Anna Louise Tittman Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

Anna Tittman I 71
Q. Drugless healers and doctors? I
A. Yes. I didn't ,do much with the doctor business, no. ~~t 1 had to do
detective work, as it were.
Q. Tell rn about that.
A. Well, that came about as a part of thfs. The Illinoiq State Department
of Registration and Education, SprFngfield, Illinois, is a consolidation
of all boards of examinem. Well, it should say the jexdners for
licensure. Of course, we did mre than that. I
I
Now I kind of would like to have that word '137egistration11
You have that already. I guess the other day you got it.
ble for the word registration being in the title. Well,
all kinds of Inspection. You see, I had to inspect these ess healers.
That would be where I had to go and interview. It d go to
the pharmacies I had to inspect. Well, 1'11 take the othep, first, the drugless
healers. You go to a hone where the patient has been !treated or parent
of a patient that was treated and you ask about the servi* of this dlrmgless
healer. Then I had to get infarmtion that could be takeq to court because
they didn't have a license. So that was my detective work I had a little
star, little police star, which I wore. It said Inspectofl of Bpartmnt of
Registration or somthing like that. And I wove it under the lapel of w
jacket. And then to inspect a drugstore--they would have poung men filling
prescriptions who weren't necessarily-it was required tha& they be an apprentice
at least before they md certain thinp in the ww--and I would
buy, oh baby powder or smthing like that, somthing to dicate that I
was there on sane other rrdssion. Then I'd say, ''Are you T licensed dmggist
pharmicist?" Well, then mybe they' d be an assistant. YW see, a report had
corn in that he wasn't. Then I'd say, 'Well, would you shpw IE your license?"
'I&, I'm an assistant ," he said. I said, "Would you show r~ your license?"
And then I'd say I was f'rorn the state.
I would take that information to the local attorney, or th
1
pblic attorney.
He ' d have to do the rest. Of course, I ' d report back to t e departmnt. So
it was khd of a detective business. I diblt care for th@t too much, not
any. They we= practicing. That's all I had to find out ally, they were
practicing without a license. 9he drugless healers when go to the horns
to talk to . . .
Q. That must have been a fascinating experience. I
A. Well, it wasn't bad.
Q. Were these quack kinds of doctors? Who were these 4 ess healers?
A. They're like, well, say a man whose practicing who doesn't
have a license. But it mi@t not be as clear as
body that is just on his own. He's the seventh
got that a good deal. He was mp~tlc /and could
could heal people, and did treat them. Well,