CI y^ ^ :/J^^ 9:Ji£,^ ^ Ui^ i^ ^^ L I B R.AFLY OF THE U N I VLRS ITY Of ILLl NOIS V. \ cop. 5 'IJ-. HUT. SiifiVIY ERRATA Page 18. Last two lines should read "eighteen leagues or about forty- five miles." Page 146. Last two lines should read "state Capitols" instead of "capitals." Plate view of the city of St. Louis the word "medicine" should be capitalized. Page 17. Fifth line from the bottom of the page should read "about one-fourth of a mile north." Page 120-121. Second line from bottom and second line from top of page " Metropole " should be "Metropolis." Page 431. In caption should be "Dr. Drude" instead of "Dr. Trude." Page 53. Twenty-seventh line, the word "herculean" should be capi- talized. Pepe 5, twenty first line should reed thousands instead of thousand. Psffe 25, fourth line from the bottom should read Hecollect instead of Jesuit. Page oO,the reference concernins: Dr. -talker under foot note 44 should have been placed preceding number 46. 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HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS VOLUME I PRECEDING 1850 Issued by THE ILLINOIS STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY In Commemoration of Its Diamond Jubilee Compiled and Arranged BY LUCIUS H. ZEUCH, M. D. A Member of the Cojimittee Appointed for this Task and also a Member OF THE Chicago Historical Society and of the Illinois State Historical Society, Honorary Life Member of the Illinois Catholic Historical Society With Many Illustrations and Original Maps CHICAGO Printed by THE BOOK PRESS Inc. 1927 Copyright, 1921, by Lucius H. Zeuch Pritiled ami haund hit The Book Press Inc. CMcayo, V. 8. A. PREFACE WHEN The Illinois State Medical Society assembled for its an- nual meeting in 1924 it was decided to issue a history of medicine and medical practice in the State of Illinois. This decision came after a resolution had been introduced before the House of Delegates of the Society, by Dr. Charles J. Wlialen, in con- junction with his report as editor of the official organ of the society, The Illinois Medical Journal. In effect, this resolution read that since the organization's continuous service would arrive at its seventy-fifth anniversary in 1925 it would be most fitting to commemorate this event by publication of a history of what the medical profession has done in Illinois. The resolution adopted, the House of Delegates ordered that steps be taken immediately to complete the task. Dr. Edward H. Ochsner was president of the organization. He appointed a committee of five to - gather data. His successor in the chair, Dr. L. C. Taylor, now deceased, added two men to the committee because of their especial aptitude for ■^ historical work. Out of the mass of material collected for the compiling of the ' ' History OP Medical Practice in Illinois," attempt has been made to create a - readable, moving narrative of the activities and accomplishments of the medical profession in our State. In this Volume Number One, that period from the beginning of time up until 1850 is covered. What success attends, only those who read critically can judge. Effort has been put forth for careful study of all source material collected and thorough reference of recorded matter, so that those who may differ in ^ any conclusion drawn may seek more light upon statements that of neces- sity were condensed in order to balance the structure. That the work ■.. will be found to be relatively free from errors, is a most earnest hope. It is desired to express obligations for courtesies rendered and facili- ^ties extended, to the Chicago Historical Society and the Illinois State Historical Society, and to the Chicago Public, the John Crerar, and the Newberry Libraries. There is great indebtedness to Dr. Otto L. Schmidt, /'president of the Illinois State and Chicago Historical Societies; and 4 to the former librarian, Caroline M. Mcllvaine, as well as to the entire ^" staff of the Chicago Historical Society, for many favors granted. To ■ OQ '-' - •^ 5* ^. 3- < p ^ c a -i ^. m ^ _^ ^ 02 -i P £. ?i" T. Is ^ ''I 3 «?- tn tn ^ P 3 3 g_ ri ^. „. i's tn 3 3 -^ ^e^ti Gj ^ ►-, o -+. — '^ COMING OF THE WHITE MAN 25 historians believed that the failure of the adventurers to strike the Mississippi River mouth was the result of a quarrel between the com- manders of the vessels, Beaujeau and La Salle ; but in the light of further investigations the final landing of the colonists at Matagorda Bay in Texas is explained. For some reason the expedition against Mexico was abandoned and an attempt to reach the JMississippi was made by the hapless handful of adventurers under La Salle, and, in the attempt, the tragedy oc- curred, that gives us an insight into the character of Surgeon Liotot, the third regular physician in the country of the Mississippi Valley, which was collectively known in that time as "Louisiana." But let us look back again to become better acquainted with the personnel of the party of which the subsidized surgeon was a part, from their embarkment to their unhappy ending in the wilds of Texas. La Salle's Final Expedition After having been discredited by La Barre, the new governor of New France, and having been shorn of all his power by that haughty official, nothing was left for La Salle but to go back to France to use his great talents of persuasion in restoring himself to the good graces of the licentious Louis XIV. At Versailles the rough but commanding figure, made so by his wanderings in the wild, must have excited the admiration of the courtiers, for he received a hearty welcome and, what was of much more importance to this ambitious master, the restoration of the confidence of the king. King Louis must have listened attentively, for La Salle left the gay throne room with a commission to furnish a fleet of four vessels, which sailed on the ill-fated journey of July 24, 1684. The enlistments for the enterprise came from all walks of life, for variety is a well-calculated factor for permanence in any new colony. Among the adventurers, 23G in number, were artisans, priests, a surgeon (probably subsidized by the crown), a few young women to establish home life, and the commanders, Beaujeau for the fleet and La Salle for the general command. As might have been expected, no such division of authority would work harmoniously. La Salle, born to command, who early evinced the habit of taking orders from no man, would brook no interference in his plans. Even the Church, which he had in his youth prepared to serve, he eschewed. When in after-life he was compelled by custom to take the Jesuit priest Hennepin with him, he sent him to the north to explore tlie upper Mississippi, so that his officiousness might be dispensed with. Therefore, when Beaujeau began to exercise his aulhority as a com- 26 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN" ILLINOIS mander of the fleet, and took precedence over La Salle, the latter resented a secondary command. To make Beaujeau's task of authority, more difficult, there came the misfortune of the seizure by the Spaniards of one vessel with stores. Beaujeau was advised by La Salle to land at Port de Paix. Ilis failure to heed this suggestion resulted in the vessel's loss to the enemy near the West Indies. Temporarily, at least, while they were sojourning in the West Indies because of La Salle's sickness, further strife was prevented between the recalcitrant commanders. In this extremity Liotot, the surgeon, must have been in attendance. But upon La Salle's recovery they again set sail for the Gulf of Mexico. Several landings were made with the express purpose of the taking of the latitudes by Sieur La Salle. Missing the mouth of the Mississippi, either by intention or design, the actors in the final drama of the wilderness landed at Matagorda, Texas, a much disheartened party. Through Joutel's account of the death of the great explorer we are apprised of the details of the tragedy that caused his demise. A Wilderness Tragedy in Three Acts Dramatis Personam: The Great Explorer La Salle His Brother, a Priest Father Cavelier A Recollect Priest Father Anastasius Douay Cavelier Nephews of La Salle Moranget Conspirators Sieur Duhaut Sieur L'Archeveque Sieur Hiens Surgeon Liotot Young Man of P.vris — (Attache OF La Salle) Teissier Footman of La Salle Talon La Salle's Indian Guide Nika Messengers Saget De Marie Priest at Matagorda Father Zenohius Scribe Joutel His Companion Bartholomew Deserters of La Salle to Savages . . Buter aiid a Companion Companion of L'Archeveque .... 3Ieunier Horror-Stricken Onlookers Native Indians Place .... Trinity River, Texas Time .... 1687 Equipment . . P.irt of the Best Things Every Man Had, Loaded on Five Horses COMING OF THE WHITE MAN 27 Synopsis and Act i (Epitomized from Joutel's Story) The actors set out from Matagorda the twelfth of January, 1687, with heavy hearts. Father Zenobius remarked that he had "never been so sensibly touched at parting w^ith anybody," for he had a presentiment of impending disaster. Long farewells till they were lost to view, with silent blessings in his heart, marked the momentous de- parture. Wandering through Texas, swimming rivers, living by the hunt, they finally reached the banks of the Trinity River, which La Salle had reached upon a previous trial in a quest to regain the banks of the "Father of Waters." As might have been expected, they were in none too jovial a mood after their experience in the sub-tropical wilderness. To add to their discomfort, food cached by La Salle in a hollow tree for emergency use was found to have decayed, by Liotot, Hiens, Teissier, L 'Archeveque, Nika and Saget, who had been dispatched by the commander to fetch it. Their disappointment was ameliorated, however, by Nika's unerring marksmanship in bringing to ground two buffaloes. Saget was now dispatched to the chief's camp to fetch the horses to bring in the meat to be cured for use on the way. Two additional messengers, De Marie and Moranget, with the horses, were sent along by the thoughtful La Salle. But so eager were the hungry hunters to shorten the time for the appeasement of their appetites that the carcasses had already been sliced and hung out to dry by the usual process of those early days. Human selfishness, that remnant of the atavistic primal instincts of self- preservation, possessed Duhaut and his pals, which prompted them to seize choice bits of meat for their own use. The prerogative of the hunter's game — for these belonged to Nika, the marksman who killed the beasts — did not enter into their calculations. Out of this incident- of selfishne.ss there grew a far more serious one, but not through Nika, the inferior savage, who had not offered any objection to the unequal division of the prizes of his marksmanship. But Moranget, with his inherited superiority, swelled up with his self-appointed authority, and, exercising it with the most far-reaching effect upon the already per- turbed temper of the hungry adventurers, seized all the meat by force. This presumptuous behavior, out of season and contrary to reason, touched Liotot, Hiens and Duhaut to the quick. Their sense of injustice augmented into a resolve for revenge that prompted a conference in secret, from which they emerged with plans for the accomplishing of their hearts' desire. The previous counts against Moranget for ar- rogance were many and weighed heavily against him in the reasoning. The plan of procedure was first to murder Sieur Moranget, La Salle's 28 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN n.LINOIS footman, and Guide Nika, because the latter was faithful to his master. (Their unwholesome reasonin*^ did not consider the exclusion of their faithful benefactor from their dastardly scheme.) At nightfall, when the victims were peacefully asleep, the assassins stole upon them. Liotot, the surgeon, was the inhuman executioner. He took an axe and struck IMoranget with it several times on the head. The same he did by the footman and Nika, killing both instantly. His fellow-villains, Duhaut, ITiens, Teissier and L'Archeveque, stood upon guard with their arms, ready to fire if any made resistance. "The Indian and the footman never stirred." Sieur Moranget's vigor, however, allowed him to sit up, but he was unable to speak, whereupon Sieur De Marie, an onlooker, was forced to finish him. Second Act The conspirators now consulted as to the best way of ridding them- selves of the commander. They decided to destroy immediately the most resolute among them, of objectors to the old-fashioned European sport of annihilation of enemies. That would render less difficult the taking away of the chief, for they feared his resourcefulness. There was a slight deviation in the program, because of La Salle's premonition that all was not well in camp. The Trinity was much swollen, so that the departure was put off by him until the 18th or 19th of the month; but La Salle became uneasy in his forced delay, and about the whereabouts of his countrymen. He resolved to investigate. This resolve played into the hands of the conspirators. He asked as to whether Liotot, Hiens and Duhaut had not expressed discontent. Their slyness in keeping their own counsel somewhat diminished his disquieting fears of intrigue. However, he still used caution in his orders to Joutel. Admonishing him to be on guard around the camp against a possible ambush, he ordered a fire built, that its smoke might guide him on his return. Upon his departure, on January 20, with Father Anastasius Douay as his companion, he noted eagles flying over carrion about their camp. All things seemed silent and strange. He fired a shot as a signal. The murderers bestirred them- selves, thinking he had come to seek them. An armed reception greeted him. Duhaut passed to the river. L'Archeveque was the first to spy the majestic figure of La Salle in the distance. The traitor hid behind the high weeds; the explorer, passing with unloaded gun, saw him, but suspected him not. Hailing him, the chief inquired about his nephew," Moranget. L'Archeveque, noticing his peaceful attitude, made bold to answer that Moranget was up the river. The answer was hardly given when a shot reverberated through the primeval wilderness — a shot COMING OF THE WHITE MAN 29 that ended the career of the greatest promoter in all early history of our country. To Duhaut, the selfish, goes the discredit and ignominy of the untimely end of that restless spirit. La Salle could think in terms of empire, but he could not master the secret of getting on with men. A master mind, an iron will, and, above all, a physique that could brook any obstacle the elements could put into the path of the man of the wilderness — his greatness has not lost luster through the years that have elapsed since his death. The estimate of his contribution to science by his topographical observations, and the suggestions for fu- ture internal improvements he has given us as an inheritance, has been increasing rather than diminishing, as the accounts of the diffi- culties under which they were made are being critically studied by historians from time to time. Returning to the tragedy : Father Douay stood transfixed. The realization of the magnitude of the loss had not as yet possessed him. Duhaut allayed, by an assurance of clemency, such fears as he might have entertained. The alibi which Duhaut offered for his own part in tlie tragic drama was a feeble remonstrance against Moranget's desire to ruin him. An accusation that Moranget occasioned his own uncle's death, and therefore merited death, was the other attempt at vindication of the crime. The sinister reason for the killing of La Salle he did not divulge. Not content with their orgy of destruction, the murderers staged a tableau in the form of an indignation meeting over the remains of the great man at their feet. They vented their spleen in vile, opprobrious language. Our surgeon, Liotot, indulged in a dramatic climax over the prostrated remains : ' ' There thou liest, great Basha, there thou liest." As if to heap more calumny upon the man, in whose presence they were in life mere pigmies, they stripped the body of its vestments and dragged it into the bushes to be devoured by wild beasts. The spec- tators, the uncivilized natives, their dull, untutored brains quite in- capable of understanding the sport of their civilized brothers in the Lord, thereby witnessed finesse in the presentation of the fine Italian hand. But their reverie was disturbed by orders of the new masters to transport to the opposite side of the river the dried flesh of the trophy of the hunt that had started the melee. At the camp the Caveliers, brother and nephew of La Salle, were apprised by Father Douay of the death of their distinguished kin. Enjoining silence of his com- panions, in spite of the indignation the hearing of the facts invoked. Father Douay attempted to stay further fatalities. But Father Cavelier, the priest, could not restrain himself from the observation 30 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS that he Avould forgive the perpetrators their sins if he could be given one-half hour's time to prepare himself for death. They assured him they wanted not his life, but revenge for ill-usage by the deceased. Joutel, the chronicler, says he "was absent when L'Archeveque was called," who "was kindly disposed to me, although if I stood on my defense, my dismissal from the earth would also be effected." Seeking him out, L'Archeveque informed the terrified Joutel that no harm would befall him if he kept silent concerning the entertainment of the day. Therefore Joutel left with L'Archeveque for the assassin's lair, with only God's prayer in his heart. Arriving, he found Duhaut puffed up with his ill-gotten authority. By way of compromise, he opined that every man should command in his turn, a division of authority which would have been a poor substitute for the masterful hand of La Salle. Joutel kept his own counsel in this extremity, lest any show of resent- ment might place his own life in jeopardy. He divulged the inner reasoning of his mind by the remark, "Father Douay, Cavelier and I feared every moment to be sacrificed by the desperate assassins." But he adds : ' ' Revenge was not in our heads. ' ' Cavelier, however, ad- monished them by quoting the Good Book : ' ' The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh ; leave vengeance to Him." The murderers seized the effects of the party and began to plan the onward journey. The La Salle adherents were loath to resume with the treacherous cut-throats, not knowing when a single word might terminate their existence. Duhaut and Liotot even took possession of La Salle's cloth- ing, with his other belongings, all of which they considered as spoils due the victors and in some measure compensating them for the loss of comfort and prestige they sustained in following the visionary explorer. Last Act of the Tragedy As is often stated in common parlance, more "bumping off" had to follow before complete justice was meted out. A few days later Hiens arrived with two Frenchmen, deserters of the La Salle colony at Matagorda Bay, who had cast their lot with the savages, but who had now returned to their countrymen. A retinue of about twenty natives accompanied them. As is usual when the division of the spoils takes place, the thieves fell out. Duhaut fell into a trap planned by Hiens and parleyed over the division of the axes, in which he claimed priority of ownership, Hiens dropped him with a well-directed shot from his quickly-drawn pistol. Ruter, one of the renegade Frenchmen, finished the inglorious career of Surgeon Liotot with three successive bullet shots. Joutel did not like to get the same dose without a chance at self-defense. His menacing attitude caused Hiens to say, "Lay COMING OF THE WHITE MAN 31 down your arms," attempting to assure Joutel that the desire for revenge had been satisfied. He likewise reassured Monseigneur Cavelier and Father Douay by saying that, while he was in the conspiracy, he was not present at the killing of La Salle. Surgeon Liotot had enough time left before the final curtain-call to rise from this earthly abode, to receive religious blessing and to unburden his heart in confession. But Ruter took no risk of the possibility of his recovery, with a chance of revenge upon him, so he graciously put the surgeon out of his misery with a final shot, as a policeman humanely kills an injured animal. The interment of Duhaut and Liotot, dishonored as they were, was human as compared to that of La Salle or Moranget, whom they had so treacherously murdered. Hiens and Ruter, whose vengeance closed this bloody chapter of pioneer life, knew better than to risk their necks in Canada, so declined to go on with the survivors of a feud that had few parallels in the annals of early history. The mal- contents cast their lot with the Indians, whose natures were less savage than theirs. Finale Division of the effects of the survivors of the sylvan disaster came in due order. Father Douay and the Caveliers, the uncle and nephe"^ of the dead commander, received equal shares of the thirty axes, four or five dozen knives, about thirty pounds of powder and as much ball ; each of the others, two axes, two knives, two or three pounds of powder and as much ball. The rest of the assets went to the outlaws. Cavelier asked for some strings of beads and his brother's clothes (a scarlet coat and gold galloons, in which one of the assassins so unfittingly strutted around), a simple request even the "vdllians could not deny him, and his baggage, with one thousand livres of money, which had no value for them among the simple savages, and which had been the property of Monsieur Le Gros, who died at St. Louis. Hiens then withdrew to his cabin, free from mortal justice, but not from God's punishment, the pangs of his conscience. Survivors Return to Civilization The preparation of their horses for the journey through the un- charted wilderness that interposed between them and civilization, was next in order. No inducement, even the generous offer of the Indian chief of wives and tepees, would alter the pre-determination of the survivors to get away from the scene of the decimation of their party. Better brave the natural barriers and the hostile savages than to live in terror of the insidious designs of their vicious countiymen. The last obstacle to their departure, the withholding of guides to Cappen, was finally bridged by their powers of persuasion. One guide and two 32 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS companions were reluctantly given. To placate the outlaws, lest they change their minds, Iliens and his associates were visited in the cabin and embraced with apparently fraternal affection before the departure. The imperative need of another horse prompted a request which Hiens granted. For this generous action he asked a release from blame for La Salle's death, and who knows but a desire to return to civiliza- tion was then agitating his mind? Cavelier, to whom the request was directed, readily granted it, because, under the extenuating circum- stances, it could not well be refused. L'Archeveque and ]\Ieunier were to have returned with them. The lure of their libertine life with the savages, with their doubt of im- munity from the law, liad effected a decision to remain. Seven of the actors in the melee returned to Canada : Father Anastasius Douay, IMessieurs Cavelier, Sieur de ]\Iarle, Teissier, Bartholomew and Joutel, with three Indians, who are not usually mentioned in the counting by Europeans. The plight of the wanderers through the great stretches of wilderness might have been worse had it not been for the foresight of Tonty, who in his searches for his idolized chief. La Salle, had providently built a fort at the mouth of the Arkansas River, in close proximity to a large Indian village, manning the fort with two white men. Couture and De Launay. This oasis proved a good resting place for Cavelier and his party of travelers. Proceeding to the next rendezvous, at the Rock on the Illinois River, where the brave Tonty commanded, they reached there on September 4, eight months after the disastrous display of their countrymen's anger and revenge in the wilds of Texas. Of course one might imagine the anxiety with which Tonty inquired about his erstwhile chief. But they concealed the true story of the disaster from him ; whether from their desire to cause him no suffering, or whether it was a design to protect Teissier, one of the original conspirators, we know not. Their intention was to make a quick departure, lest news of the true state of affairs reach the fort through stray messengers, but the elements were against them. Upon crossing the Chicago Portage, they found Lake Michigan (Lac d 'Illinois) too rough for navigation. This vras a keen disappointment, and a return to the hospitality of Fort St. Louis on the Rock was their only alternative. To stay in camp an entire winter with a man they were so adroitly deceiving was a feat deserving of considerable admiration. One cannot, however, commend or condone their subse- quent actions. In the spring they left, after borrowing money from- their benefactor, Tonty, and hastened on their way, to di\"ulge their secret later in Canada and finally at court in France. -^ 25 Joutel's account — transcript from "The Northwest and Chicago." Vol. 1, pages 55-67. CHAPTER III PERIOD OF FRENCH INFLUENCE AND COLONIZATION BEFORE we go on with the medical history of this period, let us look over the establishment of settlements in general, and the reasons for them. The rivers were the great highways of travel and transportation. No great settlement was possible in the early days, except on these transporting routes. The trail answered only the needs of cross-country travel. One can see, then, that all points of importance along the river fronts were the centers of military and commercial activities. The first forts were, therefore, built at the mouths of rivers and at the points of transfer from one system to the other over the continental divides which were called "portages" or "carrying-places." The five great portages were in consequence among the first to get attention from the French, who foresaw the importance of protecting them against the encroachments of the English, who had eliminated all their competitors on the coastal plain. The field was now set for a survival of the fittest. The French and Spaniards were in the finals, with the English as their opponents. The Indians vacillated their al- legiance among the whites as the powers of persuasion of the competitors directed their sullen brains. The permanent settlements in our State were of necessity in the southern parts of the State, because three of the five great portages were held by hostile Indians, the Fox-Wisconsin, the Chicago-Des Plaines, and the St. Joseph-Kankakee. Presque Isle- French Creek Portage was also closed at times. That left the Lake Erie-Maumee- Wabash route the main artery of travel. In consequence, trade and trading posts came in logical order. Fort Ouatanon (Lafayette, Ind.), and Post Vincennes were established, with Fort Chartres on the Mississippi, Kaskaskia, and the principal lines of de- fense in Illinois. Communication with the lower Mississippi was also open. This restricted trade, however, was irksome to the French, and expeditions were sent to destroy the Foxes and Sacs — expeditions which failed — and the French were forced to do without the quickest route to the home country, the Chicago Portage, until they lost their possessions in this country in 1763. The Vincennes post was all there was on the lower Wabash in the earliest part of the eighteenth century. With this in view, we can readily see that medical practice in Illinois was 33 34 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS confined to Cahokia and Kaskaskia in the beginning of the white man's occupation of our State. There were two reasons why colonization took place here rather than in the more healthy Starved Rock region of the early Illini Indians. Recalling them to mind, we recount tlie almost total annihilation of these Indians by the Iroquois, with removal of the survivors to the more inaccessible Kaskaskia River region in the Mississippi Bottoms, after the closure of the Chicago trade route, which is one reason ; and the other is older than civilization. The river bottoms have always furnished the most easily worked soil since the world began. They return trebly for a minimum of work. Now, as man has never taken kindly to work as a means of self-preservation, it is but natural that prehistoric man, as well as his white successor who followed agriculture, found that the lowland's rapid growth of vegetation would in a measure release him from the bondage of work. In Egypt the Nile Valley, and in Asia the region between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, fur- nished this ideal prerequisite to easy existence. In Illinois, however, one obstacle made for the denying of the fulfillment of this ideal condi- tion — slow^ receding of the inundated region after the overflowing of the water. Prehistoric man overcame this hindrance with utilitarian mounds. ]\Iodern man built dikes, but the pioneer of early Illinois had to sufiCer much with malarial fever before he learned the lesson of elevation and restraint of the rampant waters. Transitional Period — Lack of Physicians in Illinois From the appearance of the firet regular practitioners, Louis Moreau, Michel and Liotot, in the dim past, to the first regular practitioners among the peinnanent colonists in the "American Bottom" along the Mississippi River, there is an intermediate period of Avhich we must take cognizance. The supply of medical attention for this unhealthy region, during this entire time, with the possible exception of a few charlatans spoken of by Father Gabriel Marest in the "Jesuit Relations," was in the hands of the educated, principally the missionary priests. They came to minister to the spiritual needs of the natives and settlers, but the exigencies of physical suffering they encountered prompted them to acquire such medical knowledge as their ecclesiastically-trained minds were able to grasp. It does not appear that any of the pioneer Jesuit missionaries were,- like some of their brethren of later date, regular physicians ; but nothing human was foreign to their life; and though their training had been exclusively ecclesiastical, they made themselves agriculturists, FRENCH INFLUENCE AND COLONIZATION 35 mechanics, law-makers, and medical practitioners, in the new civilization which they strove to build up among the aborigines. Apropos of their skill in matters medical we quote their practice among the Hurons, one of the earliest of their missions in the Great Lakes region. Priests Practice Blood-Letting Father Jogues, who was ill at a Huron mission, was attended by his fellow-priests and they decided he needed to be bled. But the "great question was to find a surgeon. We all were so sltillful in this trade, that the patient did not know who sliould open tlie vein for liim; and every one of us was only waiting for the benediction of the Father Superior to take the lancet in hand and do the work. However, he resolved to do it himself. We saw good results from it the same day; the next day his fever had abated con- siderably." That blood-letting was an universal remedy for all manner of ail- ments is evident throughout the writings of the earliest records. That early medicine employed suggestion for mental aberrations is also manifested by the notation which tells of a girl for whom was pre- scribed "sole medicine, a pater and three aves upon three consecutive days," at the tomb of Father Marquette, who had instructed her in her youth. She followed the instructions and before the third day she was cured, without bleeding or other remedies. Blood-letting as a remedy, however, did not appeal to the aborigines, we learn from the experiences of Father Lemoyne, who was almost strangled to death by an irate father, one of whose children received the treatment by the priest for an illness which subsequently caused its demise, but the operation was supposed, by the father, to have caused its death. "Our Medicines dazzled the whole country and yet I leave you to imagine what sort of Medicines they were; a little bag of senna served over 50 persons; they ask for it on every side." The same author tells of a "hunchback sorcerer and oracle. ... At all events, behold in him one of the great Physicians of the country; nor did he lack practice. As for us, we could well dispense, thank God, with his remedies." After a description of this deformed dwarf, who claimed to have been conceived in a most impossible fashion, and whose entire life was filled with a succession of most impo.ssible episodes, all of which contributed to his power of sorcery, the chronicler informs us that an epidemic had seized the denizens of the mission, the handling of which was greatly hampered by this demon. 36 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS "We had hoped that the first frosta would arrest the progress of this contagious malady, but just the opposite happened. At that time very injurious rumors about us had been scattered through the country; this little Sorcerer had already boasted loudly that he had seen the malady come from the direction of the great Lake. They talked of nothing but an imaginary cloak, poisoned, it was said, by the French; and Captain Aenons had already brought a report from an Island Savage that the Monsieur de Champlain had died with the determination to ruin the whole country. Besides, after having so diligently aided the sick of our Village for a month, and having taken the morsels from our mouths to give them, there yet were found some who said that what we car- ried to them made them die; and others, who saw us daily skimming the grease from the soup that we were preparing for them, added that there was no cause for them to be under great obligations to us; that if we did give something to the sick, it was only what we would have thrown away, and that this pot, which was at our fire day and night, was only to accumulate a great deal of grease. Thus they talked." Religious Zeal Leads a Surgeon to Martyrdom Father Jogues made a complete recovery from his indisposition, and to him we are indebted for an account of a promising young surgeon's devotion to the ideals of his church and the profession he practiced among the savages. It was in 1640 that he came to Canada to serve in one of the missions there. So imbued was he with fervor for his faith that when he was denied admission to the service in France, as a candidate for holy orders (because of ill-health) he journeyed of his own accord to New France when his health improved, to serve the church in any capacity his superiors might see fit to employ him. Though qualified for a work for which there was a direful need, he was for two years assigned the most menial tasks, "in which he acquitted himself with great humility and Charity." His sincerity having been tested, "he was then also given the care of nursing the sick and wounded at the hospital, which he did with much skill — for he understood surgery well — as with affection and love, continually seeing our Lord in their persons. He left so sweet an odor of his goodness and his other virtues in that place, that his memory is still blessed there." When the priests returned from the Hurons in 1642 this young zealot asked permission of his superior to return with them "because the Hurons had great need of a Surgeon," and this simple request was granted. "I cannot express the joy which this good young man felt when the superior told him that he might make ready for the journey," says Father Jogues, Though they all felt that embarking upon their FEENCH INFLUENCE AND COLONIZATION 37 mission meant many hardships and much danger, for the "Iroquois were enraged against the French," yet their faith in the Lord sustained them. However, they had journeyed but one day when they en- countered the enemy, who were well-prepared to give battle. The Hurons fled to the woods when attacked and left the unprotected ecclesiastics to be taken captive in the enemies' camp. Here the surgeon displayed great fortitude, though his fingers were crushed to furnish amusement for the ferocious Iroquois. Thinking only of others, he treated the maimed fingers of his companion. Father Jogues, and dressed the wounds of the warriors of the enemy who had been injured in battle. This display of devotion had no effect upon his captors, for some time afterward the priest and the surgeon were warned that they would be burned to death. Both these zealots were sick from the effect of their wounds, and when they reached the lake they were met by some two hundred more Iroquois who showered more blows upon them. For six weeks these soldiers of the Cross furnished savage amuse- ment to the natives, such as amputations of fingers and burnings with coals of fire, until one day when they had sought solitude for praj^er they were met upon their return by two Indians, one of whom drew a hatchet from beneath his blanket and dealt a blow upon the surgeon's head which prostrated him. For some reason they spared his com- panion, whose head was bowed ready for a similar fate. Seeing that they intended to spare him, Father Jogues hastened to the side of the dying man to give him absolution, whereupon they dispatched the surgeon with two more blows. Thus did the first medical missionary to the interior come to an untimely end. Father Jogues managed to escape. However, upon another mission, this time to the Iroquois, in 1647, he, likewise, was martyred. One more surgeon, Plassez, was captured in 1652, near Three Rivers, and imprisoned by the Iroquois; but what his fate was in the hands of that ferocious tribe is not recorded. The hospital of the nuns of Quebec -^"^ was the general dispensary for all French missionaries, who radiated from that center toward every point of the compass, and letters of the priests were constantly repeating their need of more medicine, and telling how, when every other service and sacrifice failed, the administration of some common remedy for disease at last brought conviction to the savage mind that the priest was his true friend. Among the first of these pioneers in the new field was Father Pinet, in Chicago, 1699, and later in Cahokia. He was a man of deeds rather 25-a The Hotel-Dieu of Quebec was established in 1639 by Madame the Duchesse d'Aigiiillon. Jesuit Relations. Pages 152-3. 38 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS than words, which reticence leaves us without historic inheritance con- cerning; his medical activities. Amorif? the Peoria Indians who dwelt near the site of Fort Crevecccur, southeast of Peoria, lack of medical attention was sorely felt. Here Father Binneteau perished from ex- haustion. His companion writes dolefully that even a few drops of Spanish wine, if it could only have been had, might have saved a precious life. At Kaskaskia (the first) and in Peoria, Father Gravier, who founded the permanent mission there in 1698, twenty-five years after the gentle Marquette first instructed the savages, received a mortal wound from those he would serve. There was, however, no surgeon to extract the poisoned arrow or relieve his excruciating pain. We find, in the list of sundries which Father James Gravier sent for from Kaskaskia, one syringe, one livre of Terias, ointment, plasters, alum, vitriol, anise seed, medicines and pastil; also six bars of soap. That this priest was a believer in faith healing, is evident by his state- ment : "A small piece of Father Francois Regis' hat, which one of our servants gave me, is the most infallible remedy that I know for curing all kinds of fever." "^'^ Father Gabriel Marest, writing exultantly from the same mission, November 9, 1712, says : "The care we ourselves have taken of the sick, and the remedies that we give them, which effect the cure of most sick persons, have ruined the credit and reputation of the charlatans and have forced them to go to settle elsewhere." 26 In the early days in France, as in the last century of our country, there was a dearth of qualified practitioners. This led those with a modicum of medical knowledge to take up the task of prescribing for the sick. In our naked country there was no government stamp of approval placed upon self-appointed medical men, but in France some authoritative power was granted those exhibiting some qualifications, though they were not graduates. They were known in that time as ' ' oificiers de sante. ' ' ~^'^ Some of these probably found their way into New France and possibly set up extravagant claims which incensed the highly-educated priests who, because of their learning, were looked upon as more fit medical advisers. Development Schemes During the early part of the eighteenth century great efforts were put forth by the French to utilize the vast Illinois country. -0 Gleaned from the seventy-two volumes of the "Jesuit Relations." Edited by Reuben Gold Thwaites. See Vol. LXVI, page 25. Vol. LXVI, pages 233-237. The Jesuit Relations. Edited by Edna Kenton. Pages 130-132, 134, 203, 460. Jesuit Relations, Vol. LXV, page 109. 20 a Archivist Roy states the earliest surgeons were "Bon Marche" and carried what knowledge of medicine they had in their heads, without replenishing it with information procured from books. FRENCH INFLUENCE AND COLONIZATION 39 Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes were the important points where settlements kept up a continuous existence. But far-away France had little control of their destinies. This individualistic form of uncentralized government suited not the king and his ministers. To send a representative and maintain him in the wilderness Avith- out guarantee of returns did not appeal to the poverty-stricken king. The way out of this dilemma, Avithout the gamble of experi- mentation, led them into an error which cost them ultimately millions of the people's money. A monopoly granted private individuals for exploitation of a country's resources was not so well understood then as now. Probably the I\Iuscle Shoals obstructionists in our day are right — not to grant too much without getting a contract that can be revoked, if the first grantee dies to leave it to another who may not have the same ideal as the original designer of such a utilities function. M. Crozat, of the early days, meant well enough when he got his charter of 1712. Four years of effort in his trading-post in the new country convinced him of the futility of seeking precious metals there. -' The charter was not long out of M. Crozat 's hands before a promoter appeared, the ilk of which in our day is legion. Without using his own money the promoter can swing big deals and sway great numbers of people into giving him large sums of money for almost any enter- prise. This meteoric financial juggler of the eighteenth century had an even greater career than those of our daj', for the very government nearly fell because of his speculations. The "Mississippi Bubble'' This adventurer was John Law, a Scotchman by birth, but a citizen of France. He first saw the light in 1671 and he had progressed so far in profligacy that at twenty-three he was a bankrupt, an adulterer, murderer and outlaw. But the "open sesame" of his successful sales- manship, his suavity of manner, backed up by a keen financial genius, was inordinately developed in this consummate rascal. The fact that he so readily influenced the public can be ascribed to his gambling luck, which enabled him to inflame the mercurial Frenchman of his time. The sum of two and one-half million francs was a good begin- ning to finance his nefarious schemes, and, with his cunning brain to guide its expenditure, the psychological time had come. Never was a time more made to order than when Louis XIV died, the grandest monarch that western civilization had yet produced. But grandeur was purchased at an appalling price, as the legacy of empty coffers and an immense public debt could well attest. Taxed to the 27 History of Peoria County, Illinois. Johnson & Co. Chicago, 1880. Page 87. 40 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS limit, trade without easy credit was at a standstill. The time was right for Law's great scheme. Purchasing the old Crozat charter was the first step toward reorganization. It appeared as the "Mississippi Company," or the "Company of the West." The very name conjured the French people into believing that the far-away investment would recoup the losses occasioned by the grand delusions of a dissolute monarch. John Law's display of wealth quickened the unreasoning imagination of the average Frenchman of the time. Kaskaskia, a set- tlement of savages, was spoken of as a fashion center. The sale of 200,000 shares of stock at five hundred livres a share found a ready market. Frenzied finance followed as a natural sequence. Law was at the peak of glory and the people at the zenith of their infatuation for him. Long lines of people of every station besieged his office, begging him to take their money and $450,000,000 worth of stock was sold. In the drawing-rooms Law received the homage of royalty, tattered, yet proud. Trade received a great impetus. The crown, not wanting to be left out of a good thing, ordered the Royal Company of the Indies, a government enterprise, to be amalgamated with the "Great Enter- prise." Subsidiary companies were organized. The Company of St. Phillipe actually was pushed out to the new country to work the silver mines that never existed — except in the imagination of the promoter. Headed by Phillip Renault, his agent, two hundred miners, laborers and mechanics came in 1719. Hence the iridescent bubble was on grand display. But, like that beautiful evanescent thing built of air and soapy water, the "Mississippi Bubble" burst — with disastrous consequences. As rapidly as he ascended to the astral heights Law descended to obscurity and poverty. He fled first to Brussels and then to Venice, where, in 1729, death providentially closed his ignominious career, ^s Kaskaskia Goes On Unmindful of the upheaval it had caused through the operations of the great financial charlatan, Kaskaskia went on in its sleepy way, but slightly increased in permanent population. After a short period, how- ever, the disastrous fall of Law's adventurous enterprise became but a memory in the public mind. With the passing of the years came a revival of the pet pastime of royalty, colonial expansion. Concomitant with this action came military activity. So important was this region considered by the strategists of the time that there was undertaken and built the strongest fort in New France, Fort de Chartres. 28 History of Peoria County, Illinois. Johnson & Co. Pages S7, (D O C CO ^ p" ■ (T> CO <=5 O ff P s > 2 ^ Hi. y. en c ^ n O H W/^y •H '^■*» -*"^'> • ^ ' FRENCH INFLUENCE AND COLONIZATION 41 Surgeons During the Days of Old Fort de Chartres The first fort, built of logs of ponderous timber, was finished in 1720 and remained as such until the crown replaced it with a stone structure in 1751. Diligent search has revealed the names of but two surgeons among the officers of the garrison during the French regime. One un- doubtedly served a considerable time. With its early military expedi- tions possibly there were more, but their names and deeds we have not been able to glean from the records. ^^"^ The Senior Surgeon of Fort de Chartres Pierre Ignace de la Feme, surgeon-major, must have grown old in the service, for the crown had also appointed Dr. Auguste Conde, a young man, to assist him. The relations of these two surgeons were cordial, for, when Conde met the eldest of the old doctor's daughters, Marie Anne, their contact created a friendship which culminated in their marriage at the fort, July 16, 1763. Some time either preceding or directly following this event, Dr. Bardet de la Feme died, and Dr. Conde remained at the fort two years longer, moving to St. Louis when the French evacuated. ^^ A Woman Becomes the First Commissioner of Health It might be assumed that the reign of priests as civilian medical advisers terminated with the appointment of Madame Beaulieu, an educated woman, as ' ' Director-General of Morals and ]\Iedical Matters, ' ' by the settlers of Cahokia. She was educated in Quebec, where she probably received instruction from the nuns, who ran a dispensary and whose activities extended in every direction in the country, under the French rule. Madame Beaulieu 's position in the community was a curious combination of authority which might with propriety justify us in calling her the first commissioner of health. Just as our modern boards of health assume responsibility for checking the spread of venereal diseases, this lady sought to perform the same function by inculcating moral measures in prevention of the curse of civilization. Just when she assumed this office is not clear in the records. From her age, we learn that it could not have been until the close of the French period that terminated with the surrender of Canada to the British in 1760 and their occupancy of Illinois in 1765, for she was 28-a At Detroit, however, there was a surgeon, which fact we glean from the account book of 1740, which states that there had been lent to "Sieur Chapoton, surgeon of this fort, the sum of 100 livres in racoon and lynx skins, which he is to repay me in the month of May, 1743." Jesuit Relations. Edited by Edna Kenton. Page 466. 29 Annals of St. Louis in Its Early Days. F. L. Billon. Pages 31, 32. 42 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS born in 1742. Her father was one of the officers of the French troops that came to garrison Fort de Chartres. He settled in Cahokia, where his daughter married M. Beaulieii. Because of her devout life and her devotion to the moral uplift of the village, with a deep interest in medical matters, the office of "Director-General of Moral and Medical Matters" was created for her. That she practiced obstetrics exten- sively is gleaned from the writings of the chronicler of the time, who states : "She was the doctress in most cases and the sage fcmme general for many- years." A remarkable woman she must have been, for in diseases of women it can be well surmised that her services were much sought. Women would suffer in silence rather than confide matters of great delicacy to the priests, her predecessors in the naked country. Her services and influence extended well into the period of her successors in the practice, the regular physicians of the early part of the last century. ^^ Military History of Fort de Chartres during the French Regime Although the records of the medical matters of this important strong- hold are meager, much has been written about military expeditions that went forth from the fort. To bridge the chasm from its inception till its surrender to the British, a brief recounting of the chief events will be given. Without doubt, among the officers of the various expeditions there were medical men, but under their military titles it is impossible to decide which among them were physicians. The first commandant of the fort was De Boisbriant who, as first lieutenant of the province, became acting governor of Louisiana, with headquarters at New Orleans when Governor Bienville was recalled to France in 1725. His position in Illinois was filled by Sieur de Liette, a captain in the Royal Army. De Liette was supplanted in 1730 by Captain St. Ange de Bellerive, who held the position for four j'-ears and was succeeded by Captain Pierre d'Artaguette when Bienville returned from France. D'Artaguette and His Sad Fate In 1735 Governor Bienville planned a military expedition against the hostile Chickasaws in northern Mississippi and D'Artaguette was ordered to leave Fort de Chartres with thirty regulars, one hundred volunteers and two hundred Indians in 1736. They proceeded down the river to the third Chickasaw Bluff, where they were joined by a 30 The Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Page 347. FRENCH INFLUENCE AND COLONIZATION 43 contingent under Sieiir de Vincennes. Marching inland they encoun- tered the valiant Chickasaws and in the battle that ensued D 'Artaguette was severely wounded and captured, together with Sieur de Vincennes, Father Senat, a Jesuit priest, a younger brother of Captain St. Ange and about fifteen other Frenchmen. The captives were held by the Chickasaws, who hoped to get a reward for their release. The reward failing to come, the savages tied them to stakes and burned them to death by slow, remitting fires. Fort de Chartres being again without a com- mandant, on account of D 'Artaguette 's untimely end, Alphonse de la Buissoniere was sent in his place. In 1740 Captain Benoist de St. Clair received the appointment to command the post. After two years an- other change in governorship, through the recalling of Bienville, brought the ]\Iarquis de Vaudreuil Cavagnal to the governorship of Louisiana. The usual changing of subordinates attendant upon a new incumbent caused the coming of Chevalier de Bertel to Fort Chartres. In 1744 France and England again took up arms against each other and the colonies in America also took up the fight, as usual. Peace was signed again in 1748, which gave the colonies time to look after their fights with the vacillating Indians about the fort. In 1749 De Bertel gave up his command at the fort in favor of Captain St. Clair. Two years later Chevalier de Macarty, an Irishman by descent, serving under the "Lilies of France," took up the command, and under his supervision the rebuilding of the fort took place. An interesting fact in this connection, from the standpoint of this work, is that Lieu- tenant Jean B. Saussier, a French engineer, who drew the plans of the fort, was an ancestor of Dr. J. F. Snyder, a former president of the Illinois Historical Society. The fort Avas built more elaborately than the exigencies of the times demanded and several officials were brought to trial for extravagance and misappropriation of public money. Major Macarty remained nine years, being succeeded by Captain Neyon de Villiers, a brother of Jumonville de Villiers, who was killed in May, 1754, in a skirmish at Little Meadows, Pennsylvania, with a company of Virginia militia led by Lieutenant-Colonel George Washington. By a stroke of fate this same commandant was the victor over Washington at Fort Necessity in the French and Indian War. The terms of surrender were generous and worthy of the gallantry of a French captain. Washington and his soldiers were allowed to depart while drums were beating, with honors of war, taking everything with them except the artillery. De Villiers said : "On beholding the wretched condition of Washington's men, after so desperate a defense, pity disarmed feelings of resentment." Thus was the future Father of our Country spared to us by God 44 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS through the magnanimity of a captain of an Illinois fort under the French flag. This same commandant, impatient at the delay of the British conquerors in arriving after the Treaty of 1763, following the French and Indian War, resigned his office. The command then again devolved upon the veteran St. Ange de Bellerive, who had come from Post Vincennes to assume it. ^^ 31 Publication No. 8 of Historical Library of Illinois, 1903. Joseph Wallace, M. A. Pages 105-111. CHAPTER IV FOBT DE CH AUTRE 8 AND THE INFANT COLONIES AS FOUND BY THE BRITISH IN the year 1730 the settlements in the "American Bottom" had, in spite of the stigma that had been placed upon them by sickness and chimerical exploiture, reached the size of a considerable colony. Five distinct settlements there were, containing, in all, one hundred and forty French families and six hundred Indians, converted to the Catholic faith by the zeal of their missionaries. Cahokia, on Cahokia Creek near East St. Louis ; St. Phillip, forty-five miles below Cahokia ; Fort de Chartres (St. Anne village), twelve miles above Kaskaskia ; Kaskaskia, on the Kaskaskia River, six miles above its confluence with the ]\Iissis- sippi and Prairie du Rocher, near Fort Chartres, comprised the confed- eration. 2- These villages were in constant fear of massacres by be- sieging hostile Indians, and depended upon New Orleans for their commerce for the most part. Trade with the home government at Quebec came through the Lake Erie, IMaumee and Wabash portage as has been pointed out in previous chapters, for the hostile Foxes con- trolled the more direct route. As already stated, such expeditions as were organized against the Foxes were unsuccessful in opening up the trade routes of which they were in such dire need. For about eighty years, until the British, with their more dominant will, supplanted them, there was little change in these colonies. "With the coming of the English there was an exodus of many French, who left rather than submit to the ways of their new masters. We cannot but speculate as to what our land might have been if this elimination contest between the easy-going French and the more en- ergetic Anglo-Saxons had not been staged. We might still be in the status of the old French-Canadian provinces along the St. Lawrence, whose ways have not changed much in four hundred years. Physicians in Kaskaskia During the British Regime — 1763-1778 The journals of several British officers give us an insight into the state of health of the people and knowledge of the workers in the field of medicine in that early period. Almost all of them give harrowing accounts of the battle with their old enemies, malarial fever and the 32 History of Peoria County, Illinois. Johnson & Co. Page S6. 45 46 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS injuries of warfare. Dr. Richard Shuckburgh, who writes to Johnson, his superior, in New York, July 25, 1765, tells of Croghan's misfortune on his way to Illinois, when he was attacked by Mascoutahs and Kicka- poos at Shawnee village below the mouth of the Wabash. He says: "Fortunately, Dr. Antoine was not hurt." The doctor undoubtedly gave Croghan much-needed attention (we leara that the latter was hit upon the head with a tomahawk). Following this encounter they were taken as captives overland to Ouatanon (Lafayette, Ind.), where their captors were admonished by their chiefs, for Croghan had made many friends among the various tribes. After their release they proceeded to the East. 33 In 1766 Morgan complains of the lowness of the land between Kaskaskia and the Mississippi River, with sickness from the first of June till October, in consequence : "Ague and Fever has been remarkably prevalent — insomuch that of the Garrison & inhabitants of Fort Chartres and Kaskaskia few have escaped. . . . insomuch that not a single Person, Male or Female, born at the Illinois of Parents of fifty Years of Age & very few of forty — neither has there been any French Native of the Country known to have lived to an old Age." 34 On the other hand, Lansdowne seems to contradict this impression of the unhealthiness of the region when he cites his reasons why the British should establish a colony there: "The country of the Illinois on the Mississippi is generally allowed to be the most fertile & pleasant Part of all of the Western Territory now in Possession of the English in North America. The French Canadians have long called It 'The Terrestrial Paradise.' " He gives a long list of articles this paradise could supply, including medicinal drugs. ^^ Notwithstanding this glowing account, the com- mandants and officers write, with monotonous regularity, doleful letters to their superiors, relating their own, as well as their men's, sufferings. Croghan tells of Colonel Reed giving him assistance in his work, but under difficulty, as he "has been very ill." He adds that "all in the garrison are ill, including myself. Out of fifty men there are not above three officers fit for duty. I am reduced with sickness. I shall be obliged to go round by New Orleans, as I'm unable to ride across the country to Fort Pitt." 36 33 The New Regime, Illinois Historical Collection. Alvord-Carter. Vol. XI, pages 30, 31, 66. 3 4 Morgan's Journal. Illinois Historical Collection. Vol. XI, page 439. 35 Illinois Historical Collections. Alvord-Carter. Vol. XI, pages 248-250. 36 Illinois Historical Collections. Alvord-Carter. Vol. XI, page 374. FORT DE CHARTRES AND THE INFANT COLONIES 47 The Crown Pays Dr. Annesley for IMedical Services During British Reign in Illinois The superintendent of Indian Affairs, in his report of March 24, 1767, submits to the crown a bill for medical services as follows : "The Crown, "To Doctor William Annesley, Dr. "For Attendance and Medicines administered to the Indians at tliis place from the 25th of Septr. 1766 — to this 24th March, 1767, Inclusive, is 181 Days: @ 5/Pr Day: £45.5., Pensylva. Curre (MS burned) at five Livres to the Dollar." George Croghan, local superintendent of Indian Affairs, had appointed Dr. Annesley, so the crown sought verification of the bill through John Reed, March 25, 1767, at Fort de Chartres, and received the information that the appointment was made by the deputy superintendent of Indian Affairs of the northern district and himself, and that the bill was just. In the same year Dr. Annesley acknowledges receipt of the sum of forty-five pounds five shillings, Pennsylvania currency at five livres to the dollar, from Edward Cole, Commissary of Indian Affairs at this place. That this was average pay for medical men in the good old days is apparent from the following: Indian Department Salaries at Forts on Frontier A commissary £200 Sterling A gunsmith 100 Sterling An interpreter 80 Sterling A doctor 80 Sterling The commandant adds in the king's worst English: "The Gineral May think od of a Doctor being Wanted att Those posts. Butt its impossible to Do without one att Fort Pitt as there is Such a vast Resort of Indians & Warr partys passing continuly by that post." At the prevailing rate of $4.85 for each pound, or less than $400 a year, doctors did not get rich in the service of the crown in the early days. But the crown was bent upon conquest; gunsmiths, in con- sequence, were more important to the state and therefore received better remuneration than the guardians of the soldier's health. In this list we note that — as in our time — those engaged in intellectual pursuits were graded for less pay than mechanics. ^~ Smallpox in the Garrison During the British regime the Indians complained that small-pox Avas transmitted to them by the English. 37 Illinois Historical Collections. Alvord-Carter. Vol. XI, pages 531-532, 557. 48 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS "They gave us smallpox, -vvhicli made all our children die." They show their friendship for the French by stating: "The French, our brothers, never gave us any disease." Their hostility to the British was also evidenced by their protest against the building of new forts. This was not strange, for the humiliation of the failure of Pontiac's conspiracy against the whites was still fresh in their minds. But disease was not all that destroyed the Indians, for there was widespread havoc created by their inordinate use of tafia (poor whiskey), which caused the authorities to issue an edict prohibit- ing its use. ^^ Fort de Chartres in the Throes of Pestilence in 1768 with the Surgeon Among the Stricken "When Colonel Wilkins assumed charge of the fort, earlier in the year of 1768, he found the garrison in a good state of health, but by October Morgan writes dolefully to his partners: "Every officer and private is violently ill with fever and distressed because of no attention." By September 20 the soldiers were attacked at the rate of twenty per day and in a week only nineteen were capable of duty. "The gates of the fort are locked, with no sign of life but the guards. The groans and cries of the sick is the only sound heard. The surgeon of the regiment held it out longest, but was during the height of their illness confined to his bed." The surgeon ran true to form, for, time out of mind, practitioners of the healing art stuck to duty until they almost fell in their tracks. "Dr. Connolley was called and has been of great service and has great skill. He still continues at the fort, as the surgeon is not yet recovered, hence the men want assistance." Later Morgan reports: "Fifty men are now fit for duty and the disorder has greatly abated. All are fairly recovered except Captain Stewart, Lieut. Turner and Patterson, the three who died after a few days of illness. About thirty men and a number of women were laid in their graves. Mr. Rumsey has had frequent violent attacks. Brown has had recourse to his bed almost every other day, and Hollingshead has felt the weight of the affliction." 39 He writes again in the same vein : "The febrifuge you so warmly recommend will do very well from this lime till May next, when each of us expect to be attacked in turn." 38 The Critical Period, 1763-1765. Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. X, pages 236, 279. 39 Trade and Politics, 1767-1769. Illinois Historical Collections. Alvord- Carter. Vol. XVI, pages 438-440. FORT DE CHARTRES AND THE INFANT COLONIES 49 Buttrick, who acted as adjutant, tells of the seizure of his that attacked him at dinner, leaving him cold. He left the table to shake it off, but to no purpose, for when he went to bed he was seized with a hot fit. When he told the doctor his experience, the medical man diagnosed the disease as intermittent fever : "The doctor said it would be violent for six days. The seventh day the doctor said he would put a stop to it, which he accordingly did, for from that time I had no more of it." He also speaks of the mortality, which he gives as follows: "All the officers of five companies were so ill that only a corporal and six men were capable of guarding the fort in the heart of the enemies' country and the disorder still rages; and he had every reason to believe that it is contagious, for no one escaped. Three officers, twenty-five men, twelve women, and fifteen children were sent to their graves since September 29, and many more are in a dangerous way, tho I am in hopes the cold weather will soon help us." 40 WiLKiNS Writes of Unsanitary Conditions of the Country Surrounding the Fort On December 5, 1769, he describes what he thinks is the cause of the unhealthy state of the region by saying that "it is surrounded by innumerable, extensive and stagnant lakes and pools," with the adjacent country low and marshy ; he thinks that this proximity to such surroundings renders them exposed to the exhalations which mean almost inevitable death. These unhappy circumstances led him to investigate the cause which could possibly induce the French to build in a spot so cursed with surrounding evils. "^^ Murray, agent for Bernard and M. Gratz, writes also in 1769, from Kaskaskia, concern- ing sickness, that for the sixth time he has the accursed fever so that he can barely write. That there was at least one civilian doctor in the community is evident through an invoice to Dr. Thomason from B. and M. Gratz, care of Murray, the agent at Kaskaskia, for "30 loaf sugars costing 120 livres, 1 coffee at 2 livres 10 sols." In another list there are shown medicinal items such as "Cod or Liver •io Trade and Politics. Illinois Historical Collections. Alvord-Carter. Vol. XVI, pages 445, 448-450. 41 Illinois Historical Collections. Alvord-Carter. Vol. XVI, pages 631, 632. 50 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Oil" and "Genscng," which evidently had some popularity as remedies among the people of the time. *~ That Dr. Thomason, who was in close proximity, was not employed in the extremity when the fort surgeon (who was in all probability Dr. Annesley) became ill and Dr. John Connolly was sent for from Fort Pitt, can be explained by the fact that Connolly was close to the administration officially. He was a nephew of Colonel Croghan and a native of Pennsylvania. In 1774 he became Lord Dunmore's agent and was accused of precipitating the Indian War of that year. When he came to the Illinois country he availed himself of the services of the traders' (Morgan, Wharton, and Baynton) boats — the owners of which were also close to the administration — and lastly he aligned himself with the British during the Revolutionary War. ^^ "He was interested in land on his own behalf and was by no means the only man at that time who was ready to commit outrages upon the Indians in order to obtain it." ^4 "To Dr. John Connolly, for thirty years the stormy petrel of the northwest frontier, occurred the project of leading a British and Indian expedition from Detroit to seize Fort Pitt, break the rebellion in the back country, and ultimately establish communication with the British fleet. The American attack on Canada of 1775 frustrated the scheme." ^s While at Fort Pitt Dr. Connolly contracted an indebtedness to John Reed, amounting to £12 ten shillings, which he failed to pay and, on April 16, 1769, had not been heard of by Reed for about twelve months. ^^ 42 "Trade and Politics" — 1767-1769. Illinois Historical Collections. Alvord- Carter. Vol. XVI, pages 605, 642, 644, 235. 43 Illinois Historical Collections. Alvord-Carter. Vol. XVI, page 163, foot- note 2. 44 Pioneers of the Old Southwest. C. L. Skinner. Page 113. The Daniel Boone Myth. Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society. Alvord. 1926. Vol. XIX, page 25. 45 The Story of Illinois. Pease. Pages 47, 48. Preceding Dr. Connolly another physician. Dr. Thomas Walker in 1748 and 1750, one of the most influential of Virginia land-jobbers, made exploring trips to western Kentucky, and his account of the region became the vade mecum for the men associated with him. 46 "Trade and Politics." Illinois Historical Collections. Alvord-Carter. Vol. XVI, page 520. CHAPTER V THE BRITISH LOSE THE "AMERICAN BOTTOM" EIGHT years after the signing of the documents that forever termi- nated the rule of Prance in America, during which period Great Britain had not had time to estimate fully the importance of the grant, the first shot was fired by that handful of intrepid ones who dared to question the "divine right of kings" to impose a tax upon them. This audacity turned their thoughts to other more pressing business than the development of a frontier. The need of defending these outposts with a garrison was, however fully understood, but poorly satisfied. Such a force as they did send was inadequately equipped to cope with the strategy of a backwoodsman, whose daring was comparable to that of his renowned contemporary, Marion. However, in this enterprise of ousting the British from Kaskaskia he was in all probability aided by Bentley, a Kaskaskia fur trader, whose knowledge of the weakness of the defense was imparted to him. ^"^ So important were the develop- ments along the coastal plain that George Rogers Clark rested quite securely in the newly-acquired territory. Again the divine plan of God seems to have been with the Americans, and who cares to do so, may speculate upon what our country's security would rest had Britain retained that fairest portion of the cause of the struggle ; but upon the incidents that made our victory possible we must focus our attention. The British, who were ousted from the Kaskaskia region, were still formidable and occupied Detroit, the gi'eatest strategic point in the west. George Rogers Clark had also taken Vincennes from them, but realized that the possession of the country'' was insecure unless they could be ousted at Detroit. He planned an attack such as was successful at Kaskaskia and Vincennes, but this never materialized. His inability to carry out these plans did not deter others from attempting the feat. Dr. Lapfont an Important Figure in the Capture of Vincennes FROM THE British When George Rogers Clark had, through strategy and great incon- veniences, taken Kaskaskia, he did not rest securely, for he realized that 47 Illinois Historical Collections. Alvord-Carter. Vol. II, Introduction, xcvi. 51 Uu. 52 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS as long as Vincennes, the key to the Wabash, was in the hands of the British, he was in danger of a surprise attack from their headquarters at Detroit. When he had arrived at Kaskaskia he found the French in a passive state, for the most part. They had no enthusiasm for casting their aUegiance either to the British or the Americans. They still enter- tained hopes of a return to the banner of France. But Clark's stern- ness soon brought them to their senses. Especially did their ecclesi- astical leader. Father Gibault, fear him. It was no hard matter for Clark to make friends with the priest, for he saw an opportmiity to use his potent influence with the French. But apparently their friend- ship became mutual, for in later life Father G-ibault offered his services freely to the American cause. But Father Gibault was in a delicate position, for he was under the diocese at Quebec, in the heart of British strongholds, which they had so gloriously acquired by Wolfe's victory. His long service in Illinois gave him a sort of vicarship that extended to all the French colonies in the Ohio, Wabash and Mississippi valleys. Many conflicting stories have come down to us concerning the origin of the plan to take Vincennes, but the most likely construction we can place upon the documents existent is that Clark fostered the plan to use Father Gibault, who in turn feared the vengeance of the British and the discipline of his superiors, which prompted him to take into his confidence Dr. Laffont, who was stationed among the French at Vincennes. By using the doctor as a proxy to shift the responsibility, as well as the credit, he hoped to veil his movements. In this transaction Dr. Laffont took all the responsibility for the movement and, in conse- quence, claimed all the credit when it succeeded. ^^ That Father Gibault did not resent this we learn from his denial of any part in the conspiracy. But this denial was not considered ho7ia fide by those in command — the British government as well as that of Virginia — as letters written from these quarters indicate. Clark, in his first report, gave Father Gibault and Dr. Lafeont credit for the success of the enterprise and received an answer from Patrick Henry, the governor, as follows : "I beg you will present my compliments to Mr. Gibault and Dr. Laffont and thank them for me for their good services to the State." •Jo Further proof of Dr. Laffont 's fearless services for the State is shown by the readiness with which he administered the oath of citizenship to the people of Vincennes on July 20, 1778. The usual ingratitude of 48 Kask'^% so satisfied were they to let a judge decide the issue rather than be condemned by a jury composed of tailors, shoemakers and candle- stick-makers, as they believed that these lacked the necessary sense of justice. Little is known of the early Kaskaskia courts, on account of the disappearance of the records, but a perfect record has been kept of each case tried at Cahokia; these records have been translated and constitute the best source-material of the life of the times. Many inter- esting side-lights upon the practice of medicine of the time can be gleaned from them. Dr. Gibkins Gives Medical Testimony in 1778 "The year 1778, the 29th day of December, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, in virtue of the order of the Don Fernando de Leyba, Lieutenant-Governor of Illinois, which was given me this day, I, Bernard Gibkins, physician at this post, betook myself into the house of the woman Laurant, inhabitant of this post, to examine her negro. I found the said negro in bed, and after a careful examination, I perceived that the sickness, by which he was attacked, pro- ceeded from violent poison. His body was in convulsions and his limbs rigid on account of the corrosive poison which had insinuated itself into all parts of his body. The negro is in danger of death and it will be only the result of chance if he recovers, in which case the use of his limbs may be lost for the rest of his days. In faith of which I give the present report, which I affirm to be true, to you, M. Lieutenant-Governor. At St. Louis the said day, the 29th of December, 1778. (Signed) "B. Gibkins." 54 53 Chicago and the Old Northwest. M. M. Quaife. University of Chicago Press, 1913. Pages 100-104. 54 Illinois Historical Collections. Alvord-Carter. Vol. II, page Ixiii; page 4, note 3. Prkhistoric Rklics Above, Skeleton No. 12 of a Cahokian found in Wound No. 20, who possibly lost his leg upon a primitive battlefield. Below (Figures 1 to 5), five pipes, several of them effigies, from the Monticello Seminary Collection. (Figs. 6 and 7) Stone effigies, excellent specimens of the Cahokians' advancement in sculpturing. Reproduced through the courtesy of Warren K. Moorhead of the Monticello Seminary and the University of Illinois. [See P. 7] THE BRITISH LOSE THE '' AMERICAN BOTTOM" 57 The document of Dr. Gibkins does not give details as to the need for the statement, and only whets our curiositj^ concerning the circumstances that demanded it. But upon further research in the court records the need of it is manifest. In this naked country, in those early days, there were two men who had a mania for killing people, as Lucrezia Borgia, in the sixteenth century, is supposed to have had. These two men were Moreau, colored, and Manuel, a medicine chief. They had killed several soldiers of the garrison, as appeared also in the indict- ment. These deaths were not, however, the cause of their apprehension, which was accomplished on account of the death of the person described by Dr. Gibkins and the slaying of a master and mistress of a negress by proxy. In the testimony of the wife of the negro, who died a few days after Dr. Gibkins' examination, she stated that these two men had given her husband, a year previous, some whiskey (tafia, a poor grade of spirits) to use on his journey to Kaskaskia. They wished to get rid of hun because he was in favor wdth a negress named Janette in the employ of ]\I. Martin, of St, Louis. The witness stated further that both Moreau and her husband were intimate with Janette, It is also stated that Moreau, having accomplished his rival's demise, con- spired to rid the negress of her employers, so that he might induce her to become his mistress. This he achieved by giving her a potion to administer to them, ostensibly to make them more gentle. Evidently they were irascible and exacting in their demands for ser\dces, which inconvenience she confided to jMoreau, The ignorant negi*ess, thinking only of her own comfort, administered the potion and her emploj^ers became gentle for all time. Then Moreau demanded the reward for the profound sleep he had induced for her sake, but by this time Janette seems to have awakened to the dangers of intimacy with such a man, and refused his advances, whereupon he killed her. ^^ This tragedy sealed the doom of Moreau and his accomplice in crime, Manuel, for they were executed later by order of the court. Little further is known about Dr. Gibkins except that he was apparently well liked by the inhabitants, which we glean from a letter written by A. Fowler, a former officer at Kaskaskia (1771-1772), in which he begs to be remembered to "Dr. Gibkins and to all our friends," An answer to this request informs him that the bearer of the message found him very well. This was iu 1781. ^^ 55 Illinois Historical Collections. Alvord-Carter. Vol. II, pages 13-19. 5'3 Kaskaskia Records. Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. V, pages 162, 247. 58 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Passing tue Responsibility for Payment of Physician's Bill Is AS Old as History Dr. M. Reynal, December 10, 1779, no doubt after trying to collect his bill for medical services, lost patience with those who were, to use a phrase in common parlance, "passing the buck," and started suit against one Charles Gratiot. He asked that the defendant be condemned to pay him the sum of three hundred pounds of deer-skins for the amputation of the leg of Jean Racette, which operation the doctor had performed. He claimed that he had been summoned by Gratiot, who said that he would pay the surgeon's fee on condition that the named Parisian, to whom the accident had happened in Gratiot's house, would reimburse him, upon his recovery, for what it would cost. The doctor claimed that this agreement was made in the presence of Bte. Alarie. Bte. Alarie appeared on summons and, upon oath, declared he was not in Cahokia when the accident happened to Jean Racette. The defendant offered, as his defense, the alibi that though Racette 's accident happened at his house, Racette was a total stranger to him; that in such circumstances it was his duty to send for a surgeon to relieve the unfortunate man without being obliged to pay the costs. Since the court could not unconditionally condenm M, Gratiot to pay Dr. M. Reynal the sum of three hundred pounds of deer-skin for the amputation of Racette 's leg, it decided that it was necessary to await the arrival of the named Parisian to whom the accident had happened. Whether this bill was ever paid, there is no record. Of the five magis- trates of the court, the name of M. Charles Gratiot appears as one. It is interesting to estimate the size of this charge as compared with bills for similar services to-day. In the days of the American Fur Company (1827), the successors of the independent fur traders of the time, shaved deer-skin sold for twenty-five cents a pound, which would, if prices were as good then as forty-eight years later, make the biU amount to seventy-five dollars, a fee not excessive even for that time for the services rendered. It is more than likely that this was the price then, as in 1827, for during the regime of the American Fur Company prices for furs varied little. But it seems that Dr. Reynal had frequently to seek the aid of the courts in getting his fees, for many patients soon forgot the services the doctor rendered. ^'^ In 1783 he again sued in the French court for medical services to one M. Grandmont. The bill for medicine amounted to twenty-seven livres. The defendant, in answering the charge, stated that he had no knowledge of the said account, except in part, and offered to take 67 Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. II, pages 29-31. THE BRITISH LOSE THE ''AMERICAN BOTTOM" 59 his oath thereto. The court continued the present suit to the next court, when Dr. M. Reynal wa.s to appear to prove his bill. ^^ Dr. Reynal Gets One Verdict It seems that the doctor tried another way of collecting than appearing in person, for he hired Traversey, e^^dently an attorney, to be plaintiff for him in the suit of June, 1783, against Madame Henson, suing for an account of 108 livres for "medicine for the sickness of her late husband and for herself." She failed to appear in court to defend the cause, for which the court allowed full payment in the verdict. It would appear from this that doctors occasionally won in the courts, even in the early days. ^^ Early Court Condemns a Patient to Continue Treatment till Cured and then Pay for Medical Services "At a Court, January 10, 11/82. President, George Blinn Raphael Gagne J. Bte. LaCroix Pierre Grandmont Bte. Dubuque Joseph Cesirre "Isaac Levy, Plaintiff, vs. Michel Buteau, Defendant. "The plaintiff sues the defendant, saying tliat he treated the defendant for sickness for the sum of four hundred livres and after some time the defendant assured him that he no longer felt any symptons of his sickness. He ceased caring for him and afterwards, when he asked for his pay, the defendant refused, saying that he had not cured him entirely. "Bte. Dumay, after having made oath to tell the truth concerning the agree- ment between the plaintiff and the defendant, affirmed that the plaintiff was bound to cure perfectly the defendant and that he heard the defendant say that he was not cured, but only relieved. The defendant says that the plaintiff was obliged to cure him perfectly and that he was not and is not cured; that he only felt some relief from the first treatment of the plaintiff. "Augustin Angers, after having made oath to tell the truth according to his knowledge, says that the defendant was intending to go to Kaskaskia to be attended, and that he had said that the plaintiff had stopped him, saying that he was capable of curing him; and that he (Angers) had advised him to put himself under the care of the plaintiff; that sometime afterwards, when he asked the defendant about the sickness, he answered that he was getting along very well; but later the defendant had told him that he was sick and that the plaintiff had ceased attending him. "The defendant declared on oath that he had not known any women from the time the plaintiff began taking care of him up to the present time. 5s Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. II, page 149. 59 Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. II, page 151. Dr. Otrich in Illinois Medical Journal. November, 1924. Page 310. 60 HISTORY OF IMEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS "The Court condemned the plaintiff to continue attending the defendant until he should be cured, on condition that the defendant acts according to orders and does nothing that can counteract the medicines of the plaintiff, under penalty of paying the sum demanded and of being abandoned by him. "The Court condemned the defendant to pay the sum of one hundred and sixteen livres fifteen sols, a bill for which in accordance with his current account the plaintiff has produced. "The Court condemned the plaintiff to pay all the costs of justice." so Contagious Disease at Kaskaskia and Ste. Genevieve In a letter written to Greneral George Rogers Clark we learn of an epidemic which carried off fifty-four persons in 1782, The writer laments the loss of several prominent inhabitants, but does not record the nature of the ailment. ^'^'^ The Western Commissioners Adjust the Claims op Dr. Hart "It appears to the commissioners that there is due to Dr. George Hart the sum of Forty-three pounds four shillings for his services as surgeon. The commissioners are of the opinion that charge against Bennum & Brown in the Dr. Harts was done during the time that the claimant was paid as surgeon to the troops under General Clark then Colo, at the Falls eo-b and therefore reject it. Tlie second charge they think just and ought to be settled at 8/pr day Ninety-eight days, thirty-nine pounds four shillings. It appears to the Board that Domnic Flannagan did not belong to the Illinois Regiment when under Dr. Hart's care and therefore not chargeable to the State. It likewise appears that James Coburn was wounded at the Blue Licks and one of the Militia of Lincoln. The Board do not think they have power to liquidate that claim. A certificate of services for two Soldiers of Col. Montgomery's Regiment as pr Cert, allowed, four pounds." Dr. Hart put in a claim, as requested by the commissioners for bounty lands, as ordered by acts of the Assembly authorizing that "Bounty lands be given the officers and soldiers of their Regiments," but it was not allowed. ^^'^ 60 Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. II, pages 113, 115. 60-a Illinois Historical Collections. Letter from Legras to Clark Feb. 15, 1782. Vol. XIX, page 38. eo-b After the surrender of Cornwallis October 19, 1781, and upwards of a year thereafter, the control of the West was still in the balance, and British and American leaders in this region continued to exercise their greatest military and diplomatic abilities. Clark continued to hold Fort Nelson, recently con- structed at the Falls of the Ohio, as his base of operations. From it he could exercise control of the Illinois posts, rally militiamen for the protection of the Kentucky settlements and keep the British on the defensive at Detroit. Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. XIX, pages xvii and xviii. 60-c Illinois Historical Collections. James A. James. Vol. XIX, pages 359, 421, 417. THE BRITISH LOSE THE '' AMERICAN BOTTOM" 61 Payment of a Surgeon's W.vrrant Deferred Because of Insufficient Funds "Kaskaskias, Jan. 1, 1782, State of the Treasury, Jan. 7, 1782. (Cal. of Va. State Papers, 3:10 — Abstract) Richmond, Jayi. 1th, 11S2. "John Conant, Surgeon to General Clark's Army, having obtained from 'the Assembly' an order for a "Warrant for one thousand dolls, specie, for the purchase of medicines to be delivered at the Falls of the Ohio in March next, applied at the Treasury, but was informed there was no money on hand — he therefore now begs that instructions be given to the 'Commissaries of Stores' to sell flour sufficient to make up that sum, otherwise the wishes of the Assembly cannot be carried out. . . ."eo-d A Surgeon's Narrative of His Miraculous Escape from Torture AND Death An expedition headed by Colonel Crawford (a personal friend of General Washin^on), who saw ser^ace at Brandywine, and who planned to take Detroit by a surprise attack, was inaugurated ]\Iay 25, 1782. On the fourth day they reached Gnadeiihutten, after their departure from Mingo Bottom, a day's journey from Fort Pitt. Here they wit- nessed the ghastly work of attempted annihilation of the pacifist Mo- ravian Indians, in which some of their number had participated. Their next objective was to destroy the villages of their inveterate enemies, the Wyandottes and the Shawnees on the upper Sandusky. Colonel Crawford hoped from there to effect a surprise, but knowledge of his intentions was reported to Detroit b}^ alert scouts. A forced march would have circumvented the informere but, confident of success, the Americans encamped ten miles from the first Sandusky to^Ti. The next morning they set out in leisurely fashion for the coveted point. Meanwhile the commandant at Detroit, mindful of General Clark 's habit of surprise attacks, was keeping watch for a possible invasion by the Wabash River. He dispatched a company of rangers to the defense of the Sandusky villages. "With the accession of bands of AVyandotte and Delaware warriors, they encountered the Americans on June 4, and the result at the end of the day's battle was a draw. The next day, with the addition of more Indian allies in the camp of the enemy, the Americans deemed it prudent to withdraw. Forcing their way in the night through the enemies' lines, confusion followed, and when daybreak came it was learned that Colonel Crawford, Surgeon Knight and others were missing. In this dilemma those remaining had to defend themselves against their pursuers in an open field, and in that engage- 60-d Illinois Historical Collections. James. Vol. XIX, page 29. 62 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS ment the enemy was repulsed. By entering the avoocIs the Americans escaped without further molestation. Indians Torture Colonel Crawford and Surgeon John Knight The fate of the captives is almost too harrowing to relate. They were stripped of their clothing, their bodies were blackened and they were forced to run the gauntlet, while men, women and children beat them with sticks and clubs. The soldiers (nine of them) were put to death, while the colonel and surgeon were held for further torture. Dr. Knight was compelled to witness the suffering of his companion, who, with a rope around his body, was led to the stake. Crawford appealingly asked Simon Grirty, a former neighbor, a one-time officer in the Pennsylvania militia and then in the British service, "Do they intend to burn me?" ''Yes," was the reply of the renegade. The colonel then appealed in vain to Girty to shoot him. Finally realizing that he could not even expect a soldier's death from such foes, he stoically said, "I will take it all patiently," and the work began. He was forced to walk barefooted over burning coals while his tormentors prodded his naked body with burning sticks. For three hours he continued to breathe after such treatment, until at last his voice was heard in low but audible words of prayer. A hideous squaw thereupon sought to bring fresh torture upon the dying man by heaping a shovel of coals upon his prostrate body ; but this produced no manifestation of pain. Soon afterward he arose to his feet, walked around the post to which he had been tied, and again lay doA\Ti — for the last time. Knight was then informed that he was to receive like punishment in a neighboring town. On his way thither he was guarded by only one savage. The Indian, wishing a tire, unbound his prisoner and ordered him to collect Avood. Thanks to the laziness of his guard, the surgeon got his opportunity to escape. Dr. Knight, having found a good billet, felled his keeper Avith it, fled into the forest and, after twenty-one days of suffering through want of food, finally reached Fort Pitt. ^^'^ Dr. CoNNiU?D Advances Funds for Medicines and Supplies The State of Virginia, in its campaigns in the west, had claims to be settled for by the United States. Recognizing these claims, though the impoverished treasury had many demands upon it, the government made provisions as follows to meet them : "The necessary and reasonable expenses incurred by this State in subduing any British posts or maintaining forts or garrisons within and for the defence, 60 f Illinois Historical Collections. James. Vol. XIX, pages xl, xli, xlii. The Northwest and Chicago. Blanchard. Vol. 1, pages 245-247, 241. THE BRITISH LOSE THE '* AMERICAN BOTTOM" 63 or in acquiring any part of the territory so ceded or relinquished shall be fully reimbursed by the United States," as provided by an act of Congress relating thereto, October 10, 1780. The amount agreed upon by three commissioners (May 15, 1788) was $500,000. To safeguard against excessive expenditures and collusion between the drawers, five commissioners investigated every account presented to them, and when Dr. Connard's bill for $4000 came up for settlement they stated that the items marked "No. 1, 2, 6, 8 and 10 are for Medicines & Services & ought to be Protested." They settled the matter in the following manner: "That Nos. 4 & 5 are for paper Money advanced to Col. Montgomery, and ought to be paid according to the Scale of Depreciation for the State, as the Scale for that Country did not continue till the date of the Bills. The Bill of 4000 Dollars General Clark informs the Board was not for Medicines charged the State but for Paper Currency advanced. "That the Nos. 7, 9, 11 & 12 are Bills by Connard taken up which he wished to return. "The commissioners are of opinion that Dr. Connard Ought to be Allowed, for one Years Service to the Troops in the Illinois Country commanded by Col. Montgomery, the Sum of Two Hundred & Seventy Pounds, also the sum of Fifty Pounds for Medicines furnished, and Seventy-five Pounds two shillings for Flour, Taffia, Sugar &c furnished — Account as follows Viz: "One year's pay as Surgeon (Pay & Rations) £270.0.0 Sundry Medicines furnisliod 50.0.0 Flour, Sugar, TafBa etc., furnlslied 75.2.0 1 Bill of Exchange date March 3rd. 1780, for paper money advanced 4000 Dollars — reduced is 24.0.0 1 Ditto, date Oct. 3, 1780 for 2258 Dollars 9.5.7 £428.7.7 "The Medicines said to be furnished Col. Montgomery the board cannot judge of as no Prices are fixed; but are of opinion the artickles marked were necessary, the quantity of many of them too great for the number of men, but that the whole might have been furnished for perhaps less than One Thousand Dollars." One cannot refrain from commenting upon the amount Dr. Connard received for his services as compared with the pay of the surgeons who preceded him, and those who came after him in the timies immediately following the Eevolutionary War, and we gather that he had a keen business sense far beyond that of his contemporaries. ^^'^ STA.SIS IN KaSKASKIA Negotiations between the British and the embrj'o United States Government having been consummated, Virginia, under whose jurisdic- 60-f Illinois Historical Collections. James A. James. Vol. XIX. Geo. Rogers Clark Papers, 1781-17S3. Journal of Western Commissioners. Vol. XXIV, pages 396, 397 and author's preface. 