Evening star., 1934-04-29

ington that date back so far as the
Medical Society Of the District of Co
lumbia and surely none has had
more useful or more honorable career
1t goes without saying that the serv-
ice rendered by the members of this booy-
sometimes purely for humanitys sake-s
only comparable to that of the church 1tsen.
When the seat of Government was moved
to Washington in 1900, there were few pnysl-
clans practicng medicine here, and there was
little need for many since the entire popula-
ton of the city at that time was only 3'zlo.
Today physicians are generally specialists, put
at that time and even much later, the medical
man found it quite necessary, in order 10 make
a living. to practice pharmacy, dentistry ana
surgery along with his other duties as the fam
lily doctor.
Indeed, only rarely did doctor become rlcn
in bygone days, for few had what was even tneh
considered large practice, and some even went
outside of their sphere Of healing the SICK ana
engaged in businesses entirely foreign TO tnat
of the physician, as did DR.. Coningham, VINO
operated a brewery here for awhile, and DR..
John Croker who published one Of Washing
tons earliest newspapers, the Washington Ad-
vertiser, in 1896, but soon gave this up to re-
turn to the writing of prescriptions.
AN IDEA of how Lucrative" the practice
n of medicine was in the early days may be
obtained from the statement MADE tnat Dr
Croker, in 1876, was appointed physician to at
tend the 46 laborers employed here on the pup
lie buildings, his compensation being set at SGT
a year; but even at this price there were other
applicants in the field for the place, and the
following year Drs. Wrenn CAN'T. Frederick
MAY and w. B. williams sought the office, IN
addition to DR.. Crocker. DR.. May was CHOSEN.
By this time the number of laborers employed
on the Capitol had increased to about 80, and
when the new appointee rendered bill OF
1858 so for services for six months there was an
objection on the part of the Commissioner.
who called in Dr. Coningham for advice Oh
the subject
Even at this price, Just how much attention
the laborers received is question no one can
answer at this late date, but the Commissioners,
at least were looking after their welfare, ana
in 1889 ordered the overseer not to serve pork
more than four days in each week until the
beef in barrels was used. In August, lew
months later, because of the excessive heat, the
carpenters engaged in building the roof OF the
Capitol were allowed half pint of whisky
day, so long as the warm spell lasted.
Drs Samuel Brown and John Crocker are
said to have been the first physicians in Wash
ington. DR.. Frederick May came here from
Boston in 1895 and Immediately engaged in
the practice OF medicine. He was graduate
of Dartmouth College and Harvard University.
and soon acquired an extensive pracuce, put he
still had time left for the poor, and Mrs Thorn
ton in her diary Of 1900. records several times
when she went with DR.. Thornton to administer
to the destitute ILL., One case was that Of
poor sick man who was lying out OF doors un-
der tree, nobody being willing to take him In,
lest he might have the yellow fever" The sick
man had come from Alexandria, and he re-
ceived shelter in the stable then being erected
for the President at the southeast corner OF
Fourteenth and G streets northwest. After
ceasing to be the White House stable, this
building became a public school, and served
other purposes before being removed. day
two later Mrs. Thornton notes that "the
poor man died this morning. (September 10,
1900.
Another early physician was Dr.. John
Bullus, who located at Seventh and
streets southeast and conducted there, accord