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Show PHYSICIANS OF OLD THE PIONEER DOCTOR WA8 IN CLA88 BY HIMSELF. In Spite of Hit Many Handicaps, He Battled Succeitfully with Disease Hit Limited Knowledge of Materia Medlea. Tho pioneer physician waged an unequal un-equal war against disease because ot his limited knowledge and equipment for fighting it. He was something of a botanist and gathered many of the herbs ho used In tho woods during mild months, and from his book of recipes compounded many a drastic dose. Ho rolled largely on his common com-mon sense, the rarest quality to be found In men to this day. This self-reliance built up an individuality, indi-viduality, n strong personality, often peculiar and sometlmet eccentric. He knew his patients, ho studlod tholr peculiarities pe-culiarities as well as their ailments, and tho comblnod knowledge gave him n marked degree of success. The early doctor had limited knowledge knowl-edge ot materia medlea. His supply consisted of medicines of his own compounding; com-pounding; also calomel, Dover's powders, pow-ders, lobelia and tartar emetic, which took hold; powerful, blistering salve, a pair ot old turnkeys for extracting the most recalcitrant root, and spring and thumb lances for bleeding. Everybody Every-body had to be blod, sick or well. Thotreatment of Bomo cases well, typhoid fever, for instance, was heroic and unique. Every particle of water was takon away from tho patient being consumed by the awful fever. Wastod with tho disease and weakened by Its ravages, he was bled for a half-pint to a quart to further weaken him. He was dosed with calomel till ho was a robin's egg blue and his teoth loosened. But, notwithstanding, he generally got well, In spite of the doctor, doc-tor, rather than with his assistance, for he was of a hardy race. But this treatment was the exception excep-tion rather than the rule. The doe-tor's doe-tor's doses wero drastic and mainly of his own compounding, and being vegetable and from the earth, earthy, they were well suited to man'a needs. Blooding commenced to go out of general fashion about 1860. Twenty-five Twenty-five cents was the bleeding fee. Visits in town, a similar amount, and country coun-try rides, 25 cents a mile; obstetric fee, five dollars. There were few medical med-ical colleges In tho land and soruo ot tho most successful country doctors never saw the Inside of one. When the law was -passed requiring the registering of diplomas with tho prothonotary of the Judicial district, some of the most expert of the old-fashioned old-fashioned doctors had none to register. regis-ter. The law allowed them to practice prac-tice as before, which they did to the ond, which leads to tho suspicion that Bomo of our best doctors are born, not made. No preliminary education was required. re-quired. A man wont and read In tho doctor's office nnd n few text-books the early doctor had, followed his pro-ceptor pro-ceptor around and watched him carefully, care-fully, studying his book of recipes for compounding dope. Then the doctor started out his student stu-dent on somo ot tho simpler cases, like measles, whooping cough and mumps, till the young man thought himself qualified to do the trick alono and then went elsewhere and hung nut his Blgn with "Dr." In front of his name. It Is amazing to think how some of these doctors, with limited advantages advan-tages and crude equipment, tied arteries, ar-teries, set difficult fractures, amputated ampu-tated limbs by the light of barn lanterns lan-terns with instruments and bandages fished out of saddlebags or greatcoat pockets. They must havo been reeking wun germs, it there is anything In tho germ theory, and yet cases of blood poisoning poison-ing wero comparatively unknown then. |