64 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS tion that section of Illinois was situated in 1783, ordered George Rogers Clark to withdraw his command in July of that year. "Whether this order was a part of the retrenchment program of a poverty-stricken nation, the result of an eight-year war, is not clear, but the aftermath of this short-sighted policy was immediately felt by the inhabitants of that isolated post. It is said that history repeats itself and, in retrospect, the condition of Illinois from 1783-1787 fully verifies that observation. As the plight of the Grecian cities of old was so master- fully described by Thucydides in his "History of the Peloponnesian "War" (Jouett's translation), so do his words reveal, almost without modification, the condition of early Illinois villages : "The cause of all these evils was the love of power, originating in avarice and ambition, and the party spirit which is engendered in them when men are fairly embarked in a contest. . . . Striving in every way to overcome each other, they committed the most monstrous crimes; yet even these were surpassed by the magnitude of their revenges which they pursued to the very uttermost, neither party observing any definite limits either of justice or public expediency, but both alike making the caprice of the moment their law. Either by the help of an unrighteous sentence, or grasping power with the strong hand, they were eager to satiate the impatience of party spirit." ei Such were the riotous times after the withdrawal of the American troops in 1783, until order was restored by Colonel Harnxar in 1787. Pestilence added to the woe of inhabitants of Kaskaskia during the period of stasis, for in 1785 the "American Bottom" was inundated. A contagious disease of the cattle, which was communicable to man, broke out following the flood. It is more than likely that it was the much dreaded foot-and-mouth disease, the ravages of which we have learned to dread in our time. ®- The Court Orders Payment of a Surgeon Although Virginia had again restored order by sending Colonel Harmar to Kaskaskia after the period of panderaoniimi folloxA-ing Clark's departure, no interference with the operation of the French court was instituted. In the records of that court we find that a surgeon was ordered paid for dressing of wounds of one La Fleur and his wife, by the estate of Augustin Dubuque. The court specified that the bill should be paid upon the perfect recovery of La Fleur and his wife. The name of the attending surgeon was not mentioned in the proceed- ings, but it is more than likely that it was Dr. Israel Dodge, as ci Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. II, page cxi. 62 Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. II, page 203. THE BRITISH LOSE THE "AMERICAN BOTTOM" 65 Dr. M. Reynal's name appears no later than 1783 in the records of the Illinois court. ^^ First American Civilian Physician Arrives in the "Bottom" The fii-st American physician in the latter part of the eighteenth century to be attracted to the settlement in southwestern Illinois was Dr. Israel Dodge, who arrived shortl}^ after the Revolutionary War activities ceased, coming to Kaskaskia in 1782. ^^ He was undoubtedlj^ influenced in the selection of the location by his notorious brother, John Dodge. The latter and his associates, Montgomery and Rogei*s, were called by Father De La Valinierre three robbers and three thieves. John Dodge left an unenviable reputation to posterity, because of his acts during the period of stasis in Kaskaskia. That his brother, the doctor, was occasionally used by him for some of his transactions is evident from the records. In 1781 the doctor was sent to the Falls of the Ohio to collect expense money incurred by John Dodge w'hile agent of the state of Kaskaskia. ^^ In 1787 a letter states that Dr. Dodge was living at the "Falls of the Ohio" (Louis\dlle), and a contemporary historian states that he left for Louisiana in 1790. Little is known about his medical career in Kaskaskia during the turbulent times of stasis. But we can well believe that he did not enjoy any too great a popularity in the village where his brother was detested by the natives. John Dodge was finally ousted from Kaskaskia by the people, led by Joseph Parker, whom Dodge rancorously designated as a "whining, canting Methodist — a kind of would he governor. " ♦^'^ Apparently the doctor could not live down the stigma which his brother's misdeeds placed upon him and he vacated for more favorable parts. Fort Knox (Post Vhncennes) Visited by Intermittent Fever Major Hamtramck, in charge of this post July 29, 1789, Avrote to General J. Harmar that the garrison was very sickly and disease had caused more havoc than the savages, who seemed disposed to be peace- ful. There were fortj'-nine men ill with intermittent fever and not an ounce of "Bark" to combat it. Lamentations al)out the sickly climate and lack of medicine to treat the sick were poured out to his chief. He cites Dr. Elliot's (the army surgeon) complaint that the C3 Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. II, page 309. e< Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. II, page cxiii. Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Page 138. C5 Illinois Historical Collections. (Kaskaskia Records). Vol. V, pages 425, 228. 6« Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. V, pages 426, 410; note 1. G6 HISTORY OF MEDICAL TRACTICE IN ILLINOIS bark received was of bad quality. In proof of this assertion he points out that from personal knowledge eight or ten grains of tartar emetic were employed, "when two or three ought to perform the operation; and I am well persuaded that every man who composes this garrison can take a pound of Bark during the sickly season." From these general directions it is evident that the pioneers believed in heroic doses. ^"^ First Quarantine in Illinois Minutes of the Court of Quarter Sessions of Cahokia, July 2, 1799 : "Ordered in order to keep off the plague of the Small Pox that now rages on the Spanish side, that anyone crossing (the river) to be fined $6.00 for the first offense, $12.00 and ten days' imprisonment for the second offense and remain in prison till he or they shall pay the final fine. Goods brought from the Spanish side will be confiscated." es 67 Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. V, page 50C. 68 Illinois Medical Journal, November, 1924. Page 309. CHAPTER VI ILLINOIS TERRITORY IN THE EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY (As Depicted by a Contemporary Writer) KASKASKIA Avas the center of the political and social life of our commonwealth up until the removal of the capital to Vandalia. Fortunately its life has been reflected to us through the writings of one of our early governors, Reynolds, who vividly, if not elegantly, wrote from contemporary knowledge. His works are a store- house of primary source-material of especial value to the promoters of this task. He knew intimately many of the characters he described, for he himself was one of the hardy pioneers who crossed from the Ohio to the banks of the IMississippi to make a home in the new country. Although his opinions are not free from bias, there is a homely philosophy in what he has to say. The biographical sketches of the early physicians and the medical thought of his day are ludicrous, but to omit them would detract much from the value of this work. Not competent to give opinion on matters medical, he airs his views in an assumed erudite manner. No attempt will be made to correct his English, so if there are those whose sense of the fitness of things is sorely shocked, do not find fault with the author of this work, but remember that only a sense of humor impelled him to quote verbatim. Virginia settlers came to Illinois in 1797. Some 154 of them braved the hardships of the overland trail from Fort Massac, the point of disem- barkation. Their choice of the overland route seems to have been ill-advised, for the country intervening between the Ohio and the Missis- sippi rivers was in the throes of a great flood. As might be expected in such an extremity, travel was very difficult. But while this inunda- tion proved to be a great obstacle to the migrating pioneers, they were spared the sight of the suffering of the inhabitants, for, as the chronicler of the expedition states, there were no houses nor signs of habitation for the entire stretch of wilderness. But the inconveniences of the march w^re not without sinister conse- quences, for no sooner had they arrived at their destination than a malignant form of fever broke out among the new settlers, which was not stayed until one-half of their number had perished. To add to 67 68 HISTORY OF MEDICAL TRACTICE IN ILLINOIS the disaster, scarcely a physician was procurable. Even the valiant nurses forsook their posts from fear of contagion and fled to more settled communities. No fault could be found with them, for the situa- tion was desperate, with no accommodations for either the sick or the well. «» We are more than pleased to record that Dr. Wallace, the only physician among them, stuck to his post, a worthy upholder of the traditions of zeal and devotion to duty that have characterized our noble calling from time out of mind. The recorder of his time failed to give due credit for this devotion to duty when he stated merely : ' ' His character was little known then or present." But, as in nature, "behind the clouds is the sun still shining," so, figuratively, the sun again dissipated the fog of distress and uncertainty in the two camps into which these pioneer Americans divided. One part of the intrepid band joined the settled community of Kaskaskia, while the other sought and found a more healthful location Avhicli they called the "New Design," a settlement of community interests such as w^as founded by Owen later in New Harmony, Indiana. The selection for their abode was on the hill trace, some four miles south of Waterloo, the road from St. Louis to Kaskaskia. We are not outside the range of possibility when we advance the supposition that the advice of the only physician among them influenced them in the choice of a location. The selection on an elevation was a happy one, for they enjoyed a long period of good health and, as records state, did not need a physician. ^^'^ Other Physicians Arrive to Minister unto the Needs op the Re.vnimated Settlements Following the law of supply and demand, Virginians with medical training came as the settlers began to increase. Short sketches of their comings and goings will reflect the life of our earlier Illinois confreres in the ancient art of treating the sick. Among the earlier of this second contingent of practitioners was Dr. George Cadwell (also called "Cald- well") who came by boat from Eddyville, Kentucky, in 1802. Landing not far above Fort de Chartres, on the Illinois side of the river, he later moved north to a point above Cahokia. He practiced for some time among the people here, but the lure of politics attracted him far more than the service of the people as a medical man. That lie was successful as a public servant one can well judge from the appointments colt has been suggested that possibly this malady was typhoid fever; but as this disease entity was not differentiated from typhus until 1S29, when Louis' great work appeared, this surmise cannot be substantiated. 6u-a The Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Pages 237-359. ILLINOIS TEKRITORY EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY 69 he received, both by the electors and the legislature. By the people he was elected justice of the peace, and was county judge for years in St. Clair and Madison Counties. At the election of 1818 he was returned victor as State Senator, serving two years ; and in 1822 Greene County sent him to the Senate. His services must have been honorable, for he served the State Government in the General Assembly until his death, which occurred in Morgan County. The subjoined estimate by Governor Reynolds of Dr. Cad well's worth to the community is at once a praise and a discount of that praise. Whether he was a political opponent of the governor, or whether the governor knew of some freckles upon his character, we cannot state, so we let our readers judge for themselves from the excerpt: "He was moral and correct in public and private life and left a character much more to be admired than condemned; was a respectable physician and always sustained an unblemished character." The preponderance of eulogy over the implied freckles seems to prove that the doctor was human, as equations go — a credit to the annals of our rank. Born on the twenty-first of February, 1773, in Wethersfield, Conn., he received his literary education in Hartford and his medical education at Rutland, Vt. His death occurred at the age of fifty-three, August 1, 1826, at Swinerton's Point, "^o Dr. Truman Tuttle Arrives with United States Army Coming from an eastern city, Dr. Tuttle, according to the historian of the time, possessed a liberal education in the classics. His position as surgeon in the army might almost be considered as proof of his having a good medical training, since army officers were generally recruited from the best schools the times afforded. We learn that even while with the army he built up a good practice among the citizens. When the army left he resigned his commission (in 1808) and remained in Kaskaskia, from whence he left to locate in Cahokia some years later, where, as the historian states, he maintained an excellent character. Like Dr. Cadwell, he sought and received public office. As judge of the common pleas court of St. Clair Comity, his services seem to have been honorable, as Reynold's eulogy of him implies: "He was honest 70 The Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Pages 328-330. Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois. Munsell Publishing Co. Chicago, 1910. Page 72. Illinois Historical Library Publication No. 10. Pages 112, 121. " The Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Page 359. 70 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS and correct in tliis office as lie had been in all his acts, public and private." "^^ Dr. Lyle of Cahokia Lacks Good Nature To quote Reynolds' estimate of one of his contemporaries will show that gfood nature was not always to be found in the physicians of the past, any more than it is in those of the present: "lie was considered a good physician, but excessivelj^ ill-natured and cross." The advisa- bility of cultivating an angelic disposition seems to have been necessary for public favor then as in our day. Dr. James Rose Imbibes More than His Share Emigrating from Kentucky, the land of the famous Bourbon makers. Rose arrived in 1805 to turn over a new leaf. But the lure of the "cup that cheers" soon brought him into disrepute. Let his contem- porary pass judgment in his inimitable way upon the doctor's qualifi- cations and disqualifications: "He possessed some latent talent and made a good physician In his early life. He was a little lame; but before he forgot himself for his friendship for alcohol, his mind was not lame. He enjoyed a good practice in Kaskaskia and vicinity. He did' reside in Belleville but, toward the close of his career, he neglected his profession and it in turn neglected him." ^2 This comment recalls to mind a story illustrating the lay opinion as to what a good doctor should be. 1. The doctor who died was a marvel, about as perfect as human endeavor could make him. 2. The doctor who moved away was also a good doctor — when he resided among them — for there is "no more use finding fault with him now since he has left." 3. The doctor who gets drunk is a fine doctor "if you could only sober him up," His defects are always condoned and, because of his convivial habits, such mistakes as he may make, even in his clear moments, are attributed to his lack of steadiness. 4. The doctor who is at present among them cannot attain the heights of perfection in the public mind that his predecessors reached. Dr. Caldwell Cairns' Tornado Experience "Dr. Caldwell Cairns was a sound, good physician in the olden times in Illinois," so writes the governor. "He emigrated from Pennsylvania about a half century ago, probably 1802, and located here. He possessed himself of a splendid farm which he styled 'Walnut Grove.' " 72 The Pioneer History of Hlinois. Reynolds. Pages 359-360. ILLINOIS TERRITORY EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY 71 A common custom in country practice to within a short time ago was for physicians not to live in cities, but to supplement their practice with the pursuit of agriculture. "He farmed on a large scale and attended likewise his profession. ' ' Again we find a practitioner entering politics, for Dr. Cairns was elected judge of the court of St. Clair County, having previously been a justice of the peace. When Monroe County was organized he was elected from it, being one of the members whose duty it was to frame the State Constitution. No lack of interest in public questions could be charged against these pioneers in our ranks, a striking contrast to our apathy toward such matters in our day. In conclusion we learn: "Dr. Cairns was a clear-headed man and was honest and correct. He left behind him a good reputation and large estate." The statement shows that the doctor was a keen business man, while he probably made but little in his profession. But to pass over this man's biography without recounting his ex- periences in the great tornado of 1805 would be neglecting an oppor- tunity of displaying some of the courage with which a pioneer physician met the fury of the elements. In June of that year a terrific hurricane swept the Bottom, making it a veritable lake. The doctor and his family were directly in the course of it, but escaped miraculously. To save herself his wife lay flat on the earth, while flying missiles dashed about her. A wound on her forehead was all she sustained. The doctor fared even better, for he escaped unhurt, while his horse was disemboweled by a fence rail. '^^ Dr. George Fisher Not a Bookworm Again Virginia sent us one of her native sons from Hardy County, not at flrst to practice medicine, but as a merchant. But the call of ^Esculapius was heard and the profession of business was set aside for the practice of medicine. Evidently his was not an academic knowledge of the healing art, for we are apprised by the following accounts of him that he needed it not, with his superabundance of common sense. "He was a gentleman of common education and had been a well-read physician, but depended more on his natural ability than books. Possessed of a good and sprightly mind and a great share of activity, he was an agreeable and benevolent man." "Soon after the territory of Indiana was established, Harrison appointed him sheriff of Randolph County. He exercised this office to the satisfaction of the public for many years. He was elected to the first General Assembly of Illinois Territory. He was a great favorite with the people, kind to the 73 The Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Page 3C0. 72 HISTORY OF MEDICAIi PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS poor and Indulgent to all. He was elected speaker of the House of Repre- sentatives. This is an office of standing and dignity, no matter where the assembly may bo. He was elected to the convention of 1818 from Randolph County, and also acted in that celebrated convention that formed the Consti- tution, which secured the prosperity and happiness of the State for many years. He died on his farm at the foot of the bluff, in 1820, much lamented by the people." So rambles the historian, who was his personal friend. Surely a many-sided man was this pioneer, if he served honorably in all the capacities ascribed to him. But more to the purpose and interest of physicians was his activity in the small-pox epidemic of that earlj' day. St. Louis and Cahokia were g^-eatly infested, but by vaccination the ravages were stayed considerably. It is interesting to note how soon after its discovery there is evidence of its universal application, even in remote sections of our land. Many repaired to St. Louis to be under "Dr. Sougrin's" care in his hospital, but all could not be accommodated. Dr. Fisher erected a house of refuge on his plantation six miles from Kaskaskia, which was the first record of institutional care of this dread malady in Illinois. Here the doctor provided hospital care for almost the entire French population, personal attention being given by Dr. Fisher, who supervised the treatment of the sick. This isolation, with the aid of vaccination, seems to have stopped the spread of the disease to the other American settlements. The author comments: "The small-pox never raged thro the country and at last was rendered harmless by proper vaccination."'^^ Dr. Reynolds Succeeds Dr. Fisher in the Practice The land of promise in the early days was Illinois, and immigrants from every section of the country sought a new home here. Doctors, especially, seemed to think better of the locality than of the older settled communities. Kentucky, in close proximity, furnished more than the farther away sections, as might have been expected. Just why these three thousand French and Americans in Illinois (the estimated population in 1803) should need so many physicians in the radius of the territory's influence cannot be definitely explained. Sickness, of which there was plenty in this miasmatic region, was undoubtedly a factor in this attraction. But to this day every count}' seat appears to be the mecca for more medical advisers than the needs of it seem to justify. So, to add to the already considerable list of physicians, came Dr. Reynolds from Bracken County, Kentucky, to settle in Kaskaskia. 7+ The Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Pages 358, 313. TT T TTVXriTC! rrtiCWTmrkOV T?AXJT\^ ATTXn?m?T7XTT'TT riWAXTTTPV 1*^ ILLINOIS TERRITORY EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY 73 His biographer eulogizes him as having possessed talents of a high order. A collegiate education, with a good knowledge of medicine, was his. Evidently he was studious, for we learn: "He had studied with great assiduity." That he was successful financially, also, can be gleaned from the records. Dr. Fisher had retired from practice, which made competition less keen. Yet, though it would appear that he had done well financially, judging from the biographer's roseate statement, ''For many years he reigned triumphant in his profession," he nevertheless seems to have been dissatisfied with his returns, for he moved to Cahokia and later returned to Kaskaskia. To add to the conviction that medicine was not as lucrative as law or politics, we again record the tendency of those practicing medicine to supplement their practice with the pursuit of other vocations. Seeking and obtaining election to the legisla- ture in 1815, Dr. Reynold's activities in that body seem to have been successful. At any rate, his patriotism was made evident bj^ the cro^raing of his efforts to establish a new county and naming it in honor of a great United States Army general. Jackson County, and Brownsville, its county seat, owe their existence to the zeal of this physician. Not a man of robust constitution, he fell a victim in 1823 of the then little-understood disease, tuberculosis. "His death was much regretted, not only for his sake, but for a more sordid consideration, the loss of him as a physician. ' ' "^^ Dr. John Logan, the Father of the Illustrious Son op Illinois, General John A. Logan If none of our earliest doctors attained the prominence of the soldiers and statesmen of their day, we can in justification say that they con- tributed by their citizenship to build up a commonwealth that has been a marvelous cradle for the development of its more famous sons. Coming from that remarkable "auld sod," Erin, Dr. John Logan brought with him the courage of that combative race which was accentuated in his illustrious son. General John A. Logan. Just when he crossed the seas, to give his best efforts to the new land, is not clear, except that it was in the early part of the last century. Marrjdng Miss Elizabeth Jenkins, a sister of the lieutenant-governor of the infant common- wealth, Alex. M. Jenkins, the doctor chose just such a life's partner as was proper for the guidance of the eleven offspring that blessed their union. That her influence was great in the molding of their characters 75 The Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Pages 358, 359. 74 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS can be well judged by the careers of several of them, whose marked ability has given luster to the annals of our beloved State. But it was not only the children who reflected honor upon his name, for he left, as well, a legislative record of more than common brilliance. As a member of the House of Representatives of the Tenth General Assembly, with that famous constellation of lights, Abraham Lincoln, John J. Hardin, James Shields, Stephen A. Douglas, Augustus C. French, John A. McClernand, John Dement, Jesse K. Dubois and others, he took his place in the formative period of this commonwealth that augured so well for the future recognition of the greatness of our nation. In answer to the country's call to arms for the annihilation of the red man's reign in our State, Dr. Logan did not hesitate to give his services to his adopted home-land, serving as corporal in Captain A. M. Jenkins' company in the Black Hawk War. The unequal struggle of the last stand of the valiant red man against the encroachments of the whites was of but short duration. Dr. Logan served but two months, when he was mustered out, August 10, 1832, at Fort Hamilton. "^^ Dr. Jones Decides to Change His Vocation Among the early inhabitants of Kaskaskia was Dr. Rice Jones, a graduate of Philadelphia, who for a time practiced in Litchfield, Conn. Early in his career he disliked the practice of medicine. Unlike many others, who have continued in spite of unfitness by temperament, he decided to start all over again in a new field. Fitting himself for the practice of law, he located in Illinois in 1806. Successful in his new profession, we are glad to record that when medical exigencies, i. e., epidemics, — demanded, he did not turn a deaf ear to entreaties of the suffering public. "^"^ Governor Bond's Son a Physician of Early Days The first governor of our State, Shadrach Bond, had opportunities such as few men were accorded and it is not surprising that his son's career in the more retiring field, the care of the sick, was not attended with any conspicuous place in UlinoLs history. This son. Dr. Benjamin N. Bond, though born here, evidently heeded the admonition of the old proverb, "A prophet is not without honor save in his own country," and took up his residence across the river, in the territory of Missouri, at Stanberry. Illustrative of the way permanent fame rarely falls to T6 The Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Pages 386, 387. 77 The Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Pages 172, 173. ILLINOIS TERRITORY EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY 75 the lot of the physician, we compare the careers of sons of contemporary families in the early days. In the case of the Logans, the son, as a military man, outshone the father, a physician, though he also was held high in public esteem; while in the Bond family the father will be remembered as long as history is written, and the son, except as a physician in rural coman unities, will scarcely receive passing notice. The historian, looking back one hundred years, has at best but a far view, from which he tries to estimate the value of a man. The con- temporary historian is very often actuated by selfish motives and either gives too much or too little praise of a man's place in the scheme of development. But our readers will pardon the divergence from the history of physicians and medicine if we give verbatim the opinion of a contem- porary writer of the qualifications of a figure whose activities were of more than common merit in furthering the work of putting our State in the foremost rank of the ''constellation of States," which we so proudly call the "United States." The boldness of the observations of one who at a later time succeeded to the chair of Grovernor Bond will, I ani) sure, justify the insertion of the following description of his predecessor: "He was not a lady parlor scholar who read novels of love-sick swains and fainting ladies, nor did he ever wash his face with cologne water, but he was nature's nobleman, educated in the wide world of the human family and his conscience and sound judgment were his unerring preceptors. Some think a man is not intelligent or learned if he were not cudgelled through college or read Robinson Crusoe or the novel of Goody Two Shoes. The whole creation should be man's school-house and nature his teacher. Bond studied in this college and Providence gave him a diploma." In a further eulogy of the governor's schooling the writer anathema- tizes the critics: "How often do we hear, at this day, the young politicians casting slurs and disrespect on such respectable statesmen as Governor Bond. Many of these modern politicians are manufactured in colleges by the wealth of their fathers in the same manner as a mechanic makes an axe-handle and with almost as little intellect as the handle. Yet, because the pioneer statesman did not graduate with a parchment diploma, he must receive the riducule of these modern butterfly critics and calico politicians. Nature gave her richest diplo- mas to Cromwell, Hannibal and Washington, without their being kicked thro college like an unwilling jack is whipped to his labor. The gigantic talents of Jackson and Clay, two of the greatest men the nation has produced since the Revolution, were never cramped and degraded by the monotonous routine of a collegiate education. I am in favor of a proper education and opposed to 76 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS the abuse of one. All I dislike is these tinsel scholars condemning men whose shoe latchots they are not worthy to loose." ^s All of which would indicate tliat the governor mnst have been a *'hc man." Comments by Reynolds on the General Health OF THE "Bottom" With freedom of speech the historian of pioneer days gives ns a word-pictnre of the time that not only reflects the conditions of the healtli of the community, but is a vivid description of the avocations of the people as well: "The country at that day was more sickly than it is at present, but the only disease then was the bilious fever, with pleurisy at rare intervals. The bilious attacks showed themselves mostly in the forms of fever and ague. The fever without the ague or some chill with it was not frequent. These diseases attacked the people in the latter part of the summer and in the fall and were very common, but not often fatal. The sickness at this time is not so common (1852), but more malignant and dangerous. Many in the olden times were sick in the fall, but few died. By improvement or by some other means the diseases of the country have changed within the last fifty years to be much fewer cases, but more fatal." '^9 Comments on Remedies in Vogue "The remedies to cure the bilious fever and ague in the first settlers were Tartar Emetic, calomel and jalap and Peruvian barks. These generally suc- ceeded." (If the patient survived the purge.) Treatment of Convalescence "When the patient was weak after the fever, the doctors prescribed stimulus of wine, etc. But in the fall, after the sickness disappeared and all things were plenty, the citizens soon forgot the disease and turned to frolic, fun and hunting." "Whether the lapse of memory of the sickness covered also the period when settlement for the services was in order, as is frequently the state of affairs of our time, is not clear, but certain it is it takes money to buy whiskey, and that beverage seems to have played a prominent part as a mirth-provoker, then as now, as appears from the following description of the festivities: TPThe Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Pages 323, 324. 326, 327. 70 The Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Pages 315, 316. ILLINOIS TERRITORY EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY 77 "Shucking parties were formed and contests were given. When a male husked a red ear he was entitled to a kiss from the girls. This excited a fuss and scuffling, which was intended by both parties to end in a kiss. It was universal practice that tafia or Monongahela whiskey was used at these husking frolics, which they drank out of the bottle, each one, male and female, taking the bottle and drinking out of it and handing it to his next neighbor, without using a glass or cup whatever. This custom was common and not considered rude." so Aside from the danger of such a practice from a sanitary viewpoint, one might, without much stretch of imagination, surmise what the after- math of such an orgy might and probably did mean to the youths who were the spectators of the affair. Yet some in our day wish for the return of the "good old times" of license and debauchery. Milk Sickness Discussed by Our Old-Time Historian "Col. Judy's stock was injured by that mysterious disease known as milk- sickness. It made its appearance in early times in his stock and remains to this day a mystery as to the cause of the disease. That such a malady does exist, there is no doubt. The human family, as well as animals, are destroyed by it. I had a sister whose death it was supposed was caused by it. It is known that the disease is a poison. Dogs and other animals die with the poison when they eat in the dead bodies — the victims of this disease. The human beings who die by the disease derive it from the milk, butter, or meat of the animal infected with the poison. The name of the disease arises from the milk the victims eat. This much is ascertained, but what is the poison?" si Recounts the Opinion op the Day Concerning its Origin "It is the general approved opinion that the poison is emitted from some poisonous mineral substance in the earth. It rises in a gaseous state; falls back on the vegetation; is infused in the water, and on the morning before the dew is evaporated the animals eat the poison v/ith the vegetation and thereby die. The disease only appears in the fall of the year and in the shady and damp localities." Further proof of the soundness of these deductions he gives thus: "A vegetable cannot cause the disease, because it would have been discovered and, in some cases, animals that are kept up and eat no green food died by the use of water impregnated with the poison. It makes its ravages on stock in many parts of the west. Sometimes, for many years, it almost disappears and afterward returns and assumes its former virulence." 82 80 The Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Pages 316, 317. 81 The Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Pages 322, 323. 8^ The Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Page 323. 78 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS A Long Distance Diagnosis and Treatment by Dr. Benjamin Rush Jean Francis Perry came from France in 1792 and died in 1812 in Prairie du Pont. "Some years before his death, by some excessive exertion, he injured his con- stitution, which caused his death. . . . His blood-vessels refused to perform their ordinary functions. He wrote to Dr. Rush, of Philadelphia, on the subject and had directions from that celebrated physician how to manage the case. He lingered in this situation for several years and became, by the disease or by some other means, very corpulent. Blood was taken from him every month or oftener to save his life." The interesting thing about this story is that Dr. Rush undertook to advise this man without seeing him, and the general application, blood- letting, seems to have been the treatment for all manner of diseases. In all probability the patient was a sufferer from the effect of a decom- pensated heart. Only distance and slow travel, with the multitudinous activities of a great physician, could have persuaded a man of Dr. Rush's calibre to undertake from Philadelphia the direction of the treatment of this man. ^^ 83 The Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynolds. Pages 287, 290. CHAPTER VII THE PHYSICIANS OF ST. LOUIS, A SUBURB OF THE "AMERICAN BOTTOM" IN THE EARLY DAYS TO neglect a short sketch of this settlement, with its practitioners, would be omitting an important part of this history of medicine in Illinois. The first settler on the west bank of the Mississippi, at St. Louis, was a trader Avho was a resident of the Illinois colony of French-Canadians. He was dissatisfied with the trend of affairs east of the river, for he knew a change of masters after the British victory of 1763 would inevitably mean hard competition to his fur business. So La Clede moved over to Pain Point (St. Louis) and with him went a considerable number of disgruntled French settlers. From this humble beginning there has sprung the great city we know now; and, what is still more remarkable, no other city to this day has been able to usurp the fur- trade market from it. Very little growth took place before 1818 and, consequently, there was a community of similar interests in the pioneer days between St. Louis, St. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau, and the parent villages on the Illinois side of the Mississippi. The practicing physicians of both sides crossed and re-crossed as the necessities of their practices demanded. The intercommunication was facilitated by a ferry (Campbell's), which charged the following rates : "1 Person 25 cents 1 Horse 50 Cattle ( each ) 50 A Cart 50 A Wagon 50 Lumber 12\'., cents a hundred." 84 A French Surgeon in the Spanish Service When Captain Stirling took over Fort de Chartres for the British Government, two j'ears after the French had ceded it to the English (in 1763) he found that the aged St. Ange de Bellerive had, through long military rule, established a good understanding with the Indians of the «^ History of St. Louis City and County. J. Thos. Scharf. Vol. H. L. H. Everts & Co. Philadelphia, 1883. For location of the St. Louis-Cahokia ferry, see Collot's map in this volume. 79 80 HISTORY OF MEDICAL TRACTICE IN ILLINOIS vicinity. This proud general, not being too well-disposed toward the new masters, decided, like so many othere of his countrymen, to cross the river into the territory that, through the Treaty of 1763, fell to Spain. Because of the friendly relationship between the French and Spanish crowns, he was asked to look after the affairs of Upper Louisiana territory until Spain should have time to send his successor. This he did with satisfaction until the arrival of Captain Rios, the Spanish commandant, in 1768. But Captain Rios had other instructions than merely to establish himself at St. Louis, so St. Ange held over till 1770, being finally relieved by Captain General O'Reilly. Spain had perceived the importance of the Missouri River as a means of transportation to the vast interior. With this in view, Rios' orders called for the building of a fort at the confluence of the Missouri and the Mississippi rivers, which was to be called after a prince of the blood, Charles of Spain, Mindful of the prevalence of malarial fever in these parts, Captain Rios brought with him Dr. Jean B. Valleau, a Frenchman of St. Louis, into the lonely wilds that were to be his home, he knew not how long. But Dr. Valleau, upon whom he had depended to share the isolation and look after the health of the com- munity, was not of robust health himself, although he felt well-disposed toward the location. Through St. Ange he got a lot in the village and contracted with Peter Tousignan to build for him a house of posts upon it, "18 ft. long, by 14 ft. wide; shingle roof, stone chimney, partition and door on the outside, two windows with shutters, well-floored and ceiled with well jointed cottonwood plank. ' ' For all this Tousignan was to be paid sixty silver dollars, but Valleau was to provide the iron and nails. With a view toward providing such comforts as garrison life could not afford, he ordered his home built near the fort. But alas! man plans, but God decides whether we are to consummate those plans; and, sad to relate, the doctor died before his house was completed. He had not occupied either of his new houses, dying in that of Desnoyers on November 24, having made his will the day before. (All good Catholics were importuned to make a will whether they left anything or not.) The first sentence of this will begins: "Dr. James B. Valleau, senior surgeon of his Catholic Majesty in the Illinois, being now at the post of St. Louis." He appointed Duralde, a Spanish officer, as his executor, and directed that all his property be made available for the benefit of Madame Valleau, his wife, and children, residing in La Rochelle, France. The witnesses were Francisco de Rive (Rios) and Joseph Papin, a trader. At the auction of his effects in St. Louis the articles PHYSICIANS OF EARLY ST. LOUIS 81 which particularly were mentioned by the recorder of the time were playing cards, damaged by water, that sold at the rate of one livre for two packs. Bidders were plentiful, which shows that card-playing furnished a great deal of the amusement of the frontier. A woman, La Giroflee, got the much-coveted prize. ^^ Dr. Auguste Conde Loses a Distinguished Patient as Well AS His Fee As St. Ange de Bcllerive, the gi'izzled warrior, settled into private life in St. Louis, his long service in the military enabled him to live in comparative comfort for, upon his death, in 1774, he had enough assets left to make a generous will. This he did with military precision, directing payment of what he owed. But one bill he overlooked, and that was for the services that Dr. Conde rendered during his indisposi- tions. This oversight can in a measure be explained by the fact that Dr. Conde was post surgeon under St. Ange while the latter commanded Fort de Chartres in the "American Bottom," and possibly he thought that the surgeon should still serve him in civilian practice without recom- pense. At any rate the bill of forty -five li\Tes ($9.00) against St. Ange, probably for his last illness, was among the bad debts filed as part of Dr. Conde 's will when he died in 1776. That St. Ange was not, in this regard, very different from the rest of the settlers, is evident from the fact that nearly everyone in the St. Louis directory of that time owed the doctor at the time of his death. These bills aggregated 5,156 livres against 233 names, a fair sum for a pioneer country doctor to have on the books. That all his patients were not delinquents, and that he even had enough left after deducting his overhead expenses to donate money for the building of a cathedral, is shown in the records. That he liked a good game of cards and that he occasionally had time to indulge in this avocation, we surmise from the purchase record of six packs of cards at the auction of his effects. He was married and had one daughter, who unfortunately married a man by the name of Bona- venture Collett, from whom she got a divorce on the grounds that he was already married to a woman in Barcelona, Spain, Dr. Conde was a native of Aunis, France, and a son-in-law of Dr. Pierre Ignace Bardet de la Feme, surgeon-major in the French service at Fort de Chartres in 1763. This man was of more than average ability, well-trained, with an extensive practice among the settlers on 307. 85 Annals of St. Louis in Its Early Days. Billon. Pages 27, 52, 54, 5S-62. History of St. Louis City and County. J. T. Scharf. Pages 175, 176, 306, 82 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS both sides of the river as might be expected he should have had, being without competition for many years. In the early days, when typewriters were not dreamed of, it was con- sidered paramount that penmanship should be perfected, which accounts for the beautiful handwriting of many notables, like John Hancock, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Hutchins and others, and we note that an early historian places Dr. Conde among those who became experts in the ancient accomplishment. ^^ Dr. Antoine Reynal, the Third Surgeon to Locate in St. Louis Dr. Reynal, whom we have previously mentioned in connection with the medical history of the "American Bottom" on the Illinois side, came to this country from France in about 1776. He practiced in the region for over twenty-three years and sold out in 1799, moving to St. Charles, where he ended his days. He seems to have been in favor with the authorities, for he was frequently called upon to testify in the courts. From one of these written reports we get a glmipse of a primitive wash- day through holes chopped in the ice to get at the water beneath. Dr. Reynal reports upon the condition of Marriane, mulatto slave of Gover- nor De Leyba, at the trial of Lorine, a slave of Gaspard Roubien, who assaulted Marriane following an altercation concerning the use of a hole in the ice, where they were washing clothes. Lorine, stronger than Marriane, threw the latter into the water, although she (Lorine) was not directly concerned in the fight, for Marriane and Louise, another slave, were slapping each other at the time Marriane was thrown into the water. But the infuriated female was not content to let her victim off with a drenching only. Again laying hands upon Marriane, Lorine threw her into a fire, from whence she was rescued by a Frenchman. After apprehension, the court sentenced the prisoner to receive "100 lashes, 50 each day, beginning to-day, in public." Roubien and his wife, her owners, were held responsible for her appearance in case of her victim's death, and were obliged to pay the surgeon's fee, by order of De Yolsay, commandant. Dr. Reynal Holds an Inquest at an Accidental Killing "I, Antoine Reynal, surgeon, residing in this post of St. Louis, in obedience to tlie orders of Governor Cruzat, weut on the 27th December, 1785, after eight o'clock in the evening, to a barn lot of Mrs. Chouteau on the hill in rear of this village. There we found a negro lying dead on his back, on the ground 86 History of St. Louis City and County. Scharf. Vol. 1, page 174. Annals of St. Louis in Its Early Days. Billon. Pages 125-128, 190, 389, 390, 391, 373. PHYSICIANS OF EARLY ST. LOUIS 83 in front of the door of the barn, head to the east, feet west. He had been killed by a ball from a gun, which had gone through his body and lungs, from one side to the other, which must have caused his immediate death." "Dec. 28, i78o. "Reyxal, Surgeon." The negro's death was caused by his trjnng to detain some runaway slaves until help could be procured to arrest them. Some one in the party that had collected for the arresting of the fugitives, thinking they -were attempting to escape custody, fired a shot which killed, accidentally, the negro informer. The owner of the dead slave asked the court to reimburse her to the extent of $1,000 for the loss of her property, to be collected from Mr. Papin, the head of the posse. A verdict of $600 was awarded her, for which she receipted. "Papin lamented that the poor negro died without the satisfaction of witnessing the glorious end of the action of which he was the head, including the regular soldiers and some militiamen." In conclusion we have still another sidelight upon the practice of that day. Evidently, in the absence of regular hospitals, the surgeons would accommodate in their homes the sick who needed special care, for in the records appears the announcement that "Masse died July 24, 1780, at the home of Dr. Reynal of St. Louis." ^'^ Dr. Gibkins Gives Expert Testimony in the Case of a Sudden Death Dr. Bernard Gibkins came to St. Louis in 1779 or 1780, but little more is known about him except that his name occasionally appeared in connection with court reports. His nationality is unknown, but we may assume that he was fairly successful, for he possessed a home and some property. A young Spanish merchant came to St. Louis in 1777 and died sud- denly in 1779. The priest making the examination was uncertain whether the man had died of intoxication or some unnatural cause. Dr. Gibkins made a report that the man died of apoplexy superinduced by excessive heat. ' ' ^* Lawsuit Gives Information About an Early Surgeon Though little is known concerning Surgeon Jos. Conand, reference is made to him because of a lawsuit regarding the ownership of the fruit trees near a stone house, built on part of the original Laclede property, which Conand had purchased from one Laehance in 1771, and 87 Annals of St. Louis in Its Early Days. Billon. Pages 392, 158, 159, 160 233, 234, 242, 243, 138. 88 Annals of St. Louis in Its Early Days. Billon. Pages 392, 167. 84 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS which lie sold in 1778 to Labadie. The latter became involved in diffi- culty with P. Alexis Marie, wlio owned the land holding the trees, Labadie claiming that the trees were his. Neither Lachance nor Dr. Conand (previous o^vners) had ever made such a claim, and Labadie 's case was thro^vn out of court. ^^ Dr. IMercier Emancipates a Faithful Slave upon his Demise Dr. Claudio IMercier came up to St. Louis from New Orleans early in 1784. His birthplace was Lavisiere Dauphiny, France, and he was born in the year 1726. He acquired some property, which was listed when he executed his will in 1784. To this he added a codicil at St. Louis, May 17, 1786, reaffirming it and emancipating his negro woman Francoise; he gave one hundred dollars to the poor of St. Louis, and appointed Jno. B. Sarpy his executor. He died unmarried at St. Louis, January 20, 1787, aged sixty-one. It does not appear that he practiced much in this country. ^^ Fatal Sickness Plays Havoc in Governing Families A news item refers to tlie unhealthiness of the region and its having especially hit the families of Governor Piernas and Governor Cruzat. The former lost two children within a year and the latter three children and his wife. Governor De Leyba lost his wife and later he himself succumbed. Three More Pioneer "Ships that Pass in the Night'* Dr. Phillip Joachim Gingembre (Ginger) acquired a stone house in St. Louis in 1792 and lived in it a few years when, without notice, he left for France. His house went to rack and ruin in his absence. "When he returned he found it had been sold for taxes to pay his creditors, by order of Governor Trudeau. There is no further record of his activities. ^^ Dr. George Wallis was a witness in a trial charging attempt to kill (Griffin against Moodey), Moodey being released on condition that he would conduct himself properly and pay the court cost. ^^ Dr. Wilkinson announced in 1811 that he had just opened a handsome assortment of medicines at the house of Manuel Lisa lately occupied by Fergus Moorhead. 89 Annals of St. Louis in Its Early Days. 90 Annals of St. Louis in Its Early Days. 91 Annals of St. Louis in Its Early Days. 393. 92 Annals of St. Louis in Its Early Days. Billon. Pages 160-166. Billon. Pages 392, 393. Billon. Pages 128, 131, 232, 205, Billon. Pages 301-303. PHYSICIANS OF EARLY ST. LOUIS 85 Army Surgeon's Pay Still One Dollar a Day in 1804 Dr. Sanmel Dorsey, surgeon of the fort, received the salary of thirty dollars a month. ^' Dr. Sangrain also received, for his exceptional work at the government hospital, but thirty dollars a month, which shows that the pay in the army had not advanced any from 1765, when the pay was eighty pounds a year, till 1803, when President Jefferson selected Captain Amos Stoddard to take possession of the Louisiana Purchase. He was given the delicate task of placating the Spanish residents, who were opposed to the change. He succeeded admirably by allowing the incum- bents in the Spanish service to remain in their positions at the same pay, with, however, the stipulation that the official language in the archives was to be changed to English. ^^ In this connection we must again comment upon that wonderful man, Thomas Jefferson, whose rare insight and grasp of affairs of the nation were almost superhuman. With all the intrigues about him, he steered the Ship of State through the turbulent times. But greater yet was his presentiment ^^'^ that hastened the expedition to Oregon and the southern portion of the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis and Clark arrived just one or two days ahead of a similar expedition, fostered by the British government, to the Oregon country, to take advantage of the unsettled boundary ques- tion by planting the Union Jack there and getting priority in the negotiations that followed. The British were greatly surprised to find that the Stars and Stripes had preceded them, although they had worked, in their organization, with the greatest secrecy. ^^ Wood River Settlements — Camp of Lewis and Clark Southwestern Illinois had still another distinction that cannot be passed without mention. In Madison County, east along Silver Creek, up the Kaskaskia River and north to the Wood River (Dubois) was a small settlement that was, in its detached position, maintaining itself by farming. And to the north on the banks of the Wood River of this section there was a camp 93 Annals of St. Louis in Its Early Days. Billon. Page 370. 9* Annals of St. Louis in Its Days. Billon. Pages 371, 364. 9ia Letter written by Thomas Jefferson about a sum of money subscribed in England to explore the country from the Mississippi to California, to promote knowledge, but Jefferson thought this a scheme for colonization. "Illinois: The Story of the Prairie State." By Grace Humphrey. Page 53. Adventurers of Oregon. Chronicles of America. Constance Lindsay Skinner. Pages 27, 28. 95 The Contest for the Fur Trade Northwest, a lecture given at the Chi- cago Historical Society, November 13, 1924, by Prof. Orin Grant Libby, of Department of History, University of North Dakota. 86 HISTORY OF MEDICAL TRACTICE IN ILLINOIS of prospectors whose subsequent exploits had a far-reaching effect upon the future history of our country. Lewis and Clark, the intrepid explorers of the Oregon country, halted here to gather in their supplies for the great trip into the unlinown. Their party was composed of hardy young men who were, according to Captain William Clark, brother of George Rogers Clark, in good health after their winter in camp. This good health during the winter led to a grievous error which had a direful effect, for they failed to take with them a medical man to treat their ailments. Medicines and surgical equipment, which are conspicuous by their absence from one list of supplies taken, are, however, referred to in another account of the trip. Clark, for the most part, stayed in St. Louis, being on friendly terms with the leading citi- zens. Upon their departure for the Oregon country they tarried a short while at St. Charles, at the mouth of the Missouri River, which they were to ascend from the Mississippi. Among the representative men who journeyed to their camp at St. Charles to bid them adieu was Dr. Antoine Francois Saugrain (whom Clark designates as "Dr. Sodrang"),^^ whose advice and ser- vices were sought during the winter. "When the explorers left the Wood River camp there were forty-five men in the party, but no physician. This oversight was a sad mistake, for the fearless leader, Captain Meri- wether Lewis, became, through the river life their travels necessitated, a sufferer from malarial fever, the scourge of the early days. This undermined his health and, in 1809, while on his way to Washington, via New Orleans, he stopped overnight at Chickasaw Bluffs (Memphis), indisposed. Here he changed his mind about going by way of New Orleans. On the overland trip he elected to take about a day 's journey from the Tennessee River; he stayed overnight at the house of a Mr. Grinder where, at three in the morning, he w^as shot. ^"^'^ Thus at the early age of thirty-five expired this great man, the value of whose service to the nation will constantly increase as the years go by. Dr. Saugrain, Physician, Chemist and Mineralogist References have been made in the preceding pages to some of the activities of this man of many talents, but his life and his work were so s" Journal of Lewis and Clark Expedition. R. G. Thwaites. Vol. I, Part 1. Page 22. (Dr. Sibley accompanied other expeditions of these explorers.) .Journal of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. By Sergeant Patrick Gass, 1904. Introduction, pages xxxv and xxxvi, tells about the "medicines, instruments and important papers" saved, when the "canoe was in danger," by "Sacaga-wea" the squaw, wife of Charboneau the interpreter. Adventures of Oregon. Constance L. Skinner. Yale Press. Pages 50-70. f*6a At first it was thought he committed suicide but later investigations lead to the belief that he was murdered by his host for documents and money upon his person. PHYSICIANS OF EARLY ST. LOUIS 87 outstanding in the early history of the "American Bottom" that a more detailed account of them must be given if justice is done to this scientist. One is, of course, to begin with, interested to know from where he came, and what actuated him to "lay all liis gifts," as his biographer says, upon the altar of his adopted country. Looking back into his history it is found that he first saw the light in Paris, on the 17th of February, 1763, and that he was descended from a long line of ' ' librarians, booksellers and printers ' ' whose loyalty to the crown dated back from the times of Charles IX and Henry of Navarre. With this backgi'ound he was eminently fitted for a life of study. Early in youth his taste for learning was carefully fostered by his parents and directed toward a scientific foundation in tlie sciences of chemistry, mineralogv' and physics. So well did he progress in the universities that he graduated at a comparatively early age. Fortunate was this preparation, for his parents in after life suffered banishment at the hands of the proletariat, who, through the fortunes and misfortunes of the Revolution, changed the established order of things, and the cultured home he loved so well was lost to him forever. His parents fled, with other royalists, across the Rhine, and for a time their whereabouts were unknown to him. This youth early was determined to free himself from the turbulent politics of Europe and seek a new freedom across the water, where he could work at scientific pursuits unhampered by a thousand years or more of nationalistic hatreds and the wars they engendered. Joining a party of Frenchmen coming to America, he engaged in raineralogieal investigations in Mexico, e^^dently in the Spanish service under the encouragement of the viceroy, Don Galvez. The death of Galvez terminated the prosecution of this work and Saugrain returned to France. Conditions at home were anything but settled, and having tasted the life of the scientist in the great out-of-doors of a New World, and having been fired with a love of it, he could no longer endure the "tamed and domjestie barnyard-fowl existence" of cities; so a return to America was decided upon in the year 1787. A kindred spirit and companion, M. Piquet, a French philosopher imbued with the doctrines of Rousseau, believing in the "primitive innocence and goodness of the children of the forest," accompanied him. On the journey these two men busied themselves with scientific observations. M. Piquet soon had his optimistic theories of "primitive goodness" exploded. "Some of these children of the forest, in whose benevolence he had so strongly- believed, betrayed his confidence by killing and scalping him." 88 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS "In June, 17S8, while in Philadelphia, Saugrain met and dined with Frank- lin. Later he is heard of in the service of the Scioto Company. He led a party of French emigrants — nearly all of them artisans from Paris and Lyons, absolutely igriorant of the life of the wilderness — -to make a settlement at Gallipolis, Ohio. For a time everything went smoothly enough, but soon adver- sity set in and they were face to face with want. Saugrain set up his labora- tory and went to work. The products of his scientific skill were regarded by many of the inhabitants as belonging to the realm of black art. However, he had much influence with the people and did them much good. He married at Gallipolis and soon left for Lexington. In ISOO, in response to the invitation of the French governor of St. Louis, Saugrain went there to live, making the journey down the Ohio and up the Mississippi." Announces Free Vaccination That Saugrain was a progressive man in matters ra^edical is evidenced by the zeal he exhibited in combating the ravages of a small-pox epidemic. In a business notice he announced that the first vaccine had been brought to St. Louis and would be given gratuitously to indigent per- sons (May 26, 1809). We know, from the history of a contemporaneous writer, that he made good his word, giving vaccine not only to those living on his side of the river, but also to the inhabitants of the Illinois villages, during the small-pox epidemic. Pursues His Researches in Mineralogy He had ample opportunity to utilize his scientific knowledge in satis- fying the daily wants of men in the wilderness. Wherever he went he established furnaces and chemical laboratories, and set up electric bat- teries. When he had time he made barometers and thermometers, for which he found a ready sale. "In his retorts and crucibles first, later in his written reports to European capitals. Dr. Saugrain demonstrated the great mineral wealth of this continent. Our government was not slow in availing itself of the services of this superb Frenchman, and from 1805 — when President Jefferson appointed him to the office — he was for several years a United States Army surgeon. "After his retirement from the army he more than ever endeared himself to the people of St. Louis and vicinity, who sincerely mourned him when he passed away. During his eventful years as physician there. Dr. Saugrain, in common with other able men of the pioneer period, came almost daily over the river to Cahokia, and may be fairly claimed as one of St. Clair's early practitioners of the leading art. His professional account book would have done fairly well as a directory of the rival cities of St. Louis and Cahokia." lie was the only physician in St. Louis for several years, — with the exception of mild competition for a short time when a Dr. Watkins of •-1 ^r;'*^ ^ a r* K. <=> ^ « P (T> '^ ^ {-t- <: — - -^ t-^ < T a> o -; — 02 — = o ■^ ^ PHYSICIANS OF EARLY ST. LOUIS 89 whom no further knowledge remains and a Jesuit priest, Didier, also attended the sick, prescribing teas for their ailments, — until the first permanent American physician, Dr. Bernard Farrar, arrived in 1807. Gives Service in Many Ways to Lewis and Clark "When Lewis and Clark made their liistoric journey across the western continent (in 1804-OG) it was Saugrain who made their thermometers and barometers. He vaccinated the entire company and furnished them tubes of virus, sealed and safe, with which other lives were later saved by vaccination. And when brave young Shannon, his knee shattered in the far-away mountains by the arrows of a revengeful Sioux, had suffered for months from pain and poison, it was Saugrain who without chloroform, amputated the man's leg and saved his life, "c-a The fires of the expedition were kindled with matches made by that tireless, wonder-working genius. Not only did the matches save the men from destruction by cold and hunger, but as a means by which cruel and superstitious savages were over-awed, they actually prevented the massacre of the whole expedition. It is said that Saugrain anticipated European inven- tors in the use of phosphorus in the making of friction matches. "He lived in St. Louis until his death, in 1820. His practice was evidently lucrative, for he left his wife and six children a large landed estate. Until the end of his life this first scientist in the Mississippi Valley prosecuted his electrical and cliemical work. "Dr. Saugrain was a true scientist and, above all, he was in the rarest sense a true philanthropist." 9^ Charlatans Not op Any Age, But of All Ages Brackenridge, a traveler of 1812, tells of various types of frontiersmen bearing a close resemblance to their ilk of our age. He recounts meeting his former preceptor, Dr. Saugrain, from G-allipolis (the abortive French settlement in Ohio), who was at that time a prominent physician of St. Louis. An interesting anecdote he gives when he informs us that he met "Ilerr Doctor Frederick Shewe, an erratic Prussian with a dozen diplomas, wlio was keeping a corner grocery shop, selling soap and onions over the counter and talkmg high philosophy in his sitting- room between times." It is not likely that Dr. Saugrain felt to any great extent his competition in the practice of medicine. -'^ oG-a There is variance in the statements of historians concerning the operation performed upon Shannon, the History of St. Clair County giving the credit to Dr. Saugrain, while Scharf, and other writers state that Dr. Farrar was the operating surgeon on this occasion. 97 Historical Encyclo])edia of Illinois and History of St. Clair County. Munsell Publishing Co. Chicago, 1907. Pages S32-S34. Annals of St. Louis in Its Territorial Days. Billon. Page 112. 98 History of St. Louis City and County. Scharf. Vol. I, page 188. 90 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS A Revolutionary War Surgeon with Treasonable Designs During the Revolutionary War there was associated with the generals of the campaigns of the south a surgeon of Irish nativity who gave good services to the country while in need. And he, like so many others, suffered many hardships for the good of the cause. After the struggle ended these patriots rightfully expected a reward for their meritorious ser\'ices. But eight years of warfare naturally depleted a treasury that at best had no funds except when private individuals like Robert Morris contributed enough to pay the soldiers from time to time. Several of these men began to see that, if they were to get pay for their long service in warfare, they must seek other avenues for their talents than were open at home. The middle west, bordering on the Mississippi, seemed to be ready for exploitation and their thoughts dwelt upon ways and means of replenishing their empty coffers through acquiring holdings in this region. To aid in the accomplishment of their schemes was the loose union of the original thirteen states. Each state had plenty to do to put its house in order at home ; and each had the egotism of a novice in statecraft, a self-sufficiency that repelled any attempt at inter- ference by the centralized government in their sovereign rights. Conse- quently groups of willful men thought it a good opportunity to further their own ambitions by attempting to set up independent states west of the mountains. Each of the members of these groups had his own pet scheme of aggrandizing himself. Foreign governments saw in this ambition a good chance to embarrass the infant country that had so recently acquired its liberty. Spain, especially, hoped to acquire the territory she had planned to annex to Louisiana through the ill-fated De Balme and Cruzat forays. Great Britain also had a well-defined policy to regain the lost colonies. But from the standpoint of this work Vv'C must refrain from going extensively into this phase of our country's history. Certain it is, God must have been with us, for from the forces from without and the intrigues from within the body politic escaped as if by a Biblical miracle. God, working through the Washingtons, the Franklins, the Jeffersons and a host of others, unimpeachable, saved us time and again from disintegration and impotence. Especially the Spanish payrolls, when opened for the historian's analysis, showed that many of our idols were made of clay, and very common clay at that. The braggadocio. General James Wilkinson, who did one good seiwiee at Saratoga and many shady services after it, when in the paj' of the Spanish slush fund, with Innes, Brown, Sebastian and others in collusion with Miro, the Spanish governor, was especially PHYSICIANS OF EARLY ST. LOUIS 91 active for himself. Following this, Burr tried to profit by the chaotic state of the country, and Citizen Genet, from France, also tried his hand at acquiring a kingdom for himself in Kentucky. But the man who interests us more than the others was Dr. 'Fallon, originally from Ireland, a resident of South Carolina, who boasted of his hereditary allegiance to Spain. Later he was a resident of St. Louis, not as a governor for his beloved Spain, but under the Stars and Stripes he had tried so hard to besmirch. 'Fallon had a scheme all his own when he put himself in communi- cation with Miro, the Spanish official in New Orleans. His plan was to settle foreigners on a land grant for which he was agent. With characteristic frankness, he unfurled his ideas. His mission to the Spanish Empire in general, and Louisiana in particular, was specifically stated thus : "My disposition is to contribute to the glory and prosperity of the crown which j^ou (Miro) serve." He further declared that he and the land company he represented had fallen into the scheme because all of them were dissatisfied with the present government. They had given him plenary powers to execute the plot. He also boasted that he had completely hoodwinked the most influential members of the legis- lature of Georgia. "Without their having suspected in the beginning what I was aiming at, I insensibly prevailed upon them to acquiesce in my political views (after ob- taining of the concession), and led them to be slaves of Spain under appearance of a free and independent state, forming a rampart for the adjoining Spanish territories, and establishing them as an eternal reciprocal alliance offensive and defensive." This beginning, Dr. 'Fallon felt sure, would open the way to sever- ance from the union of settlements west of the mountains. George Rogers Clark had an inkling of what was going on, and possibly thwarted his brother-in-law (for Dr. 'Fallon had married Fannie Clark) ; in his direct way he wanted action in ridding us of Spain and its sympathizer, Great Britain. Probably Clark prevailed upon the authorities to let 'Fallon off, for the latter was not punished for his treason. (Even Clark at one time wavered in his fealty to the central government.) We are happy to record that the doctor's son, Colonel John 'Fallon, saved the family name from oblivion by very honorable conduct in the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, in which battle he was injured. He subsequently filled many public offices of trust. ^^ 99 History of St. Louis City and County. Scharf. Vol. I, pages 236, 238, 239. Annals of St. Louis in Its Territorial Days. Billon. Pages 273, 274. Pioneers of the Old Southwest. Constance Linsay Skinner. Yale Press. Page 264. 92 HISTORY OF INIEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Dr. Herman Laidly Hoffman Starts Life as a Physician; Ends AS a Distiller There seems to be little in common between the practice of medicine and the making of S"od whiskey, but Dr. Hoffman apparently bridged the chasm. In the early days men followed their natural bent, irrespec- tive of criticism, which must have been much milder than at present. The gulf between the practice of medicine and that of whiskey-purveying, however, is not so great, with the privilege moderns have in evading the intention of the Volstead Act to administer it only to the needy. But if we look back upon the activities of this man we can glean from them the stages that led up to his final landing in the business that fills the cup that cheers, as well as produces — in many instances — tears. Born in New York in 1796, and granted a superior education, he arrived in St. Louis in 1819 to open a drug store and engage in the practice of medicine. His career seems to have been one of long service in the profession, for we find him engaging in another vocation in 1852, that of running an insurance agency. This change we can readily see was not difficult, assuming that he probably made medical examinations for insurance companies during his years of practice. But again we fiiid him changing his occupation to that of proprietor of a large vineyard at Cleveland, Ohio. And now to the final transformation — to the mill and distilling business. We easily understand that the growing of grapes led him to Peoria, Illinois. But as chickens come home to roost, he wended his way back to St. Louis (in 1874), the scene of his early triumphs, where he died in 1878. ^^^ A Pioneer Physician Fights a Duel The first American physician in St. Louis, Dr. Bernard Gaines Farrar, was a man of indomitable courage. Brought up in the "Blue Grass State," among pioneers who, next to God, considered a gun the only law, this son of hardy Virginians, born in 1785, early evinced a tendency to study medicine, pursuing the accomplishment of this desire in Cincinnati and later in Lexington, Kentucky. But the lecture courses in the University of Pennsylvania attracted him to that great institution to sit under those early masters who were then (1804) making medical history. Two years later the call of the border state, where his parents had elected to live, brought him to Frankfort, Kentucky. But, through the advice of his brother-in-law. Judge Coburn, of Missouri, he was induced to locate in St. Louis, which heretofore had none but French 100 Annals of St. Louis in Its Territorial Days. Billon. Pages 311, 312. PHYSICIANS OF EARLY ST. LOUIS 93 physicians. As the first American physician west of the Mississippi, his efforts, despite the preponderance of the French people, were crowned with success. He is said to have been especially dexterous in obstetrical operations. He established a drug business in conjunction with his practice, taking his brother-in-law, Dr. Walker, in with him as partner, which union was dissolved by the death of Dr. Walker in 1824. An Affair of Honor The Louisiana Gazette of December, 1810, tells of an affair of honor, the recital of the details of which is attributed to Dr. Simpson, a con- temporary of Farrar. The scene of the encounter was on "Bloody Island," a famous dueling ground. ^^^'^ It seems that Farrar was the bearer of a challenge to James A. Graham, a lawyer, from a man whose name is withheld in the narrative. Graham declined to accept the chal- lenge, on the plea that the challenger was not a gentleman. In such a situation, according to the established code governing dueling, the second, if he were a gentleman, then became the principal. Dr. Farrar would not decline to substitute, although he was in no way an enemy of the challenged one. With this situation in view he withdrew to prepare for the encounter. His earl}' training evidently stood him in good stead, for he was the better marksman, with the result that Graham was severely wounded. His injuries finally healed sufficiently for him to Avalk about on crutches, but life's tenure was considerably shortened, for we learn that he died a year afterward, while on his Avay east. Inter- esting are the subjoined business notices of the doctor's activities pub- lished in the Missouri Gazette some time after his victory over Graham : "DOCTORS FARRAR AND WALKER have entered into partnership for the practice of Medicine, Surgery and Mid- wifery. They have opened a Drug and Medicine store on Main Street below Major Christy's Tavern adjoining Dangan's Silversmith Shop." "August 29, 1812." On May 1, 1813, they advertise their removal to another locality and announce receiving from Baltimore a fresh supply of medicines. But apparently they were not satisfied with being pliysicians and druggists alone, for we learn that they had ambitions to be editors of a newspaper. This desire was engendered by the announcement of January 21, 1815, that the Missouri Gazette was in financial straits. looaThis island, under the jurisdiction of Illinois, is situated north of St. Louis, as shown upon a map on page 176 of Lloyd's Steamboat Directory, Chicago Historical Library. See author's legend accompanying Collet's map of 1796. 94 HISTORY OF INfEDTCAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS The nioneyod men, IMajors William C. Carr, Clement B. Penrose, William Christy and Doctors Farrar and Walker, on one part ; and Mr. Charless, the o^\Tier, on the other, met to talk it over. What transpired between them was to the effect that one thousand dollars was subscribed to start a newspaper and "buy a printer" of their own to conduct it as they should dictate. But the deal fell though, for we learn later that "Mr. Cummins, of Pittsburg," bought the paper. The eminent Dr. Charles A. Pope said at one time that the "acts of benevolence and charity perfonned by Dr. Farrar at the time when there Avas no hospital or asylum in the city of St. Louis were unpar- allelled." The cholera epidemic of 1849 brought to a close the career of this remarkable man. ^^^ Dr. Simpson — Physician, Surgeon, Postmaster and Public Official The old-time small-town physician occupied an important place in the early days (as he does to-day in villages), because of his education or the esteem in which he was held, this often making him a figure in politics, so that frequently he occupied various positions in the public serAace, either by appointment or election. In reading the records we find that Dr. Simpson served successively as assistant surgeon in the United States Army, collector of St. Louis County, sheriff of the county, city comptroller, postmaster, and cashier of the Boatman's Savings Institution. A Devotee of the Sport op Dueling Like Dr. Farrar, the old-fashioned sport of dueling interested him. The most trivial misunderstandings were sufficient cause for a challenge ; and death, or life's disablement, was considered a vindication for a wrong, fancied or real. Such was the state of affairs when upon "Bloody Island" again was witnessed a spectacle of the gruesome sport. Captain Geyer and George Kennerly engaged in this pastime in 1816, with Dr. Simpson as Geyer 's surgeon. Two attempts were made before one received a disabling injury. The unfortunate man was Kennerly, whose knee became injured to the extent that he was lame for some years. A happy sequel to this duel was that the principals became fast friends and laughed in old age at the folly of their younger daj^s. Others received mortal wounds on the well-named "Bloody Island." The Gazette deplored the practice when Lucas was killed in trying 101 Louisiana Gazette, 1810, (Transcript in Annals of St. Louis in Its Ter- ritorial Days. Billon.) Pages 240, 81, 82, 125, 128, 101, 103, 104, 240. St. Louis the Fourth City. Walter B. Stevens. Page 588. PHYSICIANS OF EARLY ST. LOUIS 95 to obtain redress from a political opponent for his abusive language. In St. Louis Dr. Simpson formed a partnership with Pryor Quarles in the drug and medicine business. Churche's Cough Drops, Turlington's Balsam of Life, Bateman's Drops, British Oil, Steer's Opodeldoc, Hill's Balsam of Honey, Goddfrey's Cordial, New London Bilious Pills and Hooper's Female Pills by the gross or in less quantity and Liquid True Blue were some of the nostrums long since forgotten that were advertised for sale at their store. Either business was poor or he hit upon an ingenious way of reminding his patients that those who practiced medi- cine, as well as those in other lines, had obligations to meet, for the following notice appeared Dec. 1, 1815, in the Missouri Gazette: "Dr. Simpson is hard run for cash to pay his debts, and will sell a number of notes and accounts on reasonable terms, particularly to those interested. After January 1, they will be offered at auction." A long life was his, for he was born in Maryland in 1785 and died in 1873, eighty-eight years of age. ^'^- Dr. John Hamilton Robinson — Explorer When our country acquired the Louisiana Territory there was insti- tuted a policy of exploring activities that extended over many years, and St. Louis was the starting point and outfittmg station for these various expeditions. The early expeditions were manned without con- sideration for the welfare of the party, for they carried no physicians with them. But sad experiences, sickness and pestilence, seemed to have awakened those in command to the realization that it would be wise to add a physician to the list of officers. So, when the second expedition of Captain Z. M. Pike started through Louisiana, Dr. John Robinson, then a practicing physician in St. Louis, was attached to the captain's personal staff. When the party divided at the time they reached the Arkansas River, he, with Pike, ascended the river, traversed the moun- tains, found the majestic peak that bears Pil^e's name, and went as far south as Mexico. Returning by way of Louisiana, they reached the Red River on July 1, 1807, havmg been gone a year. The doctor was bom in Virginia in 1782, of an illustrious family of which Alexander Hamilton was the most famous. As a nephew of that statesman, he had no difficulty in getting the appointment in the United States Army that carried ' him to so many places. As a sad commentary on his arduous life, we must record that he not only fell a victim to the yellow fever at Natchez, but two-thirds of his family, 102 Annals of St. Louis in Its Territorial Days. Billon. Pages 53, 54, 125, 243, 244, 82-84, 132, 133. 96 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS as well, were buried because of the infection. The doctor died in 1819 at the age of thirty-seven. ^"^ Dr. E. James Atpointpjj Botanist, Mineralogist and Surgeon of THE Long Expedition to the Rocky Mountains After publication of his account of one of Major Long's exploring expeditions, Dr. E. James received the appointment of U. S. Army- surgeon for the expedition of 1820. Commencing on January 6, he reported all in good health except Mr. Say, zoologist. Dr. James was well-qualified for the service expected of him, for he had been working on the frontier for six years, and during that time had applied himself in tlie study of Indian languages. So proficient had he become that he translated the New Testament in the Chippewa tongue. Further evidence of his literary ability was manifested when he published the narrative of John Tanner (New York, 1830), the story of a child who had been stolen by Indians and became an interpreter. Resigning his army position in 1830, James became associate editor of the Temperance Herald and Journal. In 1834 he moved to Iowa, and in 1836 he settled as an agriculturist near Burlington, where he died in 1861. ^^^'^ Dr. Carr Lane, the First Mayor op St. Louis When, in 1789, a third son was bom to Presley Carr Lane, a state senator of Fayette County, Pa., and his wife, the east gave the west a son who was destined to play a great part in the upbuilding of the fast-growing frontier village. This boy shot up as if by magic, in intellect as well as body, for he entered Jefferson College at the early age of thirteen. After two years in college, the office of prothonotary of Fayette County, held by his elder brother, required a clerk, and the young man worked there with such zest that he acquired much familiarity with legal matters. As is the case with all truly great men, no knowledge was wasted on him, for in after-life he made good use of his forensic training. But the desire for more knowledge impelled him to leave the office of his brother to take up studies at Dickinson College, from which institution he graduated with high honors two years later. The death of his father in 1811, while a great loss to the family, proved to be in after-life a means to' an end, for his mother moved her family to Shelbyville, Kentucky, a village in the Avilderness, this move 103 Annals of St. Louis in Its Territorial Days. Billon. Pages 191,192. 103-a James* Account of S. H. Long's Expedition. 1819-20. Reuben Gold Thwaites, LL.D. Vol. XIV, Part I. Pages 25, 26. 2 H ^ o p S S 2. g fD O — < "-. 3 O tD id CI --♦ ^_^' _ 5' ^ 'D P 2, 3 L__, CO o ^ x_ n- ^ ^ ^' o S- ^ ^ ^S>^„^ rO»_ -! 05 M '^ ^ >- situ d th ow t lictu iver. s o ^„ "i O (f P ^ tZJ fD ^-^ o ff c-f- J fD -r '■Q O ,►-• 3* (D a a S'^^^o a •a "" ~ 2. o h: H >■ w. ^ oro "-« c » S-r^ •^ o <« n, ^ "■ 3' O b 3 to "2 cf fD O , , f^ s — p o p £ i r^ 3 - "■ 21 ?r > fD o ^ ^ p p SI w "::• > 3- O (D (D H H-( iX P^ ^ of the stomach. The victim lived to the advanced age of eighty-three years, dying at St. Thomas de Joliette on June 24, 1880. The medical profession, despite a request for an autopsy, received scant courtesj' from his family, who allowed the body to be exposed to the i"6 Annals of St. Louis in Its Territorial Days. Billon. Page 345. History of St. Louis City and County. Scharf. Vol. IL page 1594. 100 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS sun's rays for four days, so that decomposition was advanced before burial. This was done to preclude the possil)ility of ghouls being induced to steal the body, which they conceived would be attempted by the interested medical men. So great was the decomposition that the body could not be brought to the church for the last rites. Burial in a grave eight feet deep concluded the precautions exercised by the determined relatives. Dr. Beaumont a Well-Prepared Man Dr. Beaumont was born in Lebanon, Conn., Novemlaer 21, 1785. When he reached the age of twenty-two he taught school at Champlain, N. Y., on the Canadian frontier. But medicine interested him deeply, so he became a student under Dr. Benjamin Chandler, of St. Albans, Ver- mont. Following this he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. After graduation he was appointed an assistant surgeon in the U. S. Army during the War of 1812. In 1822 his famous experiments were made at Mackinac, but it was not until 1833 that he gave his results to the world. Ordered to St. Louis Army orders sent him to St. Louis where he arrived in 1834. For five more years he served as army surgeon, but in 1839 he resigned and his fame soon spread to the entire surrounding country, for his practice was large until death closed his remarkable career on April 25, 1853. Unlike many whose memory has become extinct, but who have served their fellow-men far better than many a military genius, Dr. Beaumont's work has been commemorated by a suitable monument erected near the spot where his fame was won at Mackinac. The Michigan State Medical Society, at its thirty-fifth annual meeting at the same place subscribed at that time half of the cost of the monument and the fol- lowing year erected it. Inscribed upon it is the following eulogy: ''near this spot dr. william beaumont, u. s. a., made those experiments upon alexis st. martin which brought fame to himself and honor to american medicine. erected by the u. p. and michigan societies, july 10, 1900 "^^'^ Other Physicians op Territorial Days When one considers that the census of the entire county of St. Louis showed but 5,395 persons, and that the town of St. Louis boasted 107 History of Mackinac. John R. Bailey, M. D. Pages 180-181. PHYSICIAXS OF EARLY ST. LOUIS 101 only 2000 more (in 1815), the following list of doctors, added to those already given, shows there was not a dearth of physicians in the early days. ^^^'^ Dr. Pryor Quarles, an associate of Dr. Simpson, came from Virginia in 1815 ; died in 1822. Dr. Edward S. Gantt, of the U. S. Army, came to St. Louis during the War of 1812 and staj'ed in practice there after the war. Dr. Da^dd V. Walker came in 1812 as partner of Dr. B. G. Farrar; died in 1824. Dr. Arthur Nelson was a partner of Dr. H. L. Hoffman and later married Dr. Gantt 's daughter. Dr. Zeno Fenn arrived in 1820 and died a few years later. He had a good surgical training. Dr. Paul Malo Gebert, born in 1794, came to St. Louis in 1818 and died at the age of thirty-two. His practice was chiefly among the French. Dr. Richard Mason, from Philadelphia, located in St. Louis in 1820. After serving an extensive practice, acquired, the historian recounts, partly through a suave and mannerly bearing, he died in 1824. Dr. Nathan Bradley Atwood, who was born in Massachusetts in 1796, and located in St. Louis in 1820, after having been educated in Phila- delphia, was attracted to Memphis, He stayed there awhile, but returned to St. Louis, where he died in 1860. His son, Dr. Legrand Atwood, also resided in St. Louis. Dr. Harvey Lane, son-in-law of Colonel Hamtramck, practiced in St. Genevieve, below St. Louis, and died in 1825. Dr. J. M. Read, from Baltimore, announced that he was readj' for practice in 1811. Dr. Samuel Merry, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, 1833, was appointed receiver of public monies of St. Louis and served for twelve years. Through the aid of a deputy he was able to retain a large practice during his long incumbency. Dr. E. Bathhurst Smith, who married Major William Christy's daughter; Dr. G. J. De Camp, Dr. Edward C. Carter, Dr. Joseph Williams and Dr. Lemignon complete the long list of "American Bot- tom" physicians in territorial days. ^'^'^"'' 107-a Annals of St. Louis in Its Territorial Days. Billon. Pages 132, 164. 107-b Annals of St. Louis in Its Territorial Days. Billon. Pages 277, 285, 286, 276, 341-343; 345, 353, 354, 372, 373, 122, 197, 164, 328. 