History of medical practice in Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

The General Practitioner 101they had to treat. When any physician succeeded in gaining the respect ofthe public, he was ever alter a power in the community. As an educated manhe was looked up to as a leader. He was active in providing better schoolsand in promoting church work, and was often a leader in local and statepolitical activities.The general practitioner often had his office in a rear room in a drugstore,or at times in a part of his home. However, the office which was seen mostfrequently was a small one story building consisting of two or three roomslocated on one corner of the lot where he lived or on a nearby street. Thewaiting room which faced the street was furnished with a few chairs, thedoctor's bookcase, a small table and possibly a couch. A door in the rear ofthis room opened into a second or consultation and examining room. Itsfurniture consisted of a roll top desk, a chair-table, an instrument case anda few chairs. A partition to one side of this room provided a small drugroom. Two rooms were usually enough, but occasionally a third room wasadded behind the consultation room. The entire space was heated withwood or coal burning stoves. Provisions for water supplies and toiletfacilities were meagre and primitive. Coal oil lamps furnished light untilthe coming of gas or electricity.Since the telephone had not yet arrived, the patient had to send for thedoctor, or very often the family waited until the doctor was seen drivingon his rounds and called him in. One elderly patient of mine told me aboutstopping Dr. J. C. Barr as he passed along the road. He asked her whatshe wanted and she showed him a felon on her thumb. He placed the thumbon the gate post, pulled a scalpel from his pocket and split the thumb wideopen; then wrapped it with a bandage. She asked about the bill and hesaid "Two dollars." She said, "Don't you think that's pretty high?" and heretorted, "I'll open it again if you're not satisfied." This occurred about1885; neither the doctor's hands nor the patient's thumb was washed andthe scalpel, of course, was not sterilized. Very often after leaving a house,the doctor would be questioned along the road by neighbors concernedabout the patient's condition. Dr. Firebaugh of Crawford County on onesuch occasion told the first one that John had lung fever, the next congestionof the lungs, the next winter fever, the next pneumonia, the nextlobar pneumonia, the next pneumonitis, etc. He also gave various reportson how sick John was. When he returned the next day, the whole countrysidewas in an argument about what was the matter with John and howserious his illness really was.In the years between 1850 and 1900, the practice of medicine wentthrough the most revolutionary change in its history. Since practically allphysicians were engaged in general practice during most of this period, theupheaval affected everyone. This half-century can be roughly divided into