLter
the surrender in 1865. have mad
as MANY as five cradles in my roora
at night when their sleepy-headed
colored mothers could not be trusted
to give the medicine to the little
baby pickaninnies.
This large number was only occa-
sional, in bitter cold weather, ana
during the prevalence OF 1nfluenZa
or Group. When you are toid tnat
we lived three miles away from
doctor, and had no telephones ana
no trained nurses and only Wooo
fires and ourselves to depend upon
in times of accident or sudden Ill
ness, you will understand that we
were obliged to assume risks ana
give medicine on our own SUCCESS
tions-quite often.
oh what can I say or the goOu
neighbbrs that will fit the SITUATION:
Thev always came when they gov
the word that somebody was slch.
They were ready to help, nlgnc ~
dav' They could sit up all nlgnt
and think it no hardship. The more
serious the situation the closer the
attendance in the stricken nome: go,
Talk about community service!
The modern sort! We certainly haa
community helpfulness and prorouhu
sympathy for the dead and Tor the
bereaved survivors!
Ties of friendship were nlaoe uoo
blv strong by these constant anu III
remitting kindnesses, perIorIaeo ny
neighbors- that were
never. born to die. I,,o
Tn these passing years we nave
gone to magnificent sanltarluns' 10
expert physicians, to trained NURSERY
IN new appliances, to wonderful sur
oica1 aid where there was nothing
to he compared to any or either OF
those modern helps here mentioned
in our everyday experience OF thirty
and forty years ago, as remember
them.
am writing these lines by the
bedside Of a very dear relative, VINO
is old like myself, and who is view
ing the benefit of these wonderful
aids and appliances, and watched
night and day by most careful nurses
and every symptom carefully inves-
tieated by a wonderful staff Of ply
sicians. and she is so appreciatlVe
and comfortable that I felt obliged
to add my. mite Of praise and graft
tude for these surprising benefits and
comforts, that have come to us, and
to all great cities in the United
States in the progress of medicine
and treatment for the sick.
When I think of these discoveries
and the marvellous skill Of surgeons
and the relief given to suffering peo-
pie and we in easy reach Of all these
things in this good year 1921, am
ready to shout What wonders hath
God wrought
Indian Summer
The October frost was not very
heavy one. The woods are blazing
with gorgeous colorS. The NAPLES,
hickorys and oaks are rivaling each
other in the display of handsome TO-
iage.
Tomorrow ushers in November
and November has had "given
name" for many long years-and it
is known in weather parlance as
"bleak November" November days
are generally cloudy-and they are
very short-as to daylight.
Whereas in June the sun shines
gloriously before five a.. M, and
fingers until after seven in the late
evening. November sun rises very
late in the forenoon, cold and dull
the world looks sad and gloomy to
most of us.
But in this, good year, 1921, we
have had a. most remarkable fall