102 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Colorful Biographies of Subsequent Physicians Dr. Clayton Tiffin was among the most prominent of the early prac- titioners. He was raised and educated in and near Chillicothe, Ohio, mostly with his uncle, Dr. Edward Tiffin, who was at one time governor of Ohio and also a physician. The nephew served as assistant surgeon in the War of 1812, settling in St. Louis after the war closed. He carried on a more extensive practice than any man in St. Louis — so says the historian — becoming quite wealthy. Being of a restless dispo- sition, after some years of practice he went to Utah and to California, moving in 1846 to New Orleans. Here he built up a large practice, especially among river men w^ho had been his patients in St. Louis. Dr. Tiffui was a skillful surgeon, and it is stated that he performed the first Csesarean operation in the Mississippi Valley. He died at New Orleans in 1856 and was buried in St, Louis. In 1824 "Elisha Embree, M. D., Medicine and Surgery," offered his services to the people "in the city and vicinity of St. Louis." Under date of Nov. 29, 1827, "Auguste Masure, lately arrived from Europe, offers his professional services in the different branches of physic, surgery and midA\afery to the public." In 1828 "Dr. Harding, late of Kentucky, tenders his professional services to the citizens of the city and county of St. Louis. ' ' "Dr. Hardage Lane, another prominent physician of that period, was a cousin of Dr. Wm. Carr Lane and was regarded as one of the most accomplished members of the profession in the State." Dr. Lane died in 1849, a \'ictim of cholera and a sacrifice to his convictions of professional honor and duty. In 1829, "Dr. H. Gaither respectfully tenders his services to the citizens of St. Louis and its vicinity." On July 28, 1833, "Charles Geiger respectfully announces to the citizens of St. Louis and its vicinity that he has established himself in this city with the intention of devoting himself to the practice of medi- cine, surgery and midwifery." "Dr. Stephen W. Adreon was born in Baltimore in 1806." His father was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and a captain in the War of 1812. Dr. Adreon had all the necessary facilities for securing a liberal education and graduated, after protracted study, at the University of Maryland. He came to St. Louis in 1832, engaging at first in commercial life, but in a short time he took up the study and practice of medicine, becoming very successful. He frequently occupied positions of responsibility in municipal affairs. He was for a considerable PHYSICIANS OF EARLY ST. LOUIS 103 period the president of the board of health. Dr. Adreon died in 1867. Meredith Martin was born in Kentucky in 1805 and studied medicine in the office of Dr. B. G. Farrar. He was said to be the first student of medicine west of the Mississippi. Dr. Martin graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1832, beginning practice in the Indian Territory (vaccinating Indians) and returning to St. Louis about the close of the cholera epidemic of that year. He then engaged in general practice. Dr. Martin was president of the St. Louis Medical Society in 1840, 1842 and 1845. Dr. E. H. McCabe was born in Pennsylvania in 1801, educated at Georgetown College, and graduated in medicine at the University of Maryland in 1822. He practiced in FredericktowTi, Mo., for two years following his graduation, then at Kaskaskia, Illinois, for seven years. Prom 1833-1849 he was associated with Dr. Lewis F. Lane in St. Louis, and later with Dr. Hardage Lane. He retired in 1849, owing to ill health, and died in 1855. Dr. George Englemann was born at Frankfort-on-thc-Main in 1809. He was educated at Frankfort, Berlin, Heidelberg and Wiirzburg. He came to the United States in 1832, settled in St. Louis in 1835 and practiced there for many years, being very successful. He was also a botanist and made original investigations along that line, gaining con- siderable fame in that way. Dr. John Laughton was born in New Hampshire in 1804. He at- tended two courses of medical lectures in the medical school of Wood- stock, Vermont, and one at Berkshire Medical Institute, at Pittsfield, graduating there in 1833. He practiced in Arlington, Vermont, for six years, coming to St. Louis in 1839. He built up an extensive practice and was one of the incorporators of the St. Louis Medical College when it separated from the St. Louis University. Dr. Henry Van Studdiford was born in 1816 in New Jersey. He was intended by his guardians for the ministry, but finally it was decided that he should study medicine, and he was sent to the University of Pennsylvania after an academic course. He came to St. Louis in 1839 and soon secured a leading place among physicians of that period. Dr. Mc Pheeters, C. W. Stevens, S. G. Moses, J. B. Johnson, Geo. Johnson and Dr. Wislizenus came to St. Louis during the years 1840 to 1845. Dr. Moses M. Pallen came to St. Louis in 1842, ha\ang received his literary degree from the University of Virginia, a medical degree from the University of Maryland, and after having practiced for seven years 104 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS at Vicksburg, Mississippi. He was very successful as a practitioner and as a teacher of medicine. He was a surgeon in the Mexican War. Dr. Linton, a native of Kentucky, having finished preparatory courses in Paris and Edinburgh, and practiced in his own State successfully, came to St. Louis in 1843. He was professor in the medical department of the St. Louis Medical College until his death, being associated in friendship and fame with the noted Dr. Charles A. Pope. Dr. Alfred Heacoek graduated in medicine from the University of Pennsylvania in 1825 and, after practice in Ohio and Indiana, came to St. Louis in 1843. He was frequently called to visit patients in the Illinois bottom lands and as far over as Collinsville. Dr. S. Gratz Moses was born in Philadelphia in 1813 and graduated from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1835, He practiced in New Jersey until 1839, when he went to Europe as private physician of Joseph Bonaparte, eldest brother of Napoleon. In 1841 Dr. Moses came to St. Louis, continuing to practice there. Dr. Thomas Barbour was educated at the University of Virginia and in 1830 received his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania. He practiced in Tennessee and Alabama. Coming to Missouri, he was a member of the faculty of the University of that State in 1846 and until 1849, when he died. He was a man of high attainments and very skillful professionally. Dr. Simon Pollak was born in Prague, Bohemia, in 1816 and was educated in Prague and Vienna, graduating in 1836. He spent some months visiting European hospitals, then came to the United States, locating in Nashville, Tennessee. He came to St. Louis in 1845 and became very successful as a physician. Dr. B. F. Edwards was born in Maryland in 1797, lived in Kentucky, then in Edwards\'ille, Illinois, where he obtained an extensive practice. He kept five horses, using them in relays, so great was the demand for his services. He practiced afterward in Alton, 111., coming to St. Louis in 1846, and attaining great success there. Dr. E. S. Frazier (of Kentucky) was born in 1809, graduated from Kemper College, practiced in Liberty, then in Springfield. He married a sister of Dr. John S. Moore, of St. Louis. Dr. Frazier moved to St. Louis in 1847 and secured a large practice. Dr. G. Fischer was born in Prague in 1812 and was a graduate of Prague University. He came to St. Louis in 1848, having become involved in political troubles in Bohemia. He won great success in St. Louis and was much respected by the profession and the laity. Dr. R. S. Holmes was born in Pennsylvania in 1814 and educated in Ruins of Fokt De Chartres The conical structure was the powder magazine. From Wild's "Valley of the Mississippi." IS'/l. Reproduced through the courtesy of the Chicago Historical Society. Fort Chartres State Park Looking westward, showing the foundations of the buildings of the officers' quarters restored. The dense forest in the background, which extends a considerable distance to the present banks of the Mississippi River, occupies the bed used by that stream at the time the fort was established in 1720. [See P. ',1\ PHYSICIANS OF EARLY ST. LOUIS 105 Jefferson College and Ohio Medical College. He came to St. Louis in 1848, after visiting and studying in Europe, serving in the army as assistant surgeon in the Seminole War and the Mexican War. He was a member of the St. Louis Medical College faculty and later of the Medical Department of the St. Louis University, going to Europe again in 1849, to devote the summer to professional pursuits. Dr. Louis Ch. Boisliniere was born on the island of Guadelope, W. I., in 1816. After three years spent in France in scientific, legal and classical studies, he took a diplonia as licentiate in law at the University of France. In 1842 he came to the United States, landing at New Orleans. He visited the family of Henry Clay at Lexington, Kentucky, and located in the same State, at Louisville. There he took charge of the Classical Institute. In 1847 he came to St. Louis, graduated in 1848 from the medical department of the St. Louis University and began practice at once. Dr. F. Ernst Baumgarten was born in Hanover in 1810, educated at Jena, edited a surgical journal and wrote a text-book of surgery. He came to America in 1846 and to St. Louis in 1849, building up a large practice in that city. Dr. Thomas O'Reilly was born in Ireland in 1827. He began the study of medicine in 1840, graduated at the College of Surgeons in London in 1849 and came to St. Louis the same year, arriving in the midst of the cholera epidemic. Dr. O'Reilly gained a large practice. Dr. Adam Hammer was born in Germjany in 1818, received his medical education in leading universities of that country and came to St. Louis in 1848, becoming a successful physician there. Homeopathic Physicians Dr. Ira Vail, of Kentucky, came to St. Louis in 1846. He was called a "fine physician." He went later to New Orleans. Dr. Steinestel had a large practice (came in 1846), but died of cholera in 1849. Drs. Houghton and Hough, partners, came from Tennessee to St. Louis in 1846. Dr. Hough died of tuberculosis the following year. His partner went to New York in 1853. Dr. J. T. Vastine, a well-equipped man, came from Pennsylvania in 1849. He was professor in the Homeopathic Medical College of Missouri. i*^^*= 107 c History of St. Louis City and County. Scharf. Vol. II, pages 1521-1538; 1561. 106 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Dr. Joseph Nash McDowell and Dr. C. A. Pope Inaugurate IMedical Teaching in St. Louis No history of medical practice is complete without an account of a figure who, though brilliant, lacked poise when put to the test of adversity, so common in human relationships. Few of us can boast of equanimity of mind under all circumstances, but happily for humanity, all of us do not go to the extremes to which Dr. McDowell resorted in openly venting his spleen upon his rivals and enemies. This firebrand belonged to a noted Kentucky family of McDowells who originally came from Virginia. He was a nephew of Ephraim McDowell, famed as the "Father of Ovariotomy," and was born in the early nineteenth century at Lexington, Kentucky, then the "Athens of the West," where he was given a fine classical education. Later he graduated from the medical department of Transylvania University, in his native town. Then he attended a course of lectures at Jefferson Medical College, where his remarkable knowledge and aptness in anatomy gained recognition and he received the appointment of professor of that branch, though he had but shortly before been a student in the school. He lectured but one year in Jefferson, when the lure of his beloved Kentucky and the girl he left behind brought him back to Lexington. The young lady was a sister of the famous Dr. Daniel Drake. Shortly after McDowell's arrival the couple were united in marriage. This union brought into close relationship two born fighters, for Dr. Drake, though a renowned teacher, was constantly waging battle against one or more of the Cincinnati medical schools, between which and the medical department of Transylvania University he was continually gravitating as a teacher. In this warfare he found a most eflficient lieutenant in his new brother-in-law, Dr. Joseph McDowell, who also was at different times connected with Transylvania or one of the Cin- cinnati schools. Woe there was to the one which, for the time being, happened to be a rival of the school with which the brothers-in-law were connected, for they were not only good fighters, but good haters as well, and in these propensities McDowell excelled all competitors. AIcDowell Moves Westward to Found a Medical College of His Own In 1840, when Dr. McDowell was just coming into his full power as a surgeon and teacher, he went to St, Louis and soon thereafter organ- ized the Missouri Medical College, known familiarly as "McDowell's College. ' ' Drawing men of national repute about him, he organized his faculty with J. S. Moore, M.D., as professor of theory and practice of PHYSICIANS OF EARLY ST. LOUIS 107 medicine; Jos. N. McDowell, M.D., professor of theory and practice of surgery; Abner Hopton, M.D., professor of chemistry and pharmacy; Jno. Barnes, M.D., professor of materia medica, therapeutics and medi- cal botany ; Jno. T. Hodgen, M.D., professor of anatomy and physiology ; E, S. Frazer, M.D., professor of obstetrics and diseases of women and children; S. G. Armor, M.D., professor of pathology and clinical medi- cine; J. Drake McDowell, M.D., adjunct professor of surgery; Jno. J. McDowell, M.D., demonstrator of anatomy. He had been established but a short time when the St. Louis Medical College opened its doors, headed by Dr. C. A. Pope, also a famous surgeon. It is but reasonable to suppose that competition in the field in which McDowell hoped to be supreme brought forth a fight that continued during the greater part of the time from its inception until the opening of the Civil War. Dr. C. A. Pope a Prominent Figure in Medical Education "The St. Louis Medical College, known in its earliest days as Pope's College was housed in a handsome brick building, with front of some one hundred and thirty feet by a depth of one hundred feet, and is at least seventy-five feet high. This beautiful structure was built entirely by the munificence of Colonel John O'Fallon, at an expense of about eighty thousand dollars, and is settled or to be settled on the Faculty or Trustees, as we learn, for the purposes for which it was erected, forever. The fitting up — museum arrangements and instruments — cost Dr. Pope at least $30,000 besides." Dr. Pope found in the St. Louis Hospital, established in 1828, a field for his surgical ability, and among his associates upon its staff were Drs. E. Gregory, surgeon, and M. L. Linton, J. B. Johnson and T. Papin. "It should be here stated that the professional services of the above named gentlemen are administered to the poor of the Hospital gratuitously." "Altogether unlike McDowell was that other dominant figure of early medical education in St. Louis, Charles Alexander Pope. In leisure hours Dr. Warren B. Outten obtained marked facility with the brush. He painted a portrait of Dr. Pope, under whom he had been a student when Pope's College was known throughout the country. Dr. Outten has given a pen picture of Dr. Pope. He describes him as 'a very handsome man, about five feet nine inches tall, having a well-shaped head, with dark blue eyes, well-turned eye- brows, an expression of thoughtful gentleness about the eyes. It was a face such as to win anyone on first sight. Dr. Pope had a general appearance of elegance and culture. His voice was quick, incisive and agreeable in tone. His movements were quick and graceful. "Dr. Pope was unconsciously polite and courteous. He was, in my estimation, in every respect a most perfect gentleman. He never descended to anything little, petty or mean. No one ever heard a vulgar or profane word come from 108 HISTORY OF MEDICAL TRACTICE IN ILLINOIS his lips, nor did he ever utter abuse or gossip about a professional confrere. Always eager to commend and always full of good advice and encouragement, he made the world around him better for his having lived in it.' "From such a picture of Dr. Pope it is not difficult to understand the strong and lasting impression he made upon his profession in St. Louis. . . . Proud of his brilliant son-in-law, John O'Fallon built on Seventh and Spruce streets the medical college which in its architecture and appointments was without equal in the United States, outside of New York and Philadelphia." This distinguished surgeon was born in 1818 at Huntsville, Alabama, and had many educational advantages, his father being a wealthy planter. After attending the Greene Academy at Huntsville, he was sent to the University of Alabama, finishing the prescribed course there. Returning to Huntsville, he began studying medicine with Drs. Fearn and Erskine, two busy and accomplished physicians. He then attended a course of lectures at the Cincinnati Medical College and, wishing greater advantages, entered the University of Pennsylvania, graduating from that institution. Always ambitious, Dr. Pope traveled extensively in France and Germany, residing two years in Paris, in order to learn as nearly as possible everything pertaining to his profession, especially in the branch of surgery. In 1841 he caiue to St. Louis and began practicing. He was successful, and in about a year was elected professor of anatomy in the medical department of the St. Louis University. He was later appointed professor of surgery, occupying that position many years. Dr. Pope was married in 1846 to Miss Caroline O'Fallon, daughter of Colonel John O'Fallon, a prominent and public-spirited citizen of St. Louis. The doctor was also devoted to activities promoting the welfare of his city and played an important part in establishing an efficient common school system. He was chairman of the committee of high and normal schools, a trustee of Washington University, and one of the managers of the O'Fallon Polytechnic Institute. He was the eighth president of the American Medical Association, won fame, wealth and position and is spoken of in history as "highly accomplished in his profession," possessing "urbanity of manner" and "high moral attributes," Commencement Day at "McDowell's College" It is stated of this remarkable (but very eccentric) genius that on one commencement day at his college, he played several tunes on his violin, then made a long and grandiloquent speech, saying, among other things, that after his death his spirit would arise "on ethereal wings, take a swoop and, as he passes over McDowell's College, he will drop PHYSICIANS OF EARLY ST. LOUIS 109 a parting tear. But, gentlemen, when he gets to Pope's college, he will spit on it." Patriotism of McDowell In speaking of McDowell's zeal in celebrating patriotic holidays, the historian says that he Avould encourage his students to make much of "Washington's Birthday and the Fourth of July. Leading the students and superintending the loading and firing of cannon, Dr. McDowell, in "loud and emphatic language" would tell his followers to ''make Rome howl," that being one of his favorite expressions. It is also said that these days were very differently observed in the "Christian Brothers" establishment near by, the Brothers marshalling their flock to a place of safety when McDowell began his patriotic demonstration, as they viewed the reckless manner of celebrating with some appre- hension — which fear stimulated the doctor to louder and more violent language. He, however, spoke well of his neighbors, and one day, "re- turning from the celebration, he thrust his head in at the window of the Brothers' academy and loudly declared, with unquotable emphasis, that if he had a boy young enough to go to school he w^ould send him to the Brothers." "Dr. McDowell had a tongue that was simply venomous and the English language scarcely afforded spiteful and malicious epithets enough to gratify his hatred when speaking of the rival school. Naturally the faculty of the St. Louis Medical College resented these malicious attacks. The students of both institutions were, to a greater or lesser degree, drawn into this college war, that, fortunately, came to a sudden ending in the spring of 1861, when Fort Sumter was fired upon. Dr. McDowell was an ardent Southern sympa- thizer and he forthwith tendered his services to the new-born Confederacy. His offer was promptly accepted, for his surgical ability was duly recognized, and he became chief surgeon of the Trans-Mississippi Department of the C. S. A." McDowell Leaves for the Front So enthusiastic Avas McDowell for the cause of the South that he took with him six cannon, seven hundred and fifty muskets, much other w^ar paraphernalia and, in addition, scores of medical students. During his absence his college building was used as a Confederate military prison and housed under its roof many prisoners captured by the Union forces, a fact that did not lessen his asperity toward his enemies, as might be judged by his previous conduct. In September, following the close of the war, he was a fellow-passenger on a boat homeward bound with Dr. C. B. Johnson, who gives us a close-up of the famous, though irascible, surgeon, as follows: 110 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS "Those of us connected with the medical department of our regiment were, soon after going on the vessel, interested to hear that on our boat was no less a personage than the famous surgeon, Dr. Joseph N. McDowell, who, following the surrender of the trans-Mississippi army, was about to return to his old home at St. Louis. At this time his hair and beard were white as the driven snow, his face was wrinkled with the tracks of old Father Time, but when he talked his bright eyes twinkled and his fine features were animated and attractive. As the weather was warm, he frequently came out on the steam- boat deck bareheaded, without a coat or vest, wearing only a thin shirt, a pair of light-colored Confederate pantaloons and low, coarse shoes. Notwithstanding that nearly all about him were in the blue uniforms of the Union soldiers, yet he did not have one bitter word or make a single reference to the great struggle just closed. His talk was mainly story-telling, at which he was a past master in delineations of personal peculiarities. Meanwhile I could but think of what McDowell would meet upon his return to St. Louis, a city now Union from limit to limit." Displays Bitterness to the End Conditions had so changed in his home town after the momentous struggle that Dr. McDowell never regained his prestige, and how could he? for he never for a moment changed his political views, and his conderaners in the end asserted of him that he lived and died an "unrepentant Rebel." Not a great while after his return, in accord- ance with the terms of surrender, the college building reverted to the doctor, and here one day a relative of his, a most refined lady, called upon him, and, after the usual greetings, mutual inquiries after rela- tives and a pleasant visit, she rose to take leave, when the host stopped her by saying: "Before you go I want the privilege of taking you to hell." Very naturally the visitor was shocked, but noticing a twinkle in the doctor's eyes and a twitching about the corners of his mouth, she felt assured that no harm would befall her, and accordingly she concluded to follow wherever her kinsman would lead. The way led through some dark hall, down some dingy, winding stairs and finally ended in a basement room, dimly lighted, about the walls of which were niunerous shelves; on the floor were a number of tables and upon these were big bottles, glass jars and containers of various kinds and sizes, all filled with repulsive specimens from the reptile world, not a few of which were alive and writhing. One big wicked-looking rattle- snake, which lay coiled while it threw its head about and thrust out its tongue, Dr. McDowell called "Abraham Lincoln," while a poisonous copperhead in another container was named "U. S. Grant," and so on, down through the list, were the prominent leaders in the Union cause remembered. PHYSICIAXS OF EAELT ST. LOUIS 111 "Dr. McDowell was an eloquent and effective speaker and at times made temperance addresses," says the historian from whose work part of this sketch has been prepared. On one of these occasions he is said to have been unusually eloquent and convincing, but it was noticed that while speaking he frequently drank from a glass near at hand and, strange to say, this glass contained a mixture of equal parts of whiskey and water. Those who heard him believed that he was wholly uncon- sciovis of the incongruity of most earnestly condemning the use of whiskey in one breath and swallowing it freely during the next. Missouri IMedical College Re-opens Soon after the war the college so long connected with McDowell's name was renovated and put in condition, a new faculty organized, and its doors opened to students. For a considerable time following its amphitheaters were largely filled '\nth southern students who, because of the impoverished condition of the southern medical colleges following the war, flocked to the rehabilitated IMissouri Medical College, where the fact of participation by themselves or their fathers in the late struggle would not handicap them in anj^ way. The St. Louis Medical College, unlike its rival, continued its sessions during the •\\liole course of the war. ^°^ A Noted Surgeon Imbibes His Preceptor's Knowledge but Eschews His Irascibility "Strikingly unlike his preceptor, McDowell, was John Thompson Hodgen, who was born in a rugged part of Kentucky, near the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. After he graduated under McDowell, Dr. Hodgen became, first demon- strator, and then professor, in the institution. When the war came and Mc- Dowell's college was turned into a military prison, Hodgen was chosen surgeon- general for the Western Sanitary Commission. Later he was surgeon-general for the State of Missouri. He tried to keep alive the old medical school, but finally joined the faculty of the St. Louis Medical College. The American Medical Association drew upon the St. Louis profession repeatedly to fill the office of president. One of these drafted was Dr. Hodgen. los a "The beloved surgeon of St. Louis in 1870-80 was John T. Hodgen. lie used 108 Sixty Years in the Medical Harness. Charles Beneulyn Johnson. Pages 56-61. Sketch of St. Louis. Taylor and Crooks. Pages 50, 45, 51, 49. Edwards, "Great West and History of St. Louis." Page 507. St. Louis the Fourth City. Walter B. Stevens. Pages 597, 598, 594, 592, 593. 108-a In connection with Dr. Hodgen's service as a teacher, several interesting ancedotes are recorded in Dr. C. B. Johnson's work, "Sixty Years in the Medical Harness," these being garnered during Dr. Johnson's student days when he took a special course in St. Louis. Dr. Hodgen was the inventor of the famous Hodgen splint. 112 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS but few words. He accepted no familiarity. Addressed as 'Doc,' he would respond, 'If you want me to answer you politely don't call me "Doc." There is no such word. Call me "Doctor" and there will be no trouble, but I will not answer to the call of "Doc." ' It is stated that no man required a second rebuke of this sort. His students remembered for years his assertions, and one said: 'He could say "I don't know" in such a manner as to convey the idea that there was a profundity of knowledge back of it.' It is said of Dr. Hodgen that in driving up to the residence of a patient whose case was desperate he would say to some one with him: 'Look out and see if crape is on the door. I am afraid to look,' thus testifying to his extreme sensibility and sympathy." 109 iu«St. Louis the Fourth City. Walter B. Stevens. Page COS. CHAPTER Vlll THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF CENTERS OF CIVILIZATION ON THE WABASH, OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI RIVERS HERETOFORE we have dealt with the earliest permanent settle- ments in the "American Bottom" in our attempt to give a picture of the settlers and the medical history attendant upon their activities. But as these communities became more fixed in their ways, and new immigrants were constantly attracted to the fertile plains of Illinois, the newcomers settled upon other sites along the great rivers that bounded the commonwealth. These new communities had a turbulent history, as have all frontier settlements. A short sketch of the main points of their story will be given in this chapter. Savages Attempt to Fight Pestilence by the Offer of Sacrifices TO the God of Vengeance At a point a little to the west of the mouth of the Cherokee River (Tennessee) on the Ohio, was a place where an Indian trail overland to Kaskaskia considerably shortened travel to the "American Bottom." River travel on the Ohio made many turns beyond this point, first to the northwest, then to the south, and so on until it reached the Mississippi. From that point north was a hard pull up stream, so that river travel was slow, laborious work. As time went on, some of the traflSc took the short cut overland. Because of this land travel Fort Massac, which was the name of the point of disembarkation, became settled. But before the establishment of the fort by the French in 1757, there was a missionary station at this point as early as 1711, where the priests ministered to the medical wants of the savages. Another illustration of the work of the priests is shown in the care of the sick, before the advent of regular physicians, at what is now Cairo, Illinois, on the Ohio. Here the delicate Father John Mermet ministered to an encampment of ]\Iascoutans, A plague broke out against which he had no supply of medicine. The jugglers of the tribe attempted, by sacri- ficing forty dogs, to propitiate the evil spirits to whom they attributed their plight, tying the dogs to the tops of poles and, with these banners, marching forth through the village to fight the pestilence. Half the 113 114 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS tribe died and the survivors fled in every direction for safety. "" So un- healthy was that part of the "Bottom" that no attempt was made to re-settle it until some enterprising Americans sought and duped the unwary to settle there, who knew nothing about the treacherousness of the malaria-infested region. A County Named After a Pioneer Physician In 1816 James Riddle, Nicholas Berthend and Henry Beehtle entered lands extending from below the mouth of the Cache River to the third principal meridian, and laid out a town there, selecting Dr. William Alexander, of America (a village in the wilderness), as an agent for them, and through his operations we learn of his history. He is spoken of as an extraordinary man of that early day, and we, in retrospect, can well believe it, for when Alexander County was formed he was elected as its first representative in the General Assembly. His presence was immediately felt, as his selection as Speaker of the House would indicate. As a physician, as well as a legislator, his reputation extended throughout the State. A city near the confluence of the two great rivers, the Ohio and the Mississippi, was long a cherished hope with him. To that purpose he wrote one of his employers (James Riddle, of Cincinnati) , from the town of America, on April 4, 1818 : "The survey and additions will be completed in probaby two weeks; nothing but a desire to promote the prosperity of the place could justify our selling property which must become ere long of immense value." Evidently there was considerable opposition to his efforts, for he writes in 1819 that the public mind of the county is against it. In spite of opposition he succeeded in opening up the road to Jonesboro, also to Cape Girardeau. After he had cleared all the timber and put the town in order, the scoffers turned boosters and petitioned the legis- lature to have "America" made the seat of justice, and the doctor writes as follows : "The Commissioners for fixing the seat of justice were selected by myself and will of course be favorable to our views. The condition of its establishment will be the payment of $4,000 in installments for public buildings." But evidently he was unduly optimistic, for he soon left America to reside in Kaskaskia. He was determined to join some western town that would grow at once into a great and prosperous city. America "went to sleep," as the doctor, according to one of his letters, feared it would. He had hardly settled in Kaskaskia when the fates again were 110 Excerpts from the "Jesuit Relations." Thwaites. Furnished by Father Kenney, St. Louis University. CENTERS ON THE WABASH, OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI 115 against him, for the capital of the State was moved to Vandalia, and that old town suffered a decline as did its humble contemporary, America, until the modern city of Cairo arose out of the dismal history of the past. ^^^ Others Try Where Dr. Alexander Failed to Build His Dream City We are glad to record that Dr. Alexander had nothing to do with subsequent schemes to colonize the lowlands around Cairo, which Charles Dickens in his "American Notes" of 1842, calls a detestable morass and which brought forth, in one of his novels, a scathing arraignment of our land promoters. A Physician Plants a Town Around a Medicinal Spring Mineral springs at Western Saratoga, in Union County, were widely kno■v^^l as far back as the memory of the earliest pioneers reaches. The deer came here in great numbers in the early days to satisfy their craving for salt. Therefore before the coming of the white man it was a favorite spot for hunting. When the white man arrived, he, too, found it a good hunting ground. It was not only a hunting ground, but had gained a reputation as a primitive spa, where men came, as early as 1830, to quaff the waters for all the ills flesh is heir to. In 1838 Dr. Penoyer, a physician who had been in the country for some time, conceived the idea that a western watering-place, such as Saratoga in New York, was bound to spring up here, and he proceeded to lay out the vicinity in building lots. In the center of this creation of his fancy he placed a square which embraced the spring. That was considered a mistake by the early historians, for it precluded the possibility of monopolizing the health-giving water. Thinking it had the prospect of making him rich, he placed a very high value upon the lots, with the result that the boom never arrived. A few boarding-houses and a bath-house, erected by the doctor and a man named Harkness, attracted some for awhile, but soon the inflated prices of lots, and high prices due to the lack of accomodations, caused the place to fall into disrepute. Dr. Penoyer, realizing his mistake in holding the land at too high a figure, decided to sell the water, bottled. Legal obstacles were in the way of this, for he had deeded the spring as public property when he laid out the town. But, undismayed, he had drawn up a document, signed by visitors and strangers, conveying "1 History of Alexander, Pulaski, and Union Counties, Illinois. By W. H. Perrin. O. L. Baskin & Co., Publishers. Chicago, 1883. Pages 269, 270. 116 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS it back to himself. Unsuccessful in giving clear title to prospective purchasers, he bottled the water and distributed it in many parts of the country. That the water had some value medicinally we learn from Dr. T. J. Rich, who resided upon part of the old town site. He stated that the ingredients of the w^ater were: Soda, hydrogen sulphide, potassium, and traces of iron and iodine. Dr. Penoyer evaporated the liquid, and the residue he marketed as medicine. About 1850 there was an epidemic of diarrhoeal diseases which, according to the historian of the county, proved fatal to many : "It Avas very fatal, and the physicians gave up many cases, which Dr. Penoyer was able to cure with his medicine — in every instance in which it was given a fair trial. ' ' He further gives the opinion that it possessed ingredients that would cure many ailments, and laments that only Dr. Penoyer 's folly prevented the place from becoming the most noted health resort in the country. Again he voices his implicit faith in the water as a great remedy: "In many chronic ailments and in all skin diseases, and for old sores, it has, in so many instances, unfailingly cured, that it may be said to be a specific." Evidently the great curative value of the spring existed only in the minds of the native enthusiasts, for in 1883 the springs stood neglected in the public square, save for the attention given them by the thirsty wayfarer. ^^^ A Pioneer Physician Much Given to Practical Joking Dr. B. W. Brooks, who lived just south of Jonesboro in 1820, was, according to his biographer, a man possessed of a thorough, classical education, and had traveled much and mingled with cultured people. Evidently he had a taste for reading, for he is credited with a wide knowledge of books. His family had considerable means and a singular impulse must have possessed him to take up life in the wilderness among rough, unlettered people, avers the author. He further characterizes the doctor as a man of courtly manners which he could lay aside, upon occasion, to enjoy his uncouth surroundings. He was the possessor of a fine vein of humor, with a penchant for practical joking that bordered on roughness. His professional attainments were of a high order, for his services were sought far and wide. His popularity induced the people to give him such offices as county commissioner and a seat in the legislature. 112 History of Alexander, Pulaski, and Union Counties, Illinois. By W. H. Perrin. Chicago, 1883. Pages 234-236. CENTERS OX THE AV ABASH, OHIO AXD MISSISSIPPI 117 A Tavern Cut-up By way of amusement it was the doctor's bent to engage a stranger in conversation, and to wager — flashing a five-dollar bill in front of his face — that the stranger could not stand his verbal abuse for one hour. If the man withstood the verbal barrage the required time, the money was to be his. As the doctor was a past master at invective, no one could withstand the abuse more than fifteen minutes. The chagrin of the stranger usually provoked a fight which, it is said, the doctor enjoyed as much as did the enraged challenger. But we are glad to record a better angle of this many-sided pioneer physician, for we find among the doctor's papers a graphic description of the Mississippi River flood of May, 1844, a literary effort that throws light upon that terrible disaster. The rapidity with which the river rose is stated to have been at the rate of two feet to thirty inches in tw^enty-four hours. In less than a month it fell five to six feet, and left the farms in the bottom all free of water. This condition, however, was short-lived, for it rose again to a height of from eighteen to thirty feet. This was not only in Cairo, but extended from that point to Alton, with an estimated damage of $1,000,000. Dr. Brooks died at the age of fifty-three in 1845. 113 JoNESBORO, Union County, Had Pioneer Practitioners This work would not be complete without casual mention of the physicians among the Carolinians, who left the south to migrate to southern Illinois in 1809. Besides Dr. Brooks, whose deeds we have already recorded, there was Dr. S. S. Condon. In 1816, two others, Dr. Priestly and Dr. Jones saw in the location of the village on the dividing ridge separating the w'aters flowing into the Cache, which flows into the Ohio, and Clear Creek, that finds its way into the IMissis- sippi five miles above Cape Girardeau, a good place to raise their fam- ilies and serve the community as practitioners. So well thought of was Dr. Jones as a representative citizen, that the to^\ai was named after him. Even at that time, when the floods made the surrounding country along the rivers a morass, this elevation was comparatively free from disease, and we can surmise that Dr. Jones, as sanitarian, had much to do with the selection of the site for the colonv. ^^ 113 History of Alexander, Pulaski, and Union Counties, Illinois. By W. H. Perrin. Chicago, 1883. Pages 290, 291. 11* History of Alexander, Pulaski, and Union Counties, Illinois. By W. H. Perrin. Chicago, 1883. Pages 353, 354, 357. nS HISTORY OF MEDICAL TRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Charles Dickens' Pen Picture of the Southern Gateway of Illinois Dickens, whose observations about our country and its brag^gadocio land promoters in the last century provoked such criticism of his book "Martin Chuzzlewit," gives us a pen picture we cannot refrain from recounting. In the light of the plight of the early natives in the swamp at the junction of the Ohio with the ]\Iississippi, his tirade seems to have been fully justified. Quoting from him, we recall that Martin and his friend Mark Tapley decided to embark into business in the country the promoters so glowingly described, and came down the murky Ohio to the land of their adoption, which was named "Eden" by the rascals promoting the land sales. "At last they stopped. At Eden too. The waters of the Deluge might have left it but a week before, so choked with slime and matted growth was the hideous swamp which bore that name. . . . There were a few log-houses visible among the dark trees — the best a cow-shed or a rude stable. But for the 'wharves,' the 'market place' or the 'public buildings'!" Ajid when Mark Tapley and Martin Chuzzlewitt asked a native if some one could help them with their luggage, the old man replied: "My eldest son would do it if he could, but to-day he has his chill upon him and is lying wrapped up in blankets. My youngest son died last week. . . . We buried most of 'em here, the rest have gone away." .... " 'The night air ain't quite wholesome, I suppose?' said Mark. " 'It's deadly poison,' the settler answered." They were not there a day before Martin was pale and languid ; he spoke of pains and weakness in his limbs and complained that his sight was dim and his voice feeble. After again meeting fellow-travelers from New York, who were also staying in the "Bottom" and were also sick at heart and in mind and body, Mark observed that their recently-acquired friend's sick child had the hand of death on it. But this friend came to the assistance of the latest comers and, accompanying Mark Tapley, found Martin in the house, lying wrapped up in blankets on the ground, with an aggravated form of fever which was very common in those parts. "The man of sad experience" had some medicine in his chest and showed Mark how to administer it. The night before they were about to leave, the child of the fellow-passengers died. Later, as Mark and Martin were leaving the infected region for home, they met Hannibal Challup, the promoter of the earthly Eden — which so luxuriantly added to the population of the heavenly Eden — whereupon Challup asks Mark: CENTERS ON THE WABASH, OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI 119 "Do you consider this a swamp?" "Why, yes, sir," returned Mark, "I haven't any doubt about it myself." "The sentiment is quite European and does not surprise me," said the Major. But Martin and i\Iark, unconvinced that their judgment was faulty, left as soon as possible and there remained on the putrid swamp a mere handful of fellow-settlers, and those withered by disease. It seems hardly believable that since 1842, when the notes for this doleful de- scription were gathered, such a magnificent city as our present Cairo could rise above the stigma of its gruesome past. ^^° Dr. W. R. Smith op Cairo an Archaeologist Again we record a physician making a study of the prehistoric remains of southern Illinois. Before the days of golf, doctors were enthusiastic researchers in geologj% archaeology and history, as the bibliography of this work implies. Dr. Smith's name must be added to this list as one having contributed information in this difficult field. He studied extensively the mounds in Alexander and Union Counties. According to the county historian, there has been located a place in the northeast part of Pulaski County where the river bank is rugged and rocky, the sand- stone rocks are washed bare, and where, in the solid rock, there are evidences of footprints of three persons, a man, woman and child of an ancient race. ^^^ Fort Massac the Scene of Indian Treachery Fort Massac was named after M. Massac, a French engineer who planned and erected it in 1757. It has sometimes been called "Fort Massacre, ' ' and therein lies a story with an intense human appeal. The Indians, who are usually credited wdth slow thinking, used here a stratagem that would do credit to any white general, when they wished to hoodwink the French, who were their enemies. The Indians of Kentucky w^ere a resourceful tribe and designed an ingenious way to lure the French from their stronghold. They knew that their chances of storming the fort, and taking it, with the entire garrison within, were too hazardous. The French were especially fond of bear meat, and in consequence of that appetite they cast caution to the wind. Falling into a trap prepared by the wily red men, who were disguised in bear robes, dextrously impersonating those ani- mals on the opposite side of the Ohio River, the French crossed imme- diately in boats to bag their game, with but a corporal's guard left 115 Martin Chuzzlewit. Charles Dickens. Pages 423, 424, 427, 111. 113, 115, 126. iiG History of Alexander, Pulaski, and Union Counties, Illinois. By W. H. Perrin. Chicago, 1883. Pages 247, 248. 120 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS behind to protect the fort. No sooner had they landed upon the oppo- site bank than the si^al was given to the ambushed Indians around the fort, and the guards were massacred to a man. The devotees of Diana fared ahuost as badly, and the exultant cry of victory re-echoed throughout the night in the forest camp of the red men. Fort Massac the Rendezvous of Intriguing White Men The strategic position of the fort in the heart of the wilderness made several Americans select it for their self -centered designs. Aaron Burr wanted it as one of his points of vantage for his southern conspiracy. He spent four days there in close conference with General Wilkinson, and his accomplice's wife, Mrs. Blennerhasset, made it a stop-over place on her way to the lower Mississippi. The conspirators, Wilkinson, Sebastian and Innes, with their Spanish designs and the $200,000 fund "supplied by his majesty the King," for the seceding of Kentucky, considered Fort Massac a good place to foster their schemes. Even George Rogers Clark, from whom we might have expected better things, accepted a French major-general's commission here to recapture Spanish possessions on the Mississippi for the French Republic, but with the recall of Genet, its representative, the plan fell through. But the authori- ties at Washington put a belated stop to all these designs by ordering troops to occupy the fort and thereby the machinations of the intriguing gentlemen in this location came to an end. ^^'' Early Nineteenth Century Physicians op Massac County When the county was formed, the laws governing the practice of medicine were liberal. One simply "turned doctor" and proceeded to sell one's services. But as time went on, in the vanguard of the regular physicians came Dr. Sims, in 1819. Little is known about him, but shortly afterward three others with evidences of medical training came. Dr. Padgett is recorded as the first, and Dr. McBane and Dr. John Hanna followed shortly afterward. In commenting upon the situation (medical), a local scribe said: "Although quacks thrived, many pursued a systematic, scientific and thorough course of study, became men of mark in the profession and gave it character." He further characterizes Dr. Padgett, of Metropole, Drs. Hanna and Rodgers, of the country, and Dr. Becker, later of Paducah, as regulars. 117 History of Massac County, Illinois. O. J. Page, Metropolis, Illinois. 1900. Pages 24, 25, 27, 28, 32, 33. Jefferson and His Colleagues. Chronicles of America. Allen Johnson. Vol. 15, page 115. Home and School Reference Work. H. M. Dixon. Vol. II, page 612. ^m:. 'l^: 5E3fe 13*« . : - ^ ViFw OF Cairo Reputed to be the disease-ridden village Charles Dickens so dismally de- scribed after his visit to the "American Bottom" in 1842, which he called "Eden." From WiUVs -YaUcy of the Mississippi:' IS)!. Reproduced through the courtesy of the Chicago Historical Society. [See P. IIS] Pkairik du Rociier From Wild's -YaUey of the Mississippi." JS'/l. Reproduced through the courtesy of the Chicago Historical Society. \See P. 33] CENTERS ON THE WABASH^, OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI 121 The Eclectics or "Thomsonians" were represented by Dr. Samuel Boicourt, of Metropole, and Dr. Samuel Peter, of the country. Dr. Alnez McLean McBane comes in for greater recognition than the rest, by virtue of his having "visited the clinics of some of the most noted European physicians and surgeons." Further comments apprise us that he was successful professional!}' and morally ; in sympathy with religious works, although not classed as a church member. His mother, however, made up for his lack of religious interest by donating a lot to the Presby- terian church. In 1839 Dr. McBane laid out the vaunted town of Metropolis. The doctor's son, following in his father's footsteps, studied medicine in New Orleans, where he lost his health and died trying to regain it while on a sea voyage. Dr. McBane died on July 3, 1860. Evidently quacks were locating too fast in the country, for the legislature passed a law in 1819 (covered elsewhere in this volume) to "weed them out and elevate the profession." Practitioners of years of experience were required to register if they would continue to practice. Those unable to qualify under this law were obliged to take the examination. This was the first medical practice act governing physicians and surgeons in Illinois. ^^^ Dr. William J. Gibbs Fails to Settle a Perplexing Problem Just as in the case of stasis in Kaskaskia in the century before, two counties on the Ohio River were in a similar state in 1846, which shows that men may, when unbridled in their lawlessness, become little better than beasts. These counties, Massac and Pope, were isolated from the capital and hence from proper control of the governor. It did not take the lawless bands of counterfeiters and robbers of the river region long to recognize this helplessness of the authorities, and their immunity from molestation from the better element of the settle- ment, a condition that even to this day is prevalent in some of our out-of-the-way rural communities. The rogues were well-organized, having a fort and a ruffian garrison. Their depredations became bolder and bolder. An aged citizen was robbed of $2500 in gold. His assailant left a clew as to his identity, a knife made by a local blacksmith. He was apprehended by a local order of honest people in the community who called themselves "regu- lators." Given a "third degree" (torture), he confessed and gave the names of his confederates in crime, twelve in number. All of these lis History of Massac County, Illinois. O. J. Page, Metropolis, Illinois, 1900. Pages 66, 70, 90, 91. Dr. McBane believed Metropolis would rival Chicago in commercial impor- tance, hence its streets were laid out on broad lines. 122 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN n.LINOIS suspects were served with orders to leave the country. But a sad commentary on the miscarriage of justice, the result of our elective system, must be recorded. The roj^ues, through the election of sheriff and county officers, swung the pendulum in their favor before the execution of this order of the regulators could be enforced. The newly- elected officers, not over-zealous for law and order, of course were not interested in carrying out the orders of the defeated regulators. The wealthy citizen who had lost the election by 300 to 200 formed a coali- tion with another defeated candidate and their friends, with the avowed object of putting all suspects through a third degree that would have made even an innocent man own up to anything, to save hunself from his tormentors. They were held under the murky waters of the Ohio River till they confessed. Another favorite method, which may be compared to the methods of the Spanish Inquisition, was to tie a rope around the bare chest of the suspect, the rope, by means of a stick, being tightened until the ribs were crushed, by which time the desired confession was brought forth. Some of these victims had voice enough left to swear out a warrant for the playful regulators, before the rogue sheriff. The limb of the law executed the warrant, but could not guarantee that the regulators would stay put. Their cohorts then promptly rescued them from jail. The tortured suspects, seeing that the sheriff had no power to hold the regulators, turned on the sheriff and his party as informants and accused them of being members of the gang. Then, with this information as a pretext for action, the regulators again pursued their diabolical system upon their political enemies. At this juncture the governor was appealed to, being requested to send the militia. But the distance of some 250 miles from the capital was the great barrier in enforcing the law. General Davis, who finally reached the turmoil, restored order and left, thinking all was quiet. He had not been long gone when the old feud broke out anew with increased vigor. The regulators had tasted that great passion-maker, power, and they, like a lion that tastes blood, could not resist indulging to satiation. After whipping the incumbents in office, they drove them out. The governor was again appealed to, but did not send the militia; here again the election system interfered, for he was about to go out of office. ThLs left but one alternative, to try to get from the neighboring counties a militia which could reach there quickly. The governor authorized Dr. William J. Gibbs, a man of good judgment, to summon this help. These counties were not keen for the fray, and Dr. Gibbs tried more peaceable means. To act as judges, he got two justices of the peace of Massac and attempted to hold court to find out who were the rogues. CENTERS ON THE WABASH, OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI 123 But, alas for the peacemaker! His lot has always been thankless. The regulators had not received their full measure of revenge. As they refused to appear as prosecutors, and preferred to be persecutors, the referee had to disband his judges and declare that, inasmuch as there was no filing of complaints against the rogues, there must of necessity be no rogues, and therefore all were entitled to protection against the regulators' interference. For the enforcement of his decree he called upon Union and other counties for action. But they refused to move, with the result that the regulators were unregulated and re- mained undisputed masters of the field. They celebrated their victory in a fitting manner. First they organized a committee to perform the tarring and feather- ing of those supposedly in league with the counterfeiters, this treatment of suspects, because of the tattling propensities of the natives, increasing rather than diminishing the victims. The free application of this bird- like apparel seemed destined to reach the entire population, for, as in the French Revolution, when there were no more victims to torture they consulted the whispering chorus for new recruits, so, if a man did not like his neighbor, he delivered him to the regulators, who with so much business to attend to, did not have time enough to investigate the charges. So the regulators began to lose caste and there were wholesale desertions from their ranks, these fleeing to the ranks of those w^ho were formerly considered dishonest. But the regulators kept on. One shot a resistant woman and she, mth a proper affidavit, had ten of them arrested. Again their colleagues came to their rescue, taking the sheriff and seventy of his guard to be delivered to the Kentuckians, that these might deal with them. In attempting to arrest one man under guard, two shots were fired upon him and both missed. But his miraculous escape was of no avail for, after his surrender to a regulator, he was stabbed in the back by an assailant. A Methodist minister, com- menting on the act, declared: "Now they are using them as they should." It developed that the perpetrator of the stabbing had a per- sonal grudge against the victim and vengeance was his. But, as in the Holy "War of medieval history, which terminated through the exhaustion of the participants, the irrational mob had spent its furj^ and calm came before the action of the new governor, whose winter deliberations directed him to send another militia to restore order. ^^^ Possibly because of this turmoil Golconda (Lusk's Ferry) superseded Fort Massac as a point of embarkation for passengers from the East. 110 History of Illinois. Ford. S. S. Griggs & Co. Chicago, 1854. Pages 437-445. 124 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Medical Men of Old Vincennes and the Wabash Valley The earliest physicians of Vincennes, aside from Drs. Laffont and Elliot previously mentioned, were Dr. Tisdale, 1792, Samuel McKee, II. S. A., 1800, and Dr. Scull, a surgeon at the Battle of Tippecanoe. The Vincennes INIedical Society, organized in 1827, had the following members: E. McNamee, Hiram Decker, who was General Harrison's family physician, J. Kuykendall, P. Barton, J. D. Wolverton, 'Haver, and J. Porter. The "First District Medical Society of Indiana" in 1830 and 1831 had Drs. A. Elliot, J. W. Davis, who later became a United States minister, W. Dinwiddie, J. W. Posey, H. Holland, Pen- nington, J. Somers, N. Mears and 0. G. Stewart. "In the years following, some of the doctors on the roll were G. G. Barton," Thomas Nesbit, J. Browne, J. Maddox, D. Stahl, F. M. McJenkln, F. F. Offat, W. Warner, J. S. Sawyer, J. Barry, B. J. Baty, A. Leslie, W. Fairhurst, J. Mantle, J. P. De Bruler, T. B. Thompson, H. M. Smith and J. B. Shumard. Others, not in the above list, who practiced in the city subsequent to 1800, were L. M. Becker, N. E. Becker, H. W. Held, P. Caney, S. C. Beard, M. G. Moore, Anderson, J. James, T. H. Maxedon, G. Knapp, J. R. Mante, W. H. Hitt, M. M. McDowell, W. H. Davenport, Von Knappe, R. B. Jessup, McCoy, Hall, Sinadell, Branstop, Harris, Bever, W. M. Hindeman, W. B. Ridgway, J. P. Ramsey and Solomon Rathbone." From the foregoing long list of medical talent it is easy to see why Vincennes dominated in the field of medicine in the Illinois region con- tiguous to it. In New Harmony were several outstanding physicians, Dr. Gerard Troost, a Holland geologist who left the colony because of a difference of opinion relative to the educational department, to accept a professorship in the Nashville University and a position as State Geologist of Tennessee, Dr. McNamee, a Dutch physician, Herzogen- busch, and Dr. David Dale Owen, who came in 1828 from Scotland and went back there to study geology. Returning to America he took a medical course at the Ohio Medical College in 1835 but never practiced regularly. Dr. E. Murphy, a wealthy citizen, gave the town a number of paintings from Italy, and his chemical and philosophical apparatus to the Working Men's Institute. Dr. Smith mentions an epidemic in 1820 which he believes was yellow fever and a cholera epidemic in 1850. He recounts '^^^'^ his ex- iio-a History of the City of Vincennes, 1702 to 1901. S. Canthorn. Page 215. Historical Sketches of Old Vincennes. Hubbard Madison Smith, 1902. Pages 99, 218, 221, 237, 244. The New Harmony Communities. George Browning Lockwood, 1902. Pages 98, 141, 145, 149. History of New Harmony, Indiana. Dr. J. Schnack and Richard Owen. Pages 10, 16. Evansville and Its Men of Mark. Historical Publishing Co., Evansville, Ind., 1873. Page 247. CENTERS ON THE WABASH, OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI 125 periences with his colleagues, all of whom except one doubted it was cholera until forced to acknowledge their error. This region west of the Wabash in Illinois did not grow to any great extent until an impetus was given it by the coming of a ship-load of emigrants from England in 1818. They were recruited through the efforts of Morris Birbeck and George and Richard Flower, who had preceded them to the land of beautiful prairies which they had picked out for settlement. After landing in Philadelphia, they proceeded over- land to Pittsburgh, where embarkation for the "land of promise" was effected on flat-boats going to Shawneetown, Illinois, on the Ohio, from whence the voyagers journeyed to Birbeck 's cabin on Boltenhouse prairie, named Wanborough. Among the second boat-load (1819) came Dr. C. Pugsley (the first physician to locate there) with his family. Among the colonists who left Devonshire, England, the following year, 1820, was Thomas Spring, whose youngest son had studied medicine. He felt, however, impelled to allow this son, Archibald, to continue his studies in Baltimore, from whence he received the credentials permitting him to practice, subse- quently repairing to Albion, Edwards County, to serve the people in that vicinity. Wabash County — A Physician Helps to Build a Village, Dies in AN Almshouse Dr. Reuben Baker was the first medical practitioner, located at Mt. Carmel, in that section of the country, before the county was organized. Subsequent practitioners were: Drs. Allison, Fithian, Trail, Anderson, Harvey, Riggs and possibly Dr. Truscott. ^^o Fithian left in the spring of 1833 and settled at Danville, ^^i Dr. James Harvey retired in favor of Drs. T. J. Riggs and Paul Sears, who were still practicing in the county as late as 1883. Though in possession of every attribute necessary for a successful career, a good education, a fine presence, generous impulses and an impell- ing ambition to accomplish things, fate blighted all of the prospects of happiness of Dr. Ezra Baker of Old Rochester through a combination of misfortunes unavertable even in the affairs of a man with foresight such as was his. He had erected a flour mill, a saw and shingle mill, a pork packing establishment, and had built a large steamboat to transport his and other products of the country, all of which enhanced the property and fame of the village, yet when the Cairo and Vincennes Railway was 120 History Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash Counties. J. L. McDonough and Co., Philadelphia. 1883. Pages 60-65. 238, 286. 265. 287, 232. 121 Pioneers of Wabash Coimty. Theodore G. Risely. Journal of Illinois State Historical Society. Vol. 12, July. 1919. Page 226 states that Mary, the wife of Dr. Truscott, resided in the county from 1838 till 1870. 126 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS built, Rochester was doomed. Reverses such as were common in the new country where inherent wealth could not be readily converted into cash, overtook him. "His credit gone he was left in wretchedness and despair to find a mendicant's home." In the city of Philadelphia where he was born he spent his declining years in an almshouse. By a strange twist of fate his son Dorsey, who crossed the plains to settle in Walla Walla, Washington, in later years became a millionaire. ^'^ Lawrence County's Earliest Medical Men The earliest settlements of this county were made along the old Cahokia trace, which followed the state road on the AVabash and Embarrass rivers. Also at St. Francisville there was a post on the Wabash, that in the previous century was occupied by the French. But in 1804 or 1805 Joseph Tougas started the first permanent settlement there. In 1835 the village was laid out by the widow of this pioneer. Before the first resident physicians the medical supply was from Vincennes. Dr. AVashburn (who came from Kentucky), Drs. Gabriel Cochran, Barton and AVilliam Anderson were first to locate in the new settle- ment of Lawrenceville, inland from the site of the old French post. A later arrival in the county, Dr. Adams, it is said, organized the first medical society west of the Allegheny Mountains. ^--"^ Drs. H. Smith, J. M. Bossert, G. A. Williams and Sutton were the first resident physicians of Sumner. Doctors Have a Harrowing Experience with the Banditti op Early Illinois Our own IllinoLs was a haven for lawless men just before its entrance into statehood in 1817. And especially Avas this true on the new roads that were designed to aid travel across country from one river settle- ment to the other. Men found that they could make better time on horseback from place to place than the slow navigation of the streams afforded. The direct road from Vincennes to St. Louis called the United States road was just opened and a band of cut-throats had, under the disguise of tavern-keepers, entrenched themselves along this highway, and lucky was the man who escaped either murder or robbery when necessity made him a traveler through this rendezvous of banditti. Two travelers, Dr. Richard Lee Mason, who came from Philadelphia 122 Pioneers of Wabash County. Theodore G. Risely, Journal of Illinois State Historical Society, Vol. 12, July 1919. Page 229. 122-a This statement cannot be corroborated. At any ci-ent it could not apply to his activities in Illinois, for others mentioned in this volume preceded him as organizers. CENTERS OX THE WABASH, OHIO AXD MISSISSIPPI 127 to locate a grant of land (in Illinois near Carrollton) which he had received for his services in the War of 1812, and Dr. Hill, who had business to transact in the lead-mining region near Kaskaskia, obtained a list of these outlaws, the names being as follows : Gatewood, Rutherford, Grimberry, Cain, Young, Postlewaite and others. Mason w'rites that these bandits operated for a distance of eighty miles through the dreary, lonesome prairies. They murdered travelers, passed spurious notes w^hich they manufactured, and all in all were thoroughly bad men, emboldened by the freedom from the law of the organized forces of justice. That the pioneer doctor had to be a man of great courage is well illustrated by these physicians' experiences with the rogues. The party consisted of Dr. Richard Lee Mason, the narrator. Dr. Hill and two strangers from Kentucky, and they were well armed with guns, dirks and ammunition. The first of the chain of bogus taverns was the house of Gatewood, and upon inquirj^ of his comely wife, who seemed alarmed when her husband was inquired about, they received the information that he was not at home. The Robinson-Crusoe-like appear- ance of the questioner seemed to agitate her and give her a look of anxiety. A near-by bloody cravat on the end of a log would have been sufficient to scare away any tenderfoot, but these men were the product of perilous times and resolved that thej^ would not allow any one to get the drop upon them without a fight. Not seeing the first of the gang, they went on, determined to see the balance. Arrr'e at the House op Rutherford They crossed the open prairie without anj'' danger from ambush and arrived at dusk at the house of Rutherford. This time they were determined to forestall disappointment and to make sure that they would meet the rollicking gentry with a predilection for surgery of the neck. They resolved to put up at his house for the night; as the narrative said, "this was a i)iece of comedy for information which was near ending in traged}'," for thej- almost fell into a trap such as was the undoing of many voyagers on the same highway. The travelers of the narrative were being transported in a little carriage with two horses, and their combined baggage constituted an inviting prospect for looting. Meet the Host, IMr. Rutherford On their arrival they were met by a man in the disguise of a Quaker, who pretended to be an hostler for the landlord, but whom jNIason recognized as a renegade engraver of Philadelphia. They were 128 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS informed by Mrs. Rutherford that her husband was not at home, but she offered them the hospitality of his abode, which was an incommodious log cabin. They were startled shortly afterward by a war-whoop from the throats of four drunken men who then entered the house, the party comprising Rutherford and his companions in evil. They eyed the baggage, but ignored the travelers. One of the visitors heard voices in a small log house adjoining the building. With a lighted candle the searchers could not find from whence the voices came but, on return- ing for another look, discovered two tall men in the chimney, whom they addressed and who followed them into the house, making six bandits in all, and each well supplied with weapons, not a good prospect for the travelers. The appearance of these villains, with sleeves rolled up, their beards long and faces smutted, gave the intrepid strangers forebodings of the intent within their minds. Rutherford, disguised and denying his identity, consulted with his friends, which made the seekers after adventure sure that much enter- tainment would be on the program. Hints that the trap-door was too wide open and should have been screwed down, jocund remjarks about a victim 's unsightly cut, inflicted by one of the wielders of the knife, with other vague allusions ostensibly intended for the disquietude of the travelers, and similar repartee, were freely indulged in. That their plight was not a comic-opera situation was recorded by the chronicler, who states that: "Our own safety now became a matter of serious consideration and our party of four held a consultation. The two strangers in our party were firm-spirited and declared that we would die side by side, or conquer, if attacked. I am almost ashamed to add that the man whom I had named as a friend in my memorandum, whom I have known for years and with whom I traveled 1000 miles, expressed himself to the following effect: 'By G — ,' instead of joining us, he would 'join the strongest side,' and Immediately he went Into the household and placed himself among the ruffians, adding that this was a country where every man made and executed his own law to suit himself. The disap- pointment experienced from the unmanly conduct of Dr. Hill had a happy effect upon our little company. It bound us more firmly and nearer together and — I may add the truth — almost fitted us for the battle." Another demonstration of bravado for the edification of the visitors was displayed by the six bandits when, at ten p. m., they took their six candles as targets in the area abovit the cabin and snuffed them out by six well-calculated shots from their rifles at forty yards' distance. A horn then blown three times was the signal for the retiring of two of the bandits, who returned again at midnight. Their message to their companions was an insidious intimation that "they could not be had." Whatever that statement indicated, it caused foreboding of a sinister ^ 5o ^ .-^_, ■ ^ ::; -" 3^ ■ ->^ iV/ iy S O - Jr ^ b'^ ^"^k.' - > 'V 5 ^ #: -^^ s 2 ■< ^ -^J^ "^ 1 ■^ ■^ \*: W' ,..'Z s- S*, CENTERS ON THE WABASH^ OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI 129 fate, according to Mason. Then the bravados proposed to take a drink and lie down to rest upon the floor, which they did — lying upon their arms. "The small back room was intended for us," says Mason. "There was no door to the partition and the wall logs were six inches apart." They were under some apprehension that in case of attack their enemies would be able to fire upon them through these apertures. In this exposed situation they were reluctant to lie down. Unsheathing their dirks and taking the guards off their arms, and with three extra bullets in each gun, they decided to lie down, but agreed, if the signal were given, to rise immediately and fight the good fight. Dr. Hill, with drops of cold sweat as large as peas upon his forehead, lay beside Dr. Mason. He complained of great pain about his kidneys and that his head hung loose upon his shoulders. As a possible means of escape he had removed a small log in the wall that allowed an opening, not, however, sufficiently large to permit escape. Mason, cognizant of the treacherous habit of the gentry with expert ability in throat-cutting, resolved to make that procedure a little more difficult by tying a silk handkerchief around his neck, as he might, perchance, fall asleep. It is needless to say that the god of sleep had no chance to work on the party, for every stir of the snoring and coughing bad men created a desire for action on the part of the travelers. So passed the long hours till dawn, when one of the back- woods party fired a shot as a signal for rising, which brought all to their feet with hands on their guns. As a preliminary to their de- parture, the bandits made a display of examining their rifles and then departed in the direction that the strangers were to take. The old ruse of feigning sickness failed to put the travelers off guard. Just as they were to depart, one of the brotherhood of sneak- thieves asked that the doctor come into the house again with his saddle- bag of medicine, as one of his comrades was very sick and needed atten- tion. This invitation was declined, with the advice that it w^ould be better if the sufferer would intrust himself to some one he knew better. With this, the wayfarers hurried on, meeting later four others also going to St. Louis, which made the remainder of the journey less hazardous. Thus we see the practice of medicine had plenty of adven- turers in the good old days. Although this story may seem a little overdrawn to the readers of our day, yet it must be given credence, for many similar tales have been recorded by travelers of the period. It may be interesting to know what effect Dr. Hill's defection during their experience with the banditti, had upon the friendship that had 130 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS existed between him and Dr. Mason. Looking further into Dr. Mason's diary it is noted that on December 1 Dr. Hill again disappointed his friend (who evidently had forgiven him) when he refused to accompany him to the location of the bounty lands, though he had promised to do so. Dr. JMason complains that he had been to considerable expense and loss of time and inconvenience following Dr. Hill upon his business mission and then the latter declined to live up to his promise, but set out for Philadelphia in company with one of Mason's friends, a clever farmer and missionery preacher of the Methodist persuasion. Mason accom- panied them across the river from St. Louis to bid them adieu. His inner resentment of his treatment by a supposed friend he describes in the following words : "I felt none of those unpleasant sensations produced at parting with a friend." After a sojourn of a week, in which he divided his time between St. Louis and Illinois, he proceeded to the bounty lands given him for war services, situated in Greene County. The great geologic evidences of marine life about him were of considerable interest to him and he describes them as follows : "We retraced our former footsteps for four miles and traveled on the shore of the Mississippi for twelve miles. On the shore of the Mississippi for miles stand cliffs or bluffs composed of rocks, stone and marine sub- stances. They are from 100 to 400 feet high. In many places they appear to be pillars or regular columns supporting those wonderful heights which in many places appear almost ready to tumble on those below. In the body of this irregular mass I entered three caves, two large enough to protect a considerable family from storm, and the third sufficiently large to contain twenty men on horseback. This cave is supported by a neat pillar in the center. In several places I saw marks on the cliffs at a considerable height made with the different colors with which Indians paint themselves. From their arrangements it appears the men of the desert had tried their agility to place the highest mark on the cliffs. Near those caves are the names of a number of persons cut in the soft parts of the rocks. In traveling along the shore I picked up several specimens of the most beautiful pearl I ever be- held. It is so plentiful here that no person thinks it worth picking up. After traveling forty-three miles through the rain I arrived again at St. Louis on the 13th of December. In approaching the Illinois and Mississippi, near the mouth from Milton, a scene presents itself beautiful, grand and sublime. '. '^'jjij*^ "Immediately after leaving a thick wood you find yourself on the point of a knob or small mountain many hundred feet high. From this eminence you have a view of three bold streams, the Mississippi, Illinois, and Missouri. The country on one side is bordered with very high bluffs as far as the eye can reach, and on the other is a meadow or plain prairie which extends for many miles in every direction and is occasionally interspersed with handsome forest trees. The shells and marine substances which are found near those large and elegant rivers are similar to those seen in the West Indies and on the Sea Board. But I have no recollection of ever having seen such near any CENTERS ON THE WABASH, OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI 131 stream remote from the sea. This, with many other appearances, holds out a strong inducement to believe that the sea once covered this country for many hundred miles, that the cliffs were once its borders and that some violent convulsion of Nature has caused it to recede and expose to view the most fertile country on the globe. "Should accident place this memorandum in the hands of any person, an apology will be necessary for expressions and opinions which it contains. In speaking of particular states and people I have expressed myself as a traveler, but have stated facts. The country traveled over by strangers is generally the most barren and the inhabitants a coarse sample of the state. When I have expressed an opinion which appears not to be liberal it is intended to apply to the lower class of whom there is a large majority. A gentleman or lady is the same all over the world, and although in the different states there are many characters of the first respectability and although some of the Fi-ench are rich, liberal and gentlemanly men, yet this memorandum is strictly correct when applied to the general mass." 123 The concluding words of this narrative refer to remarks made con- cerning people they met upon their journey, the diary of which is too voluminous to reprint in the limited space allotted to this portion of the medical history of our State. ^-^"^ Fevee River Lead Mine District (Galena) Furnishes a Romantic Field for Pioneer Physicians The discovery of lead in any district of the early days was the signal for an influx of adventurers from every walk of life, for lead was a most necessary article from the earliest times. The many wars and feuds made it a commodity eagerly sought for. The earliest record of discovery of the extreme northwestern part of our State is in the writings of one Le Sueur, who found, in 1700, at what is now Galena, the little river that empties into the Mississippi, calling it the "River of the Mines," this being the little stream the Indians later called "Fever River." Interest immediately comes to mind, with such a significant appellation, and, recalling what has been already written of the scourge of early days, that is almost instinctively assigned as the reason for giving the river that cognomen. But further investigation refutes this idea as the name is derived from the Indian name Mah-cau- bee, which literally translated means the "fever that blisters," a very graphic description for the sickness known as "smallpox." This did not, of course, originate in the district, but so impressed were the natives with an epidemic visited upon them after a pilgrimage to another tribe 123 From original manuscript of Dr. Richard Lee Mason, through the courtesy of Dr. Josephine Milligan, of Jacksonville, Illinois, his granddaughter. 123-a Centennial History of Illinois in 1818. S. J. Buck. Pages 78-80, 119-121, 122, 123. 132 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN n.LINOIS in the east, that, instead of assigning the true cause, they believed the waters of the stream their abodes were upon to be the means of conveying it to them. They died in great numbers and the survivors fled, but re- turned later and buried the bones of their dead in a mound. In drawing conclusions concerning the origin of the disease their primitive reason- ing did not allow for the incubation period. The whites who flocked to the mines later readily assumed the name given the stream by the Indians and called it "Fever River," and a small stream near-by, ''Smallpox River." After the first Frenchmen visited the region another came, in 1818, who has been erroneously considered the discoverer of the mines — Julien Dubuque, after whom the city of Dubuque is named. He was a trader in furs and, with his companions, also worked the mines, in a limited way, on both sides of the river. The news of his activities soon reached the near-by settlements and brought in the vanguard of the settlers who built up the city of Galena on the site of the place called by the French "La Pointe." Dr. ]\Iuir and Jesse Siiull Among the First to Arrrt: in La Pointe Two white men, Dr. Samuel Muir and Jesse ShuU, arrived in 1819 to trade among the Indians whose squaws were working the mines. Dr. Muir is especially interesting. Possessing the shrewd characteristics of the Scotch race from which he was descended, he was well-prepared to do business, as he brought a stock of goods with him. But his heart was not in trade, albeit it was a means to an end, for he only pursued trading until a field for his talents was opened. Previous to his coming to La Pointe he served as United States Army surgeon at one of the posts in the northwest, where he had repaired after his graduation from one of the best medical colleges in Europe, the University of Edinburgh. One so well-equipped could not long stay away from the practice of medicine, as every true physician realizes. Settles in Fever River Accompanied by His Dusky Bride Romance, such as is frequently the theme of the songs of the poets, would hardly be looked for among the rough men whose desire for adventure brought them to the frontier, where white femininity was conspicuously absent. But numerous occasions are on record in which white men bridged the chasm that exists between the Nordic and dark- skinned savages. The Indian woman, like her pale-face rival, dreams of the love of a handsome white man, and through the dreams of one Indian girl a white man became her husband and the father of her CENTERS ON THE WABASH, OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI 133 four children. Ingenuous though it may seem to us, governed by form, this dusky maiden lost no time in informing her hero in true leap-year fashion of her desire to marry him. Dr. Muir, stationed at an army post near a Fox Indian settlement, was the object of the maiden's desire — a desire engendered by a dream which she related to him enthusi- astically after a peaceful sleep in the wilds of Wisconsin, that sylvan wonderland. The doctor listened attentively to the maiden's picturiza- tion of the product of her sub-conscious mind, as she related vividly her vision of the coming of the white brave to unmoor her canoe and paddle it directly across the river to her lodge. She knew, according to the superstitious belief of her race, that in her dream she had seen her future husband, and she came to the fort to find him. Meeting Dr. Muir, she instantly recognized him as the hero of her vision. Her childlike simplicity, coupled with her beauty, innocence and devotion, made a deep impression upon the tender-hearted doctor and he honorably married her. But this episode had its sacrifices, as well as its pleasures, for the rough men of the fort saw in this heterogeneous marriage a subject for jest, and the doctor began to tire of his dusky wife. So, when his regi- ment was ordered down the river to Bellefontaine, he thought it a good opportunity to rid himself of what seemed to him, because of these jests, an unholy alliance. The Indian wife, left, with her babe, in the wilderness, could not understand the ways of the white man, and her love became even stronger for him, though he had deserted her. With the instinct of woodcraft, she paddled her canoe down stream through the eddies near the banks, eking out a precarious existence for two, until she arrived, tired and emaciated, before the fort, several hundred miles from the old home. Even a heart of stone could hardly resist being touched by such an example of devotion, and the doctor took her again to his bosom. This time the jeers of his comrades turned to praises, and from then on she presided at his table, though she stead- fastly refused to alter her dress for the conventional styles of the times. Shortly after this time Dr. Muir was stationed at Warsaw, formerly Fort Edwards. He threw up his commission in 1820 and built the first cabin in Keokuk, Iowa, but leased his claim to some St. Louisans in order to locate for practice at La Pointe, becoming, through this removal, the first practitioner in northwestern Illinois. He re- mained there ten years, then returned to Keokuk, where he died suddenly soon afterward. Unfortunately for the widow and four children, he left his affairs in such a condition that litigation deprived the brave, faithful wife 134 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS of her estate, leaving her penniless, friendless and discouraged, and further trace of her and her children has been lost to historians. It is presumed that she returned to her people, who were on a reservation on the upper Missouri. ^-^ Dr. Moses Meeker a Mining Promoter Dr. Moses IMeeker, of Cincinnati, Ohio, visited the Fever River dis- trict, ostensibly to take observations upon the field where many eyes were looking for a gambler's chance to make money with the spade. The stories of fabulous gains from the stupendous deposits of mineral awaiting discovery brought men from the older settlements in ever-in- creasing numbers. Dr. Meeker could not rest at home and be content in practice after he saw the district, so he organized a prospective colony and procured the keel-boat "Col. Bumford, " and down the Ohio they came, embarking on April 20, 1823, with thirty men, besides the women and children, and seventy-five tons of freight consisting of a complete mining outfit, merchandise, and provisions sufficient to sub- sist upon for a year after their arrival at the mines. At St. Louis one of the party purchased some cattle to be driven across country to aid in making the colony stable and free from local extortionate prices. It required courage for people of civilized communities to take up their abode among savages, but Dr. Meeker and his associates were equal to the occasion. In less than six years after their arrival a thriv- ing city was built around what was known as "Meeker's Bench," where they had found but one hundred white men in 1823. During Dr. Meeker's stay in Galena he felt the need of better schools, and in 1826 opened one, employing as teacher Dr. John D. Hancock, under a contract to serve for a year. But before the school term had expired Dr. Hancock's family became ill in the east and he repaired to them, leaving the position open. Upon returning in the spring he did not complete the term of the contract, but opened an office to practice his profession. We do not know the exact date of Dr. Meeker's death, but his remains were buried in the old cemetery on the hill in Galena. ^-^ Physician Becomes Literary Light in the Lead-Mining Camp Dr. Horatio Newhall, another of those early physicians who could not resist the desire to prospect in the bowels of the earth, came from St. Louis in 1827 and immediately invested his savings in a mining l-^ History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois. H. F. Kett & Co. Chicago, 1878. Pages 223-235. 125 History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois. H. F. Kett & Co. Cliicago» 1878. Pages 238-241, 240, 246. CENTERS ON THE WABASH, OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI 135 and smelting apparatus. Evidently the returns were not as great as expected, for he abandoned the spade the following year. He married Elizabeth Bates, by whom he had six children. The definite salary of an army surgeon attracted him in the fall of 1830 and he became attached to Fort Winnebago, at the portage from the Fox River to the Wisconsin. Two years later he again entered civilian practice at Galena. When the Black Hawk War broke out he promptly volunteered his services. With his appointment came an order by General Scott to establish a military hospital at Galena, and Dr. Newhall was given sole control till the end of the war. His ser- vices to the nation in need were highly commended by General Scott. A report records that he received and treated all the sick and wounded of an army of five thousand, and that he visited not less than twenty a day for several weeks, outside of the hospital, during the epidemic of Asiatic cholera, which came in with the army. Tlie disease was new to this country and many opinions were advanced concerning the treatment of it. Dr. Newhall's efforts were attended with more than average success, it would appear, judging from the encomium of the historian of the time, who stated that "his name was a household word from St. Louis to the Falls of St. Anthony." LiTERAEY Work of Dr. Newhall Throws Much Light upon the Happenings of His Time The duties of his practice were varied and onerous, but he found time to follow the bent of his heart in the activities in connection with his work upon the editorial staff of the Miner's Journal and the Galena Advertiser, which he conjointly published with his contemporary. Dr. Philleo. The letters to his brother in Massachusetts throw light upon the uncertainty of the boundary question of northern Illinois — which ques- tion was agitating the country at the time. He states : "It is uncertain whether I am in the boundary of Illinois or Michigan, but direct your letters to Fever River, Illinois, and they will come safely." To Governor Nathaniel Pope is Illinois indebted for settling this per- plexing problem, for through his efforts was the northern end of the State advanced northward to 42 degrees, 30 minutes, instead of on a line with the southern end of Lake Michigan, where it was ordered in the Ordinance of 1787. He carried the prayer of Illinois — with a population of 40,000 — for admission to statehood, and the plea for a lake port, through both houses of Congress, showing them they had power to extend this line, because it would place the important Chicago 136 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Portage water route under the jurisdiction of two states if it remained partly in Illinois and partly in Michigan. Incidentally, this extension of the line was instrumental in giving Abraham Lincoln sufficient votes to carry the State for nomination and subsequently to the presidency. Tlirough his literary efforts Dr. Newhall largely molded public opinion in the region he served, but all of his time was not given to work, for his name appears as one of the managers of a party given on the steam- ship "Indiana," as an announcement dated Galena, June 24, 1828, indicates. Although there were several physicians in the region in 1827, the records state : * ' The few doctors in the county were constantly engaged, but there was much suffering for want of medical attendance and proper nursing, and many deaths occurred in consequence." The occa- sion for this statement was an epidemic of dysentery that prevailed to an alarming extent during that year. Dr. Newhall died in 1870. Dr. A. T. Crow was here as early as 1830 and in 1846 was, according to an advertisement in the Spirit of the Times, "a partner of Dr. J. H. Johnson in Medical Hall, where trusses for ruptures and falling of the womb could be had and where the doctors were prepared for all surgical operations." Dr. Crow served in the Mexican war under Gen. Zachary Taylor which we glean from a news item in the Daily Mercury, Galena, April 22, 1847, reporting a speech the doctor delivered telling of the march of the army from La Baca to Buena Vista, ^^e Dr. Addison Philleo, the Physician-Editor The unique position Dr. Philleo filled, conjointly with Dr. Newhall, as editor of the Galenian, can be well estimated when one realizes what a tremendous force this organ was in the turbulent times of the Black Hawk War. It was the only newspaper published north of Spring- field in either Illinois or Wisconsin. And to make it the most important news forecaster in the early days, it printed the items ahead of its contemporary papers, by virtue of Dr. Philleo 's connection, as surgeon, with the United States Army. But this tremendous advantage seem;s to have been used falsely to aggrandize himself and his friend Dodge, in whose battalion he gave service. Governor Ford gives us, in the follow- ing narrative, a description of this controversy. General Henry, Majors Dodge and Ewing, and Colonels Jones, Col- lins and Fry, were giving chase to the retreating Black Hawk and his 126 History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois. H. F. Kett & Co. Chicago, 1878. Pages 247, 248, 223, 222, 254, 255, 252, 256. *!# bi*^^ Cahokia, Established as a Mission by the Priests, St. Cosme in 1699, and PINET IN 1700 Here was the home of Madame Beaulieu, whose appointment as "Director- General of Morals and Medical Matters'' made her the first commissioner of health of the territory of Illinois. From Wild's ••Valley of the Mississii)t)i," IS'il. Oil) Caiiokta Court Hoi-se ruilt in 1716, during the reign of Louis XV, according to the pre- vailing French custom, with squared walnut logs. It was situated in Cahokia in what is now known as St. Clair County, but, through the efforts of Valentine Smith and other prominent Chicagoans of the Chicago Historical Society, it was moved to the Wooded Island in Jackson Park. Efforts are being made l)y down-state citizens to replace it in its original setting. In this building the medico-legal cases of the region mentioned in the text were tried. Plwtoqraph by Dr. Zcuch. L^'ce P. }/] CENTERS ON THE WABASH, OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI 137 warriors, accompanied by two Indian scouts, one of whom was killed in the chase and left dead in the field. "Dr. Addison Philleo, coming along shortly after, scalped this Indian and exhibited the scalp for a long time afterward as an evidence of his valor." The Battle of "Wisconsin River Major Ewing, who was ambushed, gave battle to the Indians, at which point General Henry arrived and ordered a battle-line of Colonel Jones' regiment to the right, Colonel Collins' to the left, and Colonel Fry's to the rear, with ]\Iajor Dodge to the extreme right, and Major Swing's battalion m front. The Indians concentrated in front of Dodge. Threupon Henry ordered Dodge to charge. Dodge, however, thought the enemy too strong, and asked for reinforcements. Colonel Fry was sent to his aid. The combined attack proved too strong for the Indians, and they retreated into the Wisconsin River swamps, from which they escaped to the other side when night fell. In this extremity G-eneral Henry's strategy saved his brigade, as he ordered his soldiers to dis- mount and send their horses to the rear. This proved to be wise, for the Indians, being on an elevation and being accustomed to shooting at mounted soldiers, aimed too high, making their shots speed over the heads of their adversaries. The counter fire of General Henry's charges resulted in a loss to the enemy of sixty-eight warriors. This was in effect a victory for General Henry, but Dodge, consulting with Dr. Philleo privately, sent word to Galena, taking the credit for the triumph. This doctored report mentioned Henry only as a subordinate, and others received no mention at all. Further than this, it gave Dodge the title of "General," which implied that he had charge of the battle. Subsequent histories gave Dodge a heroship not borne out by the facts. Dodge Advances on His Laurels He capitalized this to get advancement as "Colonel in the Dragoons," and ultimately as governor of Wisconsin Territory. With his newly- gotten authority he tried to help his friend the doctor to an advance- ment, an appointment as surgeon in the ai-my, but though the latter was an editor and could fill that office to Dodge's benefit, according to Ford, "He could not pass the required examination before the Medical Board." v| Ford and Dodge Have an Altercation A letter in answer to an inquiry from Governor Dodge to Governor Ford of Illinois concerning the derogatory statements against the former 138 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS in a public lecture, brought back a reiteration of the accusation of false reports of tlie battle, and added that Illinois volunteers returning from the war corroborated Governor Ford's views. This was unanswered and that fact was published in the Niles Register; as no refutation by Dodge appeared subsequently it would seem clear that Dodge and Dr. Philleo misrepresented the facts. ^^7 Dr. Joseph Johnson, an early physician of Galena, was born in Camp- bell County, Virginia, in 1783, and moved to Xenia, Ohio, in 1814. In 1820 he was elected to represent his county in the state legislature, the same session in which Gen. Harrison was a representative from Hamilton County. During this campaign he made a political speech, a practice then unheard of in the county. He was well along in middle life when he took up the study of medicine at the College of Medicine of Ohio, which institution graduated him in 1825. The following year the Society of Medicine and Philosophy of Cincinnati made him one of its members. In 1837 he became a Mason and in 1833 he left Xenia after nineteen years of uninterrupted service. He went to St. Louis and later for a time he was a partner of his son, J. Hamilton Johnson, at Shawneetown. In the local press in that village they announced that they would give especial attention as instructors to students of medicine. ''The Senior will make strict examinations upon the Theory and Practice of Physic, Obstetrics and Materia Medica, and the Junior Doctor Johnson will teach Anatomy and Surgery." Dr. Joseph's interest in the cause of temperance is evident from a report of a lecture given by Dr. E. R. Roe, after the delivery of which Dr. Johnson read some tabular statements showing the number of gallons of liquor that were consumed and the number of drunkards in the United States at that time. After the change of location to Galena Dr. Joseph Johnson's health began to fail, he became less active and in his declining years he was confined to his home with paralysis. He died in 1847 at the age of sixty-five. His son, J. H. Johnson, succeeded him in the practice. Madison Y. Johnson, an- other son, had a stormy career as an alleged "Copperhead," and was in- carcerated as a political prisoner during the Civil war. Dr. J. Hamilton Johnson, Surgeon, Lecturer and Physician This son of Dr. Joseph Johnson had a versatile career, interesting himself in a number of activities in connection with his profession and 127 History of Illinois. Thomas Ford. S. S. Griggs & Co. Chicago, 1854, Pages 147, 144-148, 151, 148-153. CENTERS ON THE WABASH, OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI 139 other scientific pursuits. The first knowledge we have of him is through his degrees. We find he had attended the Lyceum of Medicine of Ohio and from that institution he received a degree in 1832. Following this the College of Medicine of Ohio issued a diploma to him, marked given in the fifty-eighth year of the Republic. News items next show him to have been a resident of Shawneetown in 1842, announcing dissolution of partnership with Dr. J. W. Turnell, and it was in this year that an- nouncement was made that Joseph and J. H. Johnson had organized their co-partnership. Knew the Value of Publicity Several news items appearing from time to time announced Dr. J. Hamilton Johnson's participation in the lecture field. His subjects were varied. At one time he spoke upon "Chemical Geology," assisted by Dr. Ogden (geologist) whom the editor states was "as worthy of fame in his field as was the surgeon. " At a debate designed to procure funds for the completion of the Presbyterian church, with Dr. Edward R. Roe, he took the negative side while Dr. Roe took the affirmative upon "Agreement of Christianity and Phrenology." The editor regretted his inability to attend this interesting debate, which leaves us without knowledge as to the merits of the discussion. Amputations Bring Forth Unfavorable Criticism Two amputations performed by Dr. J. H. Johnson were featured in the press of the day, one for osteosarcoma and another for a "fungus" designated as " Hsematodes. " The patient's condition is described as affecting one leg to the "ruce" joint necessitating an amputation above the joint, in order to obtain a good flap. The first report was to the effect that the operations were successful but later a long refutation of accusations by one signing himself "IMechanic," brought forth the ex- planation in an article signed by the doctor that amputations sometimes have such reactions and that he considered the criticism as unjust and a reflection upon his ability. The editor apologized for having given the accusation space and regretted the doctor saw fit to bring the matter up in an open letter and should have considered the source as unworthy of attention and suggested that everyone forget the incident by going to a picnic. Before he left the doctor urged the legislators to enact laws for the regulation of the practice of medicine. Not very long after the unpleasant newspaper notoriety the Doctors Johnson moved to Galena. 