Milford chronicle., 1955-08-12

a
skilled man. Without the amazing
modern aids of diagnosis, he was a
sure diagnostician of the major ills
of mankind Without anti-biotics.
without vaccines-except for small
pox-without vitamins. without the
X-ays and fiuorescent photographs
of your innards, the country doctor
did healing in an amazing degree.
Hot towels and cold towels were
substituted for aspirin and CO.
define. No doubt Mother Nature
used more pain in her healing pro-
cesses. But statistics show that a
host of his charges reached old age
safely.
But beyond his healing art, the
country doctor did far more. He in
stilled the community with the COM
mon sense of preventive medicine.
He brought a sympathy and spiri-
tual strength and courage to the
troubled patients. He healed the
spirit.
He brought their babies into the
world. He piloted the youngsters
safely through their measles, chick
en- pox and mumps without the aids
of modern medicines. His major
word Of comfort was you cannot
have it twice" He gave counsel and
courage to the young and helped
them to find a ioh-
He was their lifelong friend. He
was the confidant of the family and
he healed many a family conflict.
He was a leader in the affairs of
the community.
The plaque on this cottage is a
tribute TO great profession which
has made much of the spiritual
backgrounds of the American peo-
pie.
The species of the country doctor
is not extinct. With ruban life,
paved roads and the automobile, he
has changed his name to that of the
family doctor. He is better equipped
to fight disease and accident, bat
the family doctor has the same
qualities of moral strength, friend
ship and family guidance as of old.
And it is the family doctors
knowledge that these needed moral
and spiritual services could not sur
vive socialized medicine that leads
him to fight it at every turn.
And this is no disparagement of
the great specialists who daily save
the lives of thousands of our peo-
pie. But America needs more fam
lily doctors.
This occasion also recalls the
part of pioneer men and women in
the Northwest. Today we can re-
call again memories of the courage
with which the pioneers felled
these forests to make their farms,
of their staunch fidelties to the
ideals of free men and the moral
and spiritual life with which they
endowed our generation.
Once upon a time it was the GUS
tom of our people to gather on the
Fourth of July and someone would
read the Declaration of Independ-
ence with the Stare and Stripes in
the background. Someone spoke on
freedom and the greatness of Amer
ica. 1t was in this village that / first
had that inspiring experience-.and
from Dr. Minthorn.
In order to do our part we, the
oncoming generation, packed a
drain tile with appropriate gun
powder, tamped both ends hard
with clay, and fixed fuse. The fuse
was short-and it proved more pow
erful than we expected. DR.. Min
thorn was busy for hours picking
pieces of tile out of the skins of
small boys. He engaged in no repri
mands.
DR.. Minthorn and his generation
had deep convictions on the Ameri-
can way of life. Their fathers were
the sons of men who had fought the
war for American independence.
They themselves had fought the
Civil War to free the slaves. Their
lights along the way of American
life were the Declaration of indie
pendence, the Constitution, Wash
ington's Farewell Address and Lin
coins Emancipation Proclamation.
They held that the function of the
Federal Government was to safe
guard the individual freedoms and
trust to the initiative of men to
generate progress.
Probably some will say that the
recalling of those times, of those
men, and of those beliefs is an ex-
preston of longing to so backward !
in American life. No sane person |
ignores the shifting scene on our
stage. But do not forget |
the many thousands of DR.. Min