Anna Louise Tittman Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

Anna Tittman 1 40
I
purse and it was the husband who really paid the bill. (laughs) I
had cases In Jacksonville, Pawnee, Taylorville, all amund. And that was
interesting, too, to I~Y; as a young nurse. Oh, those peopae always were
friends, you know, then and afterwards and that meant a lot. A11 kinds of
cases, typhoid fever and . . .
Q. Was there lots of typhoid?
A. (31, there was som. Not an epidemic that I know of. 'Then after this,
I used a good deal of tire go- to postgraduate courses.
Q. Now when did you start those?
A. The first one I had, and that cam about-I have to have a preliminary
to it. A f'riend of me, a young woman, married, %d.aftar a few mths of
mamiage, her husband wanted to take a job In Texas. She was happy about
it because she didn't want to gp to Texas. She didn't knv mybow 3x1 Texas;
this was Fort Worth. She told ITE her troubles and she s d, 'Why don't you
come d m with me? Why don't you corn down?" I said, 11, that's an idea.
It ve never been anyplace. " And so I went.
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A. To Fort W&h, yes. And ri&t may, a dngsto~ there had a registry.
I hada case of a young girl about ten years old, and such a sweet little
girl, Wie, Marie bgan. And she had a Doctor Frank k11. That was her
doctor. She had scarlet fever, and she got somthing her$ in her neck like
a-well, an abcess. We had the operation right there in i3he horn, right In
her bed. And his brotber was a doctor also. He was a smgeon and Frank.
was the medical man. They were both Johns Hopkins graduatles. Well, when
Marie got well and I was ready to go, Dr. Frank said to me, 'What do you
intend to do?" 'Wile I am here, I am taking cases. " "Well, no. What are
you golng to do with yourself?" I said, T m
going to tqe postgraduate
work just as fast and as seon as I can get it. 'Where a3e you gofng?"
"I don1 t know yet. It m going to go where I have the cam of children. " He
said, 'Why don't you go to Johns Hopkins Hospital?" I saild, "I don't know
why I don't. " And he said, "Both my brother and I w ill send ahead of time
and recomnend you. 'l So I went. It cam about that I was !accepted on their
word; they were highly thou@t of. And so I went the s r of 1908, I
think. This is professimal biography. (holds up a T p inted list) I
haven1 t got it finished tho&.
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Q. Oh, good. I should copy that off so that I can keep with you on
these dates.
A. Oh, okay. Well, that was 1908.
Q. Now you started in there i~ the fall?
A. Yes, 1 had gone in order tcp get $he training for &ilc$ren--they&dnlt
have a children's building, bup it didn' t do m any harm to go whe there
were children treated. I also lhad som surgical work. I was seated, on a
chair where there was going to ,be an amputation of a breat. I was geated
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