140 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Activities in Jo Daviess County After his arrival in Galena Dr. J. H. Johnson's name appears in the press as having invented a "fireproof rope for steamboat tilles and marine steamers." Later it was announced that he demonstrated to the editor several ingenious instruments one of which was his own invention. He also displayed to the interested newspaper man a new electrical apparatus for medical purposes, especially nervous derangements. ' ' The doctor demonstrated the potency of the current and one can feci its effect from the slightest shock of electricity to a force sufficient to scare away a bad toothache in an instant." Advertises a Living Testimonial to his Ability AS A Surgeon Under the caption Orthopedic Surgery in the local press in 1847 the doctor declares that in addition to general practice he begs leave to tender his services to those afflicted with club foot. Having several years' experience as an "Operative Surgeon," he is induced to guarantee a perfect and radical cure depending upon either tendenous or muscular fibres. "The operation is not dangerous nor does it subject the patient to great pain. The doctor requests those interested to call at the resi- dence of Mr. H. F. Miller and examine one of his former patients who was subjected to the operation." Subsequently a news item gives information to the effect that in association with Dr. Stickel he opened the Galena Infirmary. But the irrepressible surgeon was looking around for greater fields to conquer, for he notified the public that Dr. F. Doray would take his practice in his absence. In 1848 we find him in St. Louis where he opened the "St. Louis Hotel for Invalids" and there also he intended to establish a new medical college under the old name of Franklin Medical and Literary College of St. Louis. "A newspaper states, the editor knows no reason why a third medical college should not be opened." One of the condi- tions agreed upon by the promoters was that one son of a Free Mason and one of an Odd Fellow from each congressional district should be admitted free of charge. There is no evidence that this institution ever opened for classes. ^^T-a 127-a The biographies of the Doctors Johnson were constructed from diplomas and newspaper clippings from The Xcnia Torchlight, The Daily Mercury, Galena, The Spirit of the Tivies, Galena, and Shawneetown papers contained in a scrap book found among the effects of Madison Y. Johnson contained in two trunks, in possession of the Chicago Historical Society. CENTERS ON THE WABASH, OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI 141 Franklin Literary and IVIedical College Chartered In the forties there was a great ambition among physicians to become teachers of medicine and in consequence in every growing community there was a consciousness that the time was ripe to launch enterprises for that purpose. Of course there was not room for all such ventures to succeed, but, nevertheless, each group reasoned that they might succeed where others failed or were prevented from issuing degrees because they were not possessed of a charter. This seems to have been the situation at Galena, where in 1845 Drs. Horatio Newhall, Jos. John- son, Abner Eads, John Dement, Henry Morrison, Benjamin St. Cyr, Nicholas Dowling and their associates organized and went before the legislature and procured a charter for the "Franklin Literary and Medical College, ' ' to be established at Galena. There is no evidence that this organization ever taught medicine or granted degrees. The fact that Dr. Richards and his associates had applied for, and had been unable to obtain, a charter for his college under that name, seems more than a coincidence. ^^'''^ HOMEOPATHISTS OF GaLENA Dr. D. S. Smith, a homeopathist, was practicing in Galena in 1842 when Dr. John Taylor Temple, in Chicago, changed his views on practice. To better acquaint himself with the precepts promulgated by Hahne- mann, Dr. Temple sojourned for a time with Dr. Smith and practiced there for a little while, ^^s Governor Reynolds Recommends a Surgeon Governor Reynolds, sojourning at Yellow Banks, on August 16, 1832, writes Major Bogart that he is informed that a competent physician. Dr. Whiting Anable, is attending the sick in the mounted volunteer company commanded by Captain James White, at Des Moines Rapids on the Mississippi. Knowing the need of more surgeons for the frontier service, he recommends that Dr. Anable be appointed as assistant sur- geon in Bogart 's battalion for the troops stationed on the Mississippi below the Yellow Banks. ^^9 The Mormons and Their Medical History in Nauvoo When the Mormons, under Joseph and Hyrum Smith, failed in their attempts to found colonies in New York, Ohio and Missouri, they were invited for political reasons — the power of their votes — to locate at 127-b Illinois Statutes in Force Feb. 7, 1845. Page 219. 128 History of Chicago. A. T. Andreas. Chicago, 1884. Vol. 1, page 468. 120 Illinois Historical Collections. Alvord-Carter. (Reynolds' letters.) Vol. IV, page 211. 142 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Nauvoo, Illinois. Their stormy career — with their final exodus to Utah — is a matter of history not within the scope of this work. But it is within our province to try to give some account of those in the medical service of that fanatic colony, as well as of the physicians engaged in the practice in Hancock County at the time. One physician was active in their civil affairs, Dr. John C. Bennett. As will be recalled, the Mormons openly opposed the recognition of the Federal Government. They sought to have a government within a government, a dream that could emanate easily from a sect whose leaders continually preached to the most mediocre intellects that they were an enlightened and superior race. Espousing such an impossible cause got Dr. Bennett into conflict with the authorities of Illinois and Missouri in 1841. His talents were evidently above the average, for be- fore he joined the Mormons, Governor Carlin had made him adjutant- general. His appointment to the Supreme Court, where his position as Master in Chancery gave him a check on the Democrats, was highly useful in his church affiliations. As a Mormon, the sect made him Alderman of the city and Major-general of the Nauvoo Legion. He served them well in procuring legislation needed for their independent development. Three charters which passed both houses without opposi- tion were acquired by him, one for the city of Nauvoo, one for a uni- versity of the city, and one for the Nauvoo Legion. But internal dis- sension caused his expulsion from their order. Like so many others, he then ased his talents in maligning those who had elevated him in their councils. The historians of the time state that his star was in the ascendancy for one or two years. He was small in stature, but large in his own estimation, and Governor Ford characterizes him as follows: "This Bennett was probably the greatest scamp in the western country. I have made inquiries concerning him and have traced him in several places in which he has lived before he joined the Mormons — in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois — and he has been everywhere accounted the same debauched, un- principled, and profligate character. He was a man of some little talent and had the confidence of the Mormons and particularly that of their leaders." "When he left the Mormons he moved to Carthage and wrote caustic exposures in the Sangamo Journal, a Whig organ at Springfield. He promised full exposures if the Danites (destroying angels) a secret organization of the Mormon faith that aimed at the destroying of its enemies, would not get him before he accomplished the disclosure. Dr. Robert D. Foster seems to have been in the councils of the Mormon church, for Dr. Bennett asserts that those who did not desert with him were not in favor, even though Dr. Foster, one of them, had CENTERS ON THE WABASH, OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI 143 been selected school commissioner by them. Dr. Bennett opined that this apparent favor was desigried to keep Foster quiet. This seems to have been the situation, for shortly afterward there was printed a Nauvoo publication called The Expositor, and Dr. Foster's name appears among the organizers. The object of the publication was to expose the prophet Joseph Smith. The paper was short-lived, for the church had all the machinery necessary to destroy it. On Friday, June 7, 1844, the first copy appeared, and on Saturday, the 8th, the city council called it a nuisance and ordered it abated, and the edict was carried out. Then there were court proceedings and it was said by some of the witnesses that Dr. Foster was again to join the Mormon church. However, there is nothing in the records to indicate that he did. But the State and its citizens had had enough of the Mormons, and their expulsion from Illinois was ordered, yet slowly accomplished. Much bloodshed and disorder had to be gone through before this act was consummated. The State, through its militia, tried to be fair, but the citizens were impatient, for the Mormons were loath to go. To hurry them up, the citizens organized military expeditions which came into armed conflict with the recalcitrant Mormons. Here again are recorded the names of physicians who are said to have been in the thick of the battle. A Mormon messenger was accused by Dr. "Watson, who made affidavit to the effect that the messenger had killed Lieutenant Worrel. Another, Dr. William E. Matlack, a stranger, entered the fight by establishing a newspaper intended, ostensibly, to further the cause of the Democrats, but in reality an organ of the anti-Mormonists. Its policy considerably hampered the expulsion of the sect by keeping up the hatred that led to murdering and pillaging. The doctor remained the editor of this paper until his death, in 1846. During the winter of 1846-47 "Dr. Isaac Galland" succeeded Dr. Matlack, but owing to his strong pro-Mormonism he was discharged as unfit to edit an anti-Mormon paper, which had by this time changed its name to The New Citizen. A report of his medical activities comes down to us from his pen under the head of "Lusus Naturce." In this article he describes having attended professionally a woman who gave birth to a monster. This freak of nature had two well-formed heads, joined at the shoulder, four arms and three legs. This montrosity he opines was a more remarkable lii^ns nuturce than the famous Siamese twins. It died during delivery. Returning to the Mormon unpleasantness, we learn that among the surgeons in the army manned by the enraged citizens Drs. Berry and Charles, of Warsaw, were in Colonel Brockman's camp. Among the injured in the battle with the army of the Mormons was Dr. Geiger, of 144 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Nauvoo. Thus ended another blot that has besmirched the fair name of Illinois. '^^ Eajily Practitioners in Hancock County In the annals of Hancock County is a story to the effect that a man was saved from losing an arm by a physician who disagreed with his col- leagues as to the advisability of amputation for gangrene. This man, who was living in a malarial district, had two fingers cut off by a circular saw. He neglected the wound and evidently got a severe infection in consequence. One of the physicians called, disagreeing with the other medical attendants, advanced as his opinion the belief that the injured man was full of malarial fever and had no chance of recovery, even though amputation were resorted to, unless quinine were given to saturation. Proceeding with this in mind he trimmed away the gan- grenous areas with his scalpel and filled the wound with quinine. Internally he gave copious doses of the same drug. The price of the drug — six dollars an ounce — did not deter him from following his conviction, says the relater of the story, and adds that the patient re- covered and retained both his arms. Dr. S. A. Thompson, who Avas born in Tennessee in 1812, was a true American, for his father was for five years a Revolutionary soldier, and one of that illustrious company that saw the close of that glorious conflict when Cornwallis' representative offered his sword in surrender at Yorktown. At the age of twenty the young man entered business in Alabama, but returned to his native State one year later, in time to witness the falling of a great meteor in 1833. Later he moved north- ward and settled in Crawfordsville, Ind., from whence he migrated to this county in 1847. He practiced medicine here as an eclectic for many years. He was the county's first supervisor and politically was a Democrat ; however, he transferred his allegiance later to the camp of the Greenbacker, in whose ranks he became a stanch adherent. Dr. Ero Chandler, of "Wilcox Township, was born in Vermont in 1795. After the opening of the National Highway beyond the Alle- ghenies, his parents moved to Zanesville, Ohio (in 1804). There he remained until 1818, when he traveled northward to the Scioto River Valley, where he remained two more years. To the vicinity of the present Jacksonville he next wended his way, arriving in 1820. Here he practiced medicine until 1836, when he moved to this county. Agri- 130 History of Illinois. Thomas Ford. Pages 263, 266. History of Hancock County, Illinois. Thomas Gregg. Chas. C. Chapman & Co. Chicago, 1880. Pages 273, 274, 283, 284, 287, 301, 303, 307, 319, 378, 392, 508, 353, 354. Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Hancock County, Illinois. Bateman-Selby-Curry. Munsell Publishing Co. Chicago, 1921. Pages 841, 842. CENTERS OX THE WABASH, OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI 145 culture and stock-raising for the most part were his occupations here. Dr. Chandler could boast of an illustrious ancestry, for he was de- scended from that sturdy pilgrim Captain Miles Standish, who with his comrades braved in 1620 the uncertainties of the new world, upon the inhospitable shores of ]\Iassachusetts. An account of Dr. Chandler's activities in Jacksonville are covered under Morgan County. Dr. J. M. Randolph, who first saw the light of this earth in 1818, was a son of Gettysburg, Pa., that historic city of the Civil War, and came to Illinois in 1840. Having done collegiate work in the schools of his native city and Cannonsburg, he was well-qualified to take up the more intricate study of medicine when he placed himself under the tutelage of Dr. Pearce, of Canton, Illinois. After receiving ground- work in the practical application of medical work, he attended two terms in the Cincinnati Medical College. Returning to Illinois, he located in Birmingham, Schuyler County. As was common among medical men in pioneer days, the doctor be- came interested in other lines and invested in a mill at Lamoine, Mc- Donough County, to which place he moved. Here he continued to serve the people in medical practice until 1850, when his election to the legislature precluded the possibility of continuing the work he was best- prepared to do. In 1851 he abandoned practice altogether, going to Plymouth, Hancock County, to engage in the mercantile business. A branch store which he established in Carthage became so successful that he moved there and sold out his business in Plymouth. Here in 1867 his public spirit soon manifested itself, for he became actively engaged in the fight for the principles of temperance that was then agitating the nation. This fight bore fruit at the polls when the con- tinuance of license was voted out overwhelmingly by the citizens, and Carthage went on record as opposed to liquor. Dr. Randolph then turned his attention to building and to furthering the growth of his adopted city. He supported the establishment of a college. Two years later he built a business block and, for the less fortunate citizens, two tenement houses. Disposing of his business in 1874, he spent the remaining two years of his life in retirement. Dr. Benjamin Newlon, born in Kentucky in 1833, received his early education in Edgar County (111.) Academy, in which vicinity his parents were engaged in farming. When quite young he took up the study of medicine under Dr. Shubal York, of Peoria, Illinois. In 1845 he entered the confines of Hancock County, and in 1847 located at Dallas City, where he commenced his medical career in partnership with his brother. Dr. John F, Newlon. For five years these brothers worked together for the common weal, and the union dissolved only when the 146 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS older brother left for a distant field in Kansas. After many years of service Dr. Benjamin Newlon's health failed and his younger brother, Dr. William Newlon, relieved him of the greater part of his practice in 1862. Records show he wrote the first charter of Dallas City when it was laid out, and that, with Colonel Rollosson, in 1859, he took part in the lobbying for its passage and was successful in receiving the legis- lative approbation. He penned an ordinance for the city's guidance in legal matters. As an evidence of the confidence reposed in him by the people, he was elected the first mayor and later supervisor. As a Mason he served that order in practically all higher branches of officialdom, for he was well-grounded in the lore of the organization. But by far the most important of his non-medical avocations was his literary work as editor of the Dallas City Democrat. His literary work which appeared under the nom de plume, "Don Osso," had a wide vogue among the readers of the day. In his youth the doctor studied law and was ad- mitted to the supreme court of the State, but never practiced. He was a life-long Democrat, a staunch Unionist, ardent and liberal in his re- ligious views. Dr. George Coulson, a native of Virginia, located in La Harpe in 1834 and was one of the first practicing physicians in that village. He re- mained there until 1840, when he moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and there he died in 1851. During the last ten years of his life he was asso- ciated with the Mormons. ^^^ The Republic op Icaria Interesting is the story of the Icarians (so named after one of Victor Hugo's novels), a communistic experiment in colonization in 1849 at Nauvoo, two years after the Mormons left for Utah. The denizens of this Utopia were recruited from six countries under the leadership of Etienne Cabet, the son of a cooper, who was at one time attorney-general of France under the Second Republic. This visionary hoped to effect a practical improvement over the established order of society, especially as it existed during the times of political unrest in France in which he lived. The twelve hundred inhabitants, more or less, were transplanted to America from all walks of life. Each was expected to lose his individ- uality in a work for the common weal. Among them were one of the leading physicians of Vienna and an architect who later was entrusted with the erection of the state capitals of Illinois and Iowa. Equality was the magic word that was to level the intellectual to the status of the 131 History of Hancock County, Illinois. Thomas Gregg. Chas. C. Chap- man & Co. Chicago, 1880. Pages 508, 623, 624, 644, 645, 740, 741, 943, 944, 900. CENTERS ON THE WABASH, OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI 147 laborer, with his single-track mind. For a while enthusiasm ran high for they believed that their example of singleness of purpose would convert the outside world. None of them, at first, was averse to sitting at a com- mon table to partake of rations that were to cost but seven cents per capita a day. Only in the matter of housing was there any sign of indi- vidualism, for each family had its own abode, except that, in event of sickness, the sexes were segregated into two hospitals. But ere long, prosperity brought discontent and ultimate dissension in its wake and the withdrawal of one faction, to settle in Iowa. The world was not impressed with the founder's experiment and no new recruits came to take the places of the deserters. Thus one more communistic movement went into the discard. In the matter of procuring medical men who would adapt themselves to their mode of life, the Icarians were unfortunate. Dr. Leclerc, who was one of the leaders of the vanguard, made an impassioned speech before they left France, holding out prospects of a marvelous future; but upon their arrival in New Orleans, in 1848, he abandoned his brothers, enticed others to desert, and misappropriated for his own use, the four hundred francs remitted to him with which to purchase medi- cines. The party repaired to Sulphur Prairie in Texas on the Red River, where malarial fever broke out among them, several deaths re- sulting. Dr. Roveira, a Spanish physician who attended them, was accused of carelessness and incompetence. Later, at New Orleans, he fomented dissension, contracted a fever, and ended his career with them when insanity followed his sickness. In the early part of 1850, Dr. Taxil, a homeopathist, who had practiced in Marseilles and Toulon, whose specialty was obstetrics, entered the colony to remain only a year, deserting his post as did also his two assistants when the hospital was full of patients. His successor. Dr. Ebers, was not an Icarian by con- viction, and stayed only four months, leaving the colony without a doctor when the cholera was raging. The organization of medical services for the colony had been for the founder a continual source of anxiety and a heavy expense. ^^^"* 131-a Annals of Iowa. Chas. Aldrich, A. M. Vol. VI, pages 107-114. Illinois, the Story of the Prairie State. Grace Humphrey. Pages 231, 232. Chicago's Highways, Old and New. M. M. Quaife. Pages 250, 251. American Communities, Wm. A. Hinds, Ph. D. Charles H. Kerr & Co. Chicago, 1902. Page 328. Icaria, a Chapter in the History of Communism. Albert Shaw, Ph. D. G. P. Putnam's Sons. New York and London, 1884. Pages 36, 155. Icarie et son Fondateur, jfetienne Cabet. Par Jules Prudhommeaux. Publica- tions de la Societe, Nouvelle de Libraire et d'Edition. Edouard Cornely & Cie., Editeurs. Paris, 1907. Pages 216, 217, 218, 220, 233, 238, 242, 311. CHAPTER IX DARK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY THE long control of the Chicago Portage by belligerent tribes of Indians, which operated against French trade expansion through a greater part of the eighteenth century, leaven us few contemporary writings, except occasional hints that the trade was going through in a limited way. The French colonies at Kaskaskia and Cahokia suffered greatly for want of trade communication M'ith the home gov- ernment at Quebec, during the blockade, and were forced to take the longer route by way of the Mississippi, Ohio and Waba,sh, through the Fort Wayne Portage and the Maumee River into Lake Erie. Because of this, they sought to destroy the Foxes at their rendezvous at IMera- mech in 1728. While they almost accomplished this, they were un- successful in opening the trade route, for the survivors of the valiant Foxes united with the Sacs and still held the Wisconsin, Kankakee and Chicago portages. Cerre, according to traditional statement, crossed the portage with goods, sometime after the year 1756, but had some difficulty getting through because of the demand for tribute money by the controlling tribe at Cache Island (Romeo, 111.).^^^ Two relics have come down to us from this period which seem to show that some trade was passing the blockade, the rapier blade (now in the museum of the Chicago Historical Society) which was found in an old hulk of a boat at 16th and South Branch, where Felix Marston's warehouse stands, with the date marked upon it of 1741, and a fount with "1752" engraved upon it, found by workingmen while excavating for the abutment for the South Halsted Street bridge. The fount is now loaned to the Chicago Historical Society for the early Chicago exhibit. Miss Caroline M, Mcllvaine, former librarian for the society, has happily named this period of little knowledge the "Dark Age of Chicago's History." Traders of the Dark-age Period — Illness of Rocheblave's Family The two traders, Gabriel Cerre, previously mentioned, and Philipe ^ De Rocheblave, carried on their trade through the portage with a fair degree of success through the stormy period of the Fox and Sac 132 Chicago and the Old Northwest — 1673-1835. M. M. Quaife. Pages 18, 19. 148 DAEK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY 149 wars, but principally through their friendship with these Indians and their allegiance to the British, when they inherited the fur trade after their defeat of the French. The French traders, with their hearts yearning for the return of the power of their king, did not know, through the fortunes of war, which master to serve. Some saw that their interests lay with the British, and others, with the Americans, when the latter got control. Cerre, through his trade activities, got himself into trouble with his American competitors. In 1778 we find him a resident of Kaskaskia during the turbulent times of George Rogers Clark's occupation with his competitors, American traders. Bentley, whose activities seem to prove that he gave Clark information concerning the \ailnerability of the British garrison at Kaskaskia and Chartres, which Clark so brilliantly im- proved, took advantage of Cerre 's absence in the trade to inform Clark of the Frenchman's British allegiance. When Cerre returned, the latter tried to give proof of his submission to Clark's rule. At the court of inquiry evidence was brought in that Cerre had friendly relations with the Foxes and Sacs, which gave him immunity from at- tack in going through the Chicago trade route. ^^^ The other trader, Solditir Philipe de Rocheblave, gave services to the British during the cam- ^^^^ paigns of the Revolutionary period, and hence was isolated in Quebec ^ ** ^^*^ when American victory was complete in 1783. He wrote Governor Haldimand for pay for his services, but then, as now, the helpers of losing causes got scant courtesy. His pleadings evidently fell on deaf ears. He states that he is forced to present his claims at once, for "I must go to Chicago for Madame de Rocheblave and the rest of my family and settle my affairs in the upper country." He also writes that his children are sick there, which information he thought might swaj' the governor. He feared the governor would leave for a much-needed rest after his campaigns, without settling with him, thereby leaving him stranded. He reminded the governor of his zeal for the welfare of the service and begged for at least a short answer to his letter. ^^^ During this period, one man, Du Sable, from time to time resided at Chicago and carried on trade with the Indians from 1779 till about 1796. ^25 British control of the northwest terminated when Wayne defeated Little Turtle in 1794, at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The Indians had held their grip upon the region even after the Treaty of 133 Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. V. (1778-1790). Pages 48, 49, 8, 168, 171, 203, 24, 29, 155, 154. 134 Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. V. Page 352. 136 Chicago and the Old Northwest. Quaife. Pages 138-142; 286. 150 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS 1783, until forced by that victory, to surrender it. For trade reasons, the British, by inciting the Indians to prey upon the settlers, made the situation intolerable, and Washington began to look around for a suitable man to free the country of the hostile Indians and their British allies. Unsuccessful attempts by Hardin and St. Clair to defeat the Indians under Little Turtle convinced Washington that their successor must be a man of indomitable ■will and possessed of tact enough to make a binding treaty. Although he knew that Wayne possessed the former attribute, George Washington had none too great confidence in his executive ability. After deliberation he rejected his own plan of selecting "Light-Horse Harry" Lee for the appointment. He decided that Wayne, because of his seniority, must be accorded the task, so he sent him upon the all- important mission that, so happily for the white man — restored peace and, so unhappily for the red man, deprived the latter of his hunting grounds. But, be it said for Wayne, he rose to a diplomatic as well as military height that his critics little dreamed he was capable of attaining. Illinois received a far-reaching benefit, when the assurance was given that the old trade-route at Chicago connecting the Great Lakes and the Mississippi, would be opened again, and preserves at Chicago, Peoria, and at the mouth of the Illinois River would have military protection. In the Treaty of Greenville there was written a proviso that areas six miles square should be set aside at Chicago and Peoria and twelve miles at the mouth of the Illinois River, and that these points should be fortified. Eight years later the old question, so long dormant, of the connecting of these vast water systems at Chicago through the isthmus of land, the continental divide at the point of 41 degrees, 50 minutes, from the pole — the feasibility of which Joliet glowingly described in his verbal report to his superior — again took form by the bill of Senator Gallatin (in 1808). The story of the slow accomplishment of this feat and a recital of the causes of the delaj'', come not within the province of this history. ^^^ Fort Dearborn Established But one feature thereof, the establishment of a garrison to protect the trade route and the settlers engaging in the traffic, does come within the scope of the work, for the soldier and civilian needed medical care on the frontier. The medical officers and their activities form a part of the medical history of our State, which is here compiled 136 Chicago and the Old Northwest. Quaife. Pages 199, 115-127; 292, 340-343; 236, 268. DAEK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY 151 and presented for the benefit of those seeking such knowledge. For eight years before the arrival of the garrison the records show no refer- ences to any regular practitioner, as might well be expected, in view of the fact that only a few traders occupied the swampy tract which now is the heart of the great city that has risen upon it. One of these traders, Du Pin, dabbled a little in medicine. He prescribed, through the solicitation of Black Partridge, for an infant of Mrs. Lee when she was a captive after the Fort Dearborn massacre. From the record we learn that he carried some medicines during his residence here. That his services were in demand, and that he had some measure of success in these administrations, seems likely from the account of him by Mrs. Kinzie. ^^^ The Troops, with Surgeon Smith, Arrive to Build Fort Dearborn The first regular physician of Chicago was Dr. Wm. C. Smith, who "presumably" accompanied Whistler's troops in the overland journey of the summer of 1803. Knowledge of his earlier career is meager but, as he remained five years, records of his activities show he had plenty of opportunity to display his medical skill. In a letter of Decem- ber of the same j'ear he recounts his experiences on the frontier. Pro- gress in building the fort was slow and the military was housed in camps, which accounts in a measure for the wide prevalence of the curse of the swamps, bilious fever. Dr. Smith fared better in the problem of housing facilities, for he secured the old house that had been oc- cupied by John Kinzie — who was then at St. Joseph, Mich. This house was opposite to the fort site on the north side of the river. Previous to Kinzie 's residence here this same house was almost the only one in the region, for Point du Sable probably carried on his activities of fur trader in it from as early as 1779. Sharing it with La Lime, Dr. Smith was congenially domiciled, as his companion was above the average in intelligence. That even the better housing con- ditions after the completion of the fort did not lessen the work of Surgeon Smith is evident by the report of Major Whistler, in which he announces that ''half my men were ill with ague." During Dr. Smith's incumbency he had an unpleasant experience resulting from a quarrel the details of which are somewhat obscure. Lieutenant Campbell raised charges against him and he in turn pre- ferred charges against Whistler. Thereupon Whistler used his pre- rogative as a superior officer, putting Dr. Smith under arrest. To quote a contemporary letter : "A flame was kindled. ' ' Whistler threw 137 Waubun. Mrs. Juliette Kinzie. Page 190. 152 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS no further light upon the causes of the feud when he reported only the fact of the arrest of Dr. Smith. lie attempted to close the in- cident by appending that "the thing was too disagreeable to report." A few months later Campbell resigned and Smith and Whistler seem to have let the matter rest, for both served together for several years beyond that time. ^^^ Dr. John Cooper, of New York, Succeeds Dr. Smith in 1808. Through a friend of Cooper's, General Grant Wilson, we know more about him than about Dr. Smith. Dr. Cooper came from a valiant stock, for his grandfather was a British soldier who served under Wolfe at Quebec and was near that great leader when he fell on the Plains of Abraham. However, Cooper was not an Englishman, but an American, born and educated in Fishkill, New York. At twenty- two he crossed New York to the head of Lake Erie at Buffalo, the entrepot of the early days to the countiy of the Great Lakes. On the brig "Adams," a ship of Commodore Brevoort's "naAy of the lakes," he sailed. One week on Lake Erie and one week, with stops, through the Straits, with a few days' delay at Mackinac, brought him to Chicago, where he remained three years. Cooper had a literary bent, which he used freely to give us good pen-pictures of the life in the desolate frontier post. But Cooper evidently made life a little bit brighter for himself by his love for the pleasure of the hunt, which we picture in retrospect. The possession of two good saddle-horses, and a good dog, insured him at least freedom from loneliness in his leisure moments. On one occasion his dog gave a good account of his mettle. Within a week of his arrival three deer, venturing to pass the fort, were chased by dogs, including that of the doctor. The deer, trying to escape the fury of the dogs, took to the stream. A young soldier who was in a canoe swam after one, caught its neck and drowned it. Cooper's dog seized a second, and only one, a stag, reached the opposite side and disappeared in the thicket. It would not be outside the realm of possibility to surmise that venison was on the menu at the fort for at least a few days after the exciting chase. Another story will no doubt interest the huntsmen of our clan who office in the "Loop," the scene of this tale of a little over one hundred 138 Chicago and the Old Northwest. Quaife. Pages 142, 171, 172. Chicago as a Medical and Surgical Center. I. The Surgeons of Fort Dear- born. Journal of Surgo'y, Gynecology and Otstetrics, May, 1913. M. M. Quaife. (This article was written through the solicitation of Dr. Otto L. Schmidt, president of the Illinois and Chicago Historical societies.) Illinois Town (East St. Lons) The western terminus of the "National Road" surveyed in 1820 as an extension of the "Cumberland Road," through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, through the influence of Henry Clay. From Wild's "Valley of the Mississippi." 7.S'//. Reprodticed through the eourtesy of the Chicago Historical Society. [See P. .?.''.-' I Sir Wm. Johnson's Mansion, Johnstown, N. Y. Showing stone fort to protect it against invasion. Because of the encroachments of the French, Sir Wm. Johnson and Mr. Atkins were in 1754 appointed first Superintendents for Indian Affairs. After the French and Indian War, during the British regime, Johnson Hall served as the capitol of the Illinois country. Photograph hy Dr. Zeuch. [See P. 'i-l] DARK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY 153 years since. These huntsmen who now go to northern Canada for the same thrill, are reminded that Cooper, being unarmed, was once forced to relinquish his chance to bag a wild beast. With Whistler, he was riding in the woods one-half mile from the fort, when a wolf crossed their path. Imagine their consternation when the dogs brought him to bay, only to lose him again for want of a man's weapon, which, only, would have brought him down. The dogs respected the sharpness of his teeth and desisted from giving any further battle. But while these experiences so delightful to the hunter are interesting, there remains further evidence of Cooper's skill as a descriptive story-teller in his recount of an athletic feat that, if it were staged today in the same vicinity where now stand the canyons comprising the "Loop," would fill a great stadium with denizens of the neighborhood. Even in that remote day all the sports of the realm turned out to see the contest. Survival of the Fittest Lieutenant Whistler, over six feet tall, was a strong man and might with propriety be called the "white hope" of that day. A Pottawato- mie chief visited the fort and sung the praises of one of his fleet-footed runners. He held the undisputed championship of his race, and the chief proposed a match with the best the whites could produce. Of course, no red-blooded white man could brush aside such a challenge. Whistler himself undertook the "white man's burden" of defending the supremacy of the white race in all matters. A five-mile foot-race was arranged. Like the early pugilistic contestants, Whistler bet on himself to the extent of his possessions, his horse and accouterments against the horse and trappings of the chief. The motley array of the adherents of their respective champions staked their ponies on the outcome. Several hundred Indians and the entire garrison of soldiers witnessed the contest. It is safe to say that the forest reverberated as many echoes as there were soldiers in the garrison, w^hen Whistler won bj' a few yards. Sequel of the Contest A few years later, during the War of 1812, when the same chief was serving the British, he saw a chance to get revenge upon the valiant Whistler for the defeat of a former time. Sending a challenge to mortal combat with knife, sword and tomahawk, but no firearms, as he deemed them unworthy of the red man's skill, he stoically awaited an answer. The challenge wa.s not personal to the lieutenant, but to any officer or soldier he might send. Whistler, however, believed not 154 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS in sending proxies to do a job he could himself better perform. Ac- cepting the conditions laid down by the chief, he entered the contest with his usual alacrity, with the result that the red man departed for the proverbial happy hunting-ground. In the more prosaic fields of agriculture and census-taking, Dr. Cooper gives us, through his habits of observation, a description of the locality. We learn that the commanding officer's gardens were south of the fort, where he had a patch which he cultivated ; and a house a mile to the southeast was owned by a farmer who supplied the garrison with butter and eggs; also one near the forks of the river was occupied by a man named Clark, a cattle dealer. Commenting upon the personnel of the garrison, he states that eighteen out of the fifty-nine men under Whistler were foreigners. Regarding the oc- cupants of the huts north of the river, he informs us that in one was a discharged soldier and in the other Mr. Coursoll. The Bums family, described by Mrs. Kinzie, he did not mention. That there were others omitted in his report is certain, for we can but quote the fact that there were fifteen militia-men outside the fort in Captain Heald's time, of those recruited to avenge the Lee farm murders that were perpetrated in a cabin upon the north bank of the south branch of the river at the foot of what is now May Street. SuTTLiNG Creates a Status Belli As in the case of the Whistler-Smith feud, again we find the few officers in the frontier fort at war with each other, but this time the breach could not be bridged by one resignation. The source of this feud was the rivalry created by a petty trade within the fort in 1807. John Kinzie and John Whistler, Jr., the young son of the command- ant, were in partnership in the business of suttling for the soldiers of the fort. "Suttling" is to furnish such articles as the government does not have for the needs or wants of the soldiers. But for some reason this business union was dissolved. Discord was certain to follow when Dr. Cooper sought and obtained from the Secretary of War permission to prosecute this trade within the garrison. Outside of the commandant's sphere of activities were two other government officials, the U. S. Indian agent, Jouett, and Matthew Irwin, the factor, or man in charge of the trading-house for Indian supplies. These officials Kinzie enlisted in his cause, for he resented the encroachments of Cooper on the trade he had formerly divided with Whistler's son. To add to the bitterness of the fight. Lieuten- ant Thompson joined the Kinzie-Irwin-Jouett coalition. Lieutenant DARK AGE OF CHICAGO ^S HISTORY 155 Hamilton, son-in-law of Whistler, sided with the latter. Whistler called his enemies "mali^ant wretches," and added that Jouett was defrauding the public and that Thompson was a mere tool in their hands, whom they despised even while using him. ("Jouett had told of his running away to escape paying his landlord.") And Whistler added that "he had acknowledged himself a liar." Things looked ominous when Dr. Cooper bore a challenge of a duel to be fought by Lieutenant Hamilton with Kinzie. Kinzie declined, but vented his spleen upon the challenger and second by a barrage of expletives which, if they had found their way into print, might have formed interesting reading. Cooper, commenting upon the incident a half-century later, char- acterized Kinzie as a man of ungovernable temper who frequently engaged in bitter quarrels. The opposition then resorted to the steam roller to get Whistler out of Chicago and out of the army, if possible, by taking the fight to Kingsbury in Washington. Whistler, Hamilton and Cooper were charged with conspiracy to get Irwin out of office ; also with the beating of a soldier who would not trade with Whistler's son, and defrauding the government through his raising ten acres of corn by using the soldiers as workmen. Cooper showed his friendship for his chief by writing to Kingsbury that he was willing to sell his own life to prove Whistler's innocence. The doctor added that he would prefer against Thompson charges which he believed would in- evitably "brake him." And so the feud went on, as if so many school boys were fighting, instead of mature men. To decide which side was right we quote the significant fact that Captain Heald, who supplanted Whistler when the government decided on a change of commanders, stated that, things were left in good order by his predecessor, that he "paid particular attention to every part of his duty," and that he did not raise large quantities of corn. The officials thought best to wipe their hands of the mess, with but a cursory investigation and a wholesale transfer- ring of the military officers involved, which was in effect a triumph for their enemies. Jouett and Irwin remained at Chicago. Whistler exchanged his command with Heald at Fort Wayne, while Hamilton went to Fort Belle Fontaine. Thompson remained in Chicago and Dr. Cooper soon resigned, rather than live in so uncongenial an atmo- sphere, "where one could so easily be injured in the opinion of the heads of the department." Quaife pays tribute to Cooper in the follow- ing terms : "Thus in gloom and defeat departed the man who M'ith more pro- 156 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS priety than any other may be called the father of Chicago. That he felt keenly the blow that had been dealt him is shown by his letters to Kingsbury. He was old and infirm, his wife was ill, and he had a large family of young children to support, with little property and burdened with debt." Ope can well picture the gloom that attended the little party on the long march eastward by way of the Detroit Trace, which took fourteen days. To Port Wayne and Pittsburgh they wended their way farther, and then came the long tramp through the passes and over the mountains to Poughkeepsie, near the home of the scenes of his early training. That he subsequently lived a useful and honorable life to a ripe old age can be inferred by the half -century that elapsed before his demise in 1863. We, as soldiers in the same field, may well be proud that a famous historian gives him the high honor of the title of "Father of Chicago." i^o Dr. Van Voorhis Succeeds Dr. Cooper in 1811 Cooper's place was filled by Dr. Isaac Van Voorhis (also spelled "Voorhees" and "Voorhes") of Fishkill, N. Y., and of the same class as Cooper's in college. He found the fort officered by the men who later evacuated it on that fatal day, August 15, 1812. At the almost boyish age of twenty-one he embarked in medical practice, an early graduate compared to our present physicians. At twenty-two years he had by unfortunate circumstances closed his career — "a young man of unusual breadth of vision and loftiness of ideals." When asked to go to Fort Osage, the remotest outpost of the government, he displayed a refreshing Americanism in his answer : "I am ready to serve my country wherever my services may be required." On a bleak October day in 1811, a few months after his arrival in the lonely wilderness at the mouth of the Chicago River, he wrote in a pathetic strain to a friend: "In my solitary walks I contemplate what a great and powerful republic will yet arise in this new world. Here I say will be the seat of millions yet unborn, the asylum of op- pressed thousands yet to come. How composedly would I die could I be resuscitated at that bright era of American greatness — an era which I hope will announce the tidings of death to fell superstition and dread tyranny." ^^'^ 139 Chicago and the Old Northwest. Quaife. Pages 170, 171, 160, 161, 165-167; 172-176. 140 Early Medical Chicago. James Nevins Hyde. (Pamphlet.) Chicago and the Old Northwest. Quaife. Page 177. Chicago as a Medical and Surgical Center. I. The Surgeons of Fort Dear- born. Journal of Surgery, Gynecology and' Obstetrics. 1913. Quaife. Page 2. DARK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY 157 I am glad of the opportunity to write this prophecy of one of our predecessors and I am more than glad that it has been my privilege to be one of those native sons who have seen it fulfilled. I sincerely hope that our profession will in some future day commemorate the names of both Cooper and Van Voorhis by a suitable memorial upon the east end of the Wacker Drive, the scene of the activities of these prophets of one hundred years since. In passing it might be well to point out that another man of the distant past with like vision made the same keen observation as to the future greatness of the post of Chicago. One hundred and thirty-two years before the immortal words of Van Voorhis were written, the observant La Salle believed this region the site of a coming empire, a belief which has been fulfilled beyond the most sanguine expectations. The Sad End of Dr. Van Voorhis On August 15, 1812, about a year after his arrival at Fort Dearborn, the young surgeon gave his life for the country he so patriotically served. Surely we can well state that he was a man above the average in training and culture. By the irony of fate, written accounts of his conduct on the field of battle have singled him out for the ignominy of having died a coward. Mrs. Kinzie, historian of the trader and his family, drawing from recollection of events that transpired thirty years previously, makes it appear that Van Voorhis died begging for clemency in the Indian massacre. Quaife quotes Heald, the command- ant, in his report on the disaster, as a contradiction of this ignoble account of the episode and says it was "an event of great sorrow." The eminent Dr. James Nevins Hyde, in commenting upon this in- justice done the name of this unusual young man, states : "Too many surgeons have exhibited not only consummate skill, but a splendid courage upon the field of battle, for their professional brethren to doubt the compatibility of these virtues. They will only remember, therefore, of their martyred representative in the battle of Chicago, that he was sorely wounded in the discharge of his professional duties, and that he died the death of a soldier." He further elaborates upon the details of the battle as recorded by Mrs. Kinzie : Van Voorhis came up to Mrs. Helm during the hottest part of the engagement, severely wounded from a ball in his leg, anguish in his face, terror-stricken, begging in cowardlj^ fashion to be spared. Hyde believed that the man was dying and that the state- ment he made was one coming from a man "in articulo mortis" and therefore should have been accepted with great reserve. Dj'ing on the battle-field, he should not have received the calumny of a 158 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS ■woman. ^^^ Captain Ileald, in his official report, deeply deplored the loss of Van Voorhis. That he was sorely missed after the massacre can well be judged by the fact that John Kinzie applied to an old Indian chief with re- puted skill to extract a bullet ball from Mrs. Heald's arm. The Indian declined to perform the necessary surgical feat, giving as a reason therefor (which one would hardly expect from a member of an un- emotional race), "I cannot do it; it makes me sick here" — laying his hand on his heart. Thereupon the self-appointed lay surgeon, John Kinzie, extracted the bullet with his own pen-knife, declining the use of the instruments of the fort surgeon, which had fallen into the Indians' hands. This crude bit of frontier surgery seems to have been attended with no serious consequences, despite the lack of asepsis. The ''laudable pus" of our ancestors possibly helped the natural re- sistance of the pioneer lady to bring about the happy sequence. The rest of the survivors sorely missed the surgeon, as might have been expected from the number of wounded among the soldiers. Captain Heald was shot twice in the hip, carrying the unhealed wounds to his grave twenty years later. Lieutenant Helm had a heel Avound. Mrs. Heald had several wounds which, fortunately, were not serious. The dearth of regular physicians on the frontier was well reflected in the case of Captain Heald's wounds, for the records show that he paid ten dollars to an Indian doctor for crude services while a captive at St. Joseph, Michigan, following the disastrous Fort Dearborn Mas- sacre on the sands of Lake Michigan where stood for years the palatial house of our former early resident, George M. Pullman. ^*- Dr. Gale Arrives with the Troops in 1816 When the troops arrived to re-establish Fort Dearborn after an absence of garrison life of four years, they found a most gruesome sight at what is now Eighteenth Street and Lake Michigan. The Indians who had perpetrated the fearful massacre were not interested in removing the remains of their victims. But one interest did they have in the dead victims of their treacherous hands and that was the heart of the intrepid Captain Wells (the bravest, as they thought), i-fi Chicago and the Old Northwest. Quaife. Page 386. Chicago as a Medical and Surgical Center. I. The Surgeons of Fort Dear- born. Journal of Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics. Quaife. Pages 1-6. Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Pages 4, 5. 142 Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Page 6. Chicago and the Old Northwest. Quaife. Page 241. Journal of Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics. Quaife. Pages 2, 3, DARK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY 159 which they ate so that they might imbibe his spirit of bravery. Their undisputed possession of the region made it impossible for white men to give the fallen martyrs a decent burial. But one white man, Ouilmette, dwelt unmolested among the red men at the mouth of the river, as a sole representative of the proud race of pale-faces who, with their superior knowledge of firearms and de- fense, had held the original possessors of the land so long in abeyance. The sight of the bones of their late predecessors of the fort was well calculated to give them full respect for the fury of the aborigines. So, when Captain Bradley rebuilt the fort in 1816, precautions were taken through the lessons of the past not to fall again into the trap of the wily red man. But in military history w^e have only a passing interest, so let us focus our attention upon the medical side of the military occupation. Dr. Gale served at Chicago two years, and to him we are indebted for a story which a famous historian characterizes as historical flotsam. We recount it because, if not true in all its details, it at least forms interesting reading for those readers who delight in a story of adventure. Polygamy in the Wilderness In October of the year w^hich was again auspiciously to open the activities of the white man in the wilderness, the men selecting timber for the rebuilding of the fort went up the north branch of the Chicago River, which formerly was called the River Guarie. They saw, among the large trees on the banks of that sluggish stream, an Indian hut half concealed from view. Their attention was directed to the abode by the shrieks of the squaws who saw their skiff. Thinking this shriek an alarm to call belligerent red men, they were about to retreat. Their determination was halted by the voice of a white man, who im- portuned them to speak to him. Upon close contact the man informed them that he was one of the ill-fated garrison of 1812 and was wounded in the massacre, but saved from the scalping-knife by an elderly squaw, whom he had befriended with food. Like the more famous benefactress of a white man, Pocahontas, she saved him from the warriors' pastime of adding his scalp to the collection of the day. With the aid of her girls she moved him to a point of safety across the river. With true feminine instinct the old squaw asked reward and proposed that he take her as his wife, which in his injured state he was forced to do or stan-e. But the valiant woman had a year since passed away, whereupon he showed his respect for her departed soul by taking both the elder 160 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS daughters as squaws. There was a third daughter too young as yet to join the partnership, for she was but one hundred and fifty moons, or thirteen years old. The sawyers reported their find to Dr. Gale, who, with a surgeon's curiosity, went to view the injured parts, which had not received any skilled attention. Fortified with presents for the squaws, they repaired to the spot where they expected to find again the disabled soldier. To their surprise, no signs of the object of their quest were visible. Upon further investigation, they found the quartette at the mother's grave, about to leave their home for parts where they would be more secure from the intrusions of white men. To insure the retention of the youngest daughter, the soldier had taken her also as a wife. Dr. Gale found the wounds healed, but with great deformities. One leg was shortened and one arm anliylosed. The surgeon took the man's name and a personal account of his adven- tures and tendered an invitation for him to return to civilization, if he would dispense wdth the squaws. The man promised to visit the fort if the soldiers would desist from ridiculing the little squaw. The surgeon left with the adjutant his report of the excursion, but that officer is reported to have lost it, and the present version was drawn from the memory of a local historian seventy-five years later. June, 1818, Gale was promoted to full rank as a surgeon and transferred to another state, i-^s An Obstetric Tragedy of the Outpost Shortly after the fort again became an established fact, Jacob Vamum was appointed factor at Chicago to look after the Indian trade, which had fallen to the independent fur traders, who were none too scrupulous in their dealings with the dull aborigines, and fre- quently got the longest end of the transaction. The factor was to sell for ten per cent less to the red man, which it was hoped would create a better feeling of trust in the government. Varnum married a lovely woman from the east, who before her marriage was spending the summer with her sister in Mackinac, when young Varnimi stopped there on his way to his charge in Chicago. His ardent devotion to her won her consent to marriage, and the couple seemed assured of a happy journey through life together. That the young wife was beau- tiful, we have more convincing proof from a contemporary woman's pen than a lover's poetic fancy, and she has been described as a beautiful tall brunette. 1-13 Chicago and the Old Northwest. Quaife. Pages 228, 144, 264-267. Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Page 6. Chicago as a Medical and Surgical Center. Quaife. Page 3. Paut From an original edition ii Paut (II Tiios. HuTciiiN's Famous Map oi P'rora an original edition in the British Museum, showing the greater pari of the territory known as the Illinois Country. DARK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY 161 But love must of necessity be strong to withstand the insult to the finer senses inflicted by a cottage like the hut north of the river, where they were obliged to live, for want of a better place. Accord- ing to the chronicler of the time, "The winter passed pleasantly enough. For him there was hunting; for the wife, loneliness and approaching maternity. In spring she fell ill. Her sister came to nurse her. In June, 1817, the birth occurred, but the child was still- bom and the trial killed the mother. ' ' Whether dystocia or hemorrhage caused the unhappy termination, we leave to our readers to picture. Certainly a long labor there was, for the husband comments : ' ' The long-suffering mother survived but a few moments." The simple words of the husband give full testimony of the pangs within his breast. "Thus was I bereft of a beloved wife and the an- ticipated hope of a family. The mother, with the child in her arms, was placed in a rude coffin and buried a few yards from the house, where she rested when I left Chicago in 1822." The question might be raised, where was Dr. Gale in the poor woman's dilemma? Could he not have rendered the aid which might have saved her life? Prob- ably he was on a leave at this time, otherwise some mention of his presence would surely have been made by the poor grief-stricken husband. ^^^ Dr. McMahon Arrives at the Post for Service, But is Succeeded BY Dr. Wm. S. Madison Not in perfect health. Dr. McMahon failed to withstand the rigors of the frontier post, so gave up his commission. Dr. "William S. Madi- son succeeded him, only to be shortly transferred to Louisville. It is sad to record that, as in the case of Dr. Van Voorhis, the unrest of the times brought him to an untimely end, the Chippewa uprising causing his martyrdom on the field of battle in May, 1821. The Surgeons Hall Take up the Work In the following September, surgeon ]\I. H. T. Hall arrived, but stayed only two months, being succeeded by his namesake, Dr. Thomas P. Hall, who continued at the fort until the garrison was withdrawn, September, 1823. Among his associates were men who were famous in that day, whose company made life of more than ordinary interest to Dr. Hall. The commandant, Lieutenant-Colonel John McNiel, who served in the War of 1812, was twice mentioned for bravery, first in the Battle of Chippewa and later in the second battle of Niagara. The "^ Chicago and the Old Northwest. Quaife. Pages 270-275. The Northwest and Chicago. Rufus Blanchard. Page 477. 162 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS post was also graced by Mrs. McNiel, a half-sister of Franklin Pierce, the future president of the United States. She undoubtedly made life a little cheerier socially than had been the good fortune of some of Colonel McNeill's predecessors. James Watson Webb, who later in life acquired fame in politics, diplomacy and journalism, also a contemporary member of the post, helped to enliven the monotony of routine life that was the lot of those in the wilderness. Isolation was not so complete in the summer-time, for the fur trade had now reached to a considerable proportion. With the arrival of the American Fur Company brigade in June, which plied the lakes till October, the monotony of the camp was enlivened. On every boat there was some arrival whose news from the outside world furnished new topics of conversation. But out of season, when the vessels could not ply the lakes, life was indeed dull. The interest aroused by the arrival of a newcomer unexpectedly is well exemplified by the delight with which the colony welcomed Samuel A. Storrow, who was making a tour of the Northwest in October, 1817. When he appeared on the north bank, and later entered the fort, he was hailed as "one arrived from the moon." Hunting and fishing and an occasional contest with the Indians made time pass, although slowly. James Watson Webb, in his recollec- tions, gives us a picture of the brighter side of these wearisome winter months. He characterizes the fort coterie as "a group of famous hunters." Dr. Hall especially is singled out as a great adherent of Diana, being dubbed "master of the hunt." That the sobriquet was not unearned by the doctor is evidenced by the recording of his hav- ing a pack of twenty foxhounds. But lest we might infer that his de- votion to that sport prevented him from taking his medical duties seriously, we quote to the contrary Keating, the historian of the Llajor Long expedition to the source of the St. Peter's River: "The doctor's devotion to sport did not preclude interest in scientific pursuits." Webb, in his articles on the characteristics of the Pottawatomies, "acknowledges his indebtedness to a 'valuable manuscript of observa- tions,' communicated to him by Dr. Hall and especially emphasized the value of the medical portion of his notes." The medical portion of this manuscript was a valuable contribution to the literature of the time. During his regime, the garrison seems to have enjoyed a period of comparative immunity from devastating epidemics, as the following statistics show. In 1822 there were eighty-seven men in the garrison, with but one death. In 1823 there were ninety-five men, with three deaths. DAEK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY 163 So closes the first list of doctors who have contributed their share to the military history of the outpost. For five years following 1823 the walls of Fort Dearborn did not re-echo to the sentinel's call nor was a gun fired at sunset or sunrise. But when the Indians of Wis- consin became restive in 1828 — an outbreak being prevented by Gov- ernor Cass — an order to re-open was promulgated and the new gar- rison was installed, with Dr. C. A. Finley as the surgeon. But before we go on with the medical history of the fort surgeons, we must give space to the civilian doctors, who also contributed to the annals of medicine in the naked country at the mouth of the Chicago River. ^^^ First Civilian Doctor Ax,so a Government Official Dr. Alexander Wolcott came from Connecticut to Chicago in 1820. He was born February 14, 1790, of illustrious parents. His father w^as a descendant of William Hyde, of Hartford, who came to America in the year 1636. But of greater interest to Chicagoans is the fact that the same pioneer was also a progenitor of the eminent physician Dr. James Nevins Hyde, in whose classes many of our present physi- cians imbibed their first knowledge of diseases of the skin. Dr. Wol- cott was a graduate of Yale in 1809, but received his medical degree elsewhere, for the medical department of that great university was not established till 1814. Succeeding Charles Jowett (or "Jouett") as Indian agent in 1820, he found the loneliness of the post w^as soon dissipated by Cupid, for Ellen Marion Kinzie, sixteen years old, the daughter of John Kinzie, who was his neighbor on the north bank of the river, became his bride. Blanchard describes the bride as a "bloom- ing miss of twelve." But no civil official was then there to consum- mate the union in the holy bonds of matrimony, so Justice John Hamlin, of Fulton County, was detained when returning from a trip to Mackinac and was persuaded to officiate. The festivities began, and with them they embarked into life with better success than attended the venture of that man of sad experience, Varnum. Their abode, the west side of north State Street, on the north bank of the Chicago River, was in much better repair than the one the Varnums had oc- cupied it some years before. Wolcott 's activities as Indian agent were more than exacting, for he was obliged to perform his duties as prescribed by his superiors on the one side and protest against the encroachments of a growing monopoly, the American Fur Company, and their sub-agent, John Kinzie, his father-in- law, on the other. Be it said to his credit, his conduct in the delicate posi- 1^5 Chicago as a Medical and Surgical Center. Quaife. Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Page 8. 164 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN" ILLI:N-0IS tion was without blemish. The government had decreed that those engaging in the one great industry of the time, fur trading, must not go to the distant villages to trade with the tribes, but must have permanent stations where the Indians could come if they desired to trade with them. This order was framed to protect the regular gov- ernment factories, which were, as previously stated, designed to pre- vent the Indians from being duped by unscrupulous traders. The order against the use of whiskey as illegal tender for peltries was then, as prohibition enforcement is now, more than officialdom could put into force, with so many engaged in the habit of disregarding it. The letters concerning Dr. Wolcott's administration, written by officials of the American Fur Company, give us an insight into the adamant qualities of this honest official that is refreshing to the denizen of these degenerate times of corruption in high ranks and low. He did not yield to the entreaties of those who would have him connive at the letter of the law (until forced to relent by government order). It appears higher officials were finally reached in Washington and Detroit, who modified the laws that helped make the vast Astor estate possible. ^■^^"^ Now, as to his medical activities, Wentworth states, "He served during his life as an army surgeon," but does not give refer- ences for the statement. Hyde says he probably got the post because of his medical training. Some credence might be given to this sup- position from the fact that Wolcott moved into the fort buildings when the garrison left. But one hint that he gave medical services to civilians can be gleaned from the report of the death of John Crafts, the American Fur Company's agent at Chicago. The doctor acted in his official capacity as civil referee for the dead man's estate, as is shown by his appointment of J. B. Beaubien, John Kinzie, Sr., and John Kinzie, Jr., administrators of Crafts' affairs. Being so close to Crafts in the matter of personal effects, it is but natural to assume that he gave medical advice to him in his last illness, for no fort surgeon was stationed there at the time. Death in 1830 terminated this useful man's service. The one monument to his memory, Wolcott Street, of early Chicago, has been obliterated through what Hyde characterizes as the "stupidity of the local legislature" by the chang- ing of its name to North State Street. ^'^^ 145-a American Fur Company Letter Book. 1823-1830. (Owned by Mr. Harry Dunn, of Tecumseh, Mich.) Copies in the Chicago Historical Society's Files. 145-b Copies of letters from the Mackinac Letter Book. G. S. Hubbard Collec- tion. Chicago Historical Society. 140 Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Pages 6, 7. The Northwest and Chicago. Blanchard. Page 478. Chicago and the Old Northwest. Quaife. Pages 270, 314, 383, 346. Chicago Antiquities. H. H. Hurlbut. Pages 426, 477, DAEK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY 165 Dr. Elijah Dewey Harmon, Civilian Physician, Who Later Became A Post Surgeon Through the details furnished by his son, J. D. Harmon, we are able to give the story of Dr. Harmon, whose activities for his country in his chosen field were more numerous than are the privileges of this sort accorded many of his successors in the noble art. Unfortunately the great Chicago fire destroyed his diploma and other documents ot rare historic value. He was born August 20, 1782, in Bennington, Vt., and studied under his preceptor, Dr. Swift, for three years. At twenty-five he moved to Burlington, Vt., where he ran a drug store and practiced as well. But the need of surgeons in the War of 1812 called him to the ranks as volunteer surgeon. At the critical naval battle of Plattsburg, September 11, 1814, he performed so valiantly that IMcDonough honored him for his services. On the ''Saratoga," Mc- Donough's flagship, he was in the thick of the battle, and in conse- quence there was plenty of opportunity for the exercise of his skill. After the war he again took up civilian practice. But, like so many physicians past and present, he speculated and, through his investments in the quarry business, he lost all. This was in 1829. Not having the heart to start all over again in his old haunts, he decided to move west. Passing through Chicago on his way to Jacksonville, 111., on horseback, after his long ride over the Detroit-Chicago Trace, he was evidently charmed with its possibilities, for he located here in 1830. A year later he sent for his family. Dr. Finley, the garrison surgeon, was absent, and in this emergencj^ Dr. Harmon was installed in his place with quarters for his family within the fort. There were two companies there and great agitation among them in anticipation of the threatened Black Hawk War. In 1832 cholera appeared on the New England coast. The hasten- ing of five more companies to Chicago under General Scott from For- tress Monroe, 1800 miles distant, was the medium through which the dread disease reached our shores. It took eleven days for the general to bring his vessel to anchor outside the Chicago Harbor, July, 1832, a marvelous record of mobilization in those days. But their plight during this short journey leaves a record of the most harrowing experiences with the ravages of the Asiatic scourge. The disease had spread over a wide range, extending from Quebec to New York, and created a greater havoc among the soldiers than had the weapons of Black Hawk's warriors. At Detroit the disease had already made great inroads upon the troops and, by the time they reached Mackinac, the rapid spread had engendered a fear that, we are 166 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS sorry to relate, even reached the surgeon who was expected to alleviate their sufferings. To fortify himself against the infection he took the time-honored remedy, alcohol, in the form of a wine, which he imbibed to saturation, and went to bed sick. The chronicler of the incident. General Scott, did not state whether the cholera or the spirits had this effect, but w'e judge the latter, for he opined, wrathfully, "he ought to have died." ^■^^ In this extremity Scott himself turned doctor, ap- plying as best he could the remedies, according to the instructions of Surgeon Mower, of New York, to prevent the spread of the disease. As soon as the vessel reached Chicago, the troops occuping the fort moved out to make room for the afflicted ones, and were housed in tents outside of the fort. The settlers, noting the seriousness of the situation, tried to get away. The pestilence still raged, as the official report indicates that some two hundred cases was admitted in six or seven days, with a mortality of fifty-eight. The terror rampant may well be pictured when one considers the rapidity with which death at times ensued. "Sergeant Heyl was well at 9 a. m., and at the bottom of the lake at 7 p. m." The author of this epistle gives a graphic description of his own illness and recovery: "When Scott arrived I was well enough to be officer of the day, superintending the landing of the sick. I had scarcely got through with my task when I collapsed. Two days later I was thrown to the deck as if I was shot. As I was wall^ing on the lower deck I felt my- self growing stiff from my knees downward. I went to the upper deck, walking violently to keep up the circulation of the blood. I felt sud- denly a rush of blood from my feet upward, and as it rose my veins grew cold and my blood curdled. ]\Iy legs and hands were cramped with violent pain." He describes the treatment he received for his malady, eight grains of opium, and he was afterward made to massage his legs as fast as it could be done. Following this he took a draught of a tumbler and a half full of raw brandy (just why such a copious dose was needed is not clear). Then the patient gives his own progress as being in the happy condition of "out of danger." Whether he recovered in spite of the treatment, or because of it, we leave to our readers to decide according to their own experiences. 14V Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Pages 12-14. History of Medicine and Surgery and Physicians and Surgeons in Chicago. Pages 18, 19. Chicago and the Old Northwest. Quaife. Page 330. DAEK AGE OF CHICAGO ''s HISTORY 167 Db. H.\iiMON Triumphs in a Battle of Wits But great as was his credit for services in the battle camps, it was eclipsed by his victory over the more treacherous enemy — disease. Dr. Harmon was not a great favorite with the haughty General Scott and further incurred his disfavor by giving aid to civilians, whom Scott considered of secondary importance. In the ensuing battle of words it seems Harmon was assigned to treat those outside the fort who were housed in tents. In the methods of treatment there was also a great difference of opinion between Dr. Harmon and Dr. S. G. J. De Camp of New Jersey, the fort hospital incumbent. As in all epidemics, the rapid spread of the disease increased the virulence of the spiril- lum, and physicians on both sides of the Atlantic had but poor success in keeping down the mortality. Dr. De Camp had great faith in his method and laid much stress upon the value of calomel and blood- letting. In admiration of the efficacy of the treatment he points out that only fifty-eight out of two hundred afflicted died, adding that the dreadful disease (with these weapons of offense) was "robbed of its terrors." Dr. Harmon's Treatment Dr. Harmon attributed the low mortality outside the fort to his having given no calomel. But we can readily see that isolation, such as his camp afforded, was his greatest asset in combating the disease, augmented by a good line of treatment which he, with his vast train- ing in the use of drugs, acquired by experience as a druggist and physician, was able to administer. To pass over this man's achieve- ments without recounting his surgical ability would be a grave omis- sion. He is credited with having performed an amputation in 1832 (during his military career) which is recorded as the first capital operation in Chicago. A half-breed Canadian froze his feet while pursuing his vocation as mail messenger to Green Bay, and an am- putation was deemed necessary. Applying tourniquets to each of the lower limbs the work proceeded with the rusty instruments Harmon had brought with him on horseback from the east. Tied to a chair, the victim, as Hyde thinks, enlivened the atmosphere in the neighbor- hood of the fort with invectives which, fortunately for the hearers, were in a mixed French and English that considerably mollified their asperity. The records show that the doctor's efforts were crowned with success. Nature is indeed kind to the surgeon! After his military career he established himself in the time-honored Kinzie house for civil practice. Mrs. Kinzie describes his office as being 168 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS carpetless, M'ith hewn logs as the floor and walls. Small-paned windows let in what light the twelve-room house received. A wood-burning stove, furniture of the crudest sort, and a medical library of one hundred books, unusual for the time, constituted the furnishings. Here, with medicines brought from Vermont, he opened for business. He made his calls on foot except when distances had to be covered, using then a one-horse shay. Further description of the doctor and his avocations is given by Mrs. Kinzie. "lie was working around home superintending construc- tion of a sod fence near the lake and planting fruit stones for the prospective orchard when I stopped for a chat. His themes were horticulture and the future greatness of Chicago." Prophesying the future greatness of Chicago seems to have been a regular pastime of our early physicians, as we recall the immortal words of Van Voorhis. Mrs. Kinzie said that so eloquent was Dr. Harmon on the subject, she almost believed it. In the treaty with the Pottawatomies, w^hich forever sealed the doom of the red man in our parts, he received 130 acres of land on the lake at Sixteenth Street. But to insure pre-emp- tion he had to build upon it to get the title. His sons were not so sanguine as to our future — when they sold it for a paltry fee, which they at that time thought was large. Dr. Harmon died January 3, 1869, in Texas, where his wanderlust carried him to engage in practice and selling real estate. Like all pioneers of distinction, he served on the school-board. Russell E. Heacock and Richard J. Hamilton were his associates. In that com- mittee he opposed the sale of 640 acres for $40,000 and was over- ruled. The value of that same land today is fabulous. It is interesting to quote the description given by an outsider, Latrobe, who was sent from England to write his impressions of America at that time ; w^e may see from this what kind of people Dr. Harmon had to practice among in 1833 : "A doctor or two, two or three lawyers in clapboard-houses. Birds of passage exclusive of Pottawatomies; emigrants, speculators, horse-dealers, and stealers, rogues of every description; white, black, and red; quarter-breeds, and men of no breed at all; dealers in pigs, poultry, and potatoes, creditors of Indians, sharpers, peddlers, grog-sellers, Indian agents, traders, and con- tractors to supply the Post." A motley array of hard customers having nothing in common with their predecessors, the French, American and Indian fur-traders, for the transitional period was on from the fur business to that of agriculture. jMonumext Erecteii uy the Baptists at the Grave of Jas. Lemen A leader in the New Design movement established in Monroe County in 179ij, in which Dr. Wallace played a leading part. Lemen was a Revolutionary soldier, Indian fighter, anti-slavery leader. Baptist minister and organizer of twenty-one Baptist churches in Illinois. Photograph hy Dr. Zench. Ruins oe a Tyi'K .\i. I'ionkik's CAiax i\ Bi uksvilt.e Tn the New Design region. Built of hewn logs, the spaces between are filled in with pieces of stone held by mortar. Photograph by Dr. Zeucli. \Sce P. 67 1 DARK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY 169 But the physicians of the time had a source of revenue other than their practice, for insurance policies were issued on statements en- dorsed by the family physician. The fees for medical services were of necessity small. But one fee has stood out in the early days — a fee that even in our day would be considered munificent — Dr. McDowell's $1500 for an ovariotomy in Kentucky. In conclusion we close this long account of Dr. Harmon, with Dr. Hyde's estimation of the place he should occupy in the medical history of Chicago: He should be ac- corded the honor of being named the "Father of Medicine" in our city. 1^8 Again we must criticise the short-sightedness shown by local legislators when they substituted the utilitarian numeral, "Eleventh Street" for "Harmon Place." Dr. C. a. Finley, Fort Surgeon in 1828 Hurlbut corrects Dr. Hyde, who names J. B. Finley, namesake ot C. A. Finley, as having been the incumbent when the fort was re- established by Captain Bradley. C. A. Finley served in the army until 1862, and in 1865 was made a brigadier-general, for long and faithful ser\'ice. J. B. Finley entered the army in 1814 and left the following year, and therefore could not have been stationed at Fort Dearborn at that time. C. A. Finley, as was previously stated, was supplanted by Dr. Harmon, and although much later than the period of which we write he was commissioned, as we have stated, a brigadier-general in the army, he figured so inconspicuously in our medical history that we must pass over, with but ordinary mention, the incident of his hav- ing been here. ^^^ But we cannot pass over Dr. De Camp's regime without adding further comment upon his work here. He observed that the cholera was contagious and, to support his view, cited the fact that the villages were not affected till the troops arrived. He also gives as a predisposing cause, inebriet3\ So rapidly did the victims die that proper burial was not possible and for years boatmen could see the projecting coffin ends sticking out of the river's embankment. The first contribution to vital statistics in Chicago was compiled by Thomas Lawson, M. D., for the United States Army in 1840, and is appended on the following page : 148 Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Pages 14, 18, 19, 15-18. Chicago and the Old Northwest. Quaife. Pages 330-333. Chicago as a Medical and Surgical Center. Quaife. Pages 5, 6. I'Ja History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Pages 17, 18. Chicago as a Medical and Surgical Center. Quaife. Pages 4, 5. 170 HISTOKY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Table for Eight YsiVRs of Diseases in Fort Dearborn Years 1829 1830 1831 1833 1834 1835 1836 Totals Mean Strength 91 90 92 104 91 96 104 668 Diseases; Intermittent Fever 17 18 19 32 19 31 136 Remittent 15 1 1 2 5 2 26 Synochal 1 1 2 Respiratory 11 8 1 10 22 14 23 89 Digestive 30 22 9 69 84 53 42 309 Brain and Nerves 2 3 3 1 9 Rheumatic 10 3 7 3 7 15 51 Venereal 1 3 2 7 Ulcers and Abscesses 16 12 9 8 5 7 57 Wounds and Injuries 19 15 10 41 19 10 14 128 Inebriety 4 11 2 4 8 29 Other Diseases 12 5 2 26 10 20 15 90 Total 933 Dr. Phillip Maxwell, the Last Surgeon of the Garrison For our knowledge of Dr. Maxwell's early life we are indebted to his son-in-law, Joel C. Walker, of Chicago, Born, like practically all of his predecessors of the military post, in the East, he first saw the light in Windham County, Vt., April 3, 1799. Desiring to follow the pursuit of medicine he studied under Dr. Knott, of New York City. Upon completion of his service under his preceptor he took the custom- ary course of the time, of finishing at a medical school, entering the University of Vermont, from which institution he received his degree. Sackett's Harbor, N. Y., seemed to offer the best opportunity to try out his talents in the practice, but he remained only a short time, for he was elected to the legislature and shortly afterward accepted an appointment as assistant surgeon in the U. S. Army with quarters at Green Bay, Wis. Ordered to Fort Dearborn on February 3, 1833, he did not arrive until March 15. Ilis activities as a surgeon of the U. S. Army terminated when the fort was evacuated December 28, 1836. 150 160 Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Pages 18, 19. DARK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY 171 During his military career he served his country in the campaigns under General Zachary Taylor at Baton Rouge and at St. John's River in Florida. But the lure of Chicago was the magnet that held him, for there was life here that the culture of the East could not alienate. In this he was not alone, for kindred spirits whose person- alities could not be denied collected in the boom town. Associating himself with Dr. Brockholst McVickar, he embarked in the practice with success that more than justified the decision. That he was not without a keen business sense is well shown by the purchase of an entire township on the banks of Lake Geneva, the unearned increment of which has left his descendants wealthy. Caton, Dr. Maxwell's biographer and contemporary, comments upon the doctor's commanding figure of six feet two, with its 270 pounds avoirdupois. Notwithstanding his portly figure, he tripped the light fantastic with so much grace that envy was struck into hearts of his competitors for the favor of the ladies of the day, for "his step was as light as a wisp of a girl." But his democracy forbade the denying the pleasure of his terpsichorean gyrations to the less cultured of the set, for he is described as having at times broken the laws of pro- priety by dancing with the servant maids. Caton denies this lapse by stating that his inordinate love of the dance had to be satisfied when there was a scarcity of ladies. But as we read further we think that was not the only reason for he describes the doctor as an imposing figure, with the golden aiguillettes of his uniform flapping in unison with the glass beads upon the scrawny neck of a lady of fifty. If the plebeian flappers of the thirties had the agility of those of 1926, we can easily account for their winning in the competition. ^^^ Dr. IMaxwell's Treatment and Dosage To John Wentworth we are indebted for the discoveiy of a "Hos- pital Department of U. S. Army Prescriptions and Diet Book," which gives us an insight into the dosage and methods of treatment during Dr. Maxwell's regime as a surgeon of Fort Dearborn. In a general way the doses were heroic as compared to our time. Calomel was given in from ten to thirty grains at night ; opium in the form of laudanum, for severe pains, and paragoric in large amounts for mild pains. Powdered opium was given in one-scruple doses. Blistering was frequently re- sorted to by means of antimony solution, probably antimony chloride. Emesis was given in the beginning of a sickness, and ipecac in ten- grain doses was the means of accomplishing it. Blood-letting and 161 Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Pages 19, 20. 172 HISTOEY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS venesection are often recorded, as well as simple cupping. Poultices were employed, especially the one containing the time-honored bread and milk. Quinine, as might be expected, was employed for malarial fever, but in comparatively small doses, one to two, and occasionally five grains were prescribed. Dover's Powders were prescribed at night for sleep and diaphoresis. Topical applications were very popular and frequent references w^ere made to their employment to relieve pain. Quinine was also used locally with opium and acetate of lead, solution of borax, plaster of sulphur and liniments. As a local rube- facient, pix Burgundica enjoyed much popularity. The soldiers' diseases acquired through sexual indiscretions were treated with mer- curial pills, balsam copaiba and solution of sulphate of zinc. Of the cathartics, oleii ricini and calomel were given frequently. Occasionally rhubarb, grain ten, and jalap w^ere added. Magnesium sulphate in three-grain doses was ordered with relative frequency. Tr. aloes and sodium sulphate glaubersalt, complete the list of laxatives. The stomachics were dilute nitric acid, five-minim doses, aromatic sulphuric acid and alkaline solution for the disorders of secretion. As a bitter tonic, infusion columbo was occasionally given. But the most interesting portion of this record is the section that adds the diagnoses of diseases under the names of the afflicted, which also gives us the general method of treating these ailments : Rheumatism: Tr. of guaiac was the principal internal remedy in this disorder. Evidently the salicylates, whose action was learned empirically when these remedies were first employed as antipyretics, were not known at that time. Guaiac, opium and venesection seem to have been Dr. Maxwell's favorite method of treatment for rheumatic conditions. Pneumonia: Venesection, a cough mixture containing vinegar of squills, blistering with antimony solution, with catharsis by means of calomel, were the usual measures of treatment. Dialetes: Tr. of guaiac. Jlcbmoptysis: Venesection and solution sal. nitrate (nitrate of soda). Lumbago: Blisters — cupping and castor oil. Cholera Morbus: Anodyne solution and calomel, grains thirty. (The patient survived.) Constipation: Tr. aloes, blisters. Ophthalmia: Colly rium (formula not given). Catarrh : Treated with cough mixtures. DAEK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY 173 The preceding excerpts give us an insight into the list of drugs in common use in the army service of early garrison life. ^^^ Dr. Maxwell died in 1859, but before we record the comings and goings of his contemporaries of the transitional period from the military to the civil practitioners, we must take up our history of medical aspects of the Black Hawk War, which chronologically belongs to the period. ^^^ General Scott Starts for Battle Grounds in 1832 In the thirty days that General Scott was forced to stay in Chicago, ninety of his men were carried to their graves as cholera victims. The task of interring them was assigned to a sergeant, who performed his duty with military precision and dispatch. Shallow trenches were dug and each victim was wrapped in a blanliet and hurled into the de- pression. 153'^ "With so much dispatch were the bodies disposed of that scarcely had they closed their eyes than they were hurried off for burial, and one instance is on record of a soldier at the brink of the trench opening his ej'es and asking for a drink of water. He was returned to the fort, recovered and, the historian informs us, lived many years thereafter. Before the days of universal embalming of the dead there was a widespread belief that many in a state of sus- pended animation were buried alive. Instances such as the awakening of the cholera victim at the brink of the trench that answered for a common grave of the unfortunates of the pest at Fort Dearborn, and the reputed finding of cadavers turned in their graves, gave emphasis to this fear. ^^'^ The general use of heroic doses of laudanum for diarrhceal diseases, with the attendant action upon respiration produc- ing shallow breathing, and the rapid interment of cholera victims, had much to do with this universal belief. Apropos of this subject of com- mon interest, the editor of the Chicago Democrat informs his subscribers in the issue of Dec. 20, 1843, how to avoid this disaster, reprinting a report published in the London Medical Times on ' ' The Signs of Death, ' ' by Dr. De Camp, of Milan, given before the French Academy of Medicine. This report is interesting reading, though not ultra scien- tific as judged in the light of modern learning. A Memoir of the Real Signs of Death: "1. A greenish blue color, extending uniformly over the skin of the belly is the real and certain sign of death. 152 Medical Prescription Book. Fort Dearborn Hospital Dept. U. S. Army. 1832-36. Vol. 9. Chicago Historical Society, Manuscript Department. 153 Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Page 20. 153-a Brown (in 1884) stated that they were buried where the American Tem- perance House stood, which, according to Fergus' Directory of 1843, was at Lake and Wabash, near the steamboat landing. 154 Brown's History of Illinois. Pages 374, 375. 174 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS 2. The period at which this sign appears varies much; but it takes place in about three days, under favorable circumstances of warmth and moisture. 3. Thorough discoloration of various kinds and from various causes may occur in other parts; the characteristic mark of death is to be found only in the belly. 4. Apparent death can no longer be confounded with real death; the belly never being colored green or blue in any case of the former. 5. This coloring of the belly, which may be artificially hastened, entirely prevents the danger of premature interment. 6. There is no danger to health from the keeping of a body until the ap- pearance of the characteristic sign of death." To return to General Seott, the pestilence having abated somewhat, the march through the wilderness that intervened between Fort Dear- born and Rock Island was at last accomplished by the general and his army, only to find that their strenuous efforts were in vain, for their services were no longer needed. Black Hawk and his valiant reds met their decisive defeat at the Battle of Bad Axe, north of Prairie du Chien, and with this was lost their last opportunity to redress the wrongs inflicted upon them. A superior race had usurped the old hunting grounds for the more useful pursuit of agriculture. The volunteers were ordered to Dixon's Ferry and discharged. But treaty making must follow to consumate the victory. Here cholera again halted proceedings at Rock Island, so General Scott ordered a retreat from the infected area to Jefferson Barracks, where he, with Governor Reynolds and the Indian chief, had the parley that resulted in a permanent peace pact. ^^^ An Eastern Surgeon Volunteers for Service John Herbert Foster, who was born in 1796 in New Hampshire, was a son of parents who were members of that old religious order, the Society of Friends. At an early age he entered Dartmouth and later placed himself under the tutorship of Dr. Muzzy, of Hanover, and Dr. Stark, of Hopkinton. At the outbreak of the Black Hawk War Dr. Foster engaged as one of its surgeons. After the cessation of hos- tilities he resided in Chicago, ^^° remaining here until his death, on May 18, 1874, at the age of seventy-nine. Dr. George F. Turner, assistant surgeon of the U. S. Army was here with the army in 1833 and was one of the witnesses to the treaty with 155 Chicago and the Old Northwest. Quaife. Pages 334, 335, 337. History of Chicago. Andreas. Vol. I. Pages 120, 121. 166 Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Pages 30, 31. DARK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY 175 the Pottawatomies, then being consummated. He was promoted to sur- geon of the U. S. Army, January 1, 1840, and died at Corpus Christi, Texas, October 17, 1854. i" Civilian Practitioners op the Early Thirties — Edmund Stoughton kimberlt a constructive ploneer This physician descended from ancestors who were part of the first colony of New Haven, Conn., in 1638, and bej'ond doubt, through his long line of progenitors he received the heritage that manifested itself in the leadership he displayed in mature life. Born in Troy, N. Y., in 1803, he received his early training in the Academy at Lennox, IMass., graduating in 1819. Later he entered Union College, of Schenectady, where he received a degree in 1822. From the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City, he received his training in medicine and shortly afterward was commissioned a surgeon's mate by Governor DeWitt Clinton. In 1829 he married Miss Marie Ellis and 1832 they proceeded to Chicago. Soon after his arrival he entered into civic affairs, acting as clerk of the election which decided that the village should be incorporated in 1833. In the same year he was elected one of the board of trustees which gave Chicago its first civil govern- ment. In 1834 he was authorized to erect a cholera hospital. His business colleagues were interested in the Chicago Democrat, the first number of which, in 1833, contained the ordinance which he had introduced at the meeting of the board of trustees, fixing the boundaries of Chicago. When Brainard sought and secured a charter for Rush Medical College, Kimberly was among its sponsors and became one of its trustees. In 1837 he was elected city health officer, in which capacity he served through re-election until 1841. As a leader in the convention in Peoria in 1844, he helped to put the public-school system into effect. Three years later he championed the movement for township organizations in the State. Other offices that he filled from 1847 until 1850 were recorder of deeds, clerk of the county, school inspector, and president of the school board, which makes us wonder when he had time to practice medicine. Yet his biographer states that, through all his years in this city he was a physician, as well as a useful public servant. Apparently his zeal for work enabled him to "get away with it," if we may use a trite expression in the vernacular. In 1860 he took up his residence in Lake County, where he remained until his death, in 1874. 157 History of Chicago. Andreas. Vol. I. Page 459. 176 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Dr. Philo Carpenter, Chicago's first druggist, came from Massachu- setts -where he was born in 1805. Beginning in 1827 he studied medi- cine for three years under Dr. A. Robbins, of Troy, N. Y. Arriving here in July, 1832, during a cholera epidemic, he was pressed into service, though he had abandoned medical practice for the apothecary business. After the pestilence subsided he again opened a drug store at the east end of the present Lake Street bridge, but moved later to South Water Street, ^^s A Physician With a Varied Career Dr. John Taylor Temple was born near Yorktown, Va., in 1803, and came to Chicago in 1833 through a contract given him by Martin Van Buren to carry mail from Chicago to Fort Howard on Green Bay. He was a graduate of Middlebury College, Vt., in 1830, and Union College, Schenectady, N. Y., where he received his A. M. degree. After graduation he studied medicine in the office of Dr. George McClellan, of Philadelphia. A man of varied talents was he, for when occasion demanded he could change his occupation from physician to stage-driver or postman, and back again to the practice, without apparently losing any prestige. For one year he practiced medicine — from 1833-34. Then from 1834 until 1837 he operated a stage line from Chicago to Ottawa. Judge John Caton, who took the first trip with him in his new occupation, informs us that Dr. Temple received the appointment of mail-carrier through the influence of Postmaster-General Amos Ken- dal. After three years of this service, he again resumed his practice. Aside from this he was interested in contracts for the construction of the Illinois-Michigan canal. It is manifest that these seemingly incompatible activities did not detract from the esteem in which he was held by his colleagues and fel- low-citizens, as he was appointed one of the trustees of the reorganized Rush Medical College in 1856. We find him acting in still another capacity as founder of the St. Louis School of Homeopathy. But the most interesting story concerning this man of varied talents is the one regarding what Dr. James Nevins Hyde points out was the first autopsy performed and the first medico-legal testimony given in Chicago. The occasion of the demand for such services was an Irishman's indictment on the charge of murder. The court summoned Dr. Temple to make a post-mortem examination of the victim. His biographer tells us that he proceeded by skillfully disarticulating the sterno-clavicular joint, cutting the sterno-costal cartilages and elevating the chest plate so detached, to examine the vital organs. His report (not detailed) of 158 Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Page 24. DARK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY 177 the findings enabled the attorney handling the defense to get a lesser charge for the prisoner, a verdict of manslaughter. He adds that this clemency in the sentence shows Temple's anatomical knowledge to have more than equaled the legal acumen of the judge. We cannot quite see how this eulogy came to be earned, but we leave the incident without further parley. It could not be expected that a man of Dr. Temple's disposition would sit idly by when prairie schooners were passing through for California, and not be fired with the ambition to taste of the adventures and hazards such a trip in 1849 would afford. Led on another occasion by wander- lust, he discovered copper in the Lake Superior region. Doubtless his knowledge acquired through the study of geology, one of his avocations, enabled him to locate this find. Likewise, his study of botany and chemistry enabled him to readily use this knowledge to add to his proficiency as a practitioner. In all he typified the spirit of the age, restlessness, versatility and self-reliance, the product of the demands of frontier life. Dr. Temple died in St. Louis on February 24, 1877. ^^^ Dr. Egan, the Physician-Realtor Dr. William Bradshaw Egan was another physician who could adapt himself to the vicissitudes of the times. Born near Lake Killarney, Ireland, September 28, 1808, he possessed the traditional ''gift of elo- quence" of the race from which he was descended. As a young man he studied under Dr. Maguire, surgeon to Lancashire collieries, and also in London, and in Dublin Lying-in Hospital he acquired the art of obstetrics. His next move was from Dublin to Quebec, where he taught school. At Montreal and New York he was similarly engaged. While a teacher in the Universtity of Virginia he also attended medical lectures for two terms. He apparently had enough credentials after pursuing his studies in 1830 in Rutgers Medical School of N. Y., for the medical board of New Jersey licensed him to practice. His career in Newark and New York was in association with Professor McNeven and Dr. Busche. ]\Iarrying Emeline ]\Iabbott, he felt enjoined to make his way in 1832 to the "boom" town of Chicago. Two years later he served the city on the committee of health for the south division. Like all enterprising westerners, he caught the spirit of the times, the real-estate craze. Everybody dabbled a little in buying and selling. 159 Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Page 22. History of Chicago. Andreas. Vol. I. Page 468. History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Page 29. Illinois Historical Society Collections. 1840-1853. Vol. VII. Pages 119, 120. 178 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Everybody speculated in canal lots and everybody talked canal lots. So imbued was Dr. Egau with this common pastime that when a lady asked him how to take the medicine he had prescribed, he mumbled, "A quarter down, the balance in one, two and three years." His faith in the land about Chicago will interest us, for he plunged in some worthless lake-shore land that seemed a reckless waste of money. Pur- chasing in 1846, at $300 an acre, three and one-half acres six miles from the courthouse, seemed to the natives just a little bit reckless. Whether he bought this on time is not clear, but this is certain, that he supplemented his earnings in practice and in real estate with an oc- casional flyer into politics, for we find him serving the public in the State legislature, and in the local government office, as recorder, in 184-1. An auspicious event was the Fourth of July celebration in 1836 when in addition to giving homage to the birth of the republic, the event of import to the city was not only celebrated, but conviuialized, if we may be permitted to coin a word. Dr. Egan poured forth the eloquence and the auditors drank the whiskey. The cause of all this was the launching, not of a ship, but the beginning of the digging of the Illinois- Michigan canal to connect the Chicago River with the Illinois. By far the greater number of his auditors were attracted to a natural spring where the thirsty could regale themselves. Dr. Egan, turning to them, quoted in a stentorian voice: "Drink deep or taste not the Pierian spring, there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain and drinking deeply sobers it again." It is understood that the advice was followed with results other than those experienced by patrons of the Pierian spring, for these draughts had been flavored with lemons, sugar and whiskey. That the doctor prospered, we know, for he purchased of General Beaubien the Tremont House block at Lake and Dearborn, and thereon erected five houses which were designated as "Egan's Row." In the town of Hyde Park, south of Chicago, he laid out the beautiful country estate long known as "Egandale," covering a square mile of territory. In the legislature of 1841-42 Dr. Egan did excellent service in the adjustment of canal claims. As a good Democrat he was a delegate to the first Democratic Convention, May 18, 1843. He died October 27, 1860. Surely here was a many-sided man. ^^^ A Physician Who Became a Staunch Abolitionist Charles Volney Dyer, who was one of the long list of pioneer physi- cians coming to Chicago from the Green Mountain State, was born in 160 Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Pages 23, 24. History of Chicago. Vol. I. Andreas. Pages 459, 460. History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Page 31, 33. DARK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY 179 Clarendon, June 12, 1808, the youngest but one of a family of ten children. By devoting his entire time to the medical course in his alma mater, Middlebury College, he graduated at the early age of twenty-two years, December 29, 1830. He lost no time getting located, for a month later he was ready for practice in Newark, Wayne Co., New Jersey. But the lure of the west, the magnet that brought in the seekers after wealth by the hundreds to the much-advertised village on Lake Michi- gan, was too strong for him to resist, so four years later he was among them. Living alone in a village of few comforts did not appeal to him, so he married Miss Louisa Gifford, of Elgin — who taught school in Chicago — to console him and suffer with him during the lean years of his practice, which we might assume were as many as those of his contemporaries among the pioneers. Makes a Poor Prognosis Under the caption ' ' His Patients Died ; Others Recovered, ' ' a writer in the local press brings forth interesting information concerning the time-honored difficulty of making an accurate prognosis, especially in epidemics. Though this might appear to cast discredit upon the doctor's skill it does not detract one bit from the estimation posterity places upon the value of this pioneer's service to the people of the community he served. "It is told of a visitation of cholera that a Doctor Charles Dyer, delegated to select from a ship of stricken passengers the ones that could be taken off, picked fifteen whom he thought might be saved. To his amazement, his fifteen 'possibilities' all died, while those he left on the ship got well." One of the Promoters of the Underground Railroad But at length his practice increased, and with it the desire for inter- ests outside of his professional duties. Just then the agitation for the abolition of slavery w^as a great issue in the nation and with it a young intellectual giant was rising in public esteem, the young man, Lincoln. He took cognizance of Dr. Dyer's services to escaped slaves who were crossing the Ohio from the south in increasing numbers via the ''Under- ground Railroad." When at last Abraham Lincoln received the recog- nition to which his almost divine insight entitled him, he remembered his contemporary. Dr. Dyer, who could be depended upon to administer justice, with the appointment of "Judge of the Mixed Court," for the suppression of African slave trade. Dr. Dyer died on April 24, 1878, in Lake View, now a part of our city. ''■^^ 161 History of Chicago. Vol. I. Pages 460, 461. History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Page 31. Jas. Ryan Haydon in Chicago Daily Journal, Tuesday, April 22, 1924. 180 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Dr. John W. Eldredge Thought Too Modest by His Biographer We are told by one of his contemporaries that the doctor resented any attempt to eulogize him in life, fearing such praises might be mis- construed — making it appear as though he were seeking publicity or notoriety. But after his death, in 1884, there could be no longer any objection to the biographer's eulogy: "And now that he has passed from our midst, his works remain the most durable monument to his name." That this monumental praise was not seen through the eyes of a friend, alone, one can well judge, for in the variety of all measures for the promotion of prosperity in the rough frontier city he had taken an active part. Socially his name appeared in connection with the events of the first families. Politically he served on several committees. A long and honorable career he seems to have had in his profession, for he came as a young man of twenty-six from Pittsfield, Pa., where he had engaged in practice after his graduation from the Medical College of Fairfield, N. Y. Like many others of his day, the siren call of the rough city of the west took him in 1834 from the settled east — with its comforts and advantages. He retired after practicing here thirty- four years. Through the old custom of naming streets after its dis- tinguished pioneers, Eldredge Court was named for him, only to lose the distinction in our time by the substitution of the prosaic numeral, "9th Street." ^62 Dr. Henry B. Clarke came with the influx of emigrants in 1833 and advertised in the American, 1837, that his office was at Collins and Butterfield 's, on Dearborn Street. He was one of the first to move out from the center of the city, for his residence is recorded to have been a large white house near the lake, where is now modern 14th Street. Dr. Henry Van der Bogart graduated at the Medical College in Fairfield, N. Y., in the winter of 1833, came to Chicago in 1834, but moved to Naperville, 111., where he died in 1835 at the early age of twenty-five. Dr. W. Clarke appears to have been a resident here in 1834, judging from a letter addressed to him advertised in the Democrat in January of that year, and from the fact that in the account books of Hibbard Porter he is debited with purchases made from June to December, 1834, comprising a coffee-mill, cord and cloth. 162 Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Page 21. History of Chicago. Vol. I. Andreas. Page 460. DAEK AGE OF CHICAGO'S HISTORY 181 "Dr. H. Spring died November 10, 1835, and Dr. W. Spring had advertised in the Americayi, September 12, 1835, that his ofBce was with G. Spring." "Dr. Charles H. Duck is registered in Fergus's directory for 1839 and was for some time afterward a practitioner here." "Dr. James Anson Dunn opened an office in Sherman's brick block, nearly opposite the Tremont House, on November 25, 1835, after his arrival here from Buffalo, N. Y." 163 163 History of Chicago. Vol. I. Andreas. Pages 460, 461, 462. CHAPTER X CIVILIAN PRACTITIONERS OF ''NEW" CHICAGO, 1836-1850 REVIEWING the fact that the old trade route, the Chicago Portage, and with it Fort Dearborn, the garrison that protected the fur traders and settlers, passed out of existence in 1836, we come upon an era of transformation that brought in fortune-hunters from all parts of the earth. The dream of the Pioneer Prophets — the vision of a future city here whose commercial possibilities were to eclipse anything yet done in city building — at last had come true, with the platting of the city by Surveyor Thompson. AVith these newcomers a consider- able number of physicians wended their way here. Most of these were content with serving the public without the expectancy of fame, beyond the local respect a faithful physician receives. Of course some had the gambling spirit then in the air and we find them engaging in the buying and selling of lots. But one had that large vision that looked to the future and saw the possibilities for Chicago as a medical center, and he will receive more space than the rest in this history. But before we give the history of Daniel Brainard, let us take up that of his contem- poraries. Dr. John Mark Smith, a native of Philadelphia, where he was born in 1813, studied medicine in Jefferson Medical College. After his graduation there he gained further knowledge along this line during three years spent in Paris. In 1837 he came to Chicago and remained until 1842, then returning to Philadelphia. In 1863 he again visited Paris and when the siege occurred he was among those who suffered in that memorable military procedure. He died in Baltimore. ^^^ Dr. Valentine A. Boyer — A Man of Many Activities For nearly sixty years Dr. Boyer was a resident of the budding western metropolis on the banks of the water route, the key to the Mississippi valley, and one of the builders of the canal that was designed to connect the great water systems, the Great Lakes and the Father of Waters, when the Chicago Portage became inadequate for the navigation of the larger boats of the early trade; for he and his father had a con- 16* Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Page 31. 182 PRACTITIONERS OF *'nEW" CHICAGO 183 struetion contract for one of its sections. Coming from Reading, Pa., where he was born January 23, 1814, and graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1836, he selected this part of Illinois as the most likely place to display his talents. But he found competition here exceptionally keen, for many others also saw the possibilities of the region. So we find him engaged in other pursuits than medicine to make up for what his practice could not produce. When he had shown his worth as a man of unbiased opinion he was prevailed upon to act as justice of the peace, which office he held from 1844 till 1852. The development of the harbor next occupied his at- tention through his appointment as surveyor, by President Pierce. This improvement had been thoroughly surveyed before his time, but further improvements seemed, to the central government, necessary for the fast-growing post, and he was selected as best fitted to make the report. Opens a Drug Store As one of the first druggists he prospered until 1871, when the great Chicago fire wiped out his belongings. The influx of people following that holocaust made the field for the practice of medicine more lucra- tive, so he abandoned the drug business to devote his time to his profession. "With all his other activities he still had time to look after his spir- itual welfare, as well as that of others, being a member in 1847 of the first board of trustees of the First German Lutheran Church. His death occurred in 1890, and the widow, Avho was Mary Catherine Specht before her marriage, survived him a number of years. ^'^^ Dr. Daniel BRAiN^yiD — The Medical Prophet Before the coming of that public-spirited physician of prophetic vision, there was no thought of making the rude, frontier town of Chicago a medical center. Others gave us prophetic pen pictures of the heights this city would reach, commercially and artistically, but none gave thought to the establishment of a college to train medical men. Without exception, the graduates of the eastern colleges supplied us with such medical attention as was needed in the "boom" town. But prob- ably because Brainard had a penchant for teaching, the exercise of which was denied him on the prairies, the thought awakened in him to find an avenue for the display of his talents. The desire to impart knowledge to others he early manifested, as we glean from the history of him given by one of his famous successors. 165 History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Page 42. 184 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS That was a most auspicious moment when a seedy-looking gentleman mounted on an Indian pony, rode up one bright September morning in 1835 to John Dean Caton's office in Dearborn Street, opposite the Tremont House. Ordinarily, he might have received scant courtesy, if he had come as a stranger and approached with the announcement that he was out of funds. But such w^as not the situation, for the judge had knoM'n him in Rome, N. Y., where he was an assistant in the office of Dr. Pope. Asking the lawyer's advice as to the possibility of the field for practice was but another way of asking him to help him. It was three years since they had met, but Caton had faith in the newcomer, knowing his studious habits, which gave assurance that the years spent in acquiring knowledge which the doctor hoped to apply in the practice of his chosen profession had not been spent in vain. Hopes of the dejected doctor rose as he was ad\ased by his friend to sell his pony to the Pottawatomies (some of whom had not as yet fulfilled their part of the obligation the Treaty of 1833 had imposed upon them — to move west of the Mississippi) and invest the proceeds in a desk, a shingle and an announcement in the Democrat, that he was prepared to offer his services to the public. Caton aided the doctor in this extremity by giving him office space. But practice was slow in coming, especially among the best families, and these, by virtue of his education and talents he was qualified to serve. Of course, the poor patronized him, as they do any newcomer and, be it said to his credit, he answered every call, even though re- numeration was not forthcoming. Among these penniless people there at last came the opportunity, the open sesame to the better classes, through the wide-spread interest in the delicate condition of a woman caused by the abuse she received at the hands of some ruffians. Schooner Wreck Renders a Couple Destitute A man and wife who escaped, miraculously, after the wreck of a vessel south of town, were left, not only without sufficient means to go on to their destination, but almost without clothing. Nothing daunted, how- ever, these simple people attempted to reach on foot their destination in the country beyond the village. Begging their way, they had covered about twelve miles, when they encountered some rough men driving a lot of horses. One of these men, perceiving their plight, announced himself a sheriff with orders to arrest them. Not having intelligence enough to ask for his credentials, they submitted to a supposed arrest, whereupon they were separated for the purpose of outraging the lady, after which the two were again turned adrift. Neglected Grave of Dr. George Fisher Upon a bluff near St. Leo's church in Randolph County. Although this pioneer was Speaker of the House in the First and Third Legis- latures, was, with a few other leaders, instrumental in drafting the first statutes of the State of Illinois, and established upon his planta- tion six miles north of Kaskaskia a house of refuge for the treatment of smallpox victims, which was in effect the first isolation hospital in the State, his last resting-place has but two unlettered lime-stones, placed there by a descendant to mark the spot of his interment in 1820. Photograph hy Dr. Zeuch. [S^ce P. 771 PRACTITIONERS OF "NEW" CHICAGO 185 Return to Chicago After they had been thus tricked, they made haste to get back to proceed against the malefactors. Judge Caton, whom they consulted, discovered that the lady was about five months enceinte and in a great state of agitation from mishandling. Caton prevailed upon some of the ladies, notably Mrs. J. H. Kinzie, to give her shelter in a cottage north of the river. A threatened premature birth brought forth the volunteered services of Dr. Brainard. So well did he take care of her that the interest of the ladies was divided between the distressed woman and the young doctor whose courtesies the onlookers admired. Caton showed further solicitude when he sent Dr. Goodhue in as a consultant. At last and happily, at full term. Dr. Brainard showed the anxious ladies in waiting a fine, living child which was w'ell calculated to excite their admiration, of the trophy, as well as of the doctor's skill. The long-sought opening into the charmed circle of frontier aristocracy was his and he made such good use of it that his practice increased almost overnight, to as large as that of any of his competitors. Confides His Ambition to Caton A dream which could not take form in Dr. Brainard 's days of poverty was divulged to Judge Caton — the establishment of a medical college — in the winter of 1837. But, like all great projects, it required con- siderable means to establish it and in consequence it was not consum- mated until six years later. His Qualifications as a Teacher Brainard was born in 1812 in Oneida County, N. Y., where he re- ceived his common, as well as academic, education. As was the custom of the time he entered the office of his preceptor, Dr. Harold Pope, of Rome, N. Y. In due course of time he sought more preliminary know- ledge at Whitesboro and New York City, and obtained his medical degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Western District of New York. Then the great teaching institution, Jefferson College, Philadelphia, was attracting students, and Brainard w^orked for a post graduate degree there, receiving it in 1834. His early academic train- ing turned his mind to teaching and we find that he was delivering lec- tures on science in Fairfield, N. Y., even during his school term. After graduation he lectured on anatomy and physiology in the Oneida Insti- tute. But evidently very little remuneration resulted from his efforts in teaching, so he became the partner of Dr. R. S. Sykes, of Whites- 186 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS boro, a man ^vhose influence for good left its impress on the young doctor's character. But the trend of the empire was already westward and Brainard was swept along with it. Becomes Associated With Chicago's Leading Physicians A worker on the Illinois-Michigan Canal at Lockport, which was then in the building, sustained a fracture which healed poorly and impelled him to seek advice in Chicago. He had walked with an edematous leg to Chicago, for that was before railroads had been built. As might have been expected, when he arrived the limb was in such a state of cyanosis that consultation was called at the poor-house, to which insti- tution his destitution had forced him to go. Doctors Brainard, Max- well, Goodhue and others agreed that amputation was necessary. Brain- ard believed that this should be accomplished above the callous at the hip-joint, while the others insisted it should be done below the trochan- tor. Dr. Brainard, whose case it was, assisted by Dr. Goodhue, followed the judgment of the consensus of opinion and operated through the trochantor. Hemorrhage was controlled by thumb pressure, which Dr. Goodhue applied to the femoral artery at its emergence from the pelvis. Upon the completion of the amputation, Brainard opened the medullary cavity and exhibited the disorganized black contents. He looked knowingly at Goodhue, who nodded his head in assent. Brainard then proceeded to follow his own judgment and operated at the joint. Comparatively little time was lost in both operations. A month later the wound still showed granulations of about three-fourths of an inch in circumference, with the upper margin discharging a healthy pus (laud- able pus, of old writers). Great expectations were entertained for his recovery until a second hemorrhage caused his rapid demise. PosT-MoRTEM Reveals Neoplasm Post-mortem showed that no censure could be placed upon Dr. Brainard for the secondary hemorrhage. At the site of the operation there was a large granuloma attached to the pelvic bone and multiple metastic osseous tubercles in the lungs, liver and heart. Dr. Freer told Dr. Hyde yeai'S later that the tumor was an en- chondroma of the femur, for it was exliibited in the Rush Medical College Museum until it was destroyed by the Chicago fire of 1871. Dr. Brainard 's interest in preventive medicine is evident from the PRACTITIONERS OF "nEW" CHICAGO 187 advertisement announcing that Walker and Brainard, the former Phila- delphians, had fresh vaccine always on hand. Having made sufficient money to pursue his researches, in 1839 he visited Paris, where his work was recognized by the Societe de Chirurgie de Paris, which made him upon his second visit, in 1852, an honorary member, as did also the Medical Society of the Canton of Geneva. At this time the doctor secured a valuable osteological collection and placed it in the Museum of Rush IMedical College, which he founded. When, in 1854, the Medical Association of St. Louis offered a prize for the best essay submitted, Brainard entered a treatise upon the treatment of ununited fractures, which not only won in the competition, but gave him also the satisfaction of having his methods adopted by the profes- sion at large. Not content with all these laurels, he found time to run a paper as well, for he preceded the Hon. John Wentworth as editor of the Chicago Democrat. This indefatigable worker found time also to inaugurate the publication of the first medical journal in Chicago, the predecessor of the Medical Journal and Examiner. Plans Another Trip to Paris Visiting with his old friend Mr. Comstock of Rome, N. Y., Brainard planned another European trip, but felt that he would not live long, and confided this presentiment to his friend. Changing his plans because of this foreboding, he returned to Chicago, where he became ill with cholera, and died October 10, 1866, in the Sherman House. Few men in the short space of fifty-five years could crowd in more activities, and certainly no greater sum total of achievements. Of all the monuments that he left posterity. Rush Medical College is his greatest. No greater tribute can be given than James Nevins Hyde accords him : "Brainard was a botanist, a geologist, excelled in literature and, above all, he had the sixteenth century distinction of possessing the qualifications of a good surgeon, 'the eye of a hawk, the hand of a woman and heart of a lion.' " ise Brainard 's Great Project — Rush Medical College When in 1836 the little village of Chicago, that had been governed for three years by a board of trustees, with Eli B. Williams as its president, took its census, the fact was revealed that its population had increased more than seventeen fold and now there were some three 160 Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Pages 29, 30. History of Chicago. Vol. I. Andreas. Pages 4G1, 462. History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Pages 37-39. 188 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN" ILLINOIS thousand souls within its looselj^ defined borders. People seemed to come from everywhere, by steamboats on the lake, by covered wagons over the Detroit-Chicago Trace — which at times was a sea of mud — and in other ways. Yet this entrepot with its alleged streets not a rod of which had hard pavement, had an air of destim'^ about it that was most convincing. Was not the Chicago spirit within these early boosters, the vis a iergo that has carried it to undreamed of heights? It certainly was, and it has gained momentum as each succeeding gen- eration has carried on the slogan enunciated by those pioneers, who predicted that eventually their city would have one hundred thousand inhabitants. The City and Its Medical College Receive Charters As these city boosters were presumptuously putting forth their claims for a charter in the winter of 1836-37, and were about to send a delega- tion to Vandalia, the State capital, to petition for it, the medical pro- phet Brainard, who had been but a short time among them, conceived the idea of riding in with his scheme for medical education on the frontier. His proposition was quickly embraced by the boosters as fitting and proper for the metropolis of their dreams. As an aid to the project. Dr. J. C. Goodhue, who was already well established among them, was enlisted in the cause. So well was the proposition received by the legislature that the school's charter antedated that of the city by several days. This was the second oldest charter of an educational institution granted by the legislature in Illinois. Benjamin Rush Honored by Its Founders The matter of naming the institution seems to have been left to a consensus of opinion. Rush was not only a leader among physicians, but also a leader among the men of his time. He had contributed lib- erally to the medical thought of his day and was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. His descendants were wealthy and, as subsequently appears, were expected to endow the struggling insti- tution. Though in this matter the trustees were disappointed, the name still graced the institution. As one writer expressed it, "His name was euphonious, had good associations, and no bad ones, attached to it, hence would serve the purpose well." "The only reason discovered for the selection of Rush as patron saint of the institution is suggested in a letter from the widow of Dr. A. W. Davisson, who was demonstrator of anatomy in the original Rush faculty. She says: PRACTITIONERS OF ''NEW" CHICAGO 189 " 'When the question of a name for the college was discussed, it was decided to name it after Dr. Benjamin Rush, of Philadelphia, then deceased, in hope of his heirs handsomely remembering it. However, at that time, they received no more than a letter of thanks.' Brainard does not appear to have especially insisted on the name, and was apparently inclined to drop it in 1854, when he published in Paris his 'Memoire sur le traitement des fractures non reunies et des difformites des os,' and placed after his name his title as 'Professeur de chirurgie au College Medical de I'lllinois, a Chicago,' etc. In 1853, he reported to the Paris Academy of Science the results of his experiments from the poison of the rattlesnake, as 'Professeur de chirurgie au College Medical de Chicago (Illinois).' Also, in his introductory address of 1855, he speaks of 'The Medical College of Chicago.' The name 'Rush,' however, continued to be attached to the college ever afterward." Its Establishment Held in Abeyance by Hard Times Everything augured well for a period of prosperity in the city with the building of the Illinois and Michigan Canal under way, which was to supplant the old waterway, the Chicago Portage — this having out- lived its usefulness — the opening of the unsurpassed "hinterland" by the agriculturists; and with coal at the very back-door to turn the wheels of the embryo industries ; but a period of wild speculation put an end to further development. Wild-cat banking (which followed the distribution of public money) made it easy for irresponsible people, organized schemers, and even states, to be borrowers, and these gambled at the government's expense, creating a condition that permitted these agencies to purchase government land, which by law could be bought with paper money from their pet banks, for $1.25 an acre. Of course this inverted financial pyramid could not continue, for the government was being paid for its lands in paper money of the state banks. Something had to be done, and done quickly, so Andrew Jack- son issued his famous "Specie Circular" (1836), which ordered land offices to receive only gold and silver for government land. The demand for gold and silver to meet the payments that people had contracted for became in consequence inordinate, and bank after bank failed, with the result that the panic of 1837 went down in history as the greatest financial disaster which had yet fallen on America. As all construction projects, such as those upon canals, were put in abeyance and business failures threw many men out of work, no thought of establishing Brainard 's medical college could be entertained. Under such conditions everyone was concerned for several years to come in keeping body and soul together, so meager were the opportunities for earning. 190 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Activity op^ Rivals in Medical Education Stirs Brainard to Action Though poor, this man of vision realized that others would usurp his chances of success in the realization of his dream if their efforts were launched in our State. Already there were colleges in St. Louis, Ken- tucky and Ohio, and Dr. Richards was hard at work establishing his college in St. Charles. Illinois College at Jacksonville was also making arrangements to give medical courses in that institution. Privately Brainard was teaching anatomy and surgery to a few students, in anticipation of the establishment of his College. His fame as a teacher had reached Dr. Pope, who in 1841 had organized the St. Louis Uni- versity Medical School, and he offered Brainard the chair of anatomy, which was accepted. ^^^'^ But for only one year did he remain there, for his heart yearned for the fulfillment of his dream — the establishment of a school in Chicago, for which a charter had been given five years before. And the following year, in 1843, he ventured to proclaim that his school was open to receive students for degrees in medicine. This "First Annual Announcement of the Rush Medical College" was issued about the end of October, 1843. It was a four-page leaflet, the pages measuring four by six and a half inches and set forth modestly, among other things, that "the college was chartered by the Legislature of Illinois in 1837, but its organ- ization has been deferred to the present time, when the interest of the medical profession requires its being carried into full operation. The superior facilities for medical instruction presented by Chicago cannot be denied by anyone acquainted with the different towns in this region. The trustees have deter- mined to lay the foundation of a medical school whose means of teaching shall be ample in all the different branches; which shall be permanent and adequate to the wants of the community; which shall in all respects advance the interests and honor of the profession," etc. "Abundant means of instruction in anatomy have for several years past been furnished in Chicago," etc. "The session was to begin on Dec. 4, 1843, and continue sixteen weeks." The requirements for the degree of Doctor of Medicine were "three years of study with a respectable physician, two courses of lectures, the last in this school (two years of practice to be accepted in lieu of one course) : the candidate to be twenty-one years old, to have good moral character and to present a thesis on some medical subject, of his own composition and in his own handwriting, which should be approved by the faculty. The regular fees aggregated $65 and the graduating fee was $20. The first course was delivered to a class of twenty-two students of whom one received at the commencement a degree in medicine. The honorary degree was conferred upon two practitioners." 105-a Photostatic copy of his letter of acceptance dated St. Louis, May 11, 1842, is in the possession of Dr. George H. Weaver, Chicago. PRACTITIONERS OF '^NEW" CHICAGO 191 Headquakters of the College Crude Every evidence of haste was manifest, for speed was necessary in order to compete with other founders. It is reflected in the description of the college. (The term "College" in that age had considerable elasticity to embrace such structures as held this and similar domiciles of learning.) The executive department of the college was in all probability in the office of Dr. Brainard, which has been described as a wooden structure at 49 and 51 South Clark street, which was situated near Randolph street, as ascertained according to the method of numbering in vogue at that time, beginning with "No. 1" at the river front. Some authors aver that this building housed the college, with a shed in the rear of the office serving as a dissecting room. But research has adduced that the lectures were given in the "Saloon (Salon) Building," a famous structure in the early days, situated at the southeast corner of Lake and Clark streets, a reproduction of which appears in this volume. Primary source material has come down to us through Dr. W. G. Todd, a pupil of Dr. Brainard in the first year of the existence of Rush ]\Iedical College. When visited by a delegation headed by Dr. Weaver in 1910, Dr. Todd had passed his eighty-ninth mile post, but his mind was clear for long-passed events, which he described vividly in an article in the Bulletin of the Alumni Association of Rush Medical College, of April, 1911. Todd slept in Dr. Brainard 's office and was closely associated with him in the early years of the college, and would surelj' have stated it if a part of the structure had been used as a lecture room. On the other hand he expressly states: "The first course of lectures was held in the 'Saloon Building,' owned by J. Y. Scammon." In the Chicago Democrat, issue of November 22, 1843, this editorial announcement appears: "Rush Medical College. — Present appearances indicate that the coming course of lectures, in this institution, will commence with a large and full class. Students are now daily coming in awaiting the commencement of the course. Drs. Knapp and Blaney also have lately arrived in town to be in readiness to commence their lectures on the 4th of next month. The Hall of the Mechanics Institute (housed in 'Saloon Building'), we learn, has been engaged for a lecture room. Under the present auspices this institution must flourish and call students from a great distance." In further support of the statement that space was rented in the famous "Saloon Building," we find in the press references to the first 192 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS year of the school's affairs. No location is given in the college's first advertisement, which appeared in the Nov. 8, 1843, edition of the Chicago Democrat. In the issue of Dec. 27 a belated editorial tells of the affairs of the college in the following vein : "Rush Medical College. — > We intended to have spoken ere this of the favor- able impression the opening and progress of this institution has made, and is making, on the public and the profession. The introductories went off with spirit, and the several professors are now lecturing daily to a class of between twenty and thirty students. We understand there will be a memorial presented to Congress * * * for the establishment of a marine hospital at Chicago. Medical attendance on which to be given by the Professors of the college for certain privileges asked in relation to a site for the college. We hope the memorial may prove successful." In the Fergus Directory of 1843 announcement is made of a dis- pensary in connection with Rush Medical College for the purpose of affording relief to the indigent and practical instruction to medical students. "It is located in a wooden building on the east side of Clark street near the bridge and is supported by voluntary contributions." Dr. Blaney's Lectures on Chemistry In the Chicago Democrat, of Dec. 21, 1843, there appears an editorial which shows the use of the Salon Building for lecture purposes : "Among the various public lectures that have been coming off in our city during almost every evening of the week, of late, we hear of none that is spoken more highly of, or that attract more attention than the Chemical Lectures delivered by James V. Z. Blaney, M. D. Professor Blaney lectures at the Saloon on Thursday evening of every week, and as his course of lectures have but just commenced and are to be continued through the winter, a fine chance here presents itself to almost every individual for the acquiring of a good and practical knowledge on all subjects connected with chemistry." Though Dr. Blaney gave lectures, as this notice states, for the benefit of the general public, they were in all probability given as a means of publicity, in the rooms set aside for the use of the college. Surely not an imposing college was this, to inspire the respect of the students. But what the school lacked in equipment it made up in the personality of its founder, for upon those rude, wooden benches, at its opening, sat an attentive circle of listeners to be spellbound by Brain- ard's eloquent address, which dealt with the future and obscured the deficiencies of the present. Excerpts from this address, which was dignified in tone and masterful in scope and treatment, we append. He discussed the general subject of medical education, and touched upon the question, then agitating the profession, of the creation of a national board of examiners for students seeking diplomas. His con- An Elevated Tombstone Upon an eminence two miles nortli from the power house on the North Bluff road, marking the restored grave of Dr. Rubin Meack, the first physician of Collinsville. Here are interred the doctor and his favorite dog, who never lost faith in his master, a constancy of affec- tion rarely obtainable in vacillating human relationships. Photograph hy Dr. Zeuch. [See P. 3 J 3] Pkimitive Ferry in Randolph County Over the Kaskaskia River On the North Kaskaskia road, operated by means of a cable and man-power traction. This mode of crossing unfordable streams was of incalculable value to pioneer physicians and settlers. Photograph hy Dr. Zeuch. [See P. .?.s'.s'l PRACTITIONERS OF ''NEW" CHICAGO 193 elusion was that there was no legal power to appoint such a board. His prophetic words, that have been fulfilled far beyond his imagination, deserve quoting in full: "We believe the school we this day open is destined to rank among the permanent institutions of the State. It will pass in time into other and better hands ; it will live on — identi- fied with the interests of a great and prosperous city. ' ' If this prophet could be resuscitated to-day to see this institution, whose nucleus was the product of his brain, and whose name is synonymous with the very highest standards in medical education of the world to-day, he would indeed believe, as he enunciated in his address, that "other and better hands" have wrought this miracle, for Brainard did not think it wise to establish a school for the elite but a school for students of limited means, which would best meet the demands of the times, as his disagree- ment upon this score with Dr. N. S. Davis would seem to imply. Four Men Compose the First Faculty The same sort of economy in the selection of a faculty as was exhib- ited in the selection of the building was, because of lack of funds, nec- essary to launch the enterprise. Dr. Brainard taught the students anatomy and surgery, and Dr. James V. Z. Blaney became professor of chemistry and materia medica. There is nothing to indicate that physi- ology was taught at all, although possibly the man teaching medicine dwelt more or less upon the subject in his dissertations upon deviations from the normal, in pathological states. Again, it was necessary to exer- cise the greatest economy in time of the out-of-town lecturers, for they were anxious to finish their work in a minimum of time so that they could get back to their practices. On an average four lectures were delivered each day. Anatomy was well taught with dissections, but the teaching of chemistry was wholly theoretical. Just why it was necessaiy to bring in for teaching, men from out of town is not clear, for there were at the time several men within the city who seemed capable enough to teach, judging from their biographies. Possibly this was a business move to advertise the college outside of Chicago, so that students might be attracted from the territory from Avhence they came. To strengthen this belief the first announcement advises prospective students to seek information concerning the courses from Professor Brainard, of Chi- cago, Professor McLean, of Jackson, Mich., and Professor Knapp, of Waynesville, 111. Students were further recommended to bring with tlieni a standard work on each of the branches taught. As a special inducement for those considering the taking up of the work, it was announced that good board and room could be procured in Chicago for from $2.00 to $2.50 per week. 194 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Public-Spirited Citizens Aid in the Erection of a College Building Out of this inauspicious beginning came a response of the citizenry that showed the same Chicago spirit for doing things, limited and handi- capped though they were by lack of funds, and this spirit is manifest to-day in the great undertakings that show what implicit faith its sons have in the future of the city — a faith which every Chicagoan deems it his privilege to proclaim to the world. The summer after the open- ing, in the year 1844, a building was erected, at the cost of $3,500, to be used for college purposes only, at the southeast corner of Indiana and Dearborn streets, facing west, opposite to where the great building of the American Medical Association stands, at Grand Avenue and Dear- born street. The lot for this building was donated for the purpose by a number of generous citizens. The building, designed by and the con- struction of which was superintended by Dr. Brainard, was, when com- pleted, a two-story wooden structure, w4th a circular roof, having a sky- light in the center, which gave it an appearance, at a distance and in pic- tures, that suggested to Professor Allen ("uncle" of a generation of students) the name "rat-trap." The amphitheater in its center had seats around it and served two purposes, as a clinic and lecture-hall. From this central room were arranged several anterooms that w^re used for dis- secting, chemical laboratories, offices and wardrobes. Though rude and cheaply made, it was in its time considered quite sumptuous and served its purpose without change for eleven years. The cost of the structure was defrayed "partly by a loan and partly by subscription and the re- mainder made up by the faculty. ' ' The Trustees the Most Prominent Men of the Time The following names, that have come down to us through their de- scendants, were household words in these early days and were connected with this epoch-making institution as trustees : William Butterfield E. D. Taylor E. S. Kimberly, M. D. Mark Skinner Hon. John D. Caton John Gage Kev. S. S. Whitman Plugh T. Dickey Julius Wadsworth Walter L. Newberry J. H. Kinzie Norman B. Judd George W. Snow Executive Officers Hon. Thomas Ford, Governor Hon. John Moore, Lieut.-Governor of Illinois of Illinois Hon. Samuel Hackleton, Speaker, Illinois House of Representatives PKACTITIONEES OF '*NEW" CHICAGO 195 At the time of the opening of the college, in 1843, the city had a population of 7,850, and during that year 129 deaths occurred. Formative Years of the College Having a new building, and with every prospect of permanence, it was possible to attract men of national prominence as lecturers and, when the new quarters were opened, Dr. Austin Flint, of Buffalo, New York, who had won fame and honors, delivered the address. In his preliminary remarks Dr. Flint alluded to the circumstance "in a few happy sentences," says the Chicago Daily Journal, of Dec. 12, 1844. He remarked that ' ' he trusted it would be a gratification in after years, to him, to have it in his powder to say that he delivered the first lecture within its walls. Dr. Brainard will deliver the opening address on Friday evening, as may be seen by advertisement in to-day's paper." This advertisement follows : "The Edifice of ttiis institution will be opened on Friday evening next, Dec. 13, at 7 o'clock. The exercises of the occasion will consist of a prayer by the Rev. Mr. Patterson, and an address by Dr. Brainard, after which an opportunity will be afforded for visitors to examine the interior of the building. Ladies and gentlemen are invited to attend." ise-a A notice of a second lecture by Dr. Flint, upon the "Constitution of the Human Body," also appears in this issue. The second lecture was to be given "at the Court House on Thursday evening. Dee. 12, commencing at 7 o'clock." Dr. Flint's subject was "The Reciprocal Duties and Obligations of the Medical Profession and the Public." In this speech he enunciated doctrines of ethics which, later, were incorporated into the code of the American Medical Association. To make room for this man on the faculty, several changes were necessary. 166-a That the opening took place as scheduled is evidenced by the following: "The Rush Medical College. — We had neither time or space last week to notice the opening of the new edifice of this college, which took place on Friday evening, 13 inst. The occasion attracted a large audience, among whom we noticed many of the clergy and most of the members of the Bar and Medical Faculty of our city. After an appropriate prayer by the Rev. Mr. Patterson, Dr. Brainard delivered an address replete with enlarged and liberal views, proving him worthy of the situation he holds as President of the Faculty. Dr. Brainard indeed, may almost be said to be the Founder of the Institution, and he and our citizens generally may well be proud of the intelligence and enter- prise which in so short a time have erected a beautiful and costly edifice dedi- cated to science in which are already gathered about forty students from our own and neighboring states. This institution has acquired high reputation on account of the zeal and ability of its professors, and bids fair to be one of the first medical schools in the West — and ere many years some of our citizens will congratulate themselves upon having been among the first patrons of the Rush Medical College." — Editorial in Chicago Democrat, Dec. 25, 1844. 196 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Dr. Flint became professor of institutes and practice of medicine, Dr. McLean became professor of materia medica and therapeutics, Dr. Gra- ham N. Fitch, of Lo^'ansport, Ind., took the place of Professor Knapp in the chair of obstetrics and diseases of women and children. Blaney was relieved of all but the department of chemistry and pharmacy, and Dr. W. B. Ilerrick became a lecturer on anatomy, thus allowing Brain- ard to devote his energies exclusively to surgery. Other changes in the catalogue showed that J. D. Caton, Rev. S. S. Whitman and E. D. Taylor had withdrawn from the board of trustees and Daniel Brainard, the college president, was announced as an ex-offlcio member. His name, though in accordance with the provision of the charter, was for some reason omitted from the first announcement. This course was a successful one. Forty-six students attended, neighboring states being represented by one from Iowa Territory and one from Wisconsin. At the close of the term there were eleven new graduates. 'I(IUM«H»# bias 7\ f Shares $5a! chicaoo. ii.wkoi3 BE IT HNOW», Tu, Mfd f 4^0/0^;. -&^__. '■ lr^/^y/ — ■> Khare f in the Capiltil Sivck of I fie Rush Medical Coliege, io»/ ir/iich Fifty Dullari on 'iirit tluire lia^ bftn jxiiri ; traiufiraltlt: on the Ixjoki of the Bnard of Trusteet of taid Colleire. ol the Scrrdary't OJ/ia in Chicagu. by /n/ 4^ ^ tj/j 6^/^ . .or /2-CJf —, Allnriiry nil till turn iiilrr oj l/iis n rlifiiulc. In WilDPiS Whereof, Me tignatnret of the President and Secretary of the niunl of Tiiutert I.J milt CiMigi art hereunto affixed, at Chicago, thit ;^g^^^»g«:c:i> PraiJraL Stock Ckihificate of Rush Medical College, 1845 Plate loaned by the Society of Medical History of Chicago. The third year's "Announcement and Catalogue of Rush Medical College," issued in the summer of 1845, showed signs of prosperity not discernible in previous editions. It was composed of eight pages and contained upon the covers a cut of the college building on the front, and on the back an advertisement of the Illinois Medical and Surgical Jour- nal edited by Professor Blaney, with a foot-note bearing the name of a firm of printers whose place of business was in "The Saloon Building," southeast corner of Clark and Lake streets. It was published in the form of a pamphlet issued probably six or eight times a year. The catalogue PRACTITIONERS OF ''nEW" CHICAGO 197 from Avliich this information was taken was number four of its second volume. The price was a dollar a year, "All communications to be directed to the editor postpaid and all subscriptions to be sent in advance, free of postage." From the board of trustees the names of T. W. Smith and Gage had disappeared. Changes in the faculty showed that Flint had gone off to more inviting fields in the east and was succeeded by Professor Fitch, Avho had resigned from the chair of obstetrics; Dr. John Evans of Attica, Ind., took the chair left vacant by Professor Fitch's promotion. Titles by this time became more ex- alted, for we learn that Brainard was now announced as "President and Professor of Surgery," and Ilerrick became "Professor of General and Descriptive Anatomy." The fees for the respective departments were separate, but the six branches aggregated sixty-five dollars when the matriculation fee was added. Dissection Course Not Obligatory The dissecting ticket was five dollars, an optional course. In all prob- ability, if the student had not the means, he could take the didactic Avork only, as the following quotation would imply: "This is optional with the student to take or decline, but it is strongly recommended that each student practice dissection at least once during his course of studies." "One is left to wonder," says the historian, "whether this hesitation was due to some debasing influence of rival schools or to difficulty, through popular prejudice, in procuring material. Brainard, anatomist that he was, must have felt a sense of outrage at the need of such a letting down ; the necessity was dire indeed that could bring him to do it." The college, we are told, had, among additions to its equipment, "a fine microscope of sufficient power to exhibit the blood globules, sper- matic animalculaB, the elementary tissues and pathological structures." The circular also announced a reduction of necessary expenses, for good board and room, with fuel, lights and attendance, could be had in Chicago for $1.50 to $2.00 per week. One half of the faculty still re- sided outside of Illinois, although the population of Chicago was — in 1845 — 12,088. During the session of 1846-47 there were exhibited to the cla.ss fifty- one surgical cases and operations, an evidence of growth in the surgical clinic that shoAved an average of more than three cases for each week of the term. 198 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Two Students Especially Reflect the Greatness of Their Teachers Among the students at this term appeared Joseph W. Freer, who died a third of a century afterward, leaving a legacy of usefulness that any- one might well emulate. Such strides did he make in the interests of his alma mater that he was honored with the presidency of the insti- tution in his later years. Ephraim Ingals, destined also to serve the institution for many years in manifold directions, survived his fellow- student by many years. Seventy students were enrolled in this session. The Establishment of a Public Hospital Marks a Great Advance IN Instruction The fifth annual announcement, issued in 1847, made public a much- needed facility for clinical instruction, the erection of a hospital under the care of the members of the faculty, "who will give a regular course of clinical instruction. ' ' That there were ample opportunities for better clinical teaching derived from this addition is evident from the state- ment that from Dec. 1, 1846, until June 23, 1847, there were four hun- dred and forty-two cases treated at the hospital and the dispensary connected with it. At one time during the following season there were eighty cases in the hospital. List of Curators Contains the Names of Eminent Men of the Times Just what were the duties or privileges of these curators whose names we append, is not clear. These men were prominent in the profession and had experience that must have been of service to a fast-growing school. If they were not actively engaged in its work, they lent at least moral support to an institution that needed friends. Here again there was a disposition to select, just as previously in the faculty, as many from out of town as from Chicago. The Chicagoans were Doctors L. D. Boone, J. Brinkerhoff, E. S. Kimberly, P. Maxwell and C. V. Dyer, while in the out of town contingent were Geo. Ilulett, of Rockton, Ills. ; R. S. Maloney, of Belvidere, Ills. ; S. B. Thayer, of Battle Creek, Mich. ; Oliver Everett, of Dixon, Ills. ; Geo. Haskell, of Rockford, Ills. ; and D. G. Clark, of Beloit, Wisconsin Territory. During this year no changes occurred in the faculty and none in the fees or other requirements; but students were told that "a credit of one year will be given on professors' tickets if secured by endorsed notes." PRACTITIOXERS OF '*NEW" CHICAGO 199 The Fifth Session — 1847-48 One hundred and forty-two students presented themselves in this session and thirty-three were graduated at its close. An addition to the college that provided more ample facilities for dissection was made in the fall of 1847 ; and further preparations were made to enlarge the teaching staff by creating a chair of physiology and pathology, though no one immediately occupied the chair as head of the newly-created department. Space was left vacant in the catalogue, providing for a late insertion of the name of an appointee — if he could be procured. No other changes were manifest except that Dr. J. B. Herrick, a brother of Professor Wm. B. Herrick, was added to the staff of demonstrators in anatomy, and that of Dr. Geo. Haskell was dropped from the list of curators. The announcement added that during the ensuing term there would be seven lectures daily, including one hour in the morning at the Chicago Hospital. Students were advised to apply for information to "Prof. Brainard, Chicago; Prof. Evans, now of Indianapolis, and Dr. J. B. Herrick, of Vandalia." The college now became more business- like and dignified, for it reduced the munificence of its favors to impe- cunious students. It announced that this year "a credit of twelve months will be given for half of the Professors' tickets only, if secured by a joint note bearing interest." Another Year — With More Changes The following year there was again a change made in the conditions of credit, which read as follows : "A twelve-month credit will be given on a secured note bearing interest. A reduction of one dollar on each ticket will be made to those who pay in advance." The lecture course began on the first Monday in November, a month later than usual, and continued sixteen weeks. One hundred students attended — a noticeable dropping off — of whom twenty-one were graduated. A spring course of lectures was announced, to begin on the last IMonday in February, 1849, soon after the winter course, and to continue eight weeks. Professor W. B. Herrick was to lecture on Prac- tical Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology," and Professor Brainard on ''Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Auscultation and Percussion." The fee for each ticket was ten dollars. There are no records that state how many took these courses. Chicago's Increase in Population Adds to the College's Popularity The census-takers in 1849 discovered that there was an increase of more than twenty per cent in population for the figures had reached 200 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS to twenty-three thousand. Business was correspondingly active. Now the proinotors of the colh'ge had better i)ros})ects to oll'er, for the city's phenomenal growth in an incredibly short time made the effete East, figuratively spealdng, "sit up and take notice." Brainard was quick to take advantage of it. Owing to the powers of persuasion that were his, coupled with the advertising a boom town carries far and wide, Dr. N. S. Davis, of New York City, was induced to accept the chair of physiology and pathology, and Professor Thomas Spencer, of the faculty of the Geneva Medical College, N. Y., was persuaded to take the place previously filled by Dr. G. N. Fitch, as teacher of principles and practice of medicine. These men were heralded in the announcement as follows : "It may be added that Professor Spencer is familiar with the various forms of malarious diseases, from observation in the Western States, as well as in the district of his former practice." Dr. Davis, "late editor of the New York Annalist, etc., was the originator of a plan for a national association whose influence in the cause of reform and im- provement has already been beneficially felt." This early press-agent method of bowing the new lights in brought out the question of whether these men from the east really knew how to treat malarial fever, the scourge of the western country. Quinine, of course, was known, but divergence of opinion as to proper dosage was rife. The westerners, especially in the country practice, believed in heavy dosage, a faith born of experience, and often outshone their more gifted colleagues of the east, who were a little timid in prescribing it. Another cause for curtailment of the dose was an economic one, for quinine at times cost five dollars an ounce and, as the historian suggests, "that amount was then equal to a present King's Exchequer." Refinements in diag- nosis were of course absent in many of the early practitioners, with the result that attenuated forms of the malady were passed by unnoticed and with a consequence that patients often passed into a state of chronic invalidism. A dictum followed by many of the later physicians who practiced in malarial regions asserted that any fever or chronic illness that did not respond to quinine was not malarial in character, but this rule could not, because of the prohibitive price, be followed in the early days. With this state of affairs present when the new professor of medicine arrived, there was wide-spread interest in the methods he would institute in the new hospital. His success in this matter is chron- icled in the annual circular, which said that "there had been one hun- dred and forty eases of malarial diseases treated in the college and hospital, thirty-seven per centum of the entire number in the city." At least, this high percentage of cases seeking his treatment showed that '••'^.^^. E r~ " - ir - S£^iS^i^S:\, View of Early St. Louis Fkoie the Illinois Side With two medical colleges and a well-equipped hospital, this city dominated the field of medicine in Illinois in the early forties. From ^VU(^.1 ••Valley of the Mississippi." ISJ/J. Courtesy of the Chicago Historical Society. Missouri Medical Coltege The Medical Department of Kemper College (Episcopalian), made famous by the brilliant, though irascible surgeon. Dr. .Joseph McDowell. During the Civil War, when McDowell was serving in the Confederate Army, his college was used by the Union forces for Confederate captives. From Wild's "Valley of the Mississippi," 18 '/I. [See P. lli\ PEACTITIONEES OF ''nEW" CHICAGO 201 the public had confidence in the director of the department. In this circular prospective students were advised to seek information concern- ing the college's work, of Brainard, Blaney, Herrick and Evans, at Chicago ; McLean, at Jackson, ]\Iich. ; Spencer, at Syracuse, N. Y. ; Davis, at New York City, and Herrick, at Vandalia, Ills. Session of 1849-50 Two weeks earlier than usual, on Oct. 15, the session opened with one hundred and four matriculants, of whom forty-two were graduated at its close. Though the college became more favorably known, the clin- ical work and surgical operations decreased, except in the year of 1848-49, if we compare the figures. In 1846-47 the operations before the class numbered fifty-one; in 1847-48 there were fifty; in 1848-49 there were fifty-seven, and in 1849-50 there were but thirty-nine. Com- menting upon this phase of the work, the collectors of the greater por- tion of the data from which this compilation was taken state : "In those four years the city doubled in population and reached more than twenty-eight thousand souls ; there must have been an increasing class of indigent people to whom free surgical services would be a great boon; the surgeon was the most renowned and able in the whole north- west, and yet tlie college clinical work actually decreased. The exj)la- nation is difficult. Was it due to a sharp line which the surgeon drew betAveen the former class and those able to pay, resulting in the rejec- tion of the indigent ones? Or was there in the growing town an in- creasing prejudice on the part of the poor against a medical college? Certainly it was not due to lack of fame or skill on the part of the pro- fessor. ' ' In partial answer to this query the writers cite — what to them seemed a scandal — that there was a private medical school at "St. Charles ^'^^'^ whose faculty in their zealous desire for dissecting material allowed their students to desecrate the graves of respectable citizens by body-snatch- ing." Revolting though tliis may seem, it was perhaps the only way open to these students to learn something about that mysterious thing we call the human body. In commenting upon the prejudice this act precipitated against medical colleges, they conclude as follows: "Througli a century of medical teaching in this country it has been the misfortune of the study of human anatomy that ardent, often un- scrupulous, men have occasionally violated the proprieties and need- lessly shocked the public sentiment by exluiming subjects where, if known, the feelings of the living would be outraged. Rush College has more than once sufl'ered directly or indirectly in this way. Such 106-b See history of this school under Kane County. 202 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS occurrences have helped to Avring from a reluctant public wholesome anatomy laws, and probably gentler influences alone would have sooner or later attained the same end. Whatever excuse, if any, there may have been for the foolhardiness of some of the body-snatchers, there was always some extenuation for the anatomists in the baseness of the law, if not in the courts, that made it an olfense for a surgeon to be wanting in a knowledge that it was a crime for him to gain." That Rush Medical College eschewed the common practice of body stealing for dissecting pur- poses, on account of the antipathy of the public toward the use of bodies for that purpose, is bej'ond the credulity of unbiased historic opinion in view of the demand for material. The editor remembers a story (told to him by his mother) which seems significant. Tt was to the effect that at the funeral services, in 1878, of her father, who had shortly before his death married again and, as they thought, had died under suspicious circumstances, were three strange men. These stran- gers excited suspicion when they inquired of some friends in attendance where the body was to be taken for interment. When they departed in their buggy a son of the deceased followed the vehicle upon his bicycle and found that their destination was Rush Medical College ! Thank heaven that we in this enlightened age have had access to the unclaimed dead (whom a friend refers to as the "by-products of civilization") for our present-day knowledge of anatomy and surgery. ^^'^ Dr. Moses L. Knapp — A Teacher op Chemistry, Pharmacology and Obstetrics "In his association with newly organized medical schools in the West, the subject of this sketch had unusual experience. He was a private student of George McClellan when the latter organized Jefferson Medical College, and graduated in the first class sent out by that school. He was on the original faculties of two of the medical schools in our State, and for some time was professor in the La Porte Medical College of Indiana. He rightly referred to himself as a 'new-schoolsman.' " "Moses L. Knapp was born Nov. 25, 1799, at Barkhamstead, Conn. He was educated in the common schools of Oxford, N. Y., and in 1825 he matriculated 167 History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Pages 49, 189-192. Land was donated for Rush Medical College by W. L. Newberry, Thos. Dyer, Wm. L. Ogden and Arthur Bronson. They also gave $500 toward the building. (Letter — Blaney to McLean — July 17, 1844.) From "Beginnings of Medical Education in and near Chicago." By Geo. H. Weaver, M. D. Page 22. Note. Compiled from "History of Rush Medical College," by Drs. Norman Bridge and John Edwin Rhodes. Beginnings of Medical Education in and near Chicago. Weaver, Pages 19-25; 13, 16. Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Pages 32-41. History of Chicago. Vol. I. Andreas. Pages 464, 466. PRACTITIONERS OF ^^NEW" CHICAGO 203 at the first session of Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia. He was one of the twenty men who formed in 1826 the first class graduating from that institution. He stood at the top of his class, and his thesis, 'Apocynum Can- nabinum,' was the first handed in and the first thesis from Jefferson Medical College to be printed. In the first edition of the 'Dispensatory of the United States of America,' by Wood and Bache, the thesis of Knapp is referred to as the principal authority on Apocynum Cannabinum, or Indian hemp, and quotation is made from it. "After graduation he located in Baltimore and practiced there until about 1831, when he migrated to Illinois. On Aug. 20, 1831, Dr. Knapp married Mary Jane Long, and went to Springfield to live. Here he practiced medicine for about three years. He bought large areas of land, becoming one of the largest land owners in Logan County. After the financial panic in 1837 his land values shrunk, and there was no money to pay taxes. He moved his family to Waynesville, 111., and later to Middleton, and continued to practice medicine. In 1845 he moved his family, consisting of wife and five children, to Chicago, where he followed his profession until 1851. His home was at 96 Clark St., opposite the public square now occupied by the city and county buildings. Everywhere he was a leader in all social and political activities. When Rush Medical College was organized, in 1843, Knapp entered the faculty as professor of obstetrics, still residing at Waynesville. From 1845 to 1851 he resided in Chicago and practiced his profession and was professor of chemistry in the University of St. Mary's of the Lake. He served as professor of materia medica in Indiana College, at La Porte, from 1844 to 1846, and while he does not appear among the faculty of 1846-1847, he delivered the address to the graduating class in 1847. In the autumn of 1848 he delivered the opening address at the first session of the Rock Island Medical School, in which he was president and professor of materia medica and therapeutics. The follow- ing year he followed this migrating school to Davenport, Iowa. In 1850 his health was such that it was deemed wise for him to seek a milder climate. At this time he was given a certificate as to his character and ability, signed by many prominent men of Illinois. His colleagues on the faculty gave him certificates to use in establishing himself in new surroundings. "In 1852 Knapp moved his family from Chicago to Covington, Ky., where he engaged in active practice. "In 1855 he published a book on epidemic cholera and an essay on cholera infantum, and in 1856 a book on nursing sore mouth. "In 1857 and 1859 he published what was generally known as 'Knapp's Pathology,' in two volumes, in which he elaborates a scorbutic diathesis as the explanation of almost all disease processes. He insisted on the daily use of fruits and fresh vegetables in scorbutic cases, in opposition to the general use of farinaceous foods. The dietetic innovations which he advocated came at a time when depleting measures, such as blood-letting, etc., were falling into disrepute. The measures he urged were accepted by many physi- cians throughout the country, and were found to be useful in treating the sick. He anticipated by two generations much that is now considered new in the vitamin regimen. Fruit juices were given to babies, and milk, ripe fruits and vegetables were urged as important articles of diet. 204 HISTORY OF :medical practice in ilijnois "While he was in Philadelphia, supervising the publication of his last work, he suffered severe pulmonary hemorrhage, and in 1S60 went to Metamoras, Mexico, hoping the warmer climate would be beneficial to his health. With restored health, two years later, he located at Cadereyta, State of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and there successfully practiced medicine until he died of pneumonia on his eightieth birthday, 1879, having been in the active practice of medicine more than fifty years. His remains lie in the Campo Santo in Cadereyta. "While in Illinois, Knapp was especially interested in general education, having manifested special interest in the State Common School convention, held in Chicago in 1846. He was popular as a teacher, and his writings show that he was possessed of much literary ability." los Dr. Graham N. Fitch — Clinician, Surgeon, Politician — Rush Faculty "Graham N. Fitch was born in Le Roy, N. Y., Dec. 5, 1810. After limited preliminary education, he early began to study medicine with his father, Dr. Frederick Fitch, and completed his studies with Dr. Townsend, of Geneva, N. Y. No evidence of his receiving a degree has been found. Beginning the practice of his profession in his native town, he removed to Logansport, Ind., in 1834. He soon established a reputation as a skillful surgeon. He became professor of obstetrics and diseases of women and children in Rush Medical College in 1844. From 1845 to 1849 he was professor of institutes and practice of medicine in that institution. During this time his ability as an author and acute observer is reflected in his lucid description of epidemic erysipelas, based entirely on 213 cases of which he took clinical notes. He insisted on the contagiousness of the disease, and related instances of transfer through infected clothing. (Illinois and Indiana Medical and Surgical Journal, 1846, 3, p. 1.) That he possessed unusual skill as a clinical teacher is indicated by a report of his 'clinique' in the College Dispensary in Chicago {IlWiois and Indiana Medical and Surgical Journal, 1847, 4 p. 126). As a delegate from Rush Medical College, he served as a member of the Medical Convention which met in Philadelphia in 1850 to revise the U. S. Pharmacopoeia. Dr. Fitch was a prominent politician. From 1836 to 1840 he was a member of the Indiana legislature; from 1848 to 1852 he represented his district in Congress, and from 1856 to 1801 he was United States senator from Indiana. When elected to Congress from the Northern District of Indiana, he resigned his professorship in Chicago. In all of his legislative positions he acquitted himself honorably. He foresaw that events were leading to civil war, and early warned his Southern colleagues in Congress of the consequences which would result in their section of the country if this occurred. Although a strong Democrat, he refused to support Stephen A. Douglas. The latter challenged him to a duel, which Fitch accepted. The knowledge of Fitch's unerring markmanship caused Douglas's friends to interfere, and the duel never came off. "Fitch's ancestors had been soldiers, his grandfather in the Revolutionary War, and his father in the War of 1812. When the Civil War opened he raised a regiment (the Forty-sixth Indiana Volunteers) and entered the Federal 168 Beginnings of Medical Education in and near Chicago. Weaver. Pages 71, 72. PRACTITIONERS OF "NEW" CHICAGO 205 service at its head. He was soon in command of a brigade. He performed valuable service in many of the engagements along the lower Mississippi and in Arkansas. "After the war he resumed his medical work in Logansport and, although not again actively engaged in politics, he always vigorously opposed what he thought wrong in civil and political affairs. He was active in medical societies, and interested in everything pertaining to the profession. Dr. Fitch died in Logansport in 1S92, aged eighty-two years." i69 Dr. John McLean — Teacher of Chemistry and Materia Medica — Rush Faculty "John McLean was born at Caledonia, Livingston County, N. Y., June 25, 1814. His father, Daniel McLean, was a farmer, and John spent his early years on the farm. He attended the country school during the winter, and by his own industry and efforts equipped himself for teaching. With the aid of funds earned by teaching in country schools he prepared himself for his chosen profession. In 1834-1835, he attended a course in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Western District of the State of New York, at Fairfield, but does not appear to have graduated. In 1835 he received a certificate from Herkimer County, N. Y., Medical Society, which entitled him to practice medicine. In 1837 he moved to Jackson, Mich., making the trip by canal, railroad, and the last fifty miles by wagon. He received a certificate from Jackson County, Mich., Medical Society in 1839. He continued to prac- tice at Jackson, Mich., until eight years before his death, which occurred March 10, 1879. In 1845 a diploma was given him from Castleman Medical College. "When Rush Medical College was organized, in 1843, Dr. McLean was made professor of materia medica and therapeutics. This position he held until 1855, when he resigned. He was held in high esteem by the students, and when he resigned a resolution by the faculty bore testimony to 'his high qual- ities, his uniformly kind and gentlemanly deportment, and his faithful discharge of the duties imposed on him.' In 1844 he wrote on 'Anemia,' for the local medical journal. He was very fond of chemistry, and in 1845 was appointed professor of chemistry, botany and physiology in the Michigan Central College. In the last years of his life he busied himself with the study of chemistry." i^o Dr. Josiah B. Herrick — Demonstrator in Anatomy — Rush "Josiah B. Herrick was born Jan. 8, 1821, in Durham, Me. He was a younger brother of William B. Herrick, and was educated in the schools of his native State until he came West and continued his studies in the Hillsboro Academy, at Hillsboro, 111. He began to study medicine in St. Louis, continued it in Chicago, and graduated from Rush Medical College in 1845. He located at Vandalla, 111., where he practiced medicine. In 1848 he became demonstrator 168 Beginnings of Medical Education in and near Chicago. Weaver. Pages 60, 62. 170 Beginnings of Medical Education in and near Chicago. Weaver. Page 74. 206 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN H.LINOIS of anatomy in his alma mater. In this year he married a daughter of General William F. Thornton of Shelbyville, 111. The young wife died in 1849, leaving an infant son. After the death of his wife, Dr. Herrick moved to Sheboygan, Wis., but in the spring of 1850 he joined a party going to California by way of Panama. At Sacramento he died of peritonitis, July 14, 1850. In an obituary notice in the Northwestern Medical and Surgical Journal (1850, 7, p. 266), he is spoken of as a young man of much promise, endowed with a quick and philosophical mind, a strong constitution, great energy and zeal in the prosecution of his designs. Special mention is made of his affability and kindness, which had secured to him a large circle of friends." i^i Dr. Alfred W. Davisson — Prosector of Anatomy — Rush "When the original faculty of Rush Medical College was organized, Alfred W. Davisson was prosector of anatomy. He was born at Xenia, Ohio, May 31, 1815, his parents being Andrew W. and Rebecca (Todd) Davisson. He attended two courses of lectures at Ohio Medical College, but it has not been possible to learn of his graduation. During his student days he supported himself by making wood bedsteads at night. "After practicing medicine in Indiana for a time, he came to Chicago in 1842. The next year he was county physician. He served one year as prosector of anatomy in Rush Medical College and, with the aid of his negro servant, took an active part in securing material for dissection. "Davisson soon became actively interested in business, and dropped medicine. In 1852, in conjunction with his brother-in-law, Thomas McCalla, he established the Bank of Commerce, a banking firm composed of Davisson, McCalla & Co. Of this he was president. The bank was first located on the present site of Sherman Hotel, but in 1854 was moved to Lake and Clark streets, the heads of the bank erecting a new five-story brick building there, "the first of that height in Chicago." Later in life he lived in New York, and finally at Atlanta, Ga., where he died in 1895." 1^2 Dr. Josiah Cosmore Goodhue, Father of ChiCxVgo's Public School System When Chicago, in all its crudeness, proclaimed to the world, or rather, that portion of the world that knew of its existence, that it had out- grown its villa gehood, the framers of its charter stated that there should be five wards. And, true to the ideals of the educated in those days, Dr. Goodhue felt called upon to devote part of his time to the affairs of the infant among the cities of the plains, as Councilman from the First Ward. In that capacity he voiced a sentiment that he had long felt the need of, more wide-spread opportunity for education of the children of the frontiersmen. This thought crystalized into the enactment of an enabling ordinance by J. Young Scammon to establish schools at the expense of the public treasury. 171 Beginnings of Medical Education in and near Chicago. Weaver. Page 66. 172 Beginnings of Medical Education in and near Chicago. Weaver. Page 55. PRACTITIONERS OF "nEW" CHICAGO 207 His Early Training of the Best Dr. Goodhue's interest in educational matters can be directly traced to his early environment in Berkshire IMedical College, where his father, Josiah Goodhue, was president. The environment of a cultured home left its impress and impelled him to supplement his knowledge with a course at Yale University, from whence he graduated in 1829. Imme- diately after graduation he started practice in the old community of St. Thomas, Canada, where he remained until 1832. The trails to the west then were crowded with emigrants whose destination was the magic city at the foot of Lake ]\[ichigan, and Goodhue saw the hand- writing and joined the procession. Arriving in Chicago, he immediately made himself a part of the transformation that was the result of the influx of people that has been continuous since that awakening after a lethargy of one hundred and sixty years as a fur-trading post. When this transformation was to be pictorially proclaimed to the generations yet to come, he designed a fitting seal for the city. Becomes Trustee in Rush Medical College "When he formed a close friendship with Dr. Brainard, he became also a strong advocate of Brainard 's idea for the establishment of a medical school in the west and assisted the getting of the charter before the General Assembly of 1837. In the grant by that legislative body he was named as one of the trustees. In the year 1835, before he became a partner of Brainard in practice, he was associated with Dr. J. H. Barnard, on Lake Street, west of the Tremont House, and later Dr. S. Z. Hazen became his associate. The following year his name again appears prominently in public life, for there was need of vigilance on account of the carelessness of those who menaced the health of the city by throwing refuse in the sluggish stream whose banks it occupied. With Dr. Egan he served as a sani- tary officer. The exorbitant sum of three dollars was assesed the offender at each violation of the sanitary act. Moves Out of Chicago About the time when Rush Medical College was to open. Dr. Goodhue became interested in land at the ford of the Rock River, and to look after it he changed his location to that point that is known to-day as Rockford. This probably explains the absence of his name from the original faculty of that embryo institution. 208 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Founds Medical Society at Rockford Dr. Goodhue again displayed that interest in development that char- acterized his work in Chicago. In 1846 he organized the Rock River Medical Society and became the first president of the society which antedated the Illinois and Chicago societies by four years. On his invi- tation, his friend Brainard became a member. Dies in Pursuit of Duty To the loathsome night call can be directly ascribed the early demise of this useful servant of the people, for he fell into an open well, the danger of which would have been avoided if his vision had not been obscured by darkness. He was rescued, but lived not long enough to say good-bye to his friend Dr. Brainard, who was summoned from Chicago and Avho made the long wearisome journey through the night over the old Galena Indian trail, only to arrive too late. From his birth in Putney, Vt., in 1794, till his death in Rockford in 1847, Goodhue gave the world fifty-three years of conscientious effort such as is seldom surpassed by any individual in a short span of life. ^'^^ Dr. Levi Day Boone Has the Spirit of His Famous Relative, Daniel Boone To be a collateral descendant of a famous national character of the wilderness is some distinction, but to carve a distinguished place in a profession with a long line of competitors obstructing your advance is a far greater distinction. This Dr. Boone achieved through perseverance and firm adherence to his ideals. To begin with, the "Blue Grass State" furnished him the oppor- tunity to study medicine. Great credit is due this state for establishing a university which in those days was almost unique, for nearly all those wishing to acquire knowledge had to go east. As a graduate of the Transylvania University of Kentucky, in 1829, he traveled into the fast-growing state of Illinois with nothing but a sheepskin under his arm, a gun and a horse, that faithful companion of man on the fron- tier. With such scanty equipment it is not strange that we find him changing locations from time to time. Arriving in Edwardsville in 1829, he changed to Ilillsboro the next year. But evidently his services could easily be dispensed with in that village when the call for volun- 173 Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Pages 24, 27, 28. History of Chicago. Vol. I. Andreas. Pages 4G0, 462, 594. History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Pages 24, 25. PEACTITIOXERS OF "nEW" CHICAGO 209 teers came for the Black Hawk War, and he went, not as a surgeon, but as a plain private. We cannot say that the pay of a surgeon induced him to join, even though that honor was accorded him before he left the army, with a commission as captain and surgeon. Marries and Locates in Chicago To those who know the value of an education it will be quite clear why, in spite of the handicap of limited means, Dr. Boone was able to woo and win the daughter of Theophilus Smith, judge of the Su- preme Court of Illinois and the subsequent career of Dr. Boone fully justified her selection. The couple moved to the hub of the wilderness universe in 1836 and he offered his services to the public. But it seems he had time enough to engage with Dr. John T. Temple in a venture that was quite incompatible with our profession, that of contracting for the excavating of two sections for the Illinois-Michigan canal. Later, in 1839, a partnership was formed with Dr. Charles V. Dyer and six j^ears later with Dr. Brockholst McVickar. In 1849 the election made him city physician, which post he held for several years. In addition to this he served the city for six years as Alderman from the Second Ward, and in 1855 was elected mayor. An Organizer of the Chicago Medical Society in 1850 To Dr. Boone we are indebted for his zeal in the establishment of the Chicago Medical Society, whose glorious work for the betterment of our standing is a monument that will endure as long as organized medicine governs the affairs of our order. It is needless to add for his efforts that he was the first president of this early organization. Military Career Honorable Though a Southerner by birth. Dr. Boone's sympathies were with the North, and he emphasized this by serving as volunteer at the front when the regular field surgeons became too tired to go on. When not so engaged his services to his state were given in Camp Douglas, that haven in our city that ministered to the unfortunate captives who were oftentimes glad to get aAvay from the din of the battle-front. His youngest son he gave to serve the North in the struggle to preserve the Union. In 1862, as his health began to fail and he could no longer suffer the rigors of the practice, he entered the insurance business, and twenty years later, January 24, 1882, he rounded out his very useful career. As evidence of appreciation of his interest in educational mat- 210 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS ters he was selected as trustee of the University of Chicago. lie was a member of the Michigan Avenue Baptist Church. ^'^■* Dr. James Van Zandt Blaney an Early Researcher in the Field OF Anaesthetics — Rush Faculty It is claimed that Dr. Blaney, working independently with agents for inducing sleep, discovered chloroform simultaneously with Sir James Y. Simpson. There is a basis for this contention, for when Dr. C. H. Quinlan demonstrated the use of ether for the first time publicly he also announced a formula he had procured for the distillation of chloro- form. Dr. Blaney, working independently of him, succeeded in pro- ducing a finished product which w^as tried with success. In the days of no cables and slow ocean vessels, news from far-away Edinburgh reached our shore slowly, so that Dr. Simpson's success in the use of chloroform had not been heralded at that time. This led many to assume that priority in its use could be ascribed as consistently to Dr. Blaney as to his noted contemporary across the water. That he had the necessary knowledge for the prosecution of such researches we can well judge, for when he joined Dr. Brainard at the time of the estab- lishment of Rush Medical College, his qualifications as a teacher led that keen observer to tender him the chairs of the allied subjects of chemistry, pharmacy and materia medica. Especially was he interested in chemistry and in that field he was the first teacher in Chicago to devote his time to it. With this knowledge in view let us look back and see how it came about that he procured the foundation for re- searching in that difficult field. He was born at Newcastle, Delaware, May 1, 1820, and in his youth he received a classical education in Princeton, from which institution he was graduated in 1836. Another four years' study in the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania gave him a degree in 1842. After a few months of rest, he arrived in Chicago in the fall of that year. Joined the Organizers op Rush in 1843 It was not long before he struck up a friendship with Brainard, whose one great idea was the founding of a medical college. Dr. Blaney fell in with Brainard 's enthusiasm and was associated with medical i"< Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Page 30. History of Chicago. Andreas. Vol. I. Pages 461, 466. History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Page 34, PRACTITIONEES OF '*NEW" CHICAGO 211 education until his health failed in 1871. His connection with the teaching institutions, Rush and Northwestern, made his services in medico-legal matters almost the last word. Another instance demonstrating his skill in chemical research was the synthetic elaboration of fruit flavors, which later came into general use at soda fountains. A man of this calibre could not be one-sided, so we find him interested in all manner of intellectual pursuits. He helped to organize the board of education, the Chicago and Illinois Medical societies, and founded and edited the Northwestern Medical and Surgical Journal. Geology His Avocation Like so many other pioneers, who could not play at the modern sports because these distractions were not to be found in their day, he followed the sport of geologic research. Two expeditions in this field were organized by him, one to the Lake Superior region, to investigate copper deposits, and the other to the coal fields of Illinois. Appointed Major in the War of the Rebellion Upon the outbreak of the Civil War his vast knowledge of sanitary affairs was utilized by the government, for he was appointed surgeon of volunteers with the rank of major, and was designated "Medical Director and Inspector of Hospitals" until the end of the war. His services won him a promotion, for when he was mustered out his title was "Lieutenant-Colonel." Becomes Head of Rush Medical College When Brainard — that indefatigable worker — died, his most logi- cal successor was Dr. Blaney. As head of Rush Medical College he ser\'ed from 1866 till 1871, when he was forced by ill health to resign and three years later, December 11, 1874, he died. He was married to Miss Clarissa Butler, a niece of Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, in 1847. ^"^^ Dr. John Evans, After ]\Iany Dr-erse Activities, Becomes a Railroad Builder — Rush Faculty It is not often that a physician leaves his calling for that of an empire builder ; but so great was the demand for increased transportation facili- ties, which the period of canal building could not supply, that prophets came forth from all ranks in the wilderness to fill the want the tre- 175 History of Chicago. Vol. I. Andreas. Pages 463, 465, 466. History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Pages 57-59. Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Pages 32, 34, 41. 212 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS mcndous volume of business required. But before we go into this phase of this human dynamo's career, let us look into the path by which he came from his humble beginning to his highest achievement. On a farm near Waynesville, Ohio, a sturdy Quaker, through frugal living and God-fearing habits, acquired an extensive farm and after- ward a successful business in merchandizing. His son, born in 1814, profiting by the example of his father's enterprise, became instilled with the same traits of business and religion. These gained momentum when transplanted into larger fields than the obscure farming com- munity could afford. The son early manifested a desire to study medi- cine, and with the father's means was enabled to further this desire in Cincinnati, Ohio, which then was coming to the front as a medical cen- ter, through the efforts of the faculty of the Ohio Medical College. "When they graduated young p]vans in IS.'^S they little knew tliat this youth would, through his great energy, reflect great credit on the alma mater that so carefully prepared him through his impressionable years. And when he located in Attica, Ind., no one thought he would make his presence felt outside of the obscure country district where he sers^ed the public. Establishes an Insane Asylum A man of Evans' calibre could not long be kept in obscurity, for thinkers are not held in narrow compasses. After six years he emerged from seeming oblivion, when he secured legislation to establish a hos- pital for the insane at Indianapolis. Of course a man with a large idea would be asked to consummate plans for its success, so he was appointed superintendent, in which position he designed and directed the erection of the buildings. So well did he succeed in this venture that his building conception served as a model for a similar institution built by the State of Illinois. Scout Brainard Again on the Trail of ]\Iedical Talent Again we record that Brainard, with the eyes of an eagle, detected talent and to the far-distant town in Indiana went the usual invita- tion to come to the nucleus of medical thought in the west — Rush Medical College. This time the chair of obstetrics needed a brilliant teacher and Brainard conceived Evans to be the man to fill the place. So in the year 1845 another luminary joined the constellation around the medical sun. It was not long before it was evident that a teacher of tremendous force was added to the institution. Not content with only medical duties, which were onerous enough, Evans found time to PRACTITIONERS OF "nEW" CHICAGO 213 help organize the Chicago and Illinois Medical societies, and to help to establish, in 1850, the first medical publication issued in Chicago, the Northwestern Medical and Surgical Journal. As a member of the city council he prepared an ordinance providing for a superintendent of city public schools and through his influence a much needed high school was built. His Early Trmning in Religion Bears Fruit Through his early religious training, which was undoubtedly thorough, he did not forget the church when he left home. In the new country his work in the Methodist church showed him the need of publications in furthering that work. So we find him one of the promulgators of the Northwestern Christian Advocate and a promoter in the estab- lishment of the Methodist Book Concern, which in our day has grown to such huge proportions that it occupies, in Chicago, one-half of a city block. Out of these activities, however, there came a much greater one for the welfare of the youth of Illinois, the establishment of a uni- versity whose standards are not surpassed by many institutions through- out the world. From 1853 until 1855 he devoted his time and energy to the securing of a grant of land for the erection of a school of higher training which he endowed with $100,000 and, best of all, for which he obtained the necessary legislation for freedom from taxation, which has enabled this institution to grow to the magnificent plant we are proud of. Northwestern University. It is with pleasure that we can record that a monument to the memory of this man of many talents has not been overlooked as was the case in so many other pioneers of our pro- fession, for the lovely city of Evanston was named after him. There is also a bust of him in the library of the Northwestern University at Evanston to inspire the youth of our day to emulate this man who crowded so many great deeds into a short lifetime. Attracts the Attention of Abraham Lincoln Lincoln, in the field of politics, like Brainard in the field of medicine, was constantly scanning the horizon for men of ability to fill the offices of trust he had to distribute, so it is not strange that he selected Dr. Evans — who was one of the convention that nominated him — to fill the important office of territorial governor of Colorado. Several years before this appointment of Dr. Evans, many vocations had com- pelled him to abandon the practice for the country's greater needs. So in 1862 he went to Colorado to take up the duties intrusted to him 214 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS by President Lincoln. For thirty-five years he developed the need he foresaw, the building of railroads. His first venture in this field was the building of the Chicago and Fort Wayne Railway, which is to-day a part of the colossal Pennsylvania system. When he reached Colorado the need of transportation for the resources of that territory seemed paramount. That he rendered a great service to the commonwealth is well evidenced by the fact that one of the loftiest peaks of the chain of Rockies is named for him, in the region that is now a playground of America. To the end of his time, which came on July 3, 1897, in Denver, his untiring efforts were directed to the betterment of his adopted State. ^"^^ Dr. Samuel Glasgovp" Armor — Discovered by Brainard — Shines FOR THE Most Part Elsewhere — Rush Faculty With almost monotonous repetition we record the finding by Dr. Brainard of men of ability to lecture, only to lose them in a year or two. By inviting Dr. Samuel Armor, whom he found practicing in Rockford, 111., in 1846, to lecture upon physiology at Rush, he discov- ered a man suited by nature to impart knowledge to others. Just as Brainard was about to engage Armor for his school, a scout from the University of Iowa, also looking for talent, beat him to it by offering Dr. Armor the chair of physiology and pathology, which he accepted in lieu of a similar position at Rush, which that institution was glad to tender after his try-out before the students and faculty. But so great was the quest by the various medical colleges for men of his calibre that his stay at the University of Iowa was brief. The Uni- versity of Cleveland, through an attractive offer, secured his services only to lose them again to the Ohio Medical College. Another leap brought him to the University of Michigan. While in Ohio, in 1856, he stayed long enough to acquire a wife, who was Miss Holcomb, of Dayton. While in Detroit, Mich., he allied him- self with Dr. Moses Gunn as his partner. But the west having been conquered, he turned his eyes to the east, where Dr. Austin Flint had scintillated for many years. When Flint left the Long Island Medical College, the chair of materia medica and general pathology was ac- cepted by Dr. Armor. Until his death, which occurred in 1885, he held the chair of the principles of practice and clinical medicine of that school. Born in a small town in Washington County, Penn , in 1818, and graduating from a small western school, the Missouri Medical 176 History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Pages 43, 45. PRACTITIONERS OF ^'nEW" CHICAGO 215 College, in 1844, he rose to a position in the medical fraternity in the country scarcely surpassed by those who seemed to have had much greater advantages. ^^'^ Dr. Thomas Spencer, Surveyor, Becomes a Successful Physician — Rush Faculty When Leonardo da Vinci, the Italian master, had completed one of his masterpieces, he invited his townspeople into his studio to view it. ]\Iost of these simple folk stood awe-stricken before it. The great artist observed one of them, however, examining the picture critically, so he asked him what he thought of it. The old man, who was a shoemaker, answered that the shoes on the feet of one of the figures were not true to the making custom of the time. Then the master took his brush and altered the last as the old man directed, the latter nodding assent, when the change coincided with the standards of the time in last-making. But the old man, encouraged by his successful criticism, ventured to say that the sky coloring was too blue ; whereupon da Vinci rebuked him with the now famous aphorism: "Shoemaker, stick to your last." This old proverb has for the most part held good when applied to those in the ordinary trades, but in scientific pursuits many have felt the call of a larger work than the confines of a limited sphere offered, and Spencer was one of these. Hence we find many instances of a happy change of an individual to a field entirely different from that in which he was trained to work. One of these decisions that greatly added to the common fund of knowledge is recorded in the life of Thomas Spencer, who was born in Great Barrington, ]\Iass., October 22, 1793. His family moved to a vil- lage of three log cabins adjoining the Canastota vicinity of the Oneida Indians, Lenox, N. Y., in 1804, at a time when there was great agita- tion throughout the country for canal building. Just then there was also a call for surveyors to carry on this and other work of this nature, which might have been the incentive for the young boy to attach him- self to one of the many surveying expeditions then forming. But he did not pursue it very long, for in 1820 he got his degree in medicine from the Medical College of Fairfield, N. Y. His early education was attained with great inconvenience, for in those days not even candle light was to be had, but blazing fagots were the means of illumination for the log-cabin students to read by. Yet he had a habit of concentra- tion — a habit rare in our day of many distractions — and acquired a foundation that made him a force among the learned of his day. 177 History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Page 53. 216 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS The early years of his practice were without especial lustre, but they rounded him out for the great opportunity which came in 1832 when the country was in the throes of a cholera epidemic, his observations of which, embodied in a monograph on the subject, created a wide- spread interest in his classical exposition upon the widely discussed problem. The need for training in the practice of medicine for men to go out into the west was then very urgent, for new settlements were constantly calling for practitioners. This government need caused John C. Spen- cer, Secretary of War, to send out an appeal to Dr. Spencer to organize a medical college, which he did, with Dr. Morgan, at Geneva, N. Y. True to his trust as a teacher, he felt the need of more knowledge to carry on this work. So to Paris he went in 1836 and, upon his return, the prestige his European studies gave him enabled him to become a leader in the medical fraternity of the Central New York State ]\Iedical Association. Proves His Right to Recognition That he deserved the recognition he received as a man of original ideas can be well judged by the character of his investigations upon abstract subjects. His celebrated lecture, "The Atomic Theory of Light and Heat," placed him in a class with Liebig, that leading in- vestigator in the realm of science of the nineteenth century. War Record of Spencer As a surgeon in the Mexican war, in the Tenth New York and New Jersey Regiment, he received the highest praise from Henry Whiting, Quartermaster General of the U. S. Army, for untiring efforts at the front. After the war he repaired to Syracuse to take up again the practice of medicine. Dr. Brainard Induces Him to Join Rush Medical College Staff Dr. Brainard, ever on the alert to strengthen his staff of teachers at the new medical school he had founded, called Spencer to Chicago. To be within riding distance of his work and at the same time find a field not overstocked with medical talent, he located in Milwaukee. And in 1849-50, but a short year, he gave a series of lectures on the practice of medicine which it goes without saying, were well attended. But ill health obliged him to discontinue and he returned to the east to resume his work in Syracruse. Private practice did not appeal to The Dr. Williat^i Bkaumont Monument at F(M{t Mackinac Erected in 1900 by the Michigan State Medical Society, near the spot where this great medical researcher conducted his experiments, in 1822, upon Alexis St. Martin, which gave fundamental knowledge of the physiology of the stomach, to which little has been added to this day. Photograph by Emerson Dufina. [See P. .''.01 PRACTITIONERS OF "nEW" CHICAGO 217 him as much as teaching, so when an eastern college, the Philadel- phia College of Medicine, called him in 1852, he followed his natural bent and taught there till his death, in 1857. ^"^ Dr. Austin Flint — Father of Our Code of Ethics — Rush Faculty Chicago, though a crude village, attracted to the faculty of Rush Medical College, through Dr. Brainard's personality, some of the great- est men of all time. Although several of these great men stayed but a year, they left their impress upon the medical life of the day as well as on that of the future. Rush Medical College finally became strong enough to hold men who built it into a great force in medical education which has been gaining momentum ever since, so that to-day it stands second to none in the entire country. Dr. Flint, while here in 1844, formulated a code of ethics which to this day is the standard of relationship between doctors in their daily vocation. If we would look back to his progenitors we could see that the ideals of his grandfather (who was a surgeon in the Continental army, that great molder of virile men, whose traditions were the very backbone of the nation) doubtless influenced the young man to study medicine. And, throughout life, steadiness of purpose directed him to the high position his name will always hold. He was born in Massachusetts, in the village of Petersham, during the turbulent times in 1812, when the patriots were called upon to defend themselves once more against their old enemy, Great Britain, with her Indian allies. But when upon victory, the long reign of free- dom from devastating warfare ensued, many colleges, where the youth of the times could get an academic education, began to flourish all over the land. Young Flint took advantage of this opportunity to improve his mind, attending Amherst and, later. Harvard, where he got his degree in medicine in 1833. The young practitioner selected Boston to display his talents in the making, remaining there three years. The westward trend of emigration brought him to Buffalo, the entrepot to the lake posts beyond, where he remained eight years. Brainard, in his many trips to the east, no doubt stopped over there after disem- barking from the lake vessels that were at that time the principal means of transportation to the land of the west. His persuasiveness brought results when he induced Dr. Flint to add his name to the roster of Rush Medical College. But even the free-masonry of the frontier could not hold a man who yearned for greater fame than being a satellite in Brainard's constellation of stars. So back to his desk he went, as ITS History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Pages 23, 24. 218 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS editor of the BuffaJo Medical Journal, which he published for ten years. In 1847 his love for teaching again urged him to establish, with pro- fessors White and Hamilton, the Buffalo Medical College, where he held the chair of theory and practice of medicine until 1852. A call from the University of Louisville brought him to the "Blue Grass State." He remained there four years, but his old love for the east again asserted itself and he went back to Buffalo to be professor of pathology and clinical medicine in the medical school of that city. New York City, the Magnet of the East, Drew Him to the Coast But New York, the center of attraction for the pioneers, as it is to-day for the seeker of big things, drew Dr. Flint to its college and hospital sphere in 1859, when he opened an office to practice. For two years he was unattached to any institution of learning; but even in New York his talents could not long remain unrecognized, and his appointment as physician to Bellevue Hospital and professor to the medical college connected with it followed after two years of residence in the festive city. For twenty-five years he held this important posi- tion, and during seven years of this time was connected with the teaching staff of Long Island Hospital College, as professor of path- ology and medical practice. To those Avho work more work is given, so we find him having time to serve as president of the New York Academy of Medicine, 1872-1885 ; a member of the American Medical, Surgical and Scientific Societies, a delegate to the International Medical Congress at Philadelphia, 1876, President of the American Medical Assiciation, 1884; elected to pre- side over the International Medical Congress at Washington, 1887, with a multitude of other duties such as the writing of books, pamphlets, etc., — these activities rounded out a life almost unparalleled in medical lore. He finally went to rest on March 13, 1886. ^'^^ Dr. Brockholst McVickar, Chicago's First Commissioner of Health Instead of ending in New York City, as many of the ambitious pioneer physicians did after a sojourn in the west, Dr. McVickar reversed the order of things, for he was born in that city on March 31, 1810. His early education was obtained from private tutors and later his uncle, Professor John McVickar, of Columbia College of N. Y., took him in hand so that he could enter Fairfield Medical College, where he grad- uated in 1831. Trenton, N. J., was the scene of his early efforts to gain fame in the practice of medicine. It was not until 1848 that 179 History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Pages 39-41. PEACTITIONERS OF ''XEW" CHICAGO 219 Chicago seemed the place where he should continue his efforts. He had been here but one year when the cholera epidemic engaged his efforts, for every practitioner had to strain every effort to combat the disease which was then devastating the country. In this battle life- long friends were made, just as in the heat of other battles comrades forget personal animosities and jealousies to fight the common foe. Two of these friends, Dr. Boone and Dr. N. S. Davis, united with Dr. McVickar to form the organization that was called the Chicago Medical Society. Again from 1853 to 1856, there was an outbreak of cholera, during which time he was appointed city physician. This position gave him the authority to promote a long-felt need, the establishment of a hos- pital at Eighteenth and Arnold streets, from which the Cook County Hospital developed. Military Service As surgeon of the Twenty-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry from June to November of 1862, he attracted the attention of the governor, who commandeered the city hospital for war purposes, with Dr. McVickar in charge. He also gave service at the Confederate Hospital, Camp Douglas. When the war ended his work commended him for further government service, and in 1868 he was given the appointment of ''Chief Medical Officer of the Marine Hospital." Made Commissioner of Health In 1876 the city council decided to call Dr. McVickar to fill the newly created office of "Commissioner of Health," but a few months later the state of his own health compelled him to relinquish the exacting duties that office imposed upon him, and he moved to Buffalo with the hope of recovery. However, on October 14, 1883, his useful life ended. ^^^ Dr. David Rutter Helps to Organize Chicago's Second Medical College The second step toward the fulfilling of Chicago's destinj' as the greatest medical center was inaugurated when Dr. Rutter, who came here in 1849, with his colleagues, Doctors Hosmer A. Johnson, Ralph N. Isham, Edmund Andrews and others, organized the Medical Depart- ment of Lind University, an institution which later, under the name of the "Chicago Medical College," became one of the best medical 180 History of Chicago. Vol. I. Andreas. Page 596. History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Page 35. 220 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS coIleg:es in this or any other country, the Medical Department of North- western University. Many of the most famous among the older medical men claim the old Chicago Medical College as their alma mater. Dr. Rutter held his position upon the faculty of this institution until his death, which was hastened by the news of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, as his affection for the martyred president was great. Apoplexy is given as the cause of Dr. Rutter 's death, April 16, 1865.181 Dr. Daniel D. Waite Keeps Organized Medicine Intact As, by unremitting care, a diligent nurse keeps a marasmic child from dying, so Dr. Waite fostered the dying interest in the struggling Chicago IMedical Society during the early days of its existence, until it could again, figuratively speaking, hold its head aloft. To him alone is given the credit by his famous contemporary, Dr. N. S. Davis, of making possible the fiftieth anniversary celebration, over which this old Nestor presided. It is a matter of history that when Dr. Waite came to Chicago this organization had not even a meeting-place ; for the few who were interested enough to attend the meetings, there was ample room in his dingy office. It is therefore but to be expected that he should be chosen one of its presidents, and in 1859 he was elected to that office. At the seventy-fifth anniversary we again gave thanks that this man's work gave us the opportunity to celebrate this diamond jubilee by the compiling of this history. The earliest part of his residence in our state was at Union Ridge, in the part of the present city of Chicago called "Jefferson," and that was in 1840. For this rich land he paid the sum of $1.25 per acre. Had he retained this land instead of moving to St. Charles, Kane County, Illinois, there might to this day be several of his descendants listed among our wealthy citizens. During his residence there he edited the St. Charles Patriot. Moves to Chicago After a Bereavement Having been happily married to Miss Lucy Clapp, the memories of their life in the old homestead could not be effaced when she died. In Chicago, where the companionship of kindred spirits somewhat amel- iorated his sense of loss, he practiced successfull}^ until his death, in 1869, in "Kenwood," a suburb of Chicago. 1^2 i**' Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Page -13. History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Page 27. 182 History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Page 25. PKACTITIONERS OF "nEW" CHICAGO 221 Dr. William B. Herrick Joins Rush, the Medical Bee-hive of Early Chicago The reports that travelled to all parts of the east — that on the frontier there was being organized a medical center around a small but virile medical college — drew many of the ambitious men who were unattached to the older institutions in the east to try for positions on its staff. Many came by personal invitation from Daniel Brainard, the head of the institution, but others came uninvited to show that some deserving special invitations were missed by that sleuth for medical talent. Among these was William B. Herrick, who already had had some experience in teaching, as an instructor at the Louisville Medical College, where he taught anatomy after graduating in medicine at Dartmouth in 1836, following preliminary work at Bowdoin. But teaching and establishing a practice in Louisville did not give him sufficient remuneration, so he moved to the small town of Hillsboro, Illinois, in 1839, where competition was not keen. In addition to get- ting a practice, it is just as important for the young medical man to marry a woman fit for his station in life, and Dr. Herrick shoAved wis- dom in this, as in other things later in life, for he allied himself to one of the most prominent families of the time when he married Martha J. Seward, a kinswoman of William H. Seward. After four years of country practice he must have felt as did Julius Caesar when he said, "Where there are no great things to be done a great man is impossible," and to Chicago the doctor went, where indeed great things were being done in Brainard 's medical college, and Herrick lost no time in attach- ing himself to that institution as a lecturer on anatomy. So well did he succeed that the position of professor of anatomy was given him in 1845. A Mexican War Surgeon The opportunity of serving his country at the front, as well as studying diseases of the tropics, impelled him to resign teaching for a position as assistant surgeon in the First Illinois Infantry, with Gen- eral Wood's division, and he saw active service at the battle front in that memorable three-day engagement at Buena Vista, where those raw recruits under Zachary Taylor did better than the regulars could have done. His services in that engagement attracted the attention of the commanders and he was placed in charge of the base hospital at Saltillo. But, alas! he, too, was exposed to the conditions he desired to study, the miasmatic diseases of the tropics, and these undermined his health making further service there for him impossible. Upon 222 HISTOEY OF MEDICAL PEACTICE IN ILLINOIS returning to Chicago he found his position at Rush was still open, and he resumed the teaching of anatomy until 1855, when he assumed the chair of physiology and histology, which he held until 1857. Active in the Embryo Medical Societies The forming of the early medical societies brought forth the hearty co-operation of Dr. Herrick, and the reward of his work was the honor of being elected first president of the Illinois Medical Society in 1850, and the Chicago Medical Society in 1851 and 1853. The recurring of his old ailments, contracted in Mexico, caused him to resign his prac- tice and go home to his birthplace in Maine, where he died December 31, 1865, after a short fifty-two years of life that was full of achieve- ment. ^^^ Dr. Erial McArthur Writes a Monograph Upon Smallpox When Chicago was in the throes of a great epidemic of variola in 1849, Dr. McArthur not only did his share in caring for the unfortu- nates, but advertised that vaccine would be given free to all those who would apply for immunization treatment. Not content with the good he was doing, he found time to record his keen observations, for the good of others in the profession, in the form of a monograph upon the different phases of the dread disease. We cannot realize what these times meant — when thousands were dying and others were being dis- figured for life through the ravages of this pest. To those pioneers who thoroughly believed in experimentation and who proved the efficacy of vaccination even though the great odds of contamination of the product for immunization were against them, we owe our present freedom from a disease that is now so uncommon that many physicians have difficulty in recognizing it when a stray case comes into the pre- cincts of Chicago. A Native of Vermont Dr. McArthur was born in 1812 in the "Green Mountain State," from whence his family migrated to Youngstown, N. Y. Little is known concerning his early life, but the Chicago directory shows that in 1846 he had established himself here in the practice of medicine. One op the Early Organizers of the Illinois Medical Society With those great men of the time, Dr. Brainard, J. V. Z. Blaney, William Herrick, Dr. McArthur travelled to Springfield to help form 183 History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Page 42. PRACTITIONERS OF ''NEW" CHICAGO 223 the Illinois Medical Society and, like the others, he served in various capacities in both the Illinois and Chicago Medical societies, having served as vice-president of the Illinois Medical Society in 1851, and president of the Chicago Medical Society' in 1852. Five years later death closed his career. ^^^ Dr. Charles Harvey Quinlan, First Anesthetist in Chicago To have the distinction of administering an angesthetic for a surgical procedure — the amputation of a finger — when to strike boldly into a new field meant either renown if successful, or oblivion if failure re- sulted, was quite a feat for anyone. And to emerge from the ordeal with victory was indeed an epoch-making achievement. Before the clinic of critical men, in the amphitheater of old Rush Medical College, such an event transpired in 1846. So important was the demonstration that the local press covered it completely and proclaimed its success in glowing terms. Dr. Quinlan had great confidence in its success when his uncle, Charles W. Harvey, sent him the directions for the making of "letheon," the name given it by Dr. Wells, of Boston. Chemically the drug was none other than sulphuric ether, the almost universal anesthetic of our time. Studies Dentistry Dr. Quinlan was born in Albany in 1821 and attended the common school and later the Albany Academy, from which he graduated in 1842. His uncle, a dentist in Buffalo, advised him to study dentistry and took the lad into his office, where he applied himself faithfully for four years. Having sufficient training at the expiration of that time, he resolved to go west, but not alone. The lady who waited until he was competent to earn a living for her was Miss Ruth Efner. With a woman's intuition she realized that the young man would succeed, and her belief was well founded. No sooner did he arrive in Chicago than his presence was felt in the fast-growing western city. To attract the attention of the faculty of "Rush Medical" one had to show something, and he certainly made good when by invitation he was given the oppor- tunity. But when chloroform was announced to the world as a better anffisthetic, Quinlan did not waste his time in criticism, resolving to try out for himself its merits and demerits. By this time others were interested in the field and, simultaneously, Dr. J. Van Z. Blaney began to distil the new drug from which so much was expected. 184 History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Page 41. 224 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Becomes a Physician In the limited field of dentistry, which Dr. Qiiinlan practiced until 1865, he felt he was handicapped in the broader application of his ex- periments, so he entered Rush, from which institution he got a degree of M. D. When he went forth to practice he selected as his field Lake Forest, then but a settlement. For ten years he served the community and helped to organize the university there. Retiring from practice, except in consultation work, he spent the remainder of his life in Evans- ton, where he died in 1897. A son, Dr. W. W. Quinlan, has succeeded him in the profession. Dr. William Wagner Organizes the German Medical Society of Chicago ^^^ The revolution against royal oppression in Germany in 1848 brought to this country independent thinkers who were fortunate to escape when the uprising was quelled by the Royalist Armies. These independent thinkers left their impress upon our historic annals, for they carried with them the same spirit that prompted them to revolt against tyranny. Their names are indelibly associated with the work of preserving the union during the turbulent times of the Civil War. Connected with the great names of Carl Schurz and Franz Sigel is that of Dr. William Wagner. He was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1825. After at- tending lectures at Heidelberg, he entered the University of Wlirzburg, from which institution he graduated in 1848. Utica, N. Y., was the scene of his endeavors to locate for practice, but he stayed there for only a brief period, wending his way Avestward to settle in Chicago in 1849. Smallpox was raging at the time, and he was given charge of the hospital caring for the victims of that epidemic. The newly reor- ganized city hospital in the year 1857 placed him upon the staff. A project close to his heart was the establishment of an organization where medical matters could be discussed in his native tongue among kindred spirits. The German Medical Society of Chicago was the direct result of this desire. After founding it in 1857 he of course became its first president. INIayor Haines was in 1859 looking for a qualified man for the ap- pointment of city physician and Dr. Wagner was his selection for the important post. That year, in consequence of the increased virulence of variola, he had abundant opportunity to use his experience in the treatment of that disease. In the j'ear of 1861 he was commissioned major surgeon of the Twenty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry and 18S History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Pages 59, CI. HOJIE OI~ THE MkHK AI. L)i:i' AKI MKM (II LaPiiRIK L'niveksity Erected about 1S46. This college, organized in 1S42 by Dr. Daniel Meeker, had as its original faculty, besides its founder, Dr. Franklin Hunt, Dr. Jacob P. Andrew, Dr. Gustavus C. Rose, and Dr. John B. Niles. Reorganization in 1844 brought in Dr. George W. Richards, Dr. Moses L. Knapp. Dr. Daniel E. Brown, Dr. Nichols Hard and Dr. John L. Torrey. Still later changes added to the faculty the names of Dr. E. Deming. Dr. T. Higday. Dr. J. Adams Allen and Dr. George W. Lee. In 1848 its name was changed to the Indiana Medical School and in 1850 it closed its doors because of its inability to compete with metropolitan medical colleges in the attracting of students. This building was destroyed by fire a few years since. Plate loaned by the Society of Medical History of Chicago. [See P. O'l-'A St. Louis Medical College. Later "Pope's College" Established in 1841. In the small building shown in the left picture the first faculty, composed of Dr. Josephus Wells Hall. Dr. Hiram Augustus Pront, Dr. James Vance Prather, Dr. Daniel Brainard of Chicago, and Dr. Moses Lewis Linton of Springfield. Kentucky, opened the institution to teach medical students. The insert in the right depicts the building erected through the munificence of Colonel O'Fallon for his son-in-law. Dr. Charles Pope, in 1849. It was a decided advance over structures housing medical colleges in the early days. Faculty changes brought in Dr. Joseph Norwood of Madison, Iowa; Dr. H. M. Bullitt of Louisville, Kentucky; Dr. James B. Blake of London, England, and later, Dr. Hodgen of Pittsfield, Illinois. Courtesy of T. G. Waterman Piih'g Co. and the St. Louis Puhlic Library. [See P. JOT] PRACTITIONERS OF ^^NEW" CHICAGO 225 served till 1863 in the struggle to preserve the Union. He returned to Chicago and in the following year he was elected coroner of Cook County. The nest year he was re-elected coroner for four years. Cook County felt the need of a hospital in 1866, and he was one of its or- ganizers and staff men. Again, in 1867, the authorities, recognizing his worth, appointed him a member of the board of health. A notable series of lectures given in Berlin in 1868 attracted him and he repaired there for more study. He married Miss Matilda Brentano and lived in Chicago until 1872, when death ended his career. ^^^ Dr. Nathan Smith Davis a Traditional Family Physician — Bush Faculty In our day of specialism in medicine, literature is crowded with appeals for the return of the family doctor, and we sometimes inquire what constitutes an ideal example of that much-lamented species of our order. And then we look back and estimate the greatness of the man who was at once a family doctor, with all that term implies, and a specialist as well, for he taught many men who to-day are shining lights in our medical affairs. He was a specialist in that his services were widely sought in consultations. He was not a specialist, however, in making extortionate charges, if we are to judge from a story that the late Dr. S. V. Clevenger used to tell as connected with Dr. Davis when most of his contemporaries "officed" in the same building with him. It seems that a physician who was house doctor at the Palmer House in the old days had some difficulty in diagnosing an ailment annoying one of the distinguished guests sojourning there from out of town. They asked for consultation and Dr. Davis was called. He took considerable time to make a diagnosis and the house physician asked him what he should charge the patient when he had completed his examination. Thereupon Dr. Davis answered, "Ten dollars." "But," remonstrated the attending man, "that is too little for such people to pay; they are very wealthy." "IMakes no difference," said the doctor, "that is my charge." "Well," suggested the house physician, "I shall render a bill for one hundred dollars, as they can well pay it for the time you gave them." "If you do," said Dr. Davis, "I shall send you back ninety of it." From the same contemporary we learn another story again illus- trating his high sense of honor. The ladies of that time were just as persistent in trj-ing to rid themselves of burdens as in our time. These 186 History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Page 69. 226 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS contemporary doctors got togetlier one day and framed a procedure that they thought would be a good joke upon Davis. They resolved to send to Dr. Davis every lady coming to their offices with such a pro- posal, with the statement that they could not accept the operation, but that the doctor across the hall miglit be induced to. When the first lady disposed of in this way approached Dr. Davis' office all were given a signal to open wide their doors. When the lady stated her mission to Davis, declination of the proposal would hardly express the answer she received; vociferation of a mighty sermon sent her to the door and the volcanic wrath of the doctor ceased not until she was out of sight. An ''Organization Man" in Every Sense of the Name As an organizer Dr. Davis' name is primiarily associated with the American Medical Association, for he is accorded the honor of its fatherhood. Mercy Hospital, in which he was forty years a staff member; Northwestern University; the Chicago Medical Society; the Illinois State Medical Society ; Chicago Academy of Science ; Chicago Historical Society ; Illinois Microscopical Society ; and the Washingtonian Home — all these are organizations that he helped to found. The presidency of the Illinois State Medical, once, and the Chicago Medical Society three times, w^as awarded him for his good work in their behalf. An interesting personage has an interesting beginning and w^e in- stinctively ask, "Where did he come from and what actuated his coming?" We find Dr. Davis was born in Greene, Chenango County, New York, January 9, 1817, that he received his instruction in medicine in the College of Physicians of Western New York at Fairfield, and that he graduated there in 1837. Looking around for a location he found one in the office of Dr. Daniel Chatfield, of Vienna, N. Y. He also found in that village what was more important in after life, a wife, for he married Miss Anna Maria Parker there in 1838. With the added expense of married life he thought best to embark for himself, so he left the partnership to engage in practice in Binghamtown, N. Y. Becoming prominent in Broome County medical affairs, he represented the county society in the state medical organization from 1843 till 1846. In that body he offered a resolution to advance the standards of education by lengthening and grading the course of instruction. The discussion following this led to the calling of a National Medical Con- vention in New York in 1846 and this in turn led to the beginning of the American Medical Association. This convention broadened his vision and determined his locating in New York. The College of Physi- PRACTITIONERS OF "nEW" CHICAGO 227 cians and Surgeons recognized his ability and gave him the chair of anatomy. Again the long-distance eyes of Brainard detected a star in the mak- ing, and corralled him for the Rush teaching staff in 1849. The chair of physiology and general pathology became his. But a little later it was the chair of principles and practice of medicine and clinical medi- cine that gave him his great opportunity to display his special gifts as a teacher. In 1850 he delivered a course of six lectures, charging a small fee. The proceeds of these lectures he used to establish a hospital of twelve beds, out of which I\Iercy Hospital grew. Seeks to Elevate the Standards of Rush The same desire that actuated the establishment of the American Medical Association to promulgate increased courses of instruction brought Dr. Davis into conflict wdth Dr. Brainard. This led to his withdrawal from the institution, and the founding of another school where this policy could be pursued and the Chicago Medical College, the precursor of Northwestern University Medical Department, was the result. For forty years he taught in this institution. In his closing years he was dean and professor emeritus of the principles and prac- tice of surgery. Becomes an Editor of Medical Works In 1883, when the Journal of the American Medical Association was changed to a weekly issue, Dr. Davis was selected as its editor, which po- sition he held for six years. Other publications, the Chicago Medical Jour- nal, 1855-59 ; Northwestern Medical and Surgical Journal; the Eclectic Journal of Education, the Literary Review, and the American Medical Temperance Quarterly w^cre guided by him. In 1860 he founded the Chicago Medical Examiner, and was its editor until it later (1873) was merged with the Chicago Medical Journal. Literary Work of Dr. Davis Among his published writings were a text-book entitled "Lectures on the Principles and Practice of Medicine," "A History of Medical Education and Institutions of the United States," and "Clinical Lec- tures on Various Important Diseases," edited by his son Dr. Frank II. DaAas. He was an ardent supporter of temperance, both as to the use of alcohol as a beverage and in the practice of medicine, and it was a favorite subject with him on the lecture platform as well as in his 228 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PEACTICE IN ILLINOIS written articles. lie was secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the International Medical Congress held in Washington in 1887. Later he became its president. His biographer, Dr. Byford, has this tribute to give him: "Untiring, irrepressible, uncompromising and incorruptible, Nathan Smith Davis occupied for half a century a shining place in the foremost ranks of the medical profession of the United States." Surely the world has been made better for the life of this man. Both Dr. Davis' sons became physicians. The elder, Dr. Frank H. Davis, showed promise, but died after about ten years of practice. The younger, Dr. Nathan S. Davis, II, was associated with his father in prac- tice and succeeded him in Northwestern University Medical School. Dr. Nathan S. Davis, III, of Chicago is a grandson of this illustrious pioneer. Dr. Davis died June 16, 1904. ^^^ De. George Wallingford Wentwobth, a Martyr Through the Pursuit of Duty Although in poor health the greater part of his life. Dr. Wentworth, through a will much greater than his physical capacity could sustain, stuck to the task of trying to ameliorate the sufferings of the poor in the cholera epidemic of 1850, until he himself became a victim and succumbed. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Dr. Wentworth was the first physician to locate west of the river, where lived the poorer people, who adopted him and revered him as a god because he interested himself in their affairs. The poor hence- forth were always with him and in their behalf he lost his life. But before he died he had served the ward as alderman, which office he was induced to accept when the incumbent in office resigned while the cholera epidemic was raging in 1849. Shortly afterward an election was held and he was unanimously re-elected for two years, dying, how- ever, after serving but a brief time. He received his early education in New Hampshire, where he was born in 1820, matriculating at Dart- mouth in 1841, and remaining one year, when he was forced to relin- quish his work in the collegiate and legal courses because of ill health. In 1843 he came to Chicago, where he was engaged on the Democrat in literary work. But soon his delicate health forced him to resign and 18T History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Pages 48-50. PEACTITIONERS OF "nEW" CHICAGO 229 go east again. Then he decided to study medicine and, with that in view took courses in Concord, N. H., New York City and Philadelphia, becoming an alumnus in Philadelphia Medical College in 1847. He immediately came west, locating on the west end of Randolph street bridge. After his death the mayor called a special meeting of the common council to lay plans for a fitting tribute to his work in behalf of the citizens. The Chicago Medical Society did likewise and both organizations attended the funeral in a body. His remains were in- terred in Concord, New Hampshire. His brother, the Honorable John Wentworth, was a prominent figure in Chicago life for years. ^^^ Dr. John E. McGirk a Pioneer Researcher in the Field of Immunity Stirred by the success of vaccination in smallpox. Dr. McGirr turned his attention to eliminating the most common and most contagious disease of childhood, measles. The general belief that all must have measles was not shared by Dr. McGirr. "His experiments in inocula- tion to produce immunity through mild attacks" which, though they failed to bring definite results, paved the way for the long line of in- vestigators in Chicago and elsewhere to produce immunizing sera, some of which have robbed some of the other contagious diseases of their terrors. In 1851 he published the results of his experiments and there- fore he must be given credit for the first experimental work in that field. A Scholarly Man Was Dr. McGirr He was the son of a doctor, Patrick McGirr, who after working in the best schools in Ireland, England and Scotland, settled in Youngs- town, Penn., where his gifted son was born in 1820. As a youth he studied in St. Mary's College, Emmittsburgh, Pa., where he graduated in 1840. In 1846 he studied medicine in the University of Pennsyl- vania and a year later was graduated from Rush Medical College, the first of the early graduates to achieve distinction from that institution. Becomes a Teacher A few months after graduation his literary work began, for he pub- lished a very good article on the "New Use of Ether in Midwifery," and the following year other creditable papers on obstetrical topics appeared. As early as 1849 he began to teach as professor of anatomy, physiology, hygiene, chemistry and botany in the University of St. Mary's of the Lake. He also delivered a series of lectures on physiology and hygiene to the students of the Mechanics Institute. 188 Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Pages 31, 32. History of Chicago. Vol, I. Andreas. Page 463. 230 HISTORY OP MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Studies Law and is Admitted to the Bar Besides his medical work, he found time to study law, being admitted to the bar in 1852. That he was equally successful in the legal pro- fession is evidenced by his admittance to the U. S. Circuit and District Courts in 1854. Ilis interest in educational matters led him to the membership of the committee whose favorable report was instrumental in establishing a high school in Chicago. He was one of the founders of Mercy Hospital, and his sister, ]\Iary Vincent IMcGirr, was the first Superior of the institution. Another literary effort that gave him great credit was the writing of the life of the Rt. Rev. William Quarter, the first Catholic bishop of Chicago, who died in 1848. During the epidemic of cholera, in 1854, Dr. McGirr contracted the disease, which necessitated his sojourning on his farm in Pennsylvania for five years, to regain his health. When the Civil War broke out he entered the Union Army in the hospital corps, for which services he was honored as brevet-major. After the ceasing of hostilities he returned to Pittsburgh, but the exactions of a large prac- tice again undermined his health and he died there in 1870. ^^^ Dr. Lucien Prentiss Cheney, the Sponsor op Compulsory Vaccination While Dr. Cheney was physician in charge of the Chicago Smallpox Hospital, at the foot of North Avenue, he urged and had passed, an ordinance forcing vaccination upon the unprotected. This made him the dean of the preventive medicine contingent that has been so active since his time in curtailing diseases, especially communicable ones. Coming to Chicago in 1850, his presence was quickly felt for soon afterward he was appointed county physician. Two years later the city, recognizing his ability, made him city physician, and with that office the supervision of the Chicago Smallpox Hospital fell into his hands. Here he found prevention was better than cure, and universal vaccination was the result of that experience. Born in Addison County, Vermont, in 1814, he was graduated from the Castleton Medical College in 1837. The same year he wisely mar- ried Miss Mary Louisa Stone, of Bridgeport, Vt. After thirteen years of practice in Vermont and New York, he joined the already crowded ranks of the fast-growing city on the lake. Here he lived until April 28, 1864, when death terminated further efforts. Shortly after his locating here his practice grew to such proportions, regardless of the 180 History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Pages 58, 59. PRACTITIONERS OF "nEW" CHICAGO 231 overcrowded medical ranks, that he felt impelled to take in an assistant, Dr. Joseph Presley Ross, whose name later became associated with the founding of the Presbyterian Hospital. "With all his activities Dr. Cheney found time to devote to the spiritual side of life, for he was one of the founders of the Episcopal Church of the Atonement, which later became the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul. ^^^ Dr. Joseph Warren Freer Determines Upon a Medical Career Through the Tragic Death of His Wife — Rush Faculty Impressed by the lack of medical skill of a practitioner and depressed by the tragedy of the death of his wife through hemorrhage, Joseph Freer decided to abandon the farm to become a physician. How well he succeeded in brusliing off his rusticism for the polish of the city is a matter of medical history interesting to record. As Caesar called Cincinnatus from the plow to greater fame, so Chicago and Rush Medi- cal College lured Freer to the classroom. And therein lies a story that varies a little from the continual recording of that man Brainard's habit of seeking the man for the place. In this instance the man sought Brainard ; Brainard took the raw material and, as a sculptor molds his clay, he made a finished product from the most unpromising mate- rial, again showing what manner of man was this giant among men in the early medical world. But this thought of studying medicine did not entirely come at the moment when Freer 's wife (who was Miss Emmeline Ilolden) died, after two years of happy married life. It came because this youth knew (for he had studied medicine under his uncle, Dr. Lemuel C. Paine, of Clyde, N. Y.) that the services rendered in behalf of his bleeding wife were crude compared with those he had seen his uncle give in far-away New York. Once under the tutelage of Dr. Brainard, all the latent ability within him was developed and he graduated from Rush in 184:8, the second star of the long line of brilliant ones that have left that institution since it began graduating men to practice medicine. The early doctors married soon after graduation, and Dr. Freer was no exception, for in 1849 he again took to himself a wife; this time the lucky lady was Miss Catherine Gatter of Wurtemberg, Germany. In the same year he was appointed demonstrator of anatomy in Rush and, in 1855, professor of anatomy. lie continued teaching this subject until 1859. In that year a reorganization of the staff was effected and Freer was given the chair of physiology and microscopic anatomy. This seems to lei* History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Pages 45, 73. 232 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILIJNOIS have been a happj'^ charge, for he retained that position till his death, which occurred April 12, 1877. He was one of the great surgeons of the west and when Dr. Blaney relinquished the presidency of Kush, he was the logical man for the place. Dr. Freer was a member of the medical staff of Mercy Hospital and Cook County Hospital and served these until the time of his death. Replenishing his stock of knowledge several summers by study in Europe, he returned each time to deliver courses in the new ideas he had acquired through the prosecution of these studies. His greatness was reflected in his two able sons, Paul Casper Freer, a noted chemist who died in 1912, and Dr. Otto T. Freer, the eminent laryngologist of Chicago. "Dr. Freer was a man of fine character and quick perception," says Dr. John Edwin Rhodes; "dignified and undemonstrative, he was a superior teacher who left his impress upon students as one who knew and had the faculty of imparting knowledge to others." ^^^ Dr. Ephraim Ingals Rises to Fame Through a Devious Path — Rush Faculty Another famous alumnus of Rush Medical College, who in the early part of his practice was located at Lee Center, Illinois, but whose great- est work was done in Chicago, was Dr. Ingals. He was descended from Edmund Ingals who, coming from England with Governor Endicott's colony, landed in Salem in 1628. At Lynn this man found a place to his liking and was in consequence its first settler. Coming from such ancestry, it is not strange that, though left an orphan at the age of eight, Ephraim Ingals had the determination and ambition to brook many discouragements when he was taken to Lee County, Illinois, in 1837. Here there were no sinecure jobs procurable ; only the hardest kind of farm labor was paid for and that only with a pittance. This youth, however, could not be kept in menial work, for he had a great zeal for learning and with the money he earned Ingals entered the primary school. Between farming and going to school at intervals he prepared himself to enter Rush College to take up the study nearest his heart, and which gave him his opportunity for the work that was to follow. After two years' study of medicine, he was graduated in 1847 by Rush Medical, and went back to Lee County to work, but this time in his profession. Ten years later he returned to Chicago. With his ex- perience in country practice, a school that develops resourcefulness, he had no trouble in establishing liimself as a general practitioner. Asso- i»i History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Page 48. SuRtiiCAL Instruments Found among the effects of Doctors Joseph and J. Hamilton Johnson of Galena. (1) Ingenious scarifier, adjustable for slight scarification for counter-irritation and for medium and deep incisions for superficial and deep cupping; (2) Small single scarifier in hand- made wooden box; (3) Curette; (4) Bistury with tortoise handle; (5) Curved grooved forceps; (6) Large needle used for muscle sutur- ing in amputations; (7) Scalpel with tortoise handle; (8) Artery forceps (grooved) without lock; (9) Small tissue forceps without teeth; (10) Female catheter. Reproduced through the courtcfiy of the Chicago Historical Society. [See P. l.is\ PRACTITIONERS OF '*NEW" CHICAGO 233 elation with Dr. Brainard and Dr. DeLaskie Miller, in conducting the Northwestern Medical and Surgical Journal, brought him recognition which made him the successor of Dr. John Ranch as professor of materia medica and therapeutics at Rush Medical College in 1859. In this capacity he remained until 1871, when he resigned with the title of "professor emeritus." During his incumbency his practice was so pressing that at times he was forced to deliver his lectures without taking time to sleep, so eager was he that the students should not be slighted. With the means secured by the practice of his profession he became an ardent advocate of a better general education for students. Such an opportunity was in his youth denied him, though in after life he acquired one, largely through diligent reading. Desiring to make the path of subsequent students less arduous, he gave generously to a fund that made effective the affiliation of Rush Medical College with the University of Chicago. When this union became an established fact he gave $25,000 more. He also donated $10,000 for the construction of a laboratory for the medical department of Northwestern University. Dr. Ingals was active in the affairs of the Chicago Medical Society, serving four terms as its president from 1876-77, 1877-78, 1878-79 and from 1881 till 1882. He was also one of the presidents of the Illinois State Medical Society. In 1851 he married Miss Melissa Church and of this union were born four daughters, one of whom became the wife of Dr. E. Fletcher Ingals. Dr. Ephraim Ingals died in 1900. '^^- Dr. Alonzo Benjamin Palmer, a Country Physician, Becomes a Great Teacher — Rush Faculty After practicing ten years in the village of Tecumseh, Mich., following his graduation in 1839 from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Fairfield, New York, in which State he first saw the light (at Richfield) in 1815, Dr. Palmer, like others before him, heard the call of the general and left the country to join Dr. Brainard 's force of instructors at Rush Medical College. He arrived among the early great in Chicago in 1850. His presence was soon felt, for he had the prerequisites of a great teacher. So mani- fest were his qualifications that the student body induced him to give lectures outside of the classroom, in addition to the regular instruction. The city fathers heard of his ability and engaged him as city physician and medical adviser to the health officers in 1852. To represent the Chicago Lledical Society, which he had helped to organize, he was sent 192 History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Pages 64, 65. Early Medical Chicago. James Nevins Hyde, M. D, Page 35. 234 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS as delegate to the American Medical Association's meeting in Richmond, Virginia, in 1852. Leaves Chicago to Teach in the University of Michigan Dr. Palmer's ability as a teacher soon attracted the attention of the trustees of the University of Michigan, where he was tendered the chair of materia medica and therapeutics, accepting it in 1854. Not wanting to become too one-sided in teaching, Dr. Palmer sought, and was given, the chair of pathology and theoiy and practice of medicine, which he held until his death, in 1887. Several years before his death he held the position of dean of the faculty and the institution, in recognition of his services to the university, bestowed the degree of LL.D. upon him when he completed the thirtieth year of his connection with the school. As a fitting tribute to his memory, his widow, who was INIiss Love Hoot, of Pittsfield, ]\Iassachusetts, before marriage, endowed the Palmer ward in the hospital of the University of Michigan. ^^^ Other Physicians of Early Chicago That Chicago did not suffer for want of sufficient medical talent is gleaned from the following long list of doctors and near doctors : Drs. Stuart and Lord succeeded Dr. J. C. Goodhue when the latter moved to Rockford in 1838. Stuart was considered a Beau Brummel in his day, but Dr. Lord had a more constructive mind than that roue of the romantic age, for he patented a labor-saving pill machine. Dr. J. Jay Stuart, with J. D. Caton, second floor east of Breese and Sheppard's, Lake Street, advertised in the American of June 11, 183G. He formed a partnership with Dr. H. K. W. Boardman in 1848, but died two years later, i^'* Dr. N. Gunn received mention in the newspapers of March, 1836. Dr. S. Z. Haven was one of the disputants before the Chicago Lyceum February 27, 1836, and was in partnership with Dr. J. C. Goodhue at this time. ^^^ Dr. Wanzer Settles on Garlic Creek Among the physicians who practiced in early Chicago was Dr. Hiram Wanzer, in the beginning of the forties. Without anaesthetics, and assisted only by his daughter, Ella, this man did surgical operations — 188 History of Medicine and Surgery in Chicago. Page 47. History of Chicago. A. T. Andreas. Vol. I. Pages 466, 594. 184 Early Medical Chicago. Hyde. Page 24. History of Chicago. Andreas. Vol. I. Page 461. 185 History of Chicago. Andreas. Vol. I. Page 462, PEACTITIONERS OF "nEAV" CHICAGO 235 such as amputations — with the aid of his saw and knife. The historian remarks: "Operations were not so popular then as now, and people seemed to live just as long, if not longer." He further states that Doctor Wanzer, like other medical men of that day, carried a grip that con- tained a miniature pharmacy. "Instead of writing prescriptions, he mixed the drugs and prepared the medicine on the spot." He practiced here till 1849, when he loaded his family in a prairie schooner and joined the gold rush for California ; he failed to find gold, but gained much experience. Dr. Wanzer had a horse and buggy ; he charged two dollars a call and an office fee of one dollar. JMaternity cases, which then comprised the chief practice, called for the outlay of fifteen dollars from the breadwinner. ^^^ C. Carli, in the Democrat of August 16, 1837, announced himself as an M. D. "Lucius G. Dole is specified as an 'eye-doctor,' in the 1839 directory, and ten years subsequently appears as a 'botanical physician.' " "Under date of August 24, 1836, Dr. R. J. Harvey advertised the inauguration of his practice in Chicago." "Reuben B. Heacock is designated as a medical student with Dr. C. V. Dyer, and Benjamin F. Hale, as a botanic physician, in Fergus' Directory for 1839." "Dr. James R. Irvine, from Philadelphia, advertises in the American of December 3, 1836, that he has opened an oflBce, first door south of the corner of Lake and Wells." "The primary hydropathic practitioner, as a proprietor of vapor baths, is given in 1839 directory, being John J. Keenan." "Dr. Richard Murphy appears in the 1839 directory and pursued literary labors in this city for some time, but nothing is obtainable that identifies him with the medical profession here." "The same work cites Dr. (Leonard) Proctor. This latter gentleman was married to Frances Burbank, daughter of Henry Wolcott, and sister of Alexander Wolcott, county surveyor, by Rev. J. Harrington, January 7, 1841." "Dr. Lucius Abbott is stated to have married Mrs. Margaret Helm, at Chicago, in 1836. No account appears of his having practiced in this city until 1845, and it is stated that he returned to Connecticut that year and died there." "Dr. Simeon Willard appears in the 1839 directory and advertised, July 13, 1840, in the Daily American." "On December 17, 1836, Dr. Joseph Walker, late physician of Philadelphia Hospital, advertised in the American; and on May 20, 1837, Walker and Brain- ard advertised that they would always keep fresh vaccine matter." 186 Re-discovering Chicago. Fred D. Pasley, in Chicago Herald and Examiner, Sept. 22, 1924. 236 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS The following are designated as physicians in Fergus' Directory for 1839: Dr. J. T. Betts; Dr. S. B. Gay; Dr. Merrick; Dr. Moore; Dr. L. Post; Dr. William Russell and Dr. Wood. io7 Dr. J. Brinkerhoff appears in the 1843 directory. Dr. Hiram Reynolds came in 1849 from Geneva, N. Y. He was an active worker in St. James Church. Mrs. Reynolds was an organizer of the Ladies War Committee, los "How much, or how little, many of these pioneer practitioners were identified with the material progress of Chicago, or in what manner their individual talent accelerated the growth of sciences is impossible to state. In cases where they became identified with any of the institutions that were evidences of scientific advancement, their names as such integers appear." A question arose in the course of the compilation of this history, whether it was just to those who were bona fid^, qualified practitioners, to have men- tioned with them those who may have been the veriest quacks; but how is the citizen of Chicago of 1926 to decide? "In the pioneer days of medical practice, when the possible patients were few, the duties devolving upon physicians were onerous and detracted from proficiency in their profession. Unless possessed of a competency, it was requisite for them to win bread for the sustenance of themselves and families, to eke out by agriculture, speculation, or trade; the slender honoraria obtain- able from the sparsely settled country; therefore, in some instances it is not surprising that a physician's repute is greater because of achievement without the pale of medical science than for his scientific diagnosis and practice con- sequent thereupon. It is certainly a moot question whether the enterprise of an individual in commerce, or the display of scientific attainment in a pro- fession, most accelerates material progress in a city; in the early medical inhabitants of Chicago, however, commercial and professional enterprise were usually, perforce, united. "As the population increased and the ills which man is heir to augumented in proportion, there was a larger scope for the exclusive exercise of medical skill and consequent ability to exist upon the fees received for such practice; thus, the practice which makes perfect was not alone attainable by the physi- cian, but his mind being easier upon the subject of his means of subsistence, he was able to devote more time to study; he was not compelled to abandon the scalpel for the spade, to fill the epigastric regions of his family." isa Mrs. Robertson, Obstetrician Although there was an oversupply of medical talent in Chicago in 1839, and many depended upon obstetrics for the greater part of their practice, one woman found it a lucrative field for that kind of practice and a historian of the last century called her the "feminine Hippoc- rates" of Chicago. She could hardly be called a physician, for she had no medical degree and must be classed therefore as a midwife. 200 19T History of Chicago. Andreas. Vol. I. Pages 462, 463. 198 Bulletin of Chicago Historical Society, May, 1925. 198 History of Chicago. Andreas. Vol. I. Page 463. PKACTITIONEKS OF ''nEW" CHICAGO 237 Phrenologists Listed Among Physicians in Early Directories We are reminded, by the inclusion of Professor George C. Tew in the list of doctors in Fergus' Directory of 1839, of a kind of charlatanism that flourished in Chicago even as late as the nineties. In commenting upon his qualifications a historian of the times states : ' ' He appears to have been successful in his presentation of the science, as he was also here in 1844 and 1845." Place is only given this follower of Gall and Spurzheim on account of his precedence in that branch of physiological science." ^^^ These gentry, by alluring charts and models displayed in showcases on the walks, attracted the unwary and induced them to part with good money for information that was a great satisfaction to the victims. George Ade once wrote, in his inimitable way, an amusing story concern- ing the methods employed by these impostors, the gist of which story we recount : The professor was seated in his office, surrounded by his whiskers and wondering who would be his next victim, when the sound of heaw footsteps ascending the stairs aroused him from his reverie. As the door opened he beheld a teamster who was curious to know what, besides the knowledge of driving a span of horses, was in his brain. After examining the bumps on the man's head the professor looked wise and announced the discovery that the gray matter underneath them was capable of great executive ability and would have made him a great banker if it had only been developed. The dupe thereupon parted with three hard-earned dollars and went whistling on his way, happy in the thought that he might have been a financial wizard, and he there- after viewed his inferiors with profound pity. Dr. H. H. Brayton advertised that he offered his services to the public at his office and residence in Clark street, "first door south of the Meth- odist Church," and was prepared with his fresh supply of vaccine to immunize against small-pox. Indigent persons would be vaccinated free of charge. 201-a "Cheering News" Under this caption the public is notified, upon a page of the local press devoted to many other blazing advertisements calling attention to the unsurpassed virtues of multitudinous nostrums for all ailments that flesh is heir to, that "Dr. J. L. Dunyan, the Indian and German physician, has returned to Chicago to treat the sick." He further states that he has put his house in order to take care of those afflicted, 200 History of Chicago. Andreas. Vol. I. Page 461. 201 History of Chicago. Andreas. Vol. I. Page 462. 201-a Chicago Democrat, Nov. 29, 1843. 238 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS for a moderate charge. As usual, he will distinguish all chronic diseases by the urine, if a "morning specimen is brought to his office in Clark street near the Bridge." Announcement is also made that "one thou- sand pounds of various Botanic Medicines are wanted, for which a liberal price will be paid." "^'^'^ "]\Iagna est Veritas et Pr.-evalet" In the same publication, under the above quotation. Dr. Isaac Gates, "Botanic and Cancer Physician of Aurora," offers a speedy and certain cure for those who would be spared the natural horrors of the knife so generally employed, which even in the most skillful hands he opines causes much suffering without much success. The prevalence of this procedure induced him to make his great discovery. Lest we consider that only quacks were using the columns of the news- papers to attract the gullible to purchase their wares, we append an excerpt from a lengthy advertisement concerning the time-honored blood purifier that has held its place in the hearts of the laity down to our time. "Dr. Egan's Sarsaparilla Panacea, the most perfect restora- tive yet discovered for debilitated constitutions and diseases of the skin and bones," was the concoction our esteemed early citizen, Dr. W. B. Egan, put up to add to his income. Among those who attested to its many virtues in published testimonials was Dr. Chas. V. Dyer, another of Chicago's highly respected physicians, who said he was in the habit of prescribing it, and not in a single instance was he disappointed in it. He excuses his action by the statement that the testimonial is the only one he ever made. -^^''^ That it was not at that time considered unethical to seek publicity in medical matters, and that such habits should be encouraged, we judge from a reprint in the Chicago Democrat of December 12, 1844, of an article of the time taken from the New York Sun, which lauds the work of Professor Baxby in plastic surgery in the Washington University, in which he built a man a new face. Commenting further, it is stated: "The greater the publicity of extraordinary surgical operations, the greater the improvements will be in the science." The following names of physicians not previously mentioned are listed in the Directories of 1849 and 1850: J. F. Adolphus, Jas. N. Banks, J. H. Bird, C. A. Helmuth, Edwin G. Meek, S. Spangler Reice, Z. P. Fortig, J. Basset, R. C. Anderson, L. Boening, H. H. Beardsley, H. M. Bigelow, J. D. Bowley, J. Brown, Bruckmayr, R. G. Copley, Geo. Smith Crawford, I. C. Dass, F. C. Hageman, .John S. King, M. Mcllwaine, Max Myers, H. Richter, L. Spannaghai, E. M. Thorp, C. White. — "Botanical": J. B. Bachelor, N. Frisbie, Lewis Hird, John Knott, L. S. Major, D. S. Martin, D. Spangler. — Homeopathic: Wm. Pierce and L. Vargas. 201b Chicago Democrat, May 2, 1843. 201-c Chicago Democrat, Aug. 23, 1843. CHAPTER XI HOMEOPATHY AND ITS EARLY ADHERENTS IN ILLINOIS IN the early part of the nineteenth century Samuel Hahnemann an- nounced to the world his famous dictum, "similm similihus curantur," and shortly afterward, in 1826, Ferdinand L. Wilsey became the first convert to this theory in the United States. From that time on, that system of practice di\aded the profession into two great camps which kept up a turmoil until almost the beginning of the twentieth century. Happily, this breach in our ranks has been dissipated and we are again practically a united body. Early Chicago Physicians Become Converts to Hahistemann That those who announced their intention of following the new sys- tem met with much opposition from the regulars we glean from the Northwestern Journal of Homeopathy for October, 1850. M. Daniel Coe wrote Dr. Shipman concerning the opposition to those embracing this system who wished to attend courses in Rush Medical College, but could not graduate from that institution if they adopted it. Db. Shipman: During the session of 1849-50, I attended a course of lectures at the Rush Medical College in Chicago, and was desirous of attending the ensuing course and receiving the honors of the College, as I should have been entitled to do had none but the ordinary tests of qualification been applied to me. But wishing to have the matter fully understood previous to securing tickets for another course, I addressed the following to the Secretary of the faculty and received the accompanying reply. St. Charles, III., September 12, 1850. Du. N. S. Davis: Sir: I am a homeopathist from a conviction of the truth of the principles and the efficacy of the practice of homeopathia. With these views will you graduate me if I comply with the ordinary requisitions of the faculty? Yours, etc. M. Daniel Coe. Mr. Daniel Coe: Dear Sir: I am directed to inform you that the faculty of Rush Medical College will not recommend you to the trustees for a degree so long as they have any reason to suppose that you entertain the doctrines, and intend to 239 240 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS trifle with human life on the principles you avow in your letter. To do otherwise would involve both parties in the grossest inconsistency. Very respectfully yours, N. S. Davis, Secretary to the Faculty of Rush Medical College. This ultimatum brought forth a fight that resulted in the establish- ment of a school where students could follow their own inclinations regarding the new creed. Convention Called to Chicago "A preliminary meeting was held June 3, 1851, in the office of Messrs. Skinner and Hoyne who, with Jonathan Young Scammon and Hon. William B. Ogden, were among the earliest homeopathic laymen. Professor L. Dodge, of Cleveland, was called to the chair and Dr. T. G. Comstock, of St. Louis, appointed secretary. "There is no need of recounting the various arguments used pro and con relative to this correspondence; it demonstrated, however, that homeopathists could not graduate from Rush Medical College; and the necessity of establish- ing a college of their own, where the adherents of the homeopathic school could pursue the requisite course of study and graduate as doctors of medi- cine must have been apparent to them. To discuss the necessities of the new school of medicine, a homeopathic convention was convened, and the 'Gem of the Prairie' thus commented upon the science whose adherents were about to assemble: 'That although old school practitioners at first regarded the "infinitesimal philosophy" as a delusion, and that it was still regarded by the great body of them as a system of quackery, it had gained a strong position, and was growing daily, both in this country and in England. In fact it recognized homeopathy as something which could not be ignored or sneered out of existence.' " A preliminary meeting was held at the office of Messrs. Skinner and Hoyne, as above stated. "The special design of the meeting was an- nounced to be the formation of a western homeopathic association. A committee on credentials was appointed, consisting of D. S. Smith, M. D., Chicago; L. M. Tracy, M. D., Milwaukee; and George E. Ship- man, M. D., Chicago, who presented the following resolution as a basis of the action of the convention : "Resolved: That those present shall be considered members of this con- vention who have conformed to the existing medical institutions of the country, or who have been engaged in the practice of medicine five years (being avowed believers in, and practitioners of homeopathy), or who shall have passed an examination before the committee." "This resolution was passed and, under its provisions, the following gen- tlemen were reported by the committee as qualified to seats in the convention: Lewis Dodge, Cleveland; T. G. Comstock, St. Louis; H. C. Foote, Galesburg; HOMEOPATHY AND EAELY ADHERENTS 241 A. Giles, Southport, Wis.; Dr. M. D. Coe, St. Charles; Dr. A. P. Holt, Lyndon; Dr. William Vallette, Elgin; Dr. W. C. Barker, Waukegan; D. S. Smith, Chi- cago; L. M. Tracy, Milwaukee; George E. Shipman, Chicago. "The convention met at Warner's Hall on the following day, and Dr. I. S. P. Lord, Batavia; John Granger, St. Louis; Thomas J. Vastine, St. Louis; Professor Charles D. Williams, Cleveland; John Wheeler, Cleveland; M. S. Carr, Peoria; N. Clark Burnham, Peoria; E. H. Kennedy, Galena; D. T. Brown, Waukesha; G. W. Crittenden, Janesville and E. H. Clapp, Farmington; were reported to the convention and elected members thereof. By-laws and constitution were drafted and adopted and the 'Western Institute of Homeop- athy' thereby created. The following officers of the Institute were then unanimously elected: L. M. Tracy, president; D. S. Smith, T. G. Comstock, Lewis Dodge and A. Giles, vice-presidents; George E. Shipman, secretary. On the evening of June 5, Professor Lewis Dodge delivered an address before the Institute and a public audience. "The antagonism between the two medical schools remained quiescent until the friends of homeopathy considered that official recognition was due the practitioners thereof, and on March 14, 1857, a petition signed by many prominent citizens of Chicago was presented to the Common Council, re- questing that some portion of the new City Hospital might be allotted to the homeopathic physicians, for the treatment of patients according to their school of practice. The petition was referred to the Board of Health, and this body, upon July 9, 1857, appointed two medical and surgical boards for the City Hospital, constituted as follows: "Allopathic Board: Consulting physicians: Drs. N. S. Davis and G. K. Amerman; physicians and surgeons, Drs. R. N. Isham, John Craig, DeLaskie Miller, W. Wagner, J. P. Ross, George D. Schloetzer. "Homeopathic Board: Consulting physicians: Drs. A. E. Small and A. Pitney. Physicians and surgeons: Drs. H. K. W. Boardman, Reuben Ludlam, D. Alphonso Colton, S. Seymour, N. F. Cooke, George E. Shipman. "To the first board, three-fourths of the hospital were allotted; to the latter board, one-fourth. But the designation 'Allopathic Board' caused a perfect 'Pandora's box' of discussion and objection. The regular physicians objected to being called a board of 'other diseases' . . . and also to practice with those whom they classified as irregular practitioners. Correspondence abounded; pamphlets were prolific; the Cook County Medical Society de- nounced the homeopathists, perhaps a little 'ex cathedra,' and the homeop- athists erected bulwarks of statistical facts against which the darts of the regulars hurtled harmlessly; one pamphleteer getting rather worsted because of a Hellenic typographical error. In fact, the Montagues and Capulets of the medical profession had a decided tourney, and the Board of Health, unable to discern any way of bridging the pathological abyss and of acceding to the petition referred to them, took refuge in inaction; the hospital remained, not alone unprovided with physicians, but without furni- ture. "The Common Council also evaded the issue by declaring the city too poor to make the expenditures requisite for the establishment of the hospital, 242 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS and then, in 1S58, leased the building to some 'regular' physicians who estab- lished therein a public hospital, cared for the county poor and gave clinical demonstrations, principally to the students of Rush Medical College. In 1862 the General Government confiscated the building and transformed it into a general hospital, with Surgeon Brockholst McVickar in charge, and with George K. Amerman and J. P. Ross as acting assistant surgeons. The hospital was shortly afterward changed in its scope of treatment, and soldiers afflicted with ophthalmic or auricular diseases were alone received there; Dr. Joseph S. Hildreth being in charge, the hospital remaining under his administration until the close of the Civil War, when it became the De Marr Eye and Ear Hospital; subsequent to which it became the county hospital. First Homeopathic Pharmacy Established "The first homeopathic pharmacy was established by Dr. David Sheppard Smith, at his office in 1844. The rapid growth of homeopathic practice necessi- tated the establishment of a depot in Chicago, and Dr. Smith procured a supply of the medicines of this school, which he furnished to his brother physicians as required. The pharmacy was an unpretentious affair, but was fully adequate to the purpose for which it was designed, enabling the homeopathic practitioners to prescribe 'secundum artem' for their patients. About 1854 Dr. Reuben Ludlam became associated with Dr. Smith, and the business amounted to several thousands of dollars annually. In 1856 Dr. George E. Shipman started a pharmacy at 94 La Salle Street, but the man- agement was, shortly after its inception, transferred to C. S. Halsey, who removed the pharmacy to 108 Wells Street and associated with him Benjamin Cowell, Jr. No homeopathic dispensary appears to have been regularly estab- lished before the year 1858. First Homeopathic Hospital Established "The first Homeopathic Hospital was established in 1854 by Dr. George E. Shipman, at 20 Kinzie Street, a little east of State, the funds being supplied by private subscription. The impetus to the founding of the hospital was given by Madame Wright, who promised Dr. Shipman $1,000 a year toward the maintenance of the hospital, if it was established. Dr. S. W. Graves, a homeopathic physician, was among the first of those who died in the hospital; he being seized with the cholera while in attendance upon his patients, and having neither intimate friends nor relatives in the city, went to the hospital. Of this physician it is authoritatively stated that, in the unremitting exercise of his duties among those afflicted with the cholera, he went almost without sleep for fourteen nights and partook of the merest snatches of food, taken irregularly; and thus, from the enfeebled condition of his constitution, fell an easy prey to the disease, a martyr to his profession. "In January, 1855, Mrs. Peter Nelson assumed the position of matron of the institution, which she retained until its close. In the commencement of May, 1855, a species of 'ex post facto' organization of the hospital was made by a meeting of homeopathic physicians, held at the office of Dr. D. S. Smith, on La Salle Street, near Madison; the site of which office is now HOMEOPATHY AND EARLY ADHERENTS 243 occupied by the Mercantile Building. At this meeting J. H. Dunham was president; Dr. D. S. Smith, vice-president; and Dr. George E. Shipman, secre- tary. The following gentlemen were elected to attend the patients at Dr. Shipman's hospital: Physicians: George E. Shipman, D. S. Smith and Reuben Ludlam. Surgeons: H. K. W. Boardman and L. A. Douglass. "The following gentlemen were also appointed a board of directors: J. H. Dunham, Hon. J. M. Wilson, Hon. Norman B. Judd, Orrington Lunt, J. S. Doggett, Dr. D. S. Smith, Dr. George E. Shipman, George A. Gibbs, William H. Brown and Thomas Hoyne. "In addition to the physicians thus appointed, and who took monthly tours of service in the performance of their duties, a large proportion of the other homeopathic physicians then in the city attended the patients, and so successful was this exercise of their skill that of three hundred and twenty- one patients treated in the twenty-eight months prior to the closing of the hospital, but nine died; and of twenty-seven small-pox cases clinically treated, but one terminated fatally, and this case was the first admitted to the hospital. "Upon the death of Mrs. Wright, her trustees could not recognize the verbal arrangement made with Dr. Shipman, and the homeopathists of those days being but a small fraction of the population of the city, the treasury became depleted. A vain effort was made by the attending physicians to tide over the financial dearth by contributing $500 of their own sparse funds, the rent of the hospital also having augmented from nothing to $1,000 per annum. Dr. Shipman therefore determined upon its suspension, and on May 1, 1857, the hospital was permanently closed." Hahnemann Medical College Organized in 1855 "As recounted in the history of homeopathy, the urgent need for a homeo- pathic college was early experienced by the practitioners of that science, and David Sheppard Smith determined on supplying the want. Accordingly, in 1853, a draft for a charter was sent to a member of the legislature of this State, in whose hands it failed of fruition. Dr. Smith then went to Spring- field and endeavored to find the missing charter, contemplating making a personal eifort to secure its legalization, but the charter was nowhere to be found. Meeting Hon. Thomas Hoyne, Dr. Smith explained the predicament, and Mr. Hoyne took the doctor to the law oflBce of Abraham Lincoln, where Dr. Smith drafted a new charter, and exerted himself to achieve its passage; which was accomplished in January, 1855. The trustees under the act of Incorporation were: D. S. Smith, Hon. Thomas Hoyne, Orrington Lunt, George A. Gibbs, Joseph B. Doggett, George E. Shipman, Hon. John M. Wilson, William H. Brown, Hon. Norman B. Judd and J. H. Dunham. The trustees, upon organization, installed J. H. Dunham as president; D. S. Smith as vice- president; and George E. Shipman as secretary and treasurer." Homeopathists of Early Chicago Dr. John Taylor Temple, whom we have already described at len^h, became a convert to homeopathy in 1842, while under the tutelage of Dr. 244 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS D. S. Smith, of Galena, Illinois, where he began practice of the new doctrines ; but later he returned to Chicago, for we find him listed as a resident here in 1843, Dr. David Sheppard Smith, a Regular, Becomes a Homeopathist There must have been in the minds of many great dissatisfaction con- cerning the efficacy of the huge doses given the sick before Hahnemann's creed was proclaimed to the world, for at this time many of the regulars deserted for the practice of infinitesimal dosage. If only there could have been reason displayed by both sides and a compromise effected — such as time has given the situation — the lengthy war dividing a profession that should never have lent itself to such an altercation would never have been waged. But as this situation did not obtain we must give the facts as they are. Among the early practitioners who made the change of system was a brilliant man, David Sheppard Smith, who studied medicine in Philadelphia across the river from his home town, Camden, New Jersey, where he was born in 1816. When a young man, the call of medicine allied him with Dr. Isaac Mulford, who directed him until he entered Jefferson Medical College, where he received three courses of instruction and was graduated in 1836. Returning home, he married Rebecca Dennis and spent the following year in Camden, but, like the great army of other pioneers, the lure of the west was too strong to resist, so through the mountain passes he went, with others of that horde of seekers after fortune, to the head-waters of the great lakes in the west, arriving in Chicago in 1838. Practicing regular medicine, he had no thought of deserting the pre- cepts inculcated into his mind at Jefferson, until in 1843, when his eldest child became severely ill. Having tried all his favorite prescrip- tions without avail, he in desperation tried the medicines and the prin- ciple similia similihus curantur, and the child recovered. Whether his deductions as to the efficacy of the treatment were entirely correct we cannot state, but, certain it is, the result made a profound impression upon Dr. Smith, for he at once became a convert to Hahnemann. An Active Organizer for the New Creed In 1842 Dr. Smith had taken into partnership a young man, Dr. R. E. W. Adams, and he lost no time in converting him to the new ideals. In 1843 Dr. Aaron Pitney arrived also, and with Dr. Smith and Dr. Adams formed a triumvirate in practice that must have been successful, for in spite of the already overcrowded profession in sparsely settled HOMEOPATHY AND EARLY ADHERENTS 245 Chicago, they made more than a living. When Rush College barred from graduation those leaning toward the new doctrine of homeopathy, Dr. Smith, like Temple, saw that a new school would have to be organ- ized to take care of those who would learn the new system; so we find him one of the organizers of Hahnemann i\Iedical College. Becomes a National Figure in Homeopathy In order to get a rest from his onerous duties, he moved to Waukegan in 1856, but remained only a year in retirement. For his services to the creed he was given an honorary degree from the Cleveland, Ohio, Homeopathic College. Elected in 1857 to the secretaryship of the Amer- ican Institute of Homeopathy, he served so well that he was made presi- dent in 1858 and in 1865 he became treasurer of this national institute. In 1866 he visited Europe to study conditions as to progress in his chosen field. He enjoyed a remarkably long life for a man so active in all things pertaining to the profession, for he lived until 1891. George Elias Shipman Founds a Home for Waifs The eminent Dr. John Hunter, with the wealth acquired through his fame and efforts endowed a large museum in Glasgow, a great monument to his name. But who will say that such a monument can be compared with the one dedicated by a pioneer physician from his scant earnings to the homeless waifs of erring women who loved not wisely, but too well. With a large family to support and but $177.38 to spare, the Foundlings' Home was established by Dr. Shipman, his prayer to the Lord was answered and the little home was supported by kindly people until, to-day, it stands a great achievement and a great memorial to the physician who conceived the need of it. And we ask, instinctively. How did this man conceive the idea that in its practical charity, means so much to a city like Chicago ? The an- swer we find in this remarkable man's visit to a foundling whom one of Pinkerton's men found deserted by an unfortunate mother upon the river bank of our great city. It was taken to the home of the famous war detective, Pinkerton, who called his family physician. Dr. Ship- man, to make efforts to restore it after the heartless exposure. When the infant showed signs of reanimation the problem presented itself — what to do with it? Upon inquiry. Dr. Shipman learned that the coroner was obliged to hold daily inquests upon dead babies whose mothers' fear of disgrace outweighed their mother love, and prompted them to forsake the infants. The thoughtful doctor sought ways and means to supply a want the municipality at that time had not met. 246 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Opens a Very Modest Home for Outcasts In a frame house in Green Street, near INIadison, there was opened on January 30, 1871, a refuge for babies born out of wedlock and abandoned. For nine years only babies were admitted, but Dr. Ship- man's foresight discerned that this was a mistake. To deprive the in- fant of its natural mother was depriving it of the contact so necessary for its development. So he admitted the mothers as well, with the re- sult that the child, at its adoption, had a better start in life. Frequently the mother would not part with the child, and took it with her upon leaving the institution. In this refuge, homeless, pregnant girls are taken care of in retreat, away from the scrutiny of the curious during their ordeal. During the fifty-one years of its existence, 7,928 adults and 11,163 infants have been cared for, out of which 2,165 were placed in homes for adoption, up until 1922. Dr. Shipman's daughter, Miss Frances Shipman, is superintendent of the institution. We Learn More Concerning This Philanthropic Man Dr. Shipman was born in New York City in 1820, of distinguished parents who left their impress upon his character. His father was a prosperous Wall Street broker, from whom he doubtless inherited his business acumen. His mother imparted that deep religious conviction that in after life prompted him to depend upon the Lord for the means to carry on his philanthropic work, for she was a daughter of a noted divine of Portland, Maine, Dr. Edward Payson. Early in life Dr. Shipman decided to dedicate his life to the treatment of suffering hu- manity. To this end he enrolled in Middlebury Medical College of Vermont, but did not take his degree there. A more convenient school, the University of New York, was the educational institution from which he graduated. Professor Alfred Post took an interest in the youth and acted as his guide during his student days. But the greatest medical influence was wielded by the family physician of the Shipman household. Dr. F. Vandenburg, who converted the youth to the tenets of Hahne- mann. So complete was his conversion to the new fad that he forthwith took up the study of German in order that he might more readily get the principles of it, translations being meager and unsatisfactory. Marries and Launches His Home in the Wilderness of Illinois In order that he might not be without a cultured helpmate in the west, he married Miss Fannie E. Boardman, of Connecticut, who had the fortitude (engendered by love) to leave the east with its creature HOMEOPATHY AXD EARLY ADHERENTS 247 comforts — which meant in those days that she would perhaps never see her friends again — to take up the uncertainties that were bound to be encountered in the unsettled rural west. But Dr. Shipman was de- termined, when he selected Andover, Illinois, that he would furnish at least some of the comforts which they had enjoyed in their cultured eastern home; so he contracted to bring, by way of New Orleans, material from New York which made possible the erection of a fairly pretentious home — a home so far outshining the log cabins of the natives that they derisively called it " Shipman 's Palace." A man coming from a great city could not long endure the solitude and back- wardness of country life, so we find the doctor, after a year of pioneer- ing, a resident of Chicago, the gem of the west. Locating at the corner of Washington and La Salle Streets, where now is situated the financial district of Chicago, he practiced homeopathy. In addition he found time to edit the Northwestern Journal of Homeopathia, which was then one of the chief organs for propagation of knowledge for physi- cians following that system in the United States. The United States Medical and Surgical Journal also depended upon his efforts to make it a success in 1865 to 1869. With his literary bent he saw the need of translating works that would enhance that medical creed in America; hence Granvogel's "Homeopathic Laws of Similiar- ity" was edited in English from the German, Panelli's "Typhoid Fever," from the Italian and Parrott's "Urine of the New Born," from the French, which demonstrated his linguistic versatility. On January 19, 1893, this man whose life contributed so much to the common fund of happiness passed away from the effects of an attack of hemiplegia suffered on December 12, 1892. He was survived by a wife and eight children. An obituary written by a contemporary sums up Dr. Ship- man's characteristics better than can we, our view in retrospect being limited to the facts given us by his biographer : "One of the veteran, valiant knights of Homeopathy, and a defender of the faith when to be a follower of Hahnemann implied persecution and misrep- resentation." Another wrote: "He was without doubt the ablest defender and scholar the cause of Homeopathy ever had in the west." Beach Changes His Occupation James Sterling Beach, a printer of early Chicago, decided that printers' ink would no longer soil his hands, since there was a chance to become a physician. So, in 1843, he commenced reading medicine with Dr. Aaron Pitney. In July, 1846, Beach announced himself as a physician and accordingly cast himself upon the unprotected public. 248 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS He suspected that he still lacked something, for according to his own statement, as recorded by the historian of the latter part of the nine- teenth century, "he commenced practicing somewhat before his course of study had qualified him to do so." If he was undecided in his diagnosis, he at least had sense enough to put the patient into his pre- ceptor's hands and, according to accounts, was guided by the latter 's decision. After recording this apparent lack of confidence, in another breath the biographer announces : " It is pertinent to remark here that Dr. Beach's strong point in his medical career has been his un- failing accuracy in diagnosing the diseases of his patients." Again, we are apologetically informed : * ' One other fact remains to be stated — in connection with his early entry into the ranks of practicing physi- cians — that he was compelled to fill, in the corps of physicians, a hiatus occasioned by so many of them being sick with typhoid fever when that disease was epidemic in 1846." Dr. Beach was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1826, and came to Chi- cago in 1838. He practiced for a time, in 1849, with Dr. William Pierce, at 53 Randolph Street. He was elected coroner in 1854 and completed an unexpired term as sheriff in 1856. Not satisfied to practice without a degree, he spent a year in the Cleveland Homeopathic Col- lege. Graduating in 1857, he then, according to the chronicler of his affairs, built up an "extensive practice, and his cheery, jocund manner enlivens a sick room as fully and potently as his skill alleviates the suffering of his patient." Dr. Henry Kirke White Boardman Becomes a Homeopathist Coming to Chicago in the fall of 1846, Dr. Boardman practiced ac- cording to the old school until 1851, when he changed his methods to minute dosage. He was a graduate of Jefferson Medical College and was a student of the famous Dr. Miitter. He was reputed to be a com- petent surgeon. His death occurred in 1874. Other Homeopathists Practicing in Early Chicago Dr. D. Alphonso Colton, Dr. Nicholas Francis Cooke, Dr. Reuben Ludlam and Dr. Alvan Edmund Small, and Dr. R. E. W. Adams were practicing the Hahnemann system in the days of their more prominent contemporaries, w^hose biographies have been detailed according to the data at hand. ^^^ 202 History of Chicago. Andreas. Vol. I. Pages 467-471. History of Medicine and Surgery in Cliicago. Pages 47, 48, 55, 57. Rrixs OF Old Fort Massac ox thk Ohio River These crumbling walls tell not tales of great victories, nor of great valor, but of men's ambitions, noble and ignoble: of intrigues; of sickness and sufferings, of injustice, of disappointments, and yearn- ings for the comforts of the homes left behind, in the mad rush for land in a virgin country. Reprocluced from a print in the possession of the Chiecigo Historical Society. [See P. IV.) \ Fort Massac State Park On an embayment in the Ohio River, a strategic point command- ing an unobstructed view up and down the river. Through the efforts of the Daughters of the American Revolution and of Jessie Palmer Weber, the State purchased the site in l^Oo. The monument com- memorates the services General George Rogers Clark and his frontier troop rendered the commonwealth in 1778, when from this point they marched through the wilderness to take Kaskaskia from the British. [See P. .',1 Photograph by Dr. Zeuch. HOMEOPATHY AND EARLY ADHERENTS 249 Organization of the Chicago Medical Society in 1850 "The Chicago Medical Society has become commingled, in the recollections of many of the early physicians of this city, with that of Cook County Medical Society. Medical societies arose, endured for a brief season, and passed away with such frequency in the early years of Chicago's existence, that their nomenclature even is lost to recollection; but the first society that attained any prominence appears to have been the Cook County Medical Society — of which Dr. Levi D. Boone was secretary — whose first meeting was held at the office of the Chicago Insurance Company, October 3, 1836. Subsequent to this Society, and anterior to 1857, the only one that achieved any pro- tracted vitality was the Chicago Medical Society, which was inaugurated some time during the first quarter of 1850; the first meeting was held in a room on Randolph Street, near the corner of Clark, and was attended by a large number of the prominent practitioners of the city, among whom were Drs. Daniel Brainard, Levi D. Boone, Brockholst McVickar, W. B. Herrick, John Evans, Edwin G. Meek, J. Herman Bird, J. V. Z. Blaney, Samuel W. Ritchey, Philip Maxwell and Nathan S. Davis. At this meeting a committee was designated to prepare a constitution and by-laws, these being adopted at a subsequent meeting of the Society, held April 5, 1850; whereat officers were elected and the name of Chicago Medical Society was adopted. Dr. Levi D. Boone was the first president of the Society, and Dr. John Evans was elected delegate to the American Medical Association; Dr. Evans attended the annual meeting of this Association in Cincinnati, in May, 1850, as representative of the Chicago Society. Dr. Davis states that 'Previous to the formation of this Society, the profession of the city had been so divided into rival factions that many thought it would be impossible to secure sufficient harmony of action to maintain a social organization among the members. To show that there was some reason for this opinion, I may mention that Dr. Brainard and several others who participated in the preliminary meetings, never attended a meeting after the first election of officers. And before the first six months had elapsed, charges were preferred against a number for unprofessional conduct; who, instead of submitting to a trial in conformity to the by-laws, simply treated both the charges and the Society with contempt, which caused some others to abandon the meetings of the Society; and so lessened the number of the members who continued to attend, that after the second election of officers, in April, 1851, no constitutional quorum could be obtained.' " 203 Cook County Settlements and Their Physicians The importance of Chicago, even in the earliest times, was discernible to the "white men who first came to the site of it on the little "River of the Portage," for here Indian trails terminated and some crossed, indicating that the aborigines considered it a place of strategic signifi- cance. These trails for the most part were upon prehistoric beach ridges, the remains of different stages of lake levels that formed con- centric semi-circles, as the waters receded from the Valparaiso moraine, 203 History of Chicago. Andreas. Vol. I. Pages 466, 467. 250 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS the last of the great embankments that remained when the ice cap of the glacial period melted. This tenninal moraine described a U-shaped ridge several miles inland from the present Lake Michigan datum and formed the first bank of the shallow lake that is known to geologists as "Lake Chicago." The beating of waves for centuries upon this barrier made the first of the sand ridges — known as the "Glenwood Beach." Two more great recessions of this body of shallow water left two more beach ridges, the Calumet and Tolleston, and several subsidiary ridges. These beaches converged in the Calumet region and at Wilmette and to the southwest at Summit and Lyons, and at Mt. Forest Island at the Sag merged wuth the Valparaiso Moraine. It will be readily seen that these elevations composed of sand and gravel were a great help to land travel in the early days when the region about upon which Chicago is now located was a swamp. In wet weather the boulder clay that com- posed the soil away from the beach ridges was well-nigh impassable, while the ridges were comparatively dry. So, when the earliest settlements were established outside of Chicago, they were located almost invariably on or near these beach ridges. With this in mind, we may go on with the story of these settlements and their medical advisers. The south portage road, upon the Calumet and Tolleston beaches, was supplanted by a surveyed road which was named after an engineer named Archer, f Over this road the stages driven by Dr. John Taylor Temple made trips to Ottawa, on the Illinois River. At Summit there was a house as early as ]834 or 1835, that answered as the "stage ranche." But one family was as yet in the region, that of Edmund Polk, who came in 1833 to Lyons. At Willow Springs, Geo. W. Beebe, on the east road to Joliet, built a log cabin in 1842. Upon the high ground that was in prehistoric times an island in Lake Chicago was the village Blue Island, a settlement that boasted of three physicians in the forties ; Dr. Truesdale, the first, Dr. Folk, in the late forties, and Dr. Henry Douglas in 1848. Thornton "Thornton is one of the oldest villages in the county, its first settle- ment dating back to 1834. . . . The first settler within the present limits of the village was William Woodbridge, who in 1834 located and built a house between Thornton and the Calumet on the east side of Thorn Creek." t For further knowledge concerning the trails leading to and out of Chicago see "The Location of the Chicago Portage Route of the Seventeenth Century." Knight and Zeuch. Chicago Historical Society. HOMEOPATHY AXD EARLY ADHERENTS 251 It is stated on the authority of Mr. Stephen Crary that Thorn Creek, at the time of the settlement of Thornton, had a channel forty feet in width and a depth of from four to six feet at low stages. "When the first settlers arrived at Thornton, they found the ruins of what had once evidently been Indian fortifications, occupying the site of the present town. "The ruins consisted of outer ditches or trenches, and inside of these were the works or fortifications proper. On the banks of these, trees, apparently not less than one hundred years old, were growing, which furnished abundant proof of the indisputable antiquity of the ruins. When Joseph Case arrived here (which must have been about 1835), he used frequently to talk with the Indians about the origin of the remains, but could only learn that with them it was supposed they were built by the French explorers many, many years before," a tradition not as yet proven by critical researchers in history. The first physician, Dr. Benjamin Baker, located there in 1847 and served the surrounding country until he died, in 1857, at the age of sixty-three. 204 North Cook County Upon the Green Bay road, which followed the beach ridges for a considerable distance, were the villages of Rose Hill, Evanston (Gross Point District), New Trier (Wilmette), Winnetka and Glencoe (Skokie), each of which had a little local history which we recount. Close proximity to Chicago kept these sparse settlements from grow- ing. Even Chicago was rather slow in growth until after 1836, and such medical services as were needed for the few settlers were procured from the neighboring villages to the west of the city. The nearest to Chicago of these north-shore way-stations on the Green Bay trail was Rose Hill. A German by the name of Samuel Rohrer arrived there in 1837 with considerable live-stock. He built a shanty, but con- cluded, after a short stay, to move farther north. In accordance with a superstition which he held, he set fire to his shack before he left it, that he might have "good luck" thereafter. When he arrived in the region where the village of Glencoe now lies, he could see Lake IMichigan to his right, from the sand ridge upon which is the trail, and to the left was the dismal "Skokie" marsh that the Germans preceding him had named "Ewige Qual" (everlasting punishment) . He concluded that he had had punishment enough through traveling to that point, without making it everlasting, so he retraced 20* Southern Cook County and History of Blue Island. By F. Schapper. Vol. I. Page 55. Vol. II. Page 393. 252 HISTORY OF :MEDICAL practice in ILLINOIS his steps to the vicinity of where Evanston now lies, and where there were green pastures for his beasts. He found Phillip Rogers had preceded him and had located upon Sections 31-32, in 1836. Previous to 1850 the territory now comprising Evanston was in the "Gross Point District," a tract of country with somewhat uncertain dimensions, which was supposed to exist for the convenience of voters. New Trier (Wilmette) was named after Antoine Ouilmette, a French- man, an early resident of Chicago who married an Indian woman, and was the only white man who lived there, after the massacre in 1812, until the troops arrived in 1816 to rebuild Fort Dearborn. By virtue of the treaty of 1829, made with the Pottawatomie Indians at Prairie du Chien, about 1,280 acres of land on the shore of the lake, about fourteen miles from Chicago, were ceded to him. In 1838-39 Ouilmette moved to Council Bluffs, la., from whence several of his family returned in 1843- 44 to sell their remaining interests. To the north was Winnetka (meaning "Beautiful Place"), where in 1836 a Mrs. Stansberry died, which history states was one of the first deaths recorded in the county, ^o^ Now, it may appear, from the foregoing account of the early north- shore settlers, that these were too few to attract a physician. But such was not the case for, a few miles to the west, upon the water-shed that separated the St. Lawrence basin from that of the Mississippi, at the village of Northfield, was the home of Dr. Kennicott, whose history follows in detail: John Albert Kennicott "Dr. John A. Kennicott was born in Montgomery Co., N. Y., (?) Jan. 5, 1802. About 1823 he began the study of medicine at Buffalo, and graduated at the Fairfield Medical School in 1826. He was early an enthusiast on the subjects of botany and horticulture, and gave lectures on these subjects in his twenty-first year. In 1829 he went to New Orleans, visiting several cities, and practiced medicine and lectured near Jackson, Miss., during one summer. He remained at New Orleans until the spring of 1836, serving for six years as principal of the upper primary school. Old Fauxbourg, St. Mary's. While there, he established the Louisiana Recorder, a literary, scientific and religious paper. "When he came to Illinois in 1836 he located at The Grove (later North- field), Cook County, where he practiced medicine with unusual success for about twenty-seven years. He covered a circuit of thirty miles on horse- back, over dirt roads, in storms and floods, through swollen streams and almost bottomless mud. At his home he established a nursery on the ridge dividing the Des Plaines water-shed from the Lake Michigan water-shed, and on the plank road leading to Milwaukee. 205 History of Cook County. Andreas. Pages 858-860, 417, 463-467. HOMEOPATHY AND EARLY ADHERENTS 253 "On June 8, 1852, a convention met at Springfield to consider the plan for an industrial university. Dr. John A. Kennicott was president. At this time, Jonathan B. Turner presented his plan for an industrial university. "Dr. Kennicott was an earnest friend of J. B. Turner, with whom he was associated through the most trying years of the campaign that led to the establishment of the land-grant system of industrial universities. After J. B. Turner, John A. Kennicott and Bronson Murray are most to be credited with initiating and advancing the movement which finally led to the estab- lishment of the present State University of Illinois. Dr. Kennicott was one of the first officers of the State Agricultural Society, and edited one or two of its annual reports. From 1853 to 1855 he was horticultural editor of the Prairie Floicer, and contributed many articles on horticulture to this publica- tion. "When J. A. Kennicott was president of the North American Pomological Convention, held at Syracuse in 1849, he made a report as chairman of the committee from Illinois. He closed the report with remarks upon 'the prophy- lactic and curative properties of ripe fruits.' After calling attention to the many virtues of fruit in health and disease, he adds: 'It is the best, the cheapest, and the least objectionable cure for intemperance. It not only lessens the desire for alcoholic drinks, but supplies their place, and removes the effects. Eve was tempted by an "apple." A good God has given us the object of "the primal sin" as a great blessing.' " 2i>6 Thriving Inland Settlements On the trails leading to the Fox Lake region several thriving villages were established. The land adjacent to these trails was the allurement that brought people there, for there is no more productive soil any- where in the State. Here lived the earliest physicians who supplied the surrounding country. One of these, Dr. Daniel Waite, located upon the Glenwood Beach, locally known as "Union Ridge," near Jefferson, where he had a farm. Pathfinders of Niles "The earliest settler within the limits of the township was Joseph Curtis, an Englishman who erected a rude log house near the river, on Section 17, ... in the spring of 1831." "In 1834, John Ruland, who had landed somewhere on the lake shore north of Chicago, because the captain of the vessel on which he came up the lakes could not find Chicago (italics ours), settled near the center of Section 30. His first residence is said to have been a hole dug in the hillside, . . . and covered with bark and sods. This is the first mention of a 'dug out' in the township, and so far as is known, is the only one. "It is related of Mr. Ruland that soon after finishing his residence he became hungry for fresh meat. So, taking his gun, he started for the river 206 Beginnings of Medical Education In and Near Chicago. Geo. H. Weaver, M. D. Pages 68, 70. 254 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS in search of a deer. Soon a large wolf sprang up from behind a log, evi- dently in doubt whether to attack. Mr. Ruland, although experiencing the same doubts, finally mustered courage, leveled his gun and fired upon his enemy, then turned and ran for his dug out. Finding himself not pursued, he reloaded his gun, returning to make enumeration of the killed, wounded or missing. He found the wolf about twenty-five rods from the place of the encounter, dead." School Teaching under Difficulties Though there were but few children to be taught, the task of in- structing them was not left to the parents, for we learn that a Scotch- man named Ballantine, in 1838 or 1839, officiated as schoolmaster. The pay was not alluring, so this dominie resigned. The task was next taken up by a Miss Phillips, who was paid by means of subscription at the rate of two dollars per pupil per term. Not enough ready money among heads of families in the district made the expedient necessary of inducing the bachelors to subscribe for one or more pupils. The third teacher. Miss Cornelia Wheaton, loved her work sufficiently to subsist upon the munificent salary of twelve dollars per month. This, however, was clear gain, for there was no board to pay, with the system in vogue that furnished food and lodging at the expense of the farmers, each providing two days' shelter at a time. With the emporiums of State Street not as yet upon the business horizon, and no counterpart of them in the past, this teacher's "First National Bank" of femininity bulged to the extent of about ninety-six dollars of paper money a year. With the same lavish hand, those having charge of the educational fund expended twenty-five dollars in 1849, for which John Ketcham built them a school house, furnishing his own building material. The First Physician Arrives Dr. Theodore Hoffman deserves honorable mention for the courage he displayed when he located in the village. What attracted him we know not; certainly it could not have been hope of gain, for, basing this supposition on our knowledge of the scale paid those of the teaching profession, he might have received as much as fifty cents for every call he made, pills and salves included. This benefactor of the race was an interesting personage, as the subjoined biography will show : He was born at Herford, Westphalia, Prussia, in 1820. He received a liberal education and studied for the medical profession in the uni- versities of Munster and Berlin. After passing his examination, he was appointed staff surgeon in the Prussian Army, which position he held four years. He left Prussia and came to the United States in 1848. He HOMEOPATHY AND EARLY ADHERENTS 255 settled first at Schaumburg, Cook County, where he remained one year, moving thence to Niles and practicing there until 1868, when he moved to Chicago. The fire of 1871 burned the doctor's office and four houses belonging to him. He then returned to Niles, where he took up his practice again. "Besides holding laudatory testimonies from several celebrated German colleges, the doctor had an honorary degree from the Rush Medical College of Chicago. As a medical practitioner he has been successful, having prac- ticed for thirty-five years in Cook County." Dr. Clarence A. Earle of Desplaines attended him in his last illness. Maine "The first settlement in this township was made in 1832 by Captain Wright, who erected a log house near the north line of Section 22. Among those who came in 1834 was Dr. Austin, who built the first bridge across the Desplaines, at his place." Religious services (Episcopalian) were held in 1837 at the home of Socrates Rand. Dr. Meacham, of Bloomingdale, is mentioned as being among the Congregationalists, who also were established there at an early date. Dr. Asa Clark is said to have been the second school teacher. Wheeling "Probably the first settler in the town was a Mr. Sweet. ... He arrived in March, 1833, selected a claim, and built a cabin in which he lived until the following October . . , when he sold his claim to George Strong for $60." Mr. Strong took possession of the place and was attacked by Indians (this being before the ratification of the treaty with the Pottawatomies), but he escaped through showing no fear. "In 1839 there were about two hundred inhabitants in the town. The most serious difficulty the settlers of Wheeling were connected with was the ejecting of a claim jumper from a claim just north of the present boundary of their town in Lake County, in which case the claimant was assisted by two female members of his family feigning sickness. A physician, summoned for the purpose, examined the 'sick' women, and pronounced them in perfect health, and on the strength of his report the women were carried out of doors on their beds by the Wheeling vigilantes, and the house pulled down." Palatine Palatine Township began to be settled in 1836, it is believed. There were originally a number of groves within its limits, and in Plum Grove there was an Indian burial-ground to which the Indians paid annual visits until about the year 1845. 256 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS "In May, 1847, D. B. Wood took up forty acres of Government land in the southeast quarter of Section 15, which, with perhaps one exception, was the last tract of land taken up. Mr. Wood, believing another man intended to secure this forty acres, and knowing that the one would secure it who first reached the land office, rode on horseback all the way to Chicago, in the night, through water most of the way." Barrington "Previous to 1834, very few, if any, white men visited Barrington, In that year, Jesse F. Miller and William Van Orsdal arrived and settled on the school section, on account of the timber thereon. When they came, there were about five hundred Indians in the grove, belong- ing to the Pottawatomie tribe. The Indians soon retired and subse- quently visited the town in smaller numbers, at more and more distant periods. Mr. Miller and Mr. Van Orsdal, upon learning that they were on the school section, moved therefrom." Others came, from 1835 on, and Dr. Hall is mentioned as among those coming in 1837. ^o^ 207 History of Cook County. Andreas. Pages 868, 492, 470, 473, 476, 490-492, 501, 502, 829, 837. View of Shawnketowx The east end of the Shawneetown-Kaskaskia Trace looking north. This city, laid out by the government previous to 1814, has played an important part in the river commerce in our State for over a century. Courtesy of Chicdgo Historical Soviet)/. [See P. .^m] Bank of Illinois at Suawnkftown Approved in 1816, this was the first bank established in the State. The building shown in the picture was completed in 1840, and is a monument to pioneer progress. John Marshall was the first banker in the State. From a photofjraph in the Chicaijo Historical Society. [See P. 2(!!i\ CHAPTER XII MEDICAL HISTORY OF PIONEERS OF THE INTERIOR OF THE STATE, SOUTHERN SECTION Historic Edwards County and Its Early Physicians AS early as the latter part of the seventeenth century the land in the lower Wabash valley was described as a place where Indians sowed corn and raised pumpkins as large as any ever seen in France, and it was referred to as a hunter's domain where between the "Oub- ache" (Wabash) and the "Bumpas" (Bon Pas Creek) was the home of the black bear, elk, buffalo, deer, wolf, lynx, otter, beaver, panther, fox, raccoon, wild turkey, goose, duck, pheasant, prairie chicken and blue-winged teal. With an array of wild life like this the red men were sure not to be far off and we learn through the records of 1763 that there were in the vicinity a considerable number, who were known as the Piankeshaw Miami tribe. Their number and importance as warriors were sufficient to receive a special call from the great warrior, Pontiac (with his retinue of four hundred braves), who was then attempting to effect a coalition among all the tribes in the Mississippi valley that they might join him in a war of redress against the British. The failure of this plan remains one of the tragedies of history from the red man's standpoint of history. In 1780 a severe winter killed nearly all the game, with the result that the succeeding winters were exceedingly lean, and in 1782 the savages almost starved to death. Only through the kindness of Lieut.- Commandant John Todd, of Kaskaskia, to whom they appealed for help, was such a catastrophe avoided, when they carried back with them his bounty of six bushels of corn, fifty pounds of bread, four pounds of powder and ten pounds of rifle balls. Seven years later. Col. George Rogers Clark, with 180 brave patriots, crossed in February the flooded lands through this county, to recapture Vincennes. In 1790 a mighty buffalo herd stampeded westward over the deep trail they had cut in their migrations between the streams, four and one- half miles north of Albion, making the ground tremble as they passed, most of them never returning. Several years later the intrepid Daniel Boone spent some time in the region, hunting and trapping for the eastern market. In 1800 two brothers, the advance guard of permanent 257 258 HISTORY OF MEDICAL TEACTICE IN ILLINOIS white settlers, arrived. Wliethcr they remained, or were killed in the ^reat tempest of 1805, is not clear. Certain it is, no modern display of the elements exceeded its violence except, perhaps, the 1925 Murphys- boro disaster. No such destruction of human life and property resulted, for the county was but thinly settled, but heavy forests were felled, the Mississippi waters were swept across the southern prairies from Cape Girardeau, eastward, scattering firs and cypress boughs far beyond the Wabash to the northeast, leaving death and desolation in its w^ake. To add to the destruction of a few years before, an earthquake, re- corded as having occurred in 1811, rent the rocks of Edwards County vicinity from southwest toward northeast, leaving great cracks and crevices and causing the tallest trees to fall. The impending struggle of 1812 brought Tecumseh, the great Indian chief, and his brother, the prophet, to the region a year before, to visit the tribes with the purpose of invoking the aid of the tribesmen of the lower Wabash. Immediately following the War of 1812, that terminated in 1814, Edwards County was formed. With this event, and the few years following it, we come upon the most interesting part of the history of this section, for with colonization came medical practice, the records of which are of greatest interest to us. The English Arrive Aside from the easy accessibility of the land bordering upon the arteries of travel — the rivers — the early settlers believed that land fit for agriculture could only be found where the large timber had its habitat. They shunned the prairies as possible sources of wealth. There was a widespread knowledge of these prairies far beyond the borders of the State, and with that knowledge there was the added belief that they were fit only for grazing land for herds of buffalo. In consequence, the very land that is to-day the greatest source of Illinois agricultural wealth, was, in the early days, the last to be taken up. The late comers took it as all late comers must, as the least desirable location in the entire State. In the vanguard of these breakers of new ground were the floating population, the ne'er-do-wells, who moved inward as the frontier became settled with an industrious foreign element. Some were pure bandits who preyed upon the travelers crossing the plains from river post to river post. But a contingent whose influence was far reaching in counteracting the erroneous propaganda of the worthlessness of the great prairies was the party led by the far-seeing men of prophetic vision, George Flower and Morris Birbeck. Flower, whose home in England was in Surrey PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 259 near the edge of the Salisbury Plain, left his native land to seek a place where the poor farmers of his vicinity could own property in their own right, instead of serving a sort of vassalship in the employ of the land- lords in old England. He knew the value of the prairies as easily work- able land, for many of his countrymen were then working in the south of England a prairie granary that yields three-fold for a minimum of effort. Coming to America he heard of the prairies of Illinois and by analogy he decided that there was the land of promise — an American Salisbury plain. 20"-a Arriving at Shawneetown, he proceeded to Bolten- house Prairie. ^^^ Pioneers Yearn for the Comports of Old England Although they at first thought they had made no mistake in leaving the bleak shores of England, one of the original promoters, Flower, gives us a detailed description of the encounter with disease that made him lose his enthusiasm. Both Fordham and Gershom Flagg Avrote in a similar vein : "But though the frontier men and women managed to combine some pleasure with their work, it was at best a hard life that they led. 'There are in Eng- land,' wrote Fordham, 'Comforts, nay sources of happiness, which will for ages be denied to these half savage countries, good houses, good roads, a mild and healthy climate, healthy because the country is old, society, the arts of life carried almost to perfection, and Laws well administered.' There is abundant testimony to the prevalence of disease, especially among the new- comers, who had not become acclimated. In February, 1S19, Gershom Flagg wrote from Edwardsville: 'The principal objection I have to this Country is its unhealthiness. The months of Aug. & Sept. are generally very sickly. I was token sick with the feever & ague the 15 Sept. which lasted me nearly two months. I shall try it one season more and if I do not have my health better than I have the season past I shall sell my property and leave the country.' "Flower gives a more detailed description of his encounter with this disease: 'The summer had been very hot and latterly wet. Thunder showers of daily occurrence sent mosquitos in swarms. My cabin, recently built, of course, of green logs, unfurnished, with rank vegetation growing all around it and up to its very sides, was in its situation and in itself a sufficient cause of disease. My shepherd and his family came, bringing a few choice sheep and an English high-bred cow. His whole family, in a few days, all fell sick, lying in a small cabin just built about a hundred yards from my own. Mr. White, carpenter, from London, wife, and two children, occupied a two-horse wagon and a soldier's tent. There was no house for him; they all fell sick. My two sons were speedily taken with fever and ague, to us then a new disease. Miss Fordham, who shared our cabin, was attacked with the same 207-a Author's knowledge of the terrain in both England and Illinois. 208 Centennial History of Illinois in 1818. Buck. Pages 74, 102-112, 260 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS disease. My constitution, strong and good, yielding from exposure to heat and rain, took another form of disease. Boils and irritable sores broke out on both my legs, from knee to ankle, incapacitating me, for a time, from walking. Thus we were situated for two or three weeks, without the slightest assistance from any source, or supplies other than from my own wagons, as they slowly arrived from Shawneetown, giving us sufficient bedding with flour and bacon. All the other merchandise and furniture did but add to our present embarrassment, in attempts to protect them from the weather, and in endeavoring to dry what was wet.' " 'We were carried through this period of trial by the unremitting labor and self-sacrifice of my wife. She alone prepared all our food and bedding, and attended to the wants of the sick and suffering by night and day. To all this was added a fatigue that a strong man might have shrunk from, in bringing water from that distant well. Sustained in her unremitting labors by unbounded devotion to her family, and a high sense of duty to all within her reach, her spirit and her power seemed to rise above the manifold trials by which she was surrounded. And thus we were saved from probable death or dispersion. The incessant labor of the mother told on the infant at the breast; it sickened and died. With returning health we worked our way unaided through our difficulties.' "As Flower indicated, the principal cause of ill health was the stagnant water and decaying vegetation. In October, 1820, Flagg wrote: 'Several towns in this state have been very sickly this season, especially those situated contiguous to Rivers or mill-Ponds. The waters are very low and in many places covered with a green, poison-looking skum. The fogs arising from this stagnated waters makes the air very unwholesome.' As the country became more thickly settled and more land was brought under cultivation, this condition was ameliorated. Apparently some of the more enterprising people were not content to leave the remedy to time, but proposed to take action themselves; for, in November, 1819, Morris Birbeck 'returned from a tour through Illinois, by way of Kascasky, where he was chosen President of the agricultural society of Illinois, one grand object of which will be, to rid the state of stagnant waters.' "Various other factors doubtless contributed to the poor health of the people in the early days. Fordham reached the conclusion that 'there is, upon the whole, a superiority in the Climate of the western Country to that of England; though not so great as I at first imagined, or as you would expect from the latitude. Consumptions are almost unknown here. Bilious fevers are rather prevalent, but not dangerous when early attended to. Women have not such good health as the men have; but that is to be attributed to their mode of life — being always in the house, usually without stockings, and roasting themselves over large fires. " 'People are not so long-lived here as in England, and they look old sooner. This I think may be justly attributed to " '1. The universal use of spirituous liquors. 2. The disregard of personal comfort and cleanliness, exposure to bad air near swamps &c, and want of good clothing. 3. The great stimulus and excitement of the mental passions, which adventurers and first settlers are, by their situation, subject to. 4. (Perhaps) violent religious enthusiasm. PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 261 5. In some instances, very early marriages.' " "While the task of hewing out and developing a farm in the wilderness was undoubtedly an arduous one, many of the pioneers were quite willing to progress slowly. In a land where the soil was fertile and the woods full of game, it was not difficult to make a bare living; and, for most of the settlers, this was enough. Gershom Flagg wrote in 1818: 'The people of This Territory are from all parts of the United States & do the least work I believe of any people in the world.' This is corroborated by Daniel M. Parkinson: 'The surrounding country, however,' he wrote, with reference to Madison County in 1817, 'was quite sparsely settled, and destitute of any energy or enterprise among the people; their labors and attention being chiefly confined to the hunting of game, which then abounded, and tilling a small patch of corn for bread, relying on the game for the remaining supplies of the table. The inhabitants were of the most generous and hospitable character, and were principally from the southern States; harmony and the utmost good feeling prevailed throughout the country.' "Such descriptions apply particularly to the first comers; and Flagg hastens to add that 'these kind of People as soon as the settlements become thick Clear out and go further into the new Country.' Even their successors, however, often took their farming operations very casually, and found plenty of time to devote to hunting and recreation of various sorts." But now it is our privilege to record another and brighter version by Kichard Flower : "The report which has injured us most is the want of that blessing, without which all that this world can give is but of little avail — Health. Reports of sickness which never existed, and of deaths which happily never took place, have been most industriously circulated; the fact is, that there has seldom been a new settlement which has suffered so little loss by death; or which has been so free from sickness. The number of deaths has been in the ratio of four in ninety-five each year, and this is a smaller number than in most places in the inhabitable globe, where the records of such events have been preserved. Many of its inhabitants, have, with myself, enjoyed far better health than in their native country; so that I may safely conclude, after two years residence, with the information of those who were here a year and a half before me, that there scarcely existed in the habitable globe, a place where the inhabitants have enjoyed so large a share of this invaluable blessing. "As to our future prospects they are truly flattering, in the probability of increasing population, now the clouds and mists which malignity has spread abroad are disappearing before the light of truth, as the mists of morning dis- appear before the light and heat of the sun; the well-grounded hopes of future harvests, arising from the rich abundance of the present; the perseverance, and industry of a large portion of our settlers; the excellent materials for building, and the increasing number of fine wells of water, all present a most encour- aging and delightful prospect." 208 208 Centennial History of Illinois in 1818. Buck. Pages 160-162. Letters from the Illinois, 1820-21. Richard Flower. Printed for Jas. Ridgway, Piccadilly, by Toulon, 67 Whitechapel. 1822. Containing an account of the English Settlement at Albion and its vicinity, and a "Refutation of Various Misrepresentations, those more Particularly of Mr. Cobbett." Pages 40, 41. 262 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS No account of service in medicine in the English settlement is complete without mentioning Dr. Archibald Spring, whose name appears in sev- eral county records. Although his permanent abode was at Albion, his calls compelled him to travel over a wide area of naked country. Preceding him, however, Dr. Pugsley, who came with the earliest set- tlers, served the county. Following these practitioners, Dr. Welshman came all the way from Warwickshire, England, a welcome addition to the medical fraternity because of his skill as a physician and surgeon, with credentials from the Koyal College of Surgeons, of London. But, ere long, both Drs. Spring and Welshman passed into the beyond, victims of erysipelas. This hiatus in the ranks of the medical men brought the Drs. Thompson, Samuel, and F. B., to the community, as practicing physicians of Albion. Later two more medical men arrived, Dr. Francis Dickson and Dr. Lowe, the latter representing the "herbal branch of practice." The Court Orders Payment for Attendance upon the Poor Under the "Fourth County Commissioners Court," 1822-24, it was ordered that Dr. Ezra Baker be allowed $120.00 for medical attend- ance upon a poor, transient person by the name of John L. Jones. Scarlet Fever Decimates a Large Family The census of 1819 of the English Prairie and contiguous country was but 650 souls, not a great number to furnish a livelihood for physicians at that early date. The increase was at first slow, for the stigma of unhealthiness was fastened upon the region. Even as late as 1855 much distress was created by the appearance of miU^-sickness. Scarlet fever was exceptionally malignant, for we learn that eight chil- dren of Reverend and Mrs. Benjamin Hutchins died of it in his home in Albion in 1857. Surely our heart goes out in sympathy for this godly man and his good wife when our thoughts go back to those remote days, and we picture their mental anguish during the time of their bereavement. The historian reflects the opinion of the time when he states that the contagion was brought in by the handling of a ship- ment of books the minister had purchased in Philadelphia. -°^"*^ 218a History of the English Settlement in Edwards County, Illinois. (Founded in 1817 and 1818 by Morris Birbeck and Richard Flower.) With Preface and Footnotes by E. B. Washburne. Fergus Pub. Co. Chicago. 1887. Page 332. History of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash Counties, Illinois. J. L. McDonough & Co. Philadelphia, 1S83. Pages 60, 61, 65, 224, 86. Edwards County Centennial Celebration, Albion, Illinois, 1918. Compiled by Walter Colyer. PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 263 Early History of White, Saline and Gallatin Counties; Their Morbidity and Practitioners With monotonous repetition we compile record after record of the early- trials with disease of the immigrants in the west, in practically every county in the State, and White County adds its mite to the gruesome tales of sufferings and death. Discouragement could hardly express the state of mind of these denizens of the new country, and if they had strength enough to wear it out after swallowing all sorts of herbs and whiskey, they would either stay or pick up Hannah and the baby and their traps and go back "yander" to "Old Virginny," the " Jarseys," Maryland or " Pennsylvany, " and sing a popular doggerel that ran thus: "And to-day the swallows flitting Round my cabin see me sitting Moodily within the sunshine Just inside my silent door; Waiting for the 'ager,' seeming Like a man forever dreaming, And the sunlight on me streaming Throws no shadow on the floor; For I am too thin and sallow To make shadows on the floor — Nary shadow any more!" Without the ironic humor in that crude verse life would have indeed ebbed out amid such unwholesome surroundings. The east, whose bor- ders were being depleted by this exodus to the new states in the valleys of the great rivers, made capital out of these emaciated returning sons by picturing them in cartoons. One of these cuts that had a Avide cir- culation showed a stout well-dressed man upon a well-groomed horse, with a caption that stated, "I am going to Ohio," meeting an emaciated man upon a bony apparition of what was once a horse retorting, ' ' I have been to Ohio." This species of slander, though calculated to discourage further emigration, did not prevent others from taking their places. Other Epidemics Visit the County What is described as the "cold plague" struck the county in 1820, and, from the early historian's description of the symptoms, one sees a striking resemblance to the influenza of World War days. He states that it prevailed in Europe at times during the last two centuries and, on several occasions, appeared in this country. He opines : "If it ever occurs nowadays, it passes under another name." 264 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Describing the symptoms, he states : "The victim would first feel ominous pains in some part of the body, begin to have fever and congestion, then become cold and exhausted and soon col- lapse into death." He adds that few who contracted it escaped death. "No one knew how to treat it, and many citizens fled from the county to avoid its formidable ravages." Cholera Makes Five Visits to White County The years of 1832, 1848, 1856, 1866 and 1873 were dark ones in the county, with the toll of death exacted by the cholera. Dr. Shannon, who was a prominent physician of Carmi in 1832, is given especial praise by the writer of the time for his successful treatment of the malady. ]\IiNERAL Springs Abound in the County The old faith in the curative value of mineral waters is well illustrated in the annals of Carmi township, accounts being given of buildings that were erected where invalids might stay to quaff the spring waters and wait for miraculous cures. "Logan Springs" and "Hill Springs" were the best known of these numerous caverns along the Little Wabash. Testimonials were never wanting from those who averred they were cured of some inveterate disease by drinking from one or more of these fountains of life. Early Physicians Dr. C. R. Smith, a native of Blue Lick, Ky., was born in 1815. When the boy was six years old, his parents moved to Indianapolis, where his father, a Methodist minister, died. His mother was a physician, and from her he received his desire to study medicine. In his youth, in connection with Dr. Robb, he attempted first to enter the field of dentistry, but obtained little work. This determined him to enter the medical profession. His brother, P. R. Smith, was already in the ranks, and with him he read medicine. After this training he located in Shawneetown in the year 1840. Here he remained about a year and left for Carmi, to take up the work there. Not satisfied with his meager knowledge, he entered and graduated from Evansville Medical College in 1850. When he returned to Illinois, he settled in Grayville, where he resided until his death, in 1881. It would appear, from the statement that his son became his father's successor in the practice of dentistry, that Dr. Smith combined oral surgery with that of medical practice. The Ferry Laxdixc at Shawxeetown, Gallatin Couxty A point of disembarkation from the majestic Oliio, whose currents wafted an ever increasing host of ambitious ones to Illinois' fair bor- ders, in the early nineteenth century, to enter land in the interior where they at times encountered Caucasian bandits more treacherous than the savages they dispossessed, insidious disease germs still more deadly than human enemies, and other obstacles incident to home- steading. Photograph by Dr. Zeuch. [See P. if/.s'l Landing Place oe Lusk's Ferky At the mouth of Lusk Creek on the Ohio River at Golconda, in present Pope County. From this ferry a road leading to the north connected with the one from Shawneetown to Kaskaskia which, by 1818, when Illinois became a State, had largely superseded the older route from Fort Massac to the capital. Photograph hi/ Dr. '/.cuvh. [See P. /-'.?! PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 265 Dr. Christopher Greene, of Norris City, was born on Black Warrior River, Alabama, sixty miles from any white habitation. His father had settled among the Indians with his young wife. And when the son was born in 1821, the young wife, who had entertained expectations of a happy married life, died, probably for want of proper obstetric care. The care of the infant born at this time devolved upon a Cherokee Indian squaw for almost a year, when he was taken to Tennessee to be raised by his grandfather. When the child had reached the age of five his father married again and took him back to Alabama. In 1839 Dr. Greene went to Tennessee and in 1840 he came to Gallatin County, Illinois. Returning south again, he read medicine for about ten months in Tennessee. With this knowledge, he essayed to practice occasionally in conjunction with his regular occupations of farming and school teaching, and in 1847 he again appeared in Gallatin County. After many vicissitudes he finally began regular practice in 1858. In 1879 he came to Norris City, where he built up a large prac- tice. Again we learn of a "marvelous invention in medicine that will absolutely cure cancer in every instance ; discovered by experimenting on his first case. He has cured forty-three cancers." Whether the historian took the doctor's word for the diagnosis or whether the doctor himself classed carbuncles under that heading, we are at a loss to divine, but in the light of our present knowledge we must consider this narrative as a case of post hoc proctor hoc. In civil life he served as justice of the peace for fourteen years and supervisor for three. New Haven, that had an "unenviable reputation for being a very hot-bed of malarial fever" — which with an air of disdain and local pride the citizens deny — has had quite a number of physicians for a small place, who are named as follows : Doctors Gilpin, Galbraith, two Doctors Hall, Lemon and Hudgins, in early times. Dr. Thomas Shannon was born in Virginia and in 1787 his parents moved to Woodford County, Ky. After his preliminary education, he read medicine in Frankfort, Ky., and shortly afterward came to Shaw- neetown, according to one historian. Part of the time before moving to Carmi in 1820 was spent in practice in Equality. In 1821 he married and settled permanently in Carmi. In 1832 he "exhibited great skill" in the cholera epidemic of that period. A southerner by birth, his political leanings were with the Jacksonian democracy and he was considered one of the pillars of that organization. It is sad to relate that in pursuit of duty he lost his life in 1844, while returning from a patient's bedside, by being thrown from his horse. Dr. Milton Hough Bacon, a native of Otsego County, N. Y., where 266 HISTORY OF MEDICAL TRACTICE IN ILLINOIS he was born in 1803, came to Illinois in the early thirties. His genealogy can be traced to the early settlement of our country. His progenitors served in the French and Indian War, and his father, a native of Connecticut, served six years as a soldier under General Washington during the Revolutionary War, and after the cessation of hostilities bought out thirteen families of "squatters" near Unadilla, N. Y., where he engaged in the sawmill and lumber business. The son, because of his father's means, therefore received as good an education as was procurable in the vicinity and took up his medical studies in Fairfield, N. Y. In 1824 he came west to practice in Lancaster, Ohio, after prep- aration in both medicine and law. A year later he formed a partner- ship with Dr. J. S. Ligate, of Zanesville, where he remained two more years. Then he traveled extensively through Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama, but decided to re-locate in Ohio, in the village of Aberdeen. But he was not satisfied there, so he moved to Vandalia, Illinois. Again in 1832 he moved, this time to Carlinville, where he engaged in the mercantile business and the practice of his profession for five years more. At the birth of one of his children, his wife died, and when the sorrows of this disaster grew upon him in the old surround- ings, he resolved to start life anew at Carmi in the year 1839. Here he entered into partnership with Dr. Shannon. Two years after this business union he moved to Philliptown, where he stayed the remainder of his time on this earth. In 1853 the Evansville Medical College conferred an honorary degree upon him in recognition of his achieve- ments in medical work. He married again in 1842 and was the father of a second family — nine children. His avocation was hunting, a pleas- ure that could be fully gratified in his time, for game was plentiful. This propensity is mentioned in the literature as having been gratified even into his eightieth year. In the fall and winter he was a familiar figure setting traps or fishing around the ponds in the county. All huntsmen give tales of remarkable marksmanship, but few" can exceed the one related about this vigorous old physician who, when a herd of deer, numbering thirty-five, crossed his path on one of these excur- sions, shot three and wounded a fourth with the contents of one barrel of his trusty gun — almost as remarkable as the exploits of the famous Nick Carter of juvenile history, who frequently, with a single shot, killed several bandits through his unerring marksmanship. The doctor's mantle fell upon his son. Dr. H. M. Bacon, who spent two years of study at a Chicago IMedical College and subsequently graduated from the Evansville Medical College in 1852. PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 267 Dr. Martin Johnson was the original proprietor of the town of Enfield and practiced in that vicinity for many years. -"^^ Shawneetown and its Early Practitioners Shawneetown derives its name from the Shawnee Indian tribe who lived in the region as early as 1720 and of whom some were still in the locality in 1806, several years after the first white men came to reside there. -"^"^ An English traveler in that year described them at length in a highly colored article upon their traits and practices, that savors some- what of fiction, though in the light of the many absurdities practiced bj^ all aborigines, it is safe to say, his story had some foundation in fact. Shawnee Practice of Physic "The diet in illness is meat or fish soup. These savages prefer death to a lingering illness. When ill their first object is to promote sleep and transpiration. If they fail their friends visit and dance around them, or bring a priest or juggler, to endeavor to effect a cure or to amuse the remains of life if it refuses to be prolonged. The juggler is a mixed character, representing a mammae, physician and priest. lie is a mountebank who escaped a dangerous infirmity and supposes himself immortal, professes to cure, dances at first, then goes through all manner of contortions and grimaces, impersonating the animals. After this pre- lude a feast is ordered and after it the sick man is examined. The juggler then says 'If the Evil Spirit be there he is commanded by the Great Manitou to depart.' He then sucivs the patient and takes out of his mouth some article previously placed there and exclaims 'There take courage the Evil Spirit has lost his charm, you now are cured.' He thereupon gives the patient purgatives and sudorifics. If successful in the cure the juggler is feasted. If he fails and the patient dies, it was the former custom to kill the physician on the spot and send him to the shades with him, whom he had murdered. This custom no longer pre- vails, only banishment is practiced to assuage the sorrow of his friends. The Shawnees seldom pass ten days without enduring artificial sweat, in good or bad health, after which they pitch themselves in the coldest water they can meet. To wounds and dislocations they apply herbs and what is more remarkable gangrene and mortification never seizes parts to which their simple remedies are so applied." 209 History of "White Countv, Illinois. Interstate Publishing Co. Chicago. Pages 263, 264, 520, 521, 531, 790, 887, 944, 511, 925, 926, 705, 323. 209-a According to Moll's Map of 1720, they had left "Savannah Old Town" at the mouth of the Cumberland river previous to that time. 268 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Settlement of Shawneetown In 1808 the pioneers who had settled at "Sandy Ridge" became flood victims and all but one family moved up to where Shawneetown now stands. After the Acts of 1810 and 1814 the United States Govern- ment laid out Shawneetown and opened a land office there, because of its proximity to the salt wells twelve miles to the west of its present site. The influx of people following this procedure brought in firms of speculators as well as private purchasers, who hoped that great com- mercial cities would rise on the Ohio River. By 1816 some two or three hundred denizens had congregated in the village as permanent citizens and many more temporarily for it was the eastern entrepot to Southern Illinois. The houses, such as they were, were built upon posts several feet above ground to prevent the floods from again washing away the settlement. A motley array of grogshop keepers, gamblers and religion- less people inhabited this improvised community, if we would take a contemporary writer's description of them as our basis of estimation. He had visited the village in 1816 with a view toward establishing a church there but claims to have received no encouragement in response to his missionary efforts. More than likely, judging from the subsequent history of the town, this statement is not entirely free from bias. As early as 1813 court proceedings were instituted to punish law breakers. Four years later an act to create a road from Kaskaskia to Shawnee- town, one hundred and sixteen miles through the unbroken wilderness, was promulgated, which gave the border town promise of further de- velopment. Two years later, however, it w^as still among the unfinished projects. Governor Bond urged that it be completed, though funds for grading and bridges were not available. Tracts had, however, been cut through the timber. Obstacles were to be overcome of considerable magnitude, where the path crossed the creeks between Kaskaskia and Big Muddy River, and bridges were necessary over unfordable streams. This problem was solved by the granting of privileges to charge toll by private ferrymen. No further great difficulties were encountered from Muddy River to the Saline River, where a natural rock-bottom ford at "Island Ripple" made crossing easy. To avoid the swamps west of Shawneetown the road followed ujDon "Sandy Ridge" and over Calvin Gold's hill farm to a small wooden bridge over a ravine, thence eastward crossing Church and Main Streets to "The Rocks," a high landmark upon the Ohio. Superimposed upon the era of uncouthness common in frontier towns, came a period of progress and uplift. Cultured pioneer aristocracy were these families of Posey, Marshall, Rawlins, Eddy, PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 269 McLean and others who lent dignity and stability to the fast growing community. The State saw in the town a center in which to establish the first banlv of the commonwealth. A modern bank building completed in 1840, in Main Street, with classic Ionic columns, still stands as a monument of pioneer progress. Cold Plague Decimates the Village Through traditional knowledge obtained from descendants of early Shawneetownsmen we learn of what appeared to the frontiersmen to be a more favorable outlook for sufferers of the "Cold Plague" than that previously quoted by a historian of the times. The only physician of the community worked so incessantly that when he, too, contracted the disease his resistance was so low, he developed a high temperature fol- lowed by delirium. Barricading himself in an upper chamber of his home, he steadfastly refused admittance to those Avho sought to give him attention. Flourishing a gun in his madness, he stood behind a closed window shouting, * ' Go away or I '11 shoot ! You have come from plague victims. We all are doomed, nothing can save us." Vainly did the people who had collected to seek aid or to help him, beseech him to desist and give them a prescription that apparently had relieved the excruciating pain of some of the sufferers but their pleadings fell upon deaf ears for his brain was disordered and could not do any constructive thinking. Even his beloved wife, who feared his impulse to exercise his deadly marksmanship, desisted from further entreating. With the doctor's prostration there arose an exigency that was solved in a resourceful way, for the people urged a business man to take charge of the medical situation. He organized squads of attendants, who served in relays in zones apportioned to them, dispensed the remedies, filled from prescriptions procured by the doctor's wife and in many other ways brought order out of chaos, until medical aid could again be obtained. Great rejoicing was there when a flatboat broke the icebound waters of the Ohio and brought in news to the village that had been isolated, because of the unusually severe winter, from the out- side world. Cheering news it was that reached the distressed colonists when after laborious work the craft was drawn ashore over the ice from the main channel on the Kentucky side, almost a mile east of the Illinois shore, to discharge its cargo. The usual contingent of hangers-on col- lected to witness the unloading. A man on board found a rolled-up newspaper that had fallen between the barrels to the slimy floor. Far- reaching were the effects of his discover}'' for this Louisville newspaper told in blazing headlines of a "Cure Found for the Cold Plague. 270 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Eastern Physicians Now Able to Cope With the Dread Disease. Death Kate Decreasing." Electrically did this news spread to the country far and wide, and carefully did the people scan the directions for the preparation and use of the simple remedy which was to emancipate them from the insidious invader that had robbed them of their dear ones and their peace of mind. This remedy was, however, not a specific but merely a method of applying and retaining heat with a view toward promoting perspiration. Light upon the Career of Dr. Alexander Posey That Dr. Posey was in all probabilities one of the first physicians to practice the art of medicine in Shawneetown, the second city of early Illinois, is more than likely. Close to primary source material is the in- formation recorded upon his tombstone in Westwood cemetery, concern- ing his family history and some of his activities. His epitaph states that "Dr. Alexander Hamilton Posey was the seventh son of General Thomas Posey, born in Virginia, Sept. 20th, 1794, and died Dec. 8th, 1840 ; in whom an efficient honest career was adorned by modest merit and amiable manners, by scientific attainment and by able and skilled discharge of his ancestral duties." Further statement is made that "he studied the divine in Kentucky" and took his medical diploma in Phila- delphia. This seems to imply that he was ordained for the ministry before he took up the practice of medicine. A news item gives the in- formation that Dr. Posey was one of the reception committee which welcomed General Lafayette to Shawneetown May 18, 1825, while on his triumphal tour of southern Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee. From the family Bible in possession of his descendants, we learn that he officiated as obstetrician at the birth, in 1823, of his niece, the mother of our informant, and that in 1840 he attended the festivities incident to her marriage. Dr. John Reid was active in the practice "before the twenties." His home, a big house, was situated five miles west of Shawneetown. Many small camps of Indians were located in the vicinity, and the "doctor practiced as much among the Indians when called as among the whites." This contact gave him an insight into the traits of the race. "When roving bands of Indians passed and there Avas possible danger of raids, his white neighbors used his home as a fort." One day a little band of strange Indians came into his home when jMrs. Reid was alone. She had just bathed her baby son and had dressed him in pretty clothes (the short sleeves and low neck of his dress tied with bright colored bows of ribbons on the shoulders) and had lain him in the cradle. One PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 271 young squaw with a pappoose on her back, dropped her dirty baby in the cradle, seized the Reid baby and ran away with it. Mrs. Reid was distracted, but the doctor when he arrived home said, "Do just as I tell you if you want your baby back ! Wash this dirty Indian baby, get it as clean as your child was, dress it in your baby's pretty clothes and be sure to tie on lots of pretty bright ribbons. Then we'll take him to his mother to see." Mrs. Reid soon had that Indian baby shining like a copper kettle, and later, when these Shawnees from Kentucky who had pitched their camp on the Illinois side of the Ohio River five miles away were found, and the young squaw saw her baby, she instantly dropped the white child, which struck the ground with a thud, and snatched her pappoose from the white lady's arms. Before Mrs. Reid left the camp the squaw brought her a present, a warm little coon skin to wrap the white baby in. Dr. Reid later made Shawneetown his home and when his son John Reid, Jr. grew up he studied medicine and became associated with his father in the late "thirties" in the practice. Dr. Reid lived until old age. Dr. John W. Tunnell (Turnell) was one of the earliest of Shawnee- town 's physicians. The exact date of his arrival is not certain though in all probabilities it was about the year 1831. In 1842, after a short period of association in the practice with Dr. J. Hamilton Johnson, their partnership was dissolved. Though not an adept at tooth extraction, Dr. Tunnell was forced in the absence of dental surgeons to act in that capacity. A local historian describes him as having been a man of good looks, tall and dignified. His familiar figure wearing a high silk hat when seated upon a well groomed horse attracted attention in the village streets up until his death, which occurred in 1870. The doctor through the purchase of cheap land, which he improved, had become fairly well off in his last years of life. Dr. Arnold Drake practiced in the "Saline" near Equality in the early days. It is said his mother was a sister of Benedict Arnold. He practiced as late as 1838 for an entry in a daybook of a Shawneetown merchant records, that he stood treat for drinks on credit at this estab- lishment at that time. Dr. E. R. Roe was an early resident of Shawneetown arriving there in 1843. For ten years he served the community as a practitioner. Through his literary ability his writings were sought by the press of his day. Though journalism was at first but an avocation with him, he became so well known as a literary critic that the Illinois Journal of Springfield employed him as a regular correspondent. These duties drew him to the capital. In the field of fiction Dr. Edward Reynolds 272 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Roe scored a success when his prize serial entitled "The Virginia Rose" appeared in the Alton Conner in 1852. He had prepared this story while practicing medicine in Shawneetown and used as its background the lawlessness of Cave-in-Rock. Doctor Thomas Herod and Dr. John Leech of Vincennes were early Shawneetown practitioners. Dr. Leech arrived in the spring of 1840. When the Mexican War in 1846 broke out he served as surgeon with an Illinois regiment. After the war he settled in Texas. The history of the activities of Doctors Joseph and J. H. Johnson w^ho practiced in Shawneetown in the "forties" is covered under the medical annals of Jo Daviess County. Through Dr. Daniel Lawrence of Golconda, a pioneer who knew Dr. Dunn of Equality, it was learned that previous to 1850, three physicians, Doctors Dake, Dunn and Watkins, of the "Saline," took care of the practice for miles around. By forming a partnership they were able to cover great distances. Dr. Dunn's route to the south took him as far as Marion, Kentucky. Dr. Dunn served in the legislature and counted as his friends both Lincoln and Douglas. That Dr. Dunn was a man of principle and possessed of great personal bravery is evident by the statement upon the witness stand of G. W. Covert against Logan Belt at Shawneetow^n in 1879. Belt was the leader of a lawless band, who killed several persons in a feud, and shot the witness against him. Covert, several times with the intent to kill him, because he knew, through association with them, too much about the affairs of the gang. Covert escaped badly wounded and repaired to the home of Dr. Dunn to have his wounds treated. Later Belt and his followers came to the door of the doctor's house, to finish Covert, but the doctor refused to give him up, saying he would die first. "He is a bad man to fool with and the crowd went aw^ay without me, ' ' said the witness. Fate Deals Unkindly With a Promising Young Physician In early manhood w^hen health and happiness are so essential to success, fate dealt cruelly with a young physician, a native of Ken- tucky who practiced at the salt wells in 1822 but who lived in Sha\vnee- town. He owned the first buggy in Shawneetown which made it possible for him to travel back and forth to his practice at Equality, on the Saline river. Being of good address he was admitted into pioneer aristocratic circles. This association threw him into the society of the daughter of a prominent business man of that time. The friendship so engendered ripened into love and soon their engagement was announced. PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 273 The doctor built a house in anticipation of the marriage. Frequently the doctor was seen driving with his fiancee. "But on one of these visits to fetch his intended bride he was met by the young girl in tears which implied a brealdng oif of their engagement. The cause of his dismissal was news that had just reached Shawneetown from the salt wells, which alleged that a brother of the doctor had killed a man during an altercation over politics. This caused the parents of the young lady to insist upon her breaking their bethrothment. Later the physi- cian contracted tuberculosis which ran a rapid course. So one day the villagers witnessed the sad sight of the young physician driving to the ferry to cross and disappear in the Kentucky hills, homeward bound to die. After both young men, the doctor and his brother, were dead, the real murderer was found and his guilt proved." -^^ A Brave Young Woman Answers a Call to Duty The following medical practice incident is best told by a quotation from a newspaper article written fifty years since, telling of "Early Days," by Paul Hull, a nephew by marriage of Dr. Thomas Herod. It refers to Mrs. Margaret Logsdon, wife of Joseph Logsdon, who lived on a small farm at Sandy Ridge just below Shawneetown. What is probably a true version of the incident reads as follows : ' ' One of the best known of the early settlers of Shawneetown was Mrs. Peggy Logsdon. She was a physician, and knew all the cures for snake bite. Her specialty, however, was bringing young settlers into the world. For this she had a great reputation and a large practice. Her horse 210 In an endeavor to ascertain the name of this young physician through the court records at the Old Court House, interesting information was brought to light by a local historian. Though not many miles away, at Cave-in-Rock, banditry was in full operation apparently without punishment to the male- factors, in Shawneetown the circuit court met once a year to try lawbreakers. The phraseology of the Gallatin court records at Shawneetown reveal a high sense of justice, as is evidenced by the condemnation of one "John Darr late of Gallatin County, a laborer, not having the fear of God before his eyes, being moved and seduced by the Devil on the 7th day of September, 1S23, at the county aforesaid, with force and arms, feloniously, wilfully and of his malice aforethought, in upon one Wm. Thomason made assault with a knife." This man died of his wounds and the prisoner was sentenced to be hanged. Another man, Jourdan Lacy, was tried at the same term for the killing of a man by jumping upon his head, chest and abdomen. He was sentenced to jail for a year and fined five hundred dollars. In searching through the Register and volumes upon land titles of Ken- tucky of that time, both the names of Darr and Lacy appear frequently. "There is little doubt however that the first case refers to the young doctor's brother, for Henry Eddy defended him in Court and tried to have the verdict set aside on error, but failed." Ashe's Travels in America. Pages 246-248. History of the Presbyterian Church of Illinois. Vol. I. Norton. Pages 106, 107. 274 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS and skiff were always ready, and no stage of the weather or water stopped her when called. Her house was on Sandy Ridge, close to the river and when her Kentucky patients wanted her they called across the water. One night a new Kentuckian decided to arrive. The father called and Mrs. Logsdon answered "coming." She dressed and went to the river but found her skiff gone. Did she waste time hunting for the skiff or trying to get another? No indeed! for she knew that in those healthy days a newcomer did not stop on ceremony but generally w^as in a hurry. She found a log at the water's edge and which had a branch still on it. Dr. Peggy took off her dress and tied it in a bundle high up on the branch; then pushed the log before her and thus swam the wide Ohio river in the dark. On arrival at the Kentucky shore she donned her dry gown and hurried to the cabin in the woods, where her patients were awaiting her coming. Mrs. Logsdon and her husband formerly lived near Cincinnati, Ohio, before coming to Shawneetown." -^^"^ Early History of Hardin County and Cave-In-Rock Hardin County, established in 1839, originally was a part of Gallatin and Pope Counties, but had only a fraction of the population of the region until close to the middle half of the nineteenth century. Most of the denizens of localities outside of Shawneetown were congregated between the Ohio River and the "Saline," a government reservation, rectangular in shape, comprising a strip of about ten by thirteen miles around the salt works on Saline Creek. No land could be sold in this area, but a considerable population had collected there of workers and slaves employed in mining of salt. These people became the first citizens of Equality, the town established upon the Shawneetown-Kaskaskia road. Others had imposed themselves on the reservation, who for the most part refused to vacate when so ordered by the authorities. In fact, their increase became so alarming that the manager of the salt works advocated drastic measures, by destroying their dwellings to rid the government of these squatters. Some left when ordered, but more took their places. These interlopers were the products of a new country where the machinery of the law worked poorly, or not at all. In 1804, 210-a Centennial History of Illinois. Introductory Vol. Buck. Pages 49-5.5, 67, 71, 114, 118, 119. Information concerning Shawneetown's early physicians was furnished by Mrs. Harriet H. Hayes of Chicago, Mrs. Harriet Jones Rowan and Mrs. Myra Eddy Wiederhold of Shawneetown, also Miss Carrie Posey of Henderson, Kentucky and Mrs. Jean Docker Allen of Minonk, Ills. The Chicago Times, issue of July 18, 1879, files of the Chicago Historical Society, contains an account of Dr. Dunn's services to G. W. Covert, a witness against Logan Belt. PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 275 it is said, a small Irish colony collected at Cave-in-Rock, in what is now Hardin County. But this region was not conducive to settlement by honest people, for the cave was a rendezvous for sets of consummate rascals who molested all those who would not fit in with their mode of life. Bandits Prey upon the Traveling Public For fifty years or more, from time to time in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, this grotto called Cave-in-Rock, on the banks of the Ohio about equi-distant between Shawneetown and Golconda was the ren- dezvous of bands of highwaymen. The most picturesque of the leaders of these banditti was Meason (Mason), a man of gigantic stature, says the narrator, who plundered boats plying the river, but generally waited until they returned from the market at New Orleans. "This audacious depredator said, in viewing their descent from his point of vantage in the cave, 'These people are taking produce to market for me.' With an attractive sign "Liqvior Vault and House for Entertainment" he with his confederates in crime announced that wet goods could be had within. The crews and passengers of passing boats could not very well pass up such an invitation and many cast anchor to partake of a little convivial- ity. This proved to be their undoing, for they were robbed of their belongings. "Associated with him were his two sons, but the rapid advance of population led them to desert the Cave-in-the-Rock, to infest the great route through the Indian nation known to travelers as the Natchez and Nashville Trace, where he soon became the terror of every peaceful traveler through the wilderness." He was finally murdered by two of his confederates, for reward, money given by the government. "Later, the celebrated counterfeiter Sturdevant set laws at defiance. He was a man of talent and address, and as an engraver, had few supe- riors. His home was in a secluded spot on the Ohio." Like Robin Hood, he could summon fifty to one hundred of his men to his defense by blowing a horn. Quite a few not implicated in his crimes rejoiced in the impunity with which he practiced his schemes. He was a grave, quiet, inofifensive man in his manners, who commanded obedience of his comrades, and respect of his neighbors. He had an excellent farm and his house was one of the best in the country. "He had confederates in other states who paid sixteen dollars for eveiy hundred dollars worth of spurious bills he furnished. His security lay in not allowing his con- federates to pass counterfeit bills among his neighbors. His neighbor- liness often brought reputable people to his aid. However, he became such a nuisance that he was finally driven from the country. 276 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Highwaymen Hinder Settlement The molestation of law-abiding citizens by the Ohio River brigands hampered early settlement to such an extent that few cared to take up land in the section of the State now known as Hardin County. Illustra- tive of the methods employed by these rascals in ridding themselves of their neighbors is brought out in the biography of John Crawford, who settled about three miles north of Golconda in 1803. This Christian gentleman, like others who would not be influenced by the conciliatory advances of the highwaymen, incurred their disfavor. Those who would not fit in with their mode of life were subjected to many indignities, with a A'iew toward forcing them to leave the region, so that they might not become informers against them. They would call in squads at the home of these righteous gentlemen, lounge around the premises all day, harass them with the hope of provoking retaliation and kill them if they showed fight. Crawford's practical Christianity was tested to the limit, but the old gentleman gave them no pretext to murder him. In 1824 matters came to such a pass that the frontiersmen banded together and temporarily drove them from Cave-in-Rock. They did not, however, leave the country, but probably repaired, according to tradition, to ' ' The Pound," a remarkable formation above Shawmeetown, situated a con- siderable distance from the road, which was thoroughly obscured from vision by trees and underbrush, ^n Here, through erosion, a prehistoric estuary of the Ohio River basin cut a channel around a table of rock, describing an ellipse. At one end there is a natural bridge. Under the table-rock, which is one hundred and fifty feet in height, is a hollowed out canopied space sufficiently large to harbor twenty-five head of cattle and as many men ; an ideal place of refuge for men carrying on a hazardous occupation. This geologic formation is not unlike a huge toad-stool in shape. The name "The Pound" was a provincialism em- ployed by the natives because when their beasts M^ere in the possession of the knaves, there was, because of their isolation, no legal process with which to retrieve the animals. As early as 1800 these cattle thieves used this retreat. They had built a wall of dry masonry in the opening under the natural-bridge span, leaving space enough open to admit the stolen beasts. Loose stones piled up within were used to seal the aper- 211 About twenty-seven years since, the timber upon "The Pound," which contains about forty acres, was sold and removed. There are about twenty-five acres on the top upon which wheat is often planted and a spring which runs the year around is situated upon this table land. In the crevices upon the ascent, near the surface, some lead can be found which the oldest residents aver was the source of material for bullet and shot making, in the early days. PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 277 ture, to keep them from straying. Attempts to recover the animals en- tailed great danger, for these bandits had in this recess a well-fortified stronghold. From the top of the table-land a commanding view to the north as well as the south for several miles of the Ohio River could be had. When sufficient time had elapsed for the vigilantes of 1824 to be off guard, the rogues again took up their headquarters at Cave-in-Rock, to continue their terrorization of travelers and settlers until about 1833, when the depredations of these bands ceased. A Religious Revival Spreads Measles at Cave-in-Rock Thieves and confidence men were not continuously in occupation of the famous rock retreat for, of necessity, these gentry were compelled to move from place to place to escape detection. Occasionally the cave was used for peaceful pursuits. Families found shelter there from time to time and one instance is on record when it probably served as a church. The cave was described by an early writer as being "two hundred feet long with an entrance eighty feet wide at its base, and twenty-five feet high and a level floor sided with ledges like seats in the pit of a theater." This description is in the main correct. The cavern is not unlike a huge bandstand and in consequence its acoustic prop- erties and natural light are well fitted for meetings such as it probably was used for in bad weather during a revival meeting. In 1818 a company of circuit-riders of the Methodist church, led by Jesse Walker, Peter Cartwright and John Scripps (the latter of whom recorded the difficulties encountered by these men to bring the "Word of God" to that locality where, it would seem, it was sorely needed), held one of their meetings at Dr. Messick's house, some six or eight miles from Vincennes. John Scripps states that later at the Rock and Cave camp-meeting, measles broke out among the congregation, from which malady he also became a sufferer a little later. ' ' Very high fevers were the first symptoms; but, unconscious of the cause and nature of my affliction, I continued traveling through all weathers for upwards of two weeks, before the complaint developed its character. My stomach became delicate, and through a populous part of our jour- ney I inquired for coffee at every house we passed, and was invariably directed to Mr. L.'s, several miles ahead, as the only probable place for procurement of that grateful beverage. On making known my wants to Mrs. L. she searched and found a few scattered grains at the bottom of the chest, of which she made us two cupfuls." 278 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Physicians' Names Associated with the Early Chronicles of the Cave Dr. Edwin James, whose biography is given under the St. Louis chapter of this volume, and who was the geologist and historian of the Major S. H. Long, U. S. A. expedition from Pittsburgh to the Roclcy Mountains in 1819-20, stopped upon this trip to examine the cave from a scientific standpoint. He says: "The Cave-in-Kock, or house of nature, is an immense cavern penetrating horizontally into a stratum of compact limestone, which forms the river bank for some distance above Golconda. Its entrance is a large and regular arch placed immediately upon the bank of the river and a similar form is preserved in some degree through its whole extent." In the preface of his published narrative. Dr. James is also listed as botanist, though Dr. Baldwin seems to have been appointed for that position at the outset of the expedition. But several notations clear up ambiguity in the matter. Dr. Baldwin became ill Avhen the expedition reached Cincinnati, and Dr. Drake was called to attend him. After a short delay, the party resumed its journey. At St. Charles Dr. Baldwin's condition became so serious that he was moved to shore, to the house of Dr. Lowery at Franklin. Here, even to within a few days of his death, this scientist noted facts in his diary. The observa- tions recorded in the chronicles of the journey upon medicinal plants were those of Dr. Baldwin, and are interesting in that they reveal w^hat drugs were used empirically by the natives in that period. "The Liatris Pycnostachia, here called 'pine of the prairies,' is used by the Indians and others for the cure of gonorrhoea. Sambucus Canadensis (common) elder was also employed in that disease." An Indian inter- preter also showed them branches of a shrub which he said "was much used among the natives as a cure for lues venerea. They make a decoc- tion of the root which they continue to drink for some time. It is called blue root by the French and is the Symphoria Racemosa of Pursh and is common in the Maritime States, the banks of the St. Lawrence, and ]\Iissouri. It is here rather taller and its branches less flexible than in the eastern states. -^^ Apparently at the time of the Rocky Mountain expedition there were no bandits at the cave to molest the scientists, for no mention was made of them in the report. But about two years later another physician 212 This was probably the remedy Ashe in his "Travels in America, 1806," page 226, refers to. He states, "I saw an (Indian) subject neglected, taking remedies for a venerial complaint the ravages of which caused his flesh to fall to pieces. He was in a fair way to recovery by drinking repeated draughts of a decoction of certain roots capable of effectively annihilating that dreadful distemper." PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 279 and his companions had harrowing experiences with a set of outlaws who made this natural recess their headquarters. The story of their adventures appears as historical fiction, written by a man whose father was one of the pioneers of what is now Livingston County, Kentucky, and who spent his boyhood days in Salem and Smithland, the county seat. The narrative leaves little doubt that much of it had foundation in fact. Nor are the characters sufficiently veiled to escape detection, as to their true identity. In his preface the novelist states the story is not intended as a local history written in chronological order. Yet if we read carefully the subjoined quotation, it may be observed he almost discounts his preceding assertion. "It has seemed to me that as the generation who personally knew some of the pioneers of our state will soon pass away some such material as I have woven into these 'Chronicles' should be collected and preserved in all older counties of our state of Kentucky, which was pre-eminently a pioneer eastern state west of the Alleghenies. " Banditry Brings Romance Into the Life op a Physician This author gives a close-up of Dr. Charles H. Webb, of Livingston County, whose experiences with the banditti of Cave-in-Rock district furnish a story of compelling interest. In this historical novel, based upon the author's personal contact with its principals and their life stories, according to Dr. J. L. Haydeu, of Salem, Ky., Ford appears as Jim Wilson, Dr. Webb as George Duncan, a saddler alias George McGregor, the name he assumed when intent upon a sleuthing expedi- tion to seek knowledge concerning the fate of his brother. Cassandra Ford is named Catherine Wilson. The doctor and his brother, who were born in Scotland, but had migrated to South Carolina, sought to better their condition in life by settlement in the west. In 1822 they went to Philadelphia, and shortly afterward started westward with St. Louis as their destination. They took passage from Pittsburgh upon a flatboat. The doctor enlivened the journey by entertaining the six passengers Avith selections upon his flute. All went well enough until they reached the cave. Here they were decoyed into landing by a woman waving a white cloth. Pulling close to shore and within speak- ing distance, the travelers asked what was wanted. A man presently emerged from the cave and joined the woman, to ask whether they had any bacon or whiskey on board, claiming to be short of provisions, some of which they desired to purchase. The captain at first demurred, stating that he did not care to break bulk so high up the river. There- upon the ignorant, but resourceful rascal asked if he would not land to take the woman and a boy aboard for passage to the mouth of the 280 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Cumberland river, appending that the woman had been waiting a long time and would gladly pay for her passage. "All right, then," replied the captain, "I'll land; but let them come aboard at once." The captain and three others, one of whom was the doctor's brother, went ashore and walked to the entrance of the cave. After an hour of waiting, the doctor asked his fellow-traveler to go ashore with him and try to find their companions. But another hour passed and with it darkness supervened. In the twilight the doctor saw three figures approaching, whom he at first thought were his friends, but upon closer inspection found them to be desperadoes with pistols drawn. Resistance was useless and the travelers were blindfolded by the rogues. Unable to see, the doctor resigned himself to his fate. After two of the knaves had placed him bodily in a skiff with his hands tied securely behind him, he was rowed a short distance into the stream. Upon his in- quiring about his brother, he was told that the fewer questions he asked the better it would be for him. A slight jar when a second skiff bumped his boat was followed by a conversation in low tones, the purport of which he could not catch. Very soon, however, one of the men whispered in the doctor's ear that he was going to violate orders, by loosening his cords slightly, so that after an hour's ride with the current he might release himself, but cautioned him not to free himself sooner unless he courted trouble. Fearing that they were still following him, the doctor waited about an hour, with misgivings enhanced by hissing night winds and the hooting of owls. Finally, after much effort, he succeeded in extricating himself. Ominous skies portended danger, for he found his skiff was without oars or paddle with which he might make a landing. As the heavens poured down a merciless rain, the doctor worked valiantly, bailing out the water with one of his shoes to keep the skiff from sinking. At last the rain subsided, the weary hours passed, and welcome daybreak re- vealed an island upon which there were signs of habitation. Using his hands vigorously, he managed to steer his boat to land, and to his de- light he found hospitable people, to whom he recounted his perilous adventures, and who informed him that he was lucky to have escaped with his life. Providing him with an improvised paddle, made out of a clapboard, his benefactor advised him to journey to Smithland, Ky. Arriving there, Dr. Webb at first thought of redressing the wrongs inflicted upon him by forming a band of regulators, but was deterred because it might involve the innocents with the guilty, for no one knew of whom the so-called gang was composed. Then the gang had perhaps emissaries in Smithland who would inform them of any expedition sent against them. James Ford, who was generally supposed to be their Cave-tx-Rock, Hardin Coxjivty A grotto upon the Ohio River carved by the irresistible forces of nature, known to and used by prehistoric races: a rendezvous in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries of bands of most con- summate rascals whose atrocities, perpetrated upon the travelers and settlers, beggar description. Photograph procured by Ted Frailey. [See P. 21',] Hoi'SE AT Ford's Ferry. Kkntickv Once owned by James Ford, but occupied by one of his sons as one of his representatives in his nefarious business of robbing travelers crossing the ferry at that point. Photooruph by Dr. Zcuch. [See P. iT.'M PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 281 chief, lived in Kentucky, but no one had ever been able to trace any crime positively to him, hence it would be foolhardy to openly accuse him of the outrage. Then, again, the doctor reasoned that, though his tale was true, yet it was the story of a stranger and likely would not receive credence by those whom he would petition to help him. And, finally, there was no use appealing to the law in Kentucky, for the offense was committed in Illinois, therefore he concluded not to try to take action at once, but bide his time before proceeding. He was di- rected to Salem, which then had a population of about two hundred and fifty, and therefore offered an opening for a young doctor. Anxious about the fate of his brother, he was advised to make inquiries con- cerning him at the home of a highly esteemed citizen living a few miles from the home of James Ford. On his way, Dr. Webb stumbled and fell while descending a hill, and sustained a sprained ankle. It so hap- pened that Cassandra Ford, while horseback riding, found the young doctor helpless in the road. She persuaded him to mount her horse and led him to her parent's home, where, upon his arrival he discovered to his discomfiture that he was in the hands of the man he had reasons to fear. But the bad man was not at home and to his surprise and delight, he found the women of the household charming and hospitable. So well did they care for him in the absence of the master, that the doctor became much attached to Cassandra, a bewitching, well-educated girl with soft, glossy chestnut hair, who also showed more than a passing interest in him. As he became more confidential to his benefactress he revealed his identity and expressed his suspicions that he believed her father was connected with those who had robbed him of his belongings at the cave. The women shared with their neighbors the impression that the lord of the household was in some way connected with the notorious band harbored at the cave, and produced the doctor's stolen flute, which they believed had been purchased from a traveler. At length "the masterful and self-willed" outlaw leader returned and Dr. Webb got a close-up of the man whose dual personality could not be judged by his appearance, for he had the aspect of a good-natured man rather than a surly bulldog. He inquired how the injured foot was getting on and, through the solicitation of his daughter. Ford had a hired man make him a set of crutches to be used when the doctor could get around. When the foot was healed sufficiently he returned to the home of the reputable neighbor of Ford. Shortly afterward, he was frequently thrown into the company of Miss Ford, who had become friendly with the neighbor's family, in whose household it was neces- sary to meet, for Ford distrusted the doctor as a possible informer. Learning that his brother had been allowed to depart from the cave 282 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS unhurt, and had reached St. Louis safely, the doctor resolved to visit him. From Fort Massac, where he alighted from a flat boat, he walked to that city, found his brother established in business and spent several months with him before returning to Salem. Later Dr. Webb married Cassandra, regardless of her parent's deflection. A few years later Ford was shot by an avenger. Thus departed in ignominy a man whose cunning devised means to defeat justice, but who could not obviate the tendency of thieves to fall out with each other. With his end terminated a picturesque, though disgraceful chapter in the history of river travel, but memory of it has lingered long in the minds of the pioneers and in interesting reading to this day. Knowledge of the affairs of Dr. Webb's father-in-law, James Ford, and his henchmen in crime is somewhat befogged by traditional retelling of the tales of their activities and in secondary accounts in the literature because of the close-mouthedness of the principles of his organization. The gist of their story is to the effect that Ford, through his owner- ship of a ferry two and one-half miles up the river from the cave, was able to get first-hand information about voyagers crossing the Ohio River. Those who had means were advised to put up for the night at the tavern of Billy Potts, about twelve miles from the Illinois landing of the ferry on the Shawneetown road, where there is a natural spring. This spring was a good place to refresh the weary travelers and their beasts of burden. The tavern seemed hospitable, and many who thus fell into the hands of Potts were murdered and buried in the vicinity. Dr. Daniel Lawrence, of Golconda, a student of early southern Illinois history, now seventy-nine years of age and critically ill, recounted with remarkable clearness to the author that when he was a young man teaching school near Blizabethtown, he saw a human skeleton dug up at the Hambrink school, three miles from the Potts tavern on the Ford ferry road. Others state that at times the victims were thrown into sink-holes, which are numerous in the region. Human bones have been found from time to time in these caverns to substantiate these claims. And, lastly, there is a tradition that Billy Potts slew his own son while drinking at the spring, the son not being recognized by the father, as the young man had returned after several years of wandering. When the appalling truth was revealed, the Potts family moved from the country and the gruesome associations they had created. Further Knowledge Concerning the Bandit-Ridden Country Dr. Frederick Hall, writing about Cave-in-Rock in 1839, observed : "It was in times gone past, never to revert, inhabited by individuals PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHEEN SECTION" 283 of most infamous character; counterfeiters, robbers and murderers." That his prophecy was unduly optimistic regarding the permanency of peace in the region is evident by the writings of a reporter sent by the Chicago Times forty years later to cover the trial of Logan Belt, a notorious desperado farmer who had killed several in a family feud. Incidental to his story, which covered an entire page of the issue, he recounts the story of the Ford gang. Though containing inaccuracies common to cursory secondary newspaper investigations, it tells that banditry had been going on since the earliest times in the entire southern section of our State. That this was possible even to that day he attrib- utes to the lack of communication this section has had with the outside world. He had traveled by wagon from Shawneetown over twenty-six miles of the roughest kind of roads to Elizabethtown, which he stated had neither railroad nor telegraph office and was in consequence com- pletely isolated from the outside world. It will be recalled that the river traffic had by this time been supplanted by the railroads. Tracing the lineage of lawbreakers of Hardin County he claimed that some were descendants of the original gangsters, and other lawless elements, and had so intimidated the settlers that their crimes often went un- punished. And if they were brought to the bar of justice, witnesses were killed so that there was not enough evidence to convict them. In our time in the south central part of the State and upon the "bullet- ridden shores of Lake ]\Iichigan," feuds are still causing much blood- shed. However, many of the pioneer bandits have among their descend- ants estimable citizens who have played important parts in the up- building of the commonwealth and should not bear the stigma placed upon their names by the misdeeds of their progenitors. Dr. Daniel Lawrence, in his investigations concerning early banditry on the Ohio, gives the interesting information that in 1876 there still stood on the Henry Woods place at Rosiclare, the ruins of an old log house one and one-half stories high, having had three rooms on the ground floor. Examining some of the old logs, he discovered many bullet-holes, mute evidence of bygone battling. He believes this house was once owned by Ledbetter, a bad character, one of Ford's gang. While blasting for a stone-quarry near by, a set of dies for making counterfeit half-dollars was blown out of an aperture in the rock. In all probabilities this house was at one time the home of Sturdevant, the infamous counterfeiter of earlier days. In 1889, while seeking a strayed sheep, the doctor and the Reverend Tyre found the animal in a pit, which led to a mine from which counterfeiters obtained fluor spar. Besides lead and zinc, these crystals contain some silver which the 284 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS doctor states was used to make good likenesses of half-dollars, that only differed from the genuine in that they were lighter in weight. To-day banditry is only a memory in Hardin County, for industrious com- munities have sprung up to mine and work into chemicals the fluor spar, so useful in the arts, and the erstwhile haven of the lawless has become famed the world over for its extensive production of these commodities. -^^ Jackson County's Earliest Practitioners This county, that has been in the limelight so conspicuously in con- nection with the tornado of southern Illinois in 1925, was not settled as early as the counties bordering upon it. The old Kaskaskia-Fort Massac trace crossed it, and near the ford in the Big IMuddy River, called by the French "Riviere au Vase," there was an old Indian vil- lage, as shown on the map of Thomas Hutchins, made in 1778. But aside from that no one seemed to be impressed enough with its pos- sibilities to start a white man's settlement until 1815. 213 Centennial History of Illinois. Introductory Vol. Illinois in 181S. Buck. Pages 66-68. Historic Illinois. Parrish. Page 293. Ashe's Travels in America, Cave-In-Rock, 1806. Pages 225-231. Sketches of the West. Vol II. James Hall, 1835. Pages 88, 89. Historic Collections of the Great West, Henry Howe. 1856. Page 172. History of Kentucky, W. B. Allen. Page 576. History of the Presbyterian Church in the State of Illinois. Vol. I. Norton. Pages 44, 45. The story about "The Pound" was constructed from information given by Wm. Ridgway of Chicago and Mrs. Myra Eddy Wiederhold of Shawneetown, 111. The Navigator, Zadok Cramer, 1818. Pages 119, 120. American Pioneer, Logan Historical Society, Vol. II, Benjamin Van Cleve. 1843. Pages 222, 223. Methodism in Illinois, Leaton. Pages 110-115, 151. Account of an Expedition from Pittsburg to the Rocky Mountains. Vol. I. 1820. Published by Dr. James, 1823. Page 424. Early Western Travels. S. H. Long's Expedition, 1819-1820. Thwaites. Pages 72, 73, 91-93. Chronicles of a Kentucky Settlement. Wm. Courtney Watts. Pages 91-94, 229-240, 242-259, 275-277, 456-458, 483. Letters from the East and West. Frederick Hall, M. D. 1840. Page 163. The account of the activities of Ford and Potts was constructed from local traditional lore, collected by the author, aided by Ted Frailey, of Cave-in- Rock and Dr. Daniel Lawrence, of Golconda. "Hell on the Ohio," The Chicaoo Times, issue of July 17, 1879, Page 8, by a special reporter. (Chicago Historical Society Files.) For location of Cave-in-Rock (Great Cave) see Thomas Hutchins' map of 1778 in this volume. PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 285 The Coming of the Germans from Pennsylvania Slowly the news of the prairies of Illinois reached the settled com- munities of thrifty Germans in Pennsylvania and, as the tillable land there was very limited and confined to the valleys between the Ap- palachian mountain chains, another band of prospective settlers left home for the interior of Illinois, to avail themselves of the chance to procure a tract of a more kindly soil than the stone-laden mountain erosion drift they had battled with in Pennsylvania. Dr. Conrad AVill Leads Them Into the Land of Promise In the year of 1815 the leader and his band of Germans arrived near the present town of Brownsville, in Jackson County. These people, by their isolation and habits, kept the characteristics of their race intact for a considerable time. The common bond of language was largely instrumental in this, for the virility of these people can be greatly at- tributed to the expressiveness of the mother tongue. Every phase of human existence has been analyzed and perpetuated in song and verse, and every-day problems are solved with some axiom expressed in their prose. Philosophy has developed to its highest state in their literature. Theirs is not a rapid rise to a given end, but a slow growth to efficiency. They reason ''Aller Anfang ist schwer" (every beginning is hard), and in consequence they do not get discouraged very soon. They follow the belief that, if they learn a little every day, and work hard, at the end of twenty years they will have acquired not only a competence, but efficiency in their vocation. A frugal race has been this Nordic tribe since the days of Attila. These characteristics have made them the foe that stood the world on end in 1914, and must be reckoned with in the future by the commercial interests of the world. So it was not strange that they succeeded in Illinois in the same field where the English at first found so much to discourage them. Dr. Will, their leader, not only served his country- men with skilled medical services, but established a salt-works as well. This salt-works was situated in the Big Muddy River settlement. It prospered until the salt was worked out, and the remains of the plant have entirely disappeared. The original town of Murphysboro, laid out by Dr. Will four miles east of the saline deposits, was established in 1816. For awhile he sold lots in the village, but it was dependent for its life upon the salt industry, and also died when that gave out. Dr. Will, it is said, was very fond of hunting and, for that purpose, kept a pack of hounds which he would take along when he went to see a patient, staying to hunt until the patient either got better or died. 286 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS He was elected to the legislature, sitting at Yandalia, and to while away leisure hours he took his hounds along with him to coon-hunt. Reference is also made to a dwelling near Sand Ridge that was transformed into a schoolhouse by the few straggling settlers in the vicinity of Carbondale, from which one gets a glimpse of a possible be- ginning as a white man's abode of that locality. Even as late as 1855, when Dr. F. C. Bierer and his brother ventured to start a newspaper in the county, there were less than two hundred souls in the village of Murphysboro. When the Illinois Central Railroad was being built, and eyes were centered upon Carbondale because it was favored with a station, the merchants deserted the village for the more favorable site and these enterprising brothers tried by increased energy to stem the tide of defeat in the venture, only to lose out in six more months. So we can surmise, from this description of conditions and meager population, that few physicians would in the early days find patrons enough to war- rant locating in the town. 214 The First Native Physician Arrives Captain Hezekiah Claiboum Hodges, M. D., who was born in Tennes- see in 1802, ventured to locate in this unpromising field. In his youth, because of meager finances and being one of eleven children, his early education was neglected. In Huntsville, Alabama, he snatched such bits of learning as the short school term gave. So he continued helping his father on the farm until twenty-four years old. He was, however, of studious habits, and learned much from self-culture. Having heard tales of grandeur of the Mississippi Valley, he set out with his family to make the trip and behold with his own eyes the wonderful country, landing, in consequence, at Jonesboro, Union County, in 1830. He settled south of this village and engaged in farming. In 1832 he enlisted in the Black Hawk War and marched to Galena. In the final battle, at Bad Axe, he saw service. The war over, he returned home, and in 1833 this ambitious pioneer began to study medicine under the instruc- tion of Dr. Brooks, of his home village. After this training he was taken into the office of Dr. Brooks as a partner. Later he embarked alone in the difficult field in competition with his preceptor, until 1847, when he moved to Degognia township, Jackson County. Here he continued in practice and farming until the Rebellion awakened his martial spirit 214 History of Jackson County, Illinois. Brink, McDonough & Co. Pages 13, 17, 30, 35, 110, 57, 87, 105. Illinois Medical Journal, September, 1924. Article by H. E. Kimmel. Page 156. PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 287 and he enlisted as captain in Company C, 18th Regiment, Illinois Vol- unteers. From Springfield, where he reported, he was sent to Jackson, Tennes- see, but at the age of sixty he found the rigors of the march and camp life too much for his constitution, and his health failed. With orders to report at Vicksburg for active duty, he had to decline to go on, so he was given charge of the hospital at Jackson. From this command he was obliged to take to Cairo two hundred and fifty refugees who had been sick in the hospital. After the discharge of this duty he was mustered out and returned home to resume practice. In 1848 he was ordained to preach, and served the church in this capacity regularly until 1863. As was to be expected of a native of Tennessee, he was a Democrat and a great admirer of "Old Hickory" Jackson, his contemporary countryman. He was personally acquainted with the general, and the recounting of reminiscences of the old warrior was a favorite pastime with him. Here was a man who had witnessed life from early boyhood in the primeval forests of Indian days and frontier hardships, through the formative period of our nation, had served in two wars and passed through the trying times of the War of 1812, had witnessed the scenes of preparation for the ]\Iexican conflict and, lastly, had seen the advent of the dawn of invention that an- nihilated distance through the establishment of the railroads, the steam- boats and the telegraph and other great advances of our civilization. We close this sketch with a tribute given him by a writer who had lived in his time and knew him: "Dr. Hodges is a gentleman of the old school; suave and affable, kindly disposed towards all, dispenses a liberal hospitality, and unites in himself, beautifully blended, those Christian graces of honesty and integrity." Dr. George A. Rogers, during his lifetime a prominent physician of Randolph and Jackson Counties, was born in the old Bay State, Massa- chusetts, in 1824. His father was a physician who practiced manj^ j^ears in that state before he settled in Illinois at Waterloo, Monroe County, ^is The younger man had, therefore, opportunity for culture and literary attainments far greater than was generally accorded young men of his period. During his early years he taught high school while pursuing his studies under the guidance of his father. In due time he graduated from McDowell's Medical College in St. Louis and came back to start in the field his father held. After the death of his first wife he married again and located for a time on a farm. Subsequently he lived for a time at Rockford and Ellis Grove, where 215 History of Randolph, Monroe and Perry Counties, Illinois. J. L. McDonough & Co. Philadelphia, 1883. Page 337. 288 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS he enjoyed a large patronage. But as he got older he retired to Camp- bell Hill, where he died of heart disease in 1874. ^is Randolph and Monroe Counties in the Early Nineteenth Century Although these counties had a historic background of more than a century's colonization, with their earliest centers of population at Kaskaskia, Fort Chartres, Prairie Du Rocher, St. Phillip, the New Design and Cahokia, there was left but a feeble nucleus when their secondary development was inaugurated in the thirties of the nine- teenth century. Analyzing the eighteenth century's rise and decline of the inhabitants of Randolph and Monroe Counties who were of French extraction, we find the greatest influence that brought about depopulation was the frequent change the fortunes of war wrought in sovereignty, from the easy French rule through the stormy British, and more stormy American, rule. From the accounts in the county his- tories, we glean that out of a possible eight hundred Americans in the "Bottom" at the end of this period, there were not many more than a hundred persons in Randolph, less than thirty in St. Clair, and the balance in Monroe County. The settlements at the New Design, Belief ontaine, Whitesides Station and Pigott's Ancient Fort were thrifty and vigorous. These natives of the first purely American in- vasion bore the brunt of the savage depredations during the period from the year 1786 till 1795. New life was infused by the influx of intrepid spirits from the South and East, after the savages were quelled. Among these were Dr. Caldwell Cairns, of Harrisonville, Dr. Wallace, of the New Design, and others whom we have mentioned under the history of Kaskaskia. They, however, do not, strictly speak- ing, belong to the period of secondary development, and will be passed over in this consideration. Early Physicians "In the spring of 1830, Dr. Pyles, then a young man, came to the town (Sparta) and opened a school." "Dr. Joseph Farnon (also spelled Farnan), who has been the leading physician of the town and vicinity for many years, located there in 1830." The first permanent physicians in the interior of Randolph County were a part of that overflow of settlers who, in the thirties, were pushing out from the long established settlements in nearby counties and other states. One of these newcomers was Dr. Barbee, who settled in Chester in 1833 or 1834. Cholera, which was then raging in the sparse settle- ment, engaged his attention and, it is sad to relate, he fell a victim to 218 Illinois State Historical Society Journal. Vol. 6, 1913. Page 337. Illinois State Historical Society Journal. Vol. 9, 1904. Pages 245, 252. The Potts House (Improveii) ox the Ford's Ferry-Shawneetown Road One of the bogus taverns of early times where voyagers were re- puted to have been robbed and many murdered. A night light kept burning by the present owners is interpreted by the natives to mean that the inmates fear visits from apparitions of the victims of Potts' greed. Photograph procured cspeclaUij for this work by Ted FraiJry. PoTis' Hii.L Si'KJXu, Xeau Potts' Tavern Associated with the grewsome tales about the tavern. It is said that many voyagers and guests took their last drink on earth from its sparkling waters. Photofirnph procured especially for this volume by Ted Frailey of Cave-in-Rock. \Sce P. .2s.n PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 289 it and succumbed. He was succeeded by Dr. JefiPerson, a Virginian, who came in 1834. He practiced there but a short time when he was sup- planted by Dr. M. E. Ferris, in 1835. He, too, like Dr. Barbee, con- tracted cholera and died, when the disease again broke out in 1849. He seems to have had the field to himself for eight years, and in 1843 took in a partner, Dr. C. T. Jones, who stayed with him until 1845, leaving him there for a business enterprise in Steele ville. Dr. Jones found that field not as congenial as Chester, so he subsequently returned to resume his practice there. Later he made St. Louis his home. "Dr. Lewis Morrison was born at Kaskaskia and was educated as a physi- cian." He was also a farmer in Washington County, then became partner in a store at Chester. After 1840 he returned to Washington County for a number of years, then went back to Chester and opened a store. "Dr. Marshall was the earliest physician in Tilden, locating here as early aa 1840." In 1844 competition arrived in the person of Dr. Charles Baker. Evidently there was not much encouragement given him to remain, for he left soon after. But still the field looked attractive to another com- petitor, for Dr. M. W. Millard, from Ohio, took up the work of trying to alienate the favor of the populace from the established ones. He seems to have gotten his share of the business, for he remained there until 1849, when death terminated his work. Other county physicians in the early days were : Dr. Milton Hubbard, of Blair Village, who was succeeded by Dr. J. F. White, who in turn surrendered the field to Dr. J. L. Mathews. In the village of Wine Hill, Dr. Curtis Swanwick, who lived near Shiloh, looked after the medical wants of the community after 1850. The community was dependent previous to his coming upon Dr. Betts from Kaskaskia, and Dr. Ashby Jones from Steeleville, but as these physicians were a considerable distance from the field. Dr. Swanwick 's coming was welcomed and he built up a practice of fair proportion. Dr. William A. Gordon was born in Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio, January 22, 1820. He was one of a family of five children. William received his primary education in the schools of his native place, but later attended the Ohio University at Athens. The profession of the physician is perhaps the most trying on brain and body of any in the field of science, for it absorbs both day and night the attention of him who practices it conscientiously. From a boy Dr. Gordon desired to become a physician, and ever after devoting his attention to the healing art he received a portion of his reward in this world, for he had the confidence, respect and esteem of his fellow-men. After completing his studies he taught school until the year 1842, 290 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS when he came West to Robibaux Point, now St. Joseph, Mo., where he unfortunately suffered a protracted illness of ten months. Upon re- covering from his illness he taught school until he had saved money enough to leave the place, when he came to this county. Here he found an opportunity to carry out his long cherished plan of becoming a physician, and read medicine in the office of James C. Junk. Later entering the Louisville Medical College in Kentucky, Dr. Gordon took a full course in that institution. In 1845 he formed a partnership with Dr. Ashby Jones, of Steeleville, this State. In 1854 he graduated from the St. Louis Medical College. In 1848, Dr. Gordon came to Chester, where he engaged in practice. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, he joined the ranks of the Union Army, becoming a surgeon in the Thirtieth Illinois Infantry. He remained in the service until September 27, 1864, and during that time was a prisoner seven months, being captured at the Battle of Belmont, Mo., November 7, 1861. After the establishment of peace, Dr. Gordon returned to Chester, where he engaged in practicing medicine. In 1884 he was appointed medical examiner on the pension board, holding this position until 1888, and in 1894 he was re-appointed to the same position. Dr. Gordon was married in 1845 to Miss Adeline S., only daughter of Dr. Ashby Jones, of Steeleville. To them were born four sons and six daughters, of whom seven children are living. In his political relations Dr. Gordon was an active worker in the ranks of the Democratic party, and served as a member of the school board for twenty-two years. He was President of the Southern Illinois Stock and Agricultural Association, and also held membership in the Southern Illinois Medical Association. "He is a man who commands the respect of all who know him." ^i^ Fort Gage On the bluffs forming the east bank of the Kaskaskia, now the Missis- sippi river, there was erected a fort, during the French and Indian War in 1759, 218 -which has been erroneously called "Fort Gage" by some 217 History of Randolph, Monroe and Perry Counties, Illinois. Pages 27, 28, 75, 77, 331, 412, 413, 286, 306, 374, 464, 471, 89. Portrait and Biographical Record of Randolph, Jackson, Perry and Monroe Counties, Illinois. Biographical Pub. Co. Chicago. 1894. Pages 595, 596. Directory of Randolph County, Illinois. With Historical Sketches by E. J. Montague. Courier Steam Book and Job Printing House. Alton, Illinois. 1859. Pages 127, 154. 218 The Story of Illinois. Calvin T. Pease. ("Fort Gage" was the name given to the Jesuits' house in Kaskaskia when used as a fort by the British.) Page 21. J. H. Burnham of Bloomington, "Destruction of Kaskaskia by the Missis- sippi River," page 10, quotes Dr. J. F. Snyder, stating this fort was established In Kaskaskia proper as early as 1734, and publishes a map on page 20 from the Archives du Ministere des Colonics in corroboration thereof. PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 291 writers. Remains of this fort were still present in 1778 and the site was recorded upon Thos. Hntchins' map published by the British in that year under the appellation of ' ' Old Fort. ' ' This name was in all probability given it by the British, who found Fort Kaskaskia in ruins when they took possession of the country after their victorious campaigns in Canada. In keeping with this surmise is the statement of a writer of the times, who asserts that the French destroyed it twelve years before the campaign of George Rogers Clark usurped the territory from the British in 1779. To strengthen this contention he states that this gallant commander made no record in his report of the capture of Kaskaskia, that he first took the fort before he crossed the river into the village upon that memorable night of July 4th that decided which of the three flags that at times fluttered over this storm center of civilization must be saluted in its subsequent career. True Fort Gage Comes Into Being The British occupied the Jesuits' house in Kaskaskia, which they called "Fort Gage" in honor of General Gage, commandant of the British forces in North America. A makeshift fort was this at best, for we learn from Roeheblave, who, upon succeeding Captain Lord, in writing his superior concerning his charge stated : ' ' The roof of the mansion of the fort is of shingles and very leaky, notwithstanding my efforts to patch it, and unless a new roof be provided soon, the building, which was constructed twenty-five years ago and cost the Jesuits forty-thou- sand piasters, will be ruined." Subsequently Maj. De Peyster, com- mandant at ]\Iackinac, deeply interested in their western defenses, in writing to Governor Haldimand, said, "The Kaskaskias is no ways fortified, the fort being a sorry pinchetted (picketed) enclosure around the Jesuit College, with two plank houses (block houses) at opposite angles, mounting two four-pounders each, on the ground floor, and a few swivels mounted in pidgeen houses." When this fort passed into the hands of the Americans it was occupied by them until the following February, when Colonel Clark left for the capture of Vincennes. A few volunteers, however, were left in charge under Colonel John Mont- gomer\\ The following year, 1780, Fort Jefferson was established at the Iron Banks on the ]\Iississippi, below the mouth of the Ohio. To that new post Colonel Montgomery and his men, with all the arms, stores and munitions of Fort Gage, were transferred. Further history of this fort is hazy. Whether it was used during the Indian unrest, in the nineteenth century, is not clear, neither is there any present record as to its medical officers. In 1809, when the U. S. Commissioners were adjusting conflicting claims growing out of the banishment decree of the French Crown in 1764, which usurped the property from the Jesuits, 292 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS part of the land upon which the fort had stood was given to Gen. John Edgar, and another parcel, that was granted originally to the Church of France, was awarded to Colonel Pierre Menard, who erected a home upon it which became famous as the scene of the entertainment of Lafayette during his second visit to the United States, ^is-a St. Clair County is Established — More Medical Men Arrive Before 1809 St. Clair County was represented in the legislature of Vincennes as part of Indiana Territory. After that year Illinois became a territory, with Ninian Edwards as territorial governor. In 1814 an- other event of local importance took place when the county seat was changed to Belleville. This seems to have been a happy move, for the county has since Avitnessed a steady growth of industrious people. From time to time divisions have been made, until the county comprises only a fraction of its original outline. In 1837 was constructed the first railroad in the Mississippi Valley, known as the Illinois and St. Louis Railroad, built by a coterie of men headed by Governor Reynolds. Increased Population Brings Influx of IMedical Talent Dr. Adolphus Reuss was one of the early arrivals in the thirties, and located at Shiloh. He was descended from a wealthy family of Amster- dam, Holland. His parents had migrated to Frankfurt, where the future doctor was born in 1804. In his youth he showed a literary bent, which attitude was carefully encouraged until he entered the University of Gottingen. But after a short time his views changed and he elected to study medicine, rather than engage in literary pursuits. From the uni- versity he received the degree of doctor of medicine, which admitted him to post-graduate courses in Paris and Berlin. After this work was completed he settled down to serve the people of his native city of Frankfurt. As will be recalled, this city was a hot-bed for propaganda in favor of the republican form of government, as opposed to the strong monarchical system then in the saddle. Align- ing himself with the former movement, he soon found that, if he valued his head, migration to this country, where these views were in the ascendency, was safer than to remain in Germany at the mercy of the military persecutors. In this extremity it did not take him long to 2i8aThis mansion still stands at the base of the cliff upon which Old French Fort Kaskaskia stood. Kaskaskia State Park — an Appeal to the Patriots of Illinois. By Harry W. Roberts. 1917. Page 11. Illinois State Historical Society Journal. Vol. 6, 1913. Pages 58, 67-71, 336. Publication No. 10 Historical Library of Hlinois. 1905. Pages 129, 130, 142. PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHEEX SECTION" 293 make up his mind to leave the Fatherland. AVhen safely in the land of the free, he found a great expanse of territory such as the contracted and over-populated areas of Europe had not, in 1832. Traveling over stretches of country in Ohio, Iowa and Missouri, he finally landed in Illinois. Avhieh seemed to suit him best. Here he bought two hundred acres of land, where he resided until death. Although in a country xery unlike his home in Europe, he adapted himself to his surroundings, improving his land and practicing his profession. With his training, one marvels that he was contented in Qountry practice, with all its disadvantages. But his strong constitu- tion enabled him to withstand the exposure and hardships that attended such a service. Although interested in polities, he was never an office- seeker, but changed his views upon the issues of the time as his con- science dictated. When the Democratic party, of which he was a member, showed leanings toward the views of the South, he promptly joined the new Republican party that had sprung out of the contro- versies of that issue. Although possessing the mental attainments of a scholar, with a knoAvledge of Greek and Latin, as well as modern lan- guages, yet he was reserved, and made no display of his erudition. Though a free thinker, he did not try to impose his views upon those who found solace in religion. And when death came to him in 1878 no man had a greater number of friends and admirers than this one of varied experiences. He left a considerable fortune for those days, owning at his death four hundred and fifty acres of land. Dr. Estes was the first physician to hang out a shingle in Belleville in 1815. According to Governor Reynolds, M'hose estimate must be taken with reservations, "he had a strong, but illj^-balanced mind." In 1815, when there was much banditry, he organized, with others, a band of vigilants, and as their captain he is "credited with having dealt out justice very promptly and effectively." In course of time he left the county, but whither he went or what his subsequent activities there is no record. Dr. Schogg, who was a contemporary of Dr. Estes at Belleville, was a man of strife and blood, for it is said he was a participant in at least two shooting scrapes. Further knowledge of him is not obtainable, nor is it desired, if it be true that his was a despicable character. Dr. Woodworth came to Belleville in 1820. Aside from the knowledge that he was fairly successful in his professional work for several years, there is no further reference concerning him. Dr. William W. Roman, who, as the records say, finished his work and died about 1857, was considered a giant in medical circles. His name and fame are, as stated, written large in the history of Belleville. 294 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS "He was a dictator in the medical world of his community and from that * noble Roman, ' as he was called, many valuable lessons were learned by those who basked in the sunshine of his greatness." One of these fortunate ones was Dr. Ferryman. His successor was Dr. Jeffries. Dr. William Gale Goforth a Prototype op Cyrano De Bergerac Born in 1790 at Cincinnati, of English parentage, Dr. Goforth had a nasal protuberance that at once brought him into prominence when he settled in Cahokia in 1815. While there he acquired a colloquial knowl- edge of French that made him popular among the denizens of the village, who almost to a man were of French extraction. With a con- vivial disposition, augmented by a pair of acrobatic legs that made him a graceful dancer, he was the life of the pleasure-loving community. He could play the flute and dance to its accompaniment, and drink copiously to the health of the natives, but he forgot, at times, the sick, because of those social propensities and his days were shortened, his reputation dimmed, because of this shortcoming. He married Miss Eulalie Hay, a daughter of a prominent man of the county, but the irate father-in-law could not tolerate for more than two years the yoking of his lovely daughter with the dissipated doctor. With the di- vorce proceedings came a decree, only after it was bitterly contested by the doctor through his counsel. Senator Benton, of Missouri. But again the doctor ventured upon the matrimonial sea. He lived with his second wife until his death, and four children were born to this union. After his death, "his widow united with the Mormons in Salt Lake City." Although this man was so homely that once when making a call upon a lady who had never seen him before he frightened her into hysterics by his grotesque appearance, he had no difficulty in persuading two women to marry him. The doctor's love of display was characterized by his demeanor at a Fourth of July procession, which he headed draped with a flowing red sash and mounted upon a fiery charger, to the amusement of the boys, who called him ' ' Old Pills. ' ' So proud was he of his equestrian ability that he boasted openly that there never was a horse in his experience that he could not ride. The idle boast cost him his life, for a Belleville man brought in a steed called "Blink Eye," and wagered that neither the doctor nor any other man could master her. A shout went up for "Old Pills," who had imbibed more than his fill that day, and immedi- ately he took up the challenge. Mounting the ferocious beast, he sallied forth to make good his reputation, but, alas! he had met his match, for the steed raced him down the street to the Irish pond, where he PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 295 was thrown to the ground with a broken neck which soon ended his career ; and the narrator comments : ' ' Certainly a tragic and premature ending of a life full of possibilities and contradictions." The parallel drawn in the heading, concerning his similarity to Ros- tand's famous character, is not far fetched, for he is reputed to have been a man of more than average intellect. Eccentric in the extreme, it is asserted that he joined all the religious denominations in Cincinnati in his youth, vacillating from one belief to another and ending with none. With large bulging pop-eyes and an immense angular nose, he was the cynosure of all, wherever he went, throughout the State. Dr. William Heath, who came to Belleville from Lynchburg, Virginia, was a physical giant; and, it was said, even out-distanced Dr. Goforth in the matter of homeliness. A wag meeting a friend one day, accosted him thus : ' ' Dennis, if you find a man uglier than you, give him this knife. ' ' Thereupon Dennis made for Dr. Heath and gave him the knife with much pomp and ceremony. The doctor, upon learning the meaning of the generous presentation, resented the joke and became very angry. It seems he was not very popular and had a limited practice, making the few who employed him pay for all his needs. One family received a bill for $120, a large sum for a season's services in those days. Because of this tendency to rate his services highly and the fact that, on occasion, he preached a sermon (for he was a IVIethodist minister, as well as a doctor), the statement went the rounds that he was "a man of long prayers and long bills. ' ' Dr. Smith, who came to the county in 1818, was an eclectic in prac- tice. His success was immense and his popularity extended beyond his adopted county to Madison and Monroe Counties. Dr. Francis J. Crabb, a native of Virginia, came in 1818 with his father-in-law. Rev. Mitchell, whose family, comprising sons and daugh- ters and sons-in-law and slaves, made quite a caravan, numbering sixty- six persons. They were a valuable contingent in building up the com- munity. After the doctor's first wife died he married Mary Ogle, who is credited with introducing the tomato into the country hereabouts. Dr. Hancock, another Virginian of high character and attainments, served with old-school methods and had an extensive following. Dr. Armstead 0. Butler, a physician of large reputation and wide practice, was born in Virginia. He studied in Philadelphia and re- paired to Cahokia after graduation. So successful was he in his chosen locality that his practice embraced territory within a radius of forty miles. The memory of few men has been treasured more highly than that of this skillful and erudite practitioner. He died in 1862, and his widow later married Dr. A. X. Illinski. 296 HISTORY OF MEDICAL TRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Dr. A. X. lUinski was born in WoUhynia, Poland, in 1817. Following the course prescribed for those in the gymnasiums — a working knowl- edge of Latin, Greek, Russian, French, German and his native language, mathematics and natural sciences — it took five years for him to get this foundation. At the age of fourteen he entered the patriot army as a lancer. After active service in the Siege of Warsaw, that threatened the capture of the troops, they hastened a retreat to Galicia, Austria. In 1834 a peremptory order exiling all insurgents to either Russia proper or France made further stay in his home country impossible. Fortunately the edict regarding France as a refuge was rescinded and it was made to read "America," so that these disturbing spirits could not easily return to Russian Poland. So in 1834 Illinski landed in Castle Garden, N. Y. After wandering a year in America, he went to Havana, Cuba, as an employee of a hospital. There was in that capacity something which awakened in him an interest in medicine and surgery. To further the prosecution of this study he repaired to St. Louis, where he entered the newly-opened McDowell Medical College and in due time graduated in the first class sent out from that institution. In 1841 he began his work at Cahokia, where he remained, with the exception of a sojourn in California in 1849-53, practicing, merchandis- ing and keeping a public house. In the ' ' American Bottom, ' ' with all its treacherousness, its morasses and woods, with only his saddle-horse as his companion, he traveled for miles to relieve suffering. To facilitate the finding of his way he blazed trees in true Indian fashion, so that his knowledge of woodcraft was almost as keen as that of the red man. His buggy, when he could use it, w^as the bank in which he kept his money, which he deposited through a slit in the seat when on long journeys and oftentimes hundreds of dollars were stowed away in this fashion. But, though he w^as a money-maker, he was a poor saver, and any wild-cat scheme found in the doctor a financial angel to aid its launching; and in consequence he died a poor man. After the death of his wife (Dr. Butler's widow), who bore him two daughters, he married a second time eighteen years later, and three more daughters were born to this union. Dr. Joseph Green, a Pennsylvania German, %yas a highly respected practitioner who saved his money and became prosperous. He repre- sented St. Clair County in the State Legislature Tenth Assembly, 1826- 28. As a side line he interested himself in silk culture, procured silkworms and erected a cocoonery. His wife, with true German thrift, made into thread, on an ordinary spinning-wheel, the silk produced, and wove it into cloth. The doctor died in 1842. His daughter married Dr. Gray. VlKW OF THE WAUASII ( OlAliAC i! K ) RlVER From the east end of the Kaskaskia Trace in Lawrence County. For the greater part of the Eighteenth Century this waterway carried almost all of the commerce between Canada, the Great Lakes and the settlements along the Wabash, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The arrow in the extreme right of the picture marks where Fort Sackville, the British stronghold at Post Vincennes, stood, the capture of which, in 1779, through the aid of Father Gibault and Dr. Laffont, by Gen. George Rogers Clark and his American frontiersmen, stands out as a well planned and brilliantly executed work of strategy. Plwtograph by Dr. Zcuch. I.See P. Ji. J 2',] Site of Fort Knox On an eminence overlooking the Wabash River, three miles above Vincennes (the first capital of Indiana Territory), established in 1788 and discontinued as a garrison in 181.5 or 1816. Lack of potent medicines to combat malarial fever interfered greatly with Surgeon Elliot's treatment of the victims of the scourge among the soldiers at this post in 1789. Photograph hij Dr. Zeuth. I See P. G.j] PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 297 Dr. John B. Gray came here from Lexiii<:;ton, Ky., and was a partner of Dr. Goforth's. In 1849 he contracted cholera and the rumor spread about that he was going to die. An old enemy, hearing the glad news, came to celebrate the demise and thrust a thorn or two in the side of his foe. He announced he was going "to see the old dog die." The doctor, though very low, heard the gentleman's pleasant prediction and was so incensed that he avowed he "wouldn't die to please him." He made good his word and recovered. By a sad twist of fate he moved to Marysville, Cal., where he was shot, and died with his boots on in 1867. Dr. John Claypole, of Vincennes. where he was born in 1800, was educated in the schools of that city, and was among the early nine- teenth century contingents. When a young man he took the trace that lead him to St. Clair County, where he located on the Bluffs near Casey- ville, in which village he practiced nearly eight years. After his elec- tion as sheriff of St. Clair County, he took up his residence in Belleville. Wlien his tenure of office expired he moved to Fort Madison, Iowa. After a period of practice there, he assumed the position of warden of the newly erected Iowa State Penitentiary and held it until his death, eight years later. So well known had he become that his funeral was attended by the largest gathering ever congregating upon such an occasion in that city. "Dr. William Shepherd, a scholarly gentleman and a fine physician, came from the Old Dominion in 1833." His physiognomy sug- gested reminiscences of Napoleon, without the Little Corporal's de- meanor, for he was a born aristocrat, magnetic, and with rare common sense. It is not strange that a man with such a personality should be missed in Belleville when he received an appointment in the U. S. Army and was sent to Fort Snelling in 1838. From that post he went to Texas, where in 1840 he became Secretary of that State. In 1856 he was sent as a delegate to Washington. While at Holly Springs, Mississippi, two years later, though a Southerner, he took up the cause of a Northern man in an altercation that brought him to a duel with another man, and in this engagement he lost his life. The circumstances that led to this tragedy are not detailed in the sketch of his life from which we gleaned these notes, but in view of the fact that it was a stranger in whose de- fense he interposed, we can assume that nothing but an interest in justice prompted him to champion another's cause. Dr. William S. Van Cleve was an eclectic who came to Centerville and lived there from 1845 till 1880, when he moved to Belleville. He was described as "a most eccentric man, a good druggist, a specialist in 298 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS cancer, a man having an exalted opinion of his own merit, a keen ob- server, a sharp debater, a shrewd, resourceful man, who lived in a nar- row world. . . ." " He had no enemies and courted few friends. " A man was this who could well be classed with those described by a famous author as "buttoned up people." Yet with all his contradictions and eccentricities, with none of the happiness that is popularly supposed to be conducive to longevity, he attained a ripe old age, poor but respected. Dr. Smith came from Memphis, Tennessee, about the year 1839. He was Belleville's first surgeon. Fastidious in dress, of courtly manners, he acquired thereby a large following. Because of these traits he in- fused new life in local Masonry, for he was considered a superior man and therefore accorded leadership among men. Clark Nettleton, M. D., was born of English parentage near New Haven, Connecticut, in 1800. He grew up on a farm in the shadow of classical New Haven; this had its influence upon his life, and there he obtained his literary education. Through this training the profession of teaching lay open to him and he accepted a position in Maryland in the common schools. Here again influences were at work that shaped his future career, for Baltimore was then, as it is now, a great medical center. Studying medicine there in his leisure hours he in time grad- uated from one of its medical colleges. In 1825 he entered the marital state with Miss Anna Hurd, of New Haven, and embarked for the west to seek his fortune. They halted at Cleveland, Ohio, then a village with apparently no future, as seen through the young medic 's eyes. Leaving the city by the lake they repaired to Mt. Vernon, Ohio, only to stay there three years. In 1828 again they pulled stakes and wandered to Franklin, Louisiana, where he found a congenial and appreciative people with whom he established a large practice. But after eight years of arduous toil his health became undermined through hard work and malarial fever. So again northward they migrated, this time to St. Louis, where they tem- porarily resided, and formed the friendship of the Hon. T. H. Benton, who advised them to locate five miles south of Cahokia. Here the doctor bought a fine farm called "Square Mound." Combining agriculture with medical practice, things went well until the flood of 1844, when that inundation completely sw^ept away his belongings. With what he could save out of the deluge he fled the "Bottom," stopping not until he reached Manchester, in Morgan County. There he domiciled to start life anew away from the rampant waters of the Mississippi. Here he stayed until 1849, when he sold PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 299 all his Illinois real estate and moved to Racine, Wisconsin, where he again built up a good practice and ceased his wanderings. In 1884 he entered upon his last and greatest journey, death, which one man, a great play producer, remarked, when waiting to be swallowed up in the waters of the Atlantic from a sinking vessel, is, after all, man's "great- est adventure." During his life he was a close student of the advances in medicine, and during his leisure hours he devoted much time to the study of botanj' and geologj-. While stationed at Harper's Ferry, as an army surgeon, he had a wonderful opportunity to gratify this love of the out-of-doors where Nature is profuse in her geologic and botanic gifts. In Louisiana, in 1832, when even physicians fled from the ravages of a pestilence, Dr. Nettleton remained to valiantly battle with the foe, and received the undying gratitude of the sufferers. Dr. Edward P. Price was a surgeon of some repute and during the Mexican War was attached to the Second Illinois Regiment, commanded by Colonel Bissell. He did not remain long in the county. In Louisi- ana, where he died, he had much political power. Dr. Adolph George Berchelmann, of Belleville, was born in Frank- furt, Germany, in 1809, and was one of the many who fled to America in 1834 to escape the wrath of the royal autocrats who dealt summarily with any who by word or action showed sympathy with the rising re- publican spirit that was rife at the time. Latenier settlement in Shiloh Valley was a favorite rendezvous for these recalcitrant spirits, and there they congregated to give thanks for their delivery and swear eternal fealt}^ to the land of the free. There the doctor practiced his profession until 1840. when he moved to Belleville. The historian gives us a word picture of this man that, if taken without reservations, leaves nothing further to be added to make it a composite portrait of what a perfect man should be as far as human qualities go. "He was one of nature's noblemen. He had the instinct and the genius of a gentleman. He was a cultured, refined scholar. His benevolent face would have been a prize study for an old master. Mercy and truth met and merged to- gether in the formation of his character. He was the soul of honor. Children loved and followed him. In his chosen profession he dwelt for forty years among the sorely distressed and suffering and never lost his benevolence nor his smile. When duty called him, through storm or flood or pestilence, to the bed of pain, he feared nothing. Such was his generosity that, but for the watchful care of others, he must have suffered in his old age from self-imposed poverty. He never stooped to any questionable method to get or retain prac- tice. To the modern deadly crime of infanticide he was a total stranger. Human life had, in his estimation, an infinite value. All his being was enlisted in the warfare against death." 300 HISTOKY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Twice the doctor selected a wife from the same family. When Louise, his first wife died, he married IMollie Bunsen, her younger sister. Dr. Daniel La Field Oatman was born on the German border of Alsace, of French and German parentage. In early manhood, after graduation from a famous institution in Europe, he settled to practice in his native land. But as his father decided to settle in America among his compatriots in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1844, he came with him to practice in the new country. So that he could acquaint himself with the methods of treatment in this country he took a post- graduate course in the University of Pennsylvania. Shortly afterward he came to Belleville where his success was above the average until 1852, when his death occurred. His wife died about three months later. He was, as his biographer states, small of stature, but a moral giant, possessing a noble intellect. "He endeared himself to his large circle of patrons by his sympathetic, rock-rooted Christian character . . . in the few years of his life in Belleville." Dr. Goheen, who came to Belleville from Lebanon, was a collector of interesting objects from all over the world, through his connection as surgeon in the U. S. Navy. From time to time he gave illustrated lec- tures on temperance, anatomy and physiology, to teach the people to take better care of their health. During the epidemic of cholera in 1849 he remained at his post while many brother physicians deserted. His experience acquired abroad made him no stranger to the disease, and he used his knowledge with gratifying success. A high-class man was this physician, devoted to his profession and withal a credit to the community. In 1850 he left for California, and three years later he died. Dr. Melrose, of Belleville, was the subject of a caricature in 1842, when Charles Dickens was wined and dined at the Mansion House. Among those who met the famous novelist was this country doctor, and immediately his singular appearance and manners struck the uncom- promising Englishman as an example of the uncouthness of the frontier. "The tin plate upon the door of a room in the tavern which answered as the doctor's office drew the observant Dickens' attention to a disparaging mental comparison that contrasted greatly with the well appointed offices of the sur- geons at home, which found expression in the following vein. 'But the door, as I have said, stood coaxingly open and plainly said in conjunction with the chair, the portrait, the table and the books, "Walk in, gentlemen, walk in! Don't be ill, gentlemen, the celebrated Dr. Crocus! Dr. Crocus has come all the way out here to cure you, gentlemen. If you haven't heard of Dr. Crocus it's your fault, gentlemen, who live a little way out of the world here, not Dr. Crocus. Walk in, gentlemen, walk in." In the passage below where I v/ent was Dr. Crocus himself. A crowd had flocked to the Court House (to hear his lecture on phrenology) and a voice from among them called out to the landlord, "Colonel, introduce Dr. Crocus." ' " PIONEEES OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 301 " 'Mr. Dickens,' says the Colonel, 'Dr. Crocus.' Upon which, Dr. Crocus, who is still a tall, fine-looking Scotchman, but rather fierce and warlike in appearance for a professor of the peaceful art of healing, bursts out of the concourse, with his right arm extended and his chest thrown out as far as it will possibly come, and says: "Your countryman, sir. "Whereupon, Dr. Crocus and I shake hands; and Doctor Crocus looks as if I didn't by any means realize his expectations, which, in linen blouse and great straw hat with a green ribbon, and no gloves, and my face and nose profusely ornamented with the stings of mosquitoes and the bites of bugs, it is very likely I did not. '"Long in these parts, sir?' says I. " 'Three or four months, sir,' says the Doctor. " 'Do you think of soon returning to the old country, sir?' says I. "Dr. Crocus makes no verbal answer, but gives me an imploring look which says so plainly, 'Will you ask me that question again a little louder, if you please?' that I repeat the question. " 'Think of returning to the old country, sir?' repeats the doctor. "'To the old country, sir?' I rejoin. "Dr. Crocus looks around upon the crowd to observe the effect he produces, rubs his hands, and says in a very loud voice: " 'Not yet awhile, sir, not yet. You won't catch me at that just yet, sir. I am a little too fond of freedom for that, sir! . . . Ha! Ha! No! No! Ha! Ha! None of that till one's obliged to do it, sir. No! No!' "As Dr. Crocus says these latter words, he shakes his head knowingly and laughs again. Many of the bystanders shake their heads in concert with the Doctor and laugh too, and look at each other as much as to say, 'A pretty bright and first-rate sort of a chap is Crocus,' and, unless I am very much mistaken, a good many people went to the lecture that night who never thought about phrenology or about Dr. Crocus in all their lives before." "Dr. Melrose and Belleville both survived Dickens' visit and sarcasm, and, aside from some righteous indignation, nothing ever came of the event. Dr. Melrose was truly a fine looking man, a well-educated gentleman, a local celebrity, a Swedenborgian by faith; in practice, traditionally, a homeopath. He has left behind him here no trace of family, fortune or friends. His wife was Miss Robinson, a cousin of Mrs. Benjamin West. She was a Virginian by birth and had one son, James Melrose." It will also be recalled that Dickens sought with his pen to extirpate ulcers upon the body politic wherever he found them, as a surgeon in humans excises a neoplasm. All about him he found slavery, in the press, accounts of unpunished crime, and in the ''Bottom," swindlers selling to the unwary, swamp lands. So he concluded our much vaunted civilization was but a veneer. With this in view, we of this age can take less offense than Americans of the time displayed when his "American Notes" appeared from the press. Dr. Wolfgang Welsch was the earliest resident physician of Mascoutah, where he located when he came from Bavaria, Germany, in 302 HISTOEY OF MEDICAL PKACTICE IN ILLINOIS 1840. When this village was laid out in 1837 it was named Mechanics- burg, but in 1839 it was given the Indian appellation that it retains to this day. When the doctor arrived he was well equipped to succeed, for he had brought with him, besides a German wife, a diploma, a strong constitution, and a mighty resolve to achieve distinction and a com- petence in the new world. How well he succeeded can be judged from the written word of his contemporaries ; " In his time he was the irre- pressible, radiant genius and soul of the profession at Mascoutah. A splendid surgeon and a rare physician, he was the center of a circle of scientists that gave the place a high standing." Locally he took a deep interest in educational matters and the village press. For four years, from 1846 to 1850, he resided in St. Louis, but in the early fifties he moved to his farm west of Mascoutah, where he resided until his death, in 1871. Dr. Alexander Ross came west from Pennsylvania, in 1847, to locate in Mascoutah. A florid, red-headed giant in stature was this pioneer, with credentials and bearing that at once commanded attention. His practice in consequence grew in proportion to his ability, which was more than the average. In 1868 the confidence in his integrity was expressed by the people, who elected him to the State legislature, where he conducted himself with credit. In later life he moved to Kansas, and his loss was keenly felt in the little community. Dr. D. C. Wallace, son of Pastor Matthew Wallace, was born in Ham- ilton, Ohio, Nov. 19, 1819, and obtained his medical education at Phila- delphia. He had been practicing his profession at Freeburg several years when, in 1854, he married. He moved to St. Joseph, Missouri, about 1857 ; returned to Freeburg four or five years later. In 1868 he w^ent to Litchfield, 111. He practiced according to the eclectic school of medicine and surgery until his death in 1904. Dr. Perryman said that no pneumonia patient of Dr. Wallace's ever died, a broad statement not tenable in the light of our present-day knowledge. He was said to be a noble Christian gentleman. Dr. Edward Parks Bland, "maker of medical history in Summer- field," was born in Virginia in 1813, of English parentage. He attended William and Mary College. Later he came west to Bridgeton, Missouri, and attended lectures at old McDowell Medical College in 1846-47. He began practice in St, Louis County, but in 1848 he came to St. Clair County. He practiced seven years at Fayetteville, then located in Mascoutah, practicing there from 1855-1861. He went to Summerfield in the latter year. Dr. Bland was actively interested in politics and a Democrat. "A man of much mental power, he formed his views re- gardless of the opinions of others." He had a good professional reputation. PIONEEES OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION" 303 Visitation of a Cholera Epidemic in Belleville, with Self- Sacrifice OF Go^^:RNOR Edwaeds Although not a graduate in medicine, Governor Edwards had some knowledge of the practice of the art. So urgent did the demand for trained physicians become and so pitiful was the condition of the in- habitants of Belleville during the cholera epidemic of 1833, that Gov- ernor Edwards heeded the call and hastened to their assistance. It is sad to record that his martyrdom was the result, for he fell ill, a victim of the infection, and died. We cannot but recall in our day how, during the influenza epidemic, thousands sacrificed their lives in the similar service, many of whom were physicians. The first victim in 1832 was a stranger passing through the town on his way home to Washington County, from St. Louis. He camped three miles west of Belleville, was taken with cholera and, no hotel or boarding house being willing to receive him, he died in the court house the following night. Dr. William Mitchell attended him. -^^ Early Madison County Like other contiguous territory of the parent colonies, Cahokia and Kaskaskia, Madison County in the earlj' nineteenth century was a field for settlement much earlier than most of the rest of the State. Then, again, when St. Louis outstripped all other settlements from the same source, the overflow of that rapidly growing city migrated up the river and many settled on the Illinois side. By 1812 enough of these pioneers had taken up their homes in what is now within the confines of this county to justify Governor Ninian Edwards in establishing a separate political entity that provided not only local autonomy, but gave ample room for expansion for generations to come, as the subsequent descrip- tion of the boundaries will imply : "To begin on the Mississippi, to run with the second township line above Cahokia East, until it strikes the dividing line between the Illinois and Indi- ana territories, thence with said dividing line to the line of upper Canada, thence with said line to the Mississippi, and thence down the Mississippi to beginning." 218 Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of St. Clair County. Mun- sell Pub. Co. Chicago. 1907. Vol. II. Pages 834-S40. Historical Sketch of the County of St. Clair from Early Times to the Present. Prepared lor the Fourth of July celebration, 1876, by Edw. W. West, Belleville. Advocate Steam Printing House. 1876. Page 7. Publication No. 10 Historical Library of Illinois. 1905. J. N. Perrin. Page 58. History of St. Clair County, Illinois. Brink, McDonough & Co. Philadelphia. Pages 28, 183, 32, 188, 189, 245, 246. American Notes. Charles Dickens. 1842. Pages 143-144. 304 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Dr. Cadwell, the Father of Medicine in Madison County Though we have already given under another heading, a brief sketch of this early practitioner, his importance to the early development of this county imperatively demands that we take up his biography in more detail. This man, whose activities w'ere inseparably connected with the history of this region, was born in 1773 at Wethersfield, Conn. His early medical education was acquired in Rutland, Vermont, a medi- cal center in the early days. Before, however, he had graduated in 1797, he met and married Miss Pamelia Lyon, whose mother was a niece of Ethan Allen, leader of the Green Mountain boys against Ticonderoga. Her father, a member of Congress from his home state and later from Kentucky, saw no objection to this union, even though the young man was still a student, with possibly no visible means of sup- porting a wife at the time. But soon this forceful youth gave proof that confidence in him was not misplaced, when he engaged in practice at Fair Haven, Vermont. But for men of action the east had no such allure- ments as the west, so next we find him in the Blue Grass State, at Eddyville. The advance agents in that early day were just as insistent in their assertions that Illinois was the place to make fortunes, as the developers who are now heralding (of course with much more extrava- gance in their claims) the advantages of Florida, are urgent in their methods, so Dr. Cadwell pitched his tent in the new Eldorado. His faith in its future was evidenced by his purchase of two hundred acres of land which, according to the deed, w^as on the banks of the Missis- sippi, opposite Gabaret Island, just north of where Merchant's Bridge now stands, immediately west of Granite City. As he established his practice and interested himself in local public affairs, he attracted the attention of Governor Edwards, who saw in him the right man to ad- minister justice in his newly-established domain. As appointee of justice of the peace his decisions would have affected the denizens of a wide territory that included all of Illinois north of East St. Louis, all of Wisconsin and that part of Minnesota lying east of the Mississippi River. Fortunately the few frontiersmen in the interior settled their differences by an honor system backed by the rule of the gun, so no traveling expenses were incurred in the long distances that intervened between them and the limb of the law who was appointed to referee their squabbles. In 1813 the doctor was appointed commissioner to list the property of the county for taxation. Here, again, his efforts apparently did not extend to the remoter sections of his territory, for his tax list amounted to the small sum of $426.84. PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 305 Appointed County Judge As a Christmas gift from the governor in 1814 Dr. Cadwell was appointed county judge, and the next j^ear he moved to Edwardsville, purchasing a home that later was referred to by Governor Edwards as the "seat of justice in Madison County." In 1818 his work for the public good won him office in the legislature, which he held until 1824. During his incumbency he was a member of the most important committees and chairman of some. In 1821 he moved to Lynville, now in Morgan County, where after 1824 he spent the remainder of his life. These last years w^ere occupied in serving the public in his chosen profession. These duties were especially onerous. In the nature of things his calls extended as far as forty miles distant. Being of but medium height and of rather slender build, the rigors of his strenuous service took toll in a devitalized system, and he succumbed in 1826 at the age of fifty-two. This public servant who gave so much of himself to the people of his time rests in an obscure grave on his farm in Llorgan County. Edwardsville 's First and Subsequent Doctors Dr. Jos. Bowers was the first physician to enter the practice in Edwardsville. As early as 1810 he built a log cabin on Judge Gillespie's home site in the lower town, to which his successor, Dr. John Todd, after- ward added a frame addition. About ten years this pioneer was active in his profession. Tradition does not record his medical career, but rather speaks of him as a prominent man in the aifairs of a growing community. He, with Ninian Edwards, John Todd and others, owned a large tract of land in the present city, of which he is recorded to have been one of the trustees in 1819. He was a speculator in lots in Upper Edwardsville, Waterloo and Vandalia. That his operations brought him into financial difficulties we judge from the fact that, after moving to Carlyle, he made an assignment of all his holdings to Dr. John Todd for the benefit of his creditors, a large number of whose claims are mentioned in the deed. That he was interested in contracting, along with his other activities, is apparent from the announcement in the Inielligencer of March, 1818, that mechanics and farmers were wanted to aid in construction work at Edwardsville and those needing such work could inquire either of Colonel Benj. Stephenson or of Dr. Jos. Bowers concerning require- ments. Dr. John Todd, the second physician to locate in Edwardsville, was born in Louisville, Ky. Through the marriages of his brother's daughters to Abraham Lincoln and Ninian Edwards, the doctor had 306 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS political connections that ultimately drew him to Springfield through an appointment by President John Quincy Adams as registrar of the U. S. Land Office, after a successful practice here. His success in the new field has been covered extensively in the section on Sangamon County. While here, together with Gov. Ninian Edwards and Benj. Stephenson, in 1825, he helped to plat Upper Edwardsville. In 1823-24 he Avas honored by the Masons as their Worshipful Master. When he left in 1846 he sold his property to Dr. B. F. Edwards, who was the third physician to occupy the same premises in Edwardsville. Dr. Edv^ards a Very Energetic Man Arriving in 1827, at the age of thirty years, Dr. B. F. Edwards leaves a record of having done a tremendous amount of work among the sick, despite his land-office duties. His practice, according to his biog- rapher, "extended for fifty miles to one hundred miles around and he frequently rode one hundred miles in twenty-four hours in the sickly season." He did not sleep more than four hours daily for a month at a time. And yet one can not say that this display of endurance w^as pursued for mercenary reasons, for he was accustomed to remark that in those days his reward for his work was scarcely enough to support his family. If this was true, here was the ideal physician from a patient's standpoint, for, in the vernacular, he could surely be credited with being "reasonable" in his charges. Some credence can be given to the statement of the amount of work he did for it is said that he kept four horses, which seems to indicate that he stood it better than the beasts. But this devotion to his patients did not extend to martyrdom, for he took under his care and tuition, as understudy. Dr. Peter W. Handle, who relieved him in 1833, after such an intensive practice that he was glad to get away. In 1837 he moved to Alton, and in 1844 to St. Louis, where he had an extensive practice until the gold rush called him to California. Here he found eclecticism was not represented, so he established a medical school of which he became president, where specific medication, as it was taught to him and which he practiced successfully, might be learned in the far west. Evidently the doctor preferred to follow the modern antithesis of the ]\Iaster's exhortation concerning martyrs, that suggests "No greater fool is there than he who lays down his life for his friends," which assertion as applied to medical practice may be further modified to imply that no greater fallacy exists than to call such as these "friends," who would destroy a physician's usefulness by demands of sacrifice far beyond his physical endurance. In 1851 PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 307 Dr. Edwards decided to return to Alton, where his family resided dur- ing his sojourn in the west. Some time later not definitely known he again settled in St. Louis, where he remained until 1866, when again he changed locations. Kirkwood, Mo., was, after his wanderings, his final stopping-place, but not his final resting place, for after his death, in 1877, he was buried in Bellefontaine cemetery, St. Louis. During his lifetime he was an ardent Baptist, a practical Christian w^ho in his pioneer days helped to establish a church in his own home in Edwardsville. In Alton and St. Louis he was instrumental in estab- lishing churches. In educational matters also he showed that kind of interest that builds for the future. His name is indelibly connected with the founding of Monticello Seminary and Shurtleff College of Alton and in the latter institution his picture is displayed among those of the other founders. No matter of public welfare escaped his atten- tion. AVhen Lovejoy was publishing the violent weekly editorials that ultimately proved his undoing, Dr. Edwards entreated the fiery editor to withhold his attacks, but without avail. Picturing this man, of more than six feet in height, handsome, erect and of pleasing address, with works accomplished of which any man might be proud, we can see that his biographer's tribute was well earned. "He was an earnest, enthusiastic, Christian man, honored and beloved by all who knew him." His Early History Dr. Edwards, was the twelfth child of a large family and was born in Montgomery Co., Maryland, in 1797. When a young man he grad- uated in medicine in Jefferson Medical College. Shortly afterward he settled in Elkton, Ky. In 1819 he married Betsy Green, of Danville, Ky., a sister of the late Rev. Lewis Green, the President of Center College. This union insured him an intellectual helpmate to share "w^hat was at best a lonely existence in that remote day. In Old Frank- lin, Mo., the young couple decided to locate. This move was not a happy one, for an inundation forced the home seekers to flee back to Kentucky. Here they stayed until Governor Ninian Edwards, a brother of the doctor, called him to an appointment to take charge of the land- office at Edwardsville. 220-a Dr. Peter Wilkins Handle, who was born in 1806, came to Edwards- ville with his parents in 1818. In 1830, under the preceptorship of Dr. B. F. Edwards, young Randle began to study medicine. Two years later he enlisted as a soldier in the Black Hawk War. The fol- lowing year he began to practice under Dr. Edwards. When the doctor 220-a Though Dr. Edwards graduated from a regular school, he favored the eclectic school of practice. 308 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS moved to Alton in 1837 Dr. Randle took up his work and continued ■with much success for many years. In the War of the Rebellion he served as one of its surgeons. After the cessation of hostilities he located in Alton, from whence he migrated to San Francisco after a few years. Then he associated himself with the Eclectic ]\Iedical Col- lege of that city and ultimately became its president. For many years he practiced successfully there until his eightieth year, when he died, in 1886. Dr. John Woodson was a very talented gentleman and had begun a successful practice in Edwardsville, but died shortly after he became well established in 1832. Dr. S. De Camp lived here in 1818, but no further knowledge of him is procurable. -^^'^ Dr. Solon Stark was an eastern man born in Boston, Mass., in 1805. After receiving his education in New England, he migrated to Edwards- ville in 1834. Here he opened a drug store, and practiced medicine as well. His polished, urbane manners and Yankee habits attracted the public, and success was his in both vocations. In 1841 he married the step-daughter of a colleague, Dr. Brackett. A common interest in music, in which both were well grounded, made for a congenial com- panionship. When financial success followed his efforts he imported the first piano that ever came to Edwardsville, and his home became the musical center of the village. Many reminiscences have come down even to our time, the outcome of social gatherings at their hospitable home. In religious life his name is associated with the founding of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, in 1841. In civic and judicial affairs the county court considered him to be the proper person to act as ad- ministrator for a deceased land-holder's estate which held land in several of the near-by counties. In discharging this trust, which involved the selling of large tracts, his integrity was never questioned. In 1843 he moved to St. Louis and three years later to Nauvoo, where he remained four years. In 1850 he again located in St. Louis, where besides his professional attainments, his executive ability was recognized. During his residence there he served as councilman, as a member of the school board and later health officer of the city. In 1865 he became resident physician of the Quarantine Hospital. The oldest medical college in St. Louis placed him upon its faculty. At seventy-three, in the year 1878, Dr. Stark died, and his last resting place was back in Illinois soil in Cahokia. 220-b History of Madison County, Illinois. W. R. Brink & Co. Edwardsville Branch. Pages 114, 333, 334, 338, 404, 475. PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 309 Ambition's Impelling Force Pro\^d a Valuable Asset to Dr. Weir Dr. John H. Weir, a physician of Scotch-Irish descent, was born in 1809, in South Carolina. Both of his parents were covenanters and they brought him up strictly according to their faith. In 1825 these pioneers decided to go farther west and crossed the mountains into Tennessee in quest of better opportunities. When they found a set- tlement to their liking they halted, and here their thought for their boy's welfare found expression when they put him in the employ of Kev. Samuel A. Worcester. This man of God took a kindly interest in the lad and through his influence and assistance the boy was advised to enter Phillips Academy. But funds were low (though ambition ran high) and distances were great, a combination of circumstances that would have discouraged an average man. However, knowledge- hunger, God's greatest gift to man, was his, so the matter of twelve hundred miles or more was but an incident to such as he, who possessed two good legs and a willing heart to annihilate distance. The same spirit that animated this young man to walk to Boston from Tennessee to enter a seat of learning actuated him to teach during the winters and work at odd jobs during his academy days to defray his expenses for the completion of his classical course. At length this preparation was completed and to medicine he turned his attention under the preceptorship of Dr. Kendall Davis of Reading, Mass. With these pre- liminaries he could enter Harvard Universitj^, and from the medical department there he graduated in 1835. Illinois (especially Edwards- ville) was fortunate to attract a man so well prepared for his life work. Immediately his presence was felt and he acquired an extensive practice, increasing in popularity as the years went on. When the War of the Rebellion broke out he was appointed surgeon of the board of Enrollment of the Twelfth Illinois District and when it ceased he be- came a member of the board of pension examiners for the county. As we might expect of such a man, he added to the current thought in medical matters with liberal contributions to the journals of his day. Through these widely-read articles he was appointed a corresponding editor of the Southern Medical Record of Atlanta, Ga. Though a Whig in politics, his views turned, upon the death of Elijah Lovejoy, in Alton, which tragedy made him become a staunch Abolitionist. His example as an earnest worker in the Methodist church did much to shape the character of the young people within the sphere of his influence. For forty-three years he served tlie people of his adopted city until death closed his most useful career in 1878. The Old Lusk Cemetery is the la^t resting place of his mortal remains. 310 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Dr. Jas. Barber, a member of one of the pioneer families of this county, served an apprenticeship in the study of medicine under Dr. Weir and began the practice of medicine in Edwardsville about the year 1838. He continued his work here for several years, when he moved to Greenville and Hennepin and finally to Donaldson, in this State, where he died in 1872. Dr. Wm. Jones, who was bom in 1780, was an early physician who arrived in Edwardsville in 1837. According to the records he was a man of splendid attainments which made him popular. Because he had a penchant for writing poetry he became the target for the fun-loving young in the community, who under the guise of interest induced him to recite passages from his creations, only to jest about them in his absence. The custom of the unthinking to nickname people with anatomical defects and anomalies, attached to him the sobriquet "Six-toed Jones," which was undignified and incompatible with his position in the community. A practical contribution that added to the wealth of the community, was introduced by him when he imported "Shanghai" chickens whose ability to eat corn from the top of a barrel brought in curious agriculturists from the countryside for miles around. At the age of seventy-nine this useful citizen died, and so great seemed the loss, and so esteemed was he, that his funeral was the occasion for the ringing of the first church bell ever tolled in Edwardsville — a bell that had long since ceased pealing and had been a treasured relic hanging in the Thompson Chapel as a reminder of the past. Dr. Jas. Fisher Spilman, a native Hlinoisan, born of Virginia parents who in the early days settled where Carmi (in White County) now stands, was this pioneer physician. When nineteen years of age he joined a company under the command of General Hopkins, organized to protect the frontier during the War of 1812, serving until the close of that campaign. When this service was completed his thoughts turned toward the acquiring of knowledge that would make him a livelihood. With this in view, he began the study of medicine under Dr. Throck- morton at Princeton, Ky. For seven years he worked with his teacher, as an assistant, when he decided to embark for himself. Without a diploma it was necessary for him to appear before a body known as the "Medical Society of the Third Medical District of Illinois" before he could enter the practice in our State as a regular practitioner. These examiners awarded him a certificate. Later the 'Fallon Medical Society of St. Louis conferred a degree upon him. After a few years of practice in Kentucky and Hlinois, he purchased a plantation near PIONEEES OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 811 Yazoo City, Miss., where he moved. His practice in that locality became so heavy that he took in with him his younger brother, Dr. C. H. Spil- man. But the death of his wife in 1840 determined him to return to Illinois, and Edwardsville was the city of his subsequent professional efforts. He at once came into an extensive practice, in which he con- tinued until 1868, when he retired to Bunker Hill, 111., where he met with an accident that terminated in his death at the age of 81, in 1874. Early in life he associated himself with the Presbyterian denomination and was instrumental in organizing a church of that faith in Edwards- ville. Summing up an estimate of his worth in this world his biographer states: "His life was a long chapter of good deeds. A devoted Chris- tian, an affectionate parent, a faithful neighbor and friend. He left behind him. an example objectionable in nothing and worthy of emula- tion in everything." Dr. Samuel P. McKee, born in Marysville, Ky., in 1816, was brought to Edwardsville by his parents in 1818. His early education was ob- tained in the common schools of primitive times, and Illinois State College at Jacksonville gave him his classical course. When he re- turned home he studied under Dr. Weir, and later in a medical college in Louisville to fit himself for the pi-actice. For ten years he rendered service in his home towTi. Here, too, in 1845, he married Miss Thomp- son, a daughter of an eminent divine, after whom a chapel was named that served as a place of worship until St. John M. E. Church sup- planted it. Sometime after his marriage he moved to Summerfield, 111., where he .spent most of his professional life. At the close of his work he moved to Spring Hill, Kansas, where he died in 1889. Dr. Chas. Marion Lusk, a native son born in Edwardsville in 1821, was the son of a pioneer of South Carolina. His progenitors were patriots who fought for the freedom of the original thirteen colonies, and his father served in both the War of 1812 and the Black Hawk War. When Dr. Lusk was a young man he entered McKendree Col- lege, at Lebanon, one of the early academies that gave classical instruc- tion. After the completion of this fundamental course, he entered and graduated from the School of Medicine in Louisville, Ky. In 1841 he began practicing in Marine, where he owned a small farm. But soon he thought Edwardsville offered him better opportunities, so there he located and stayed until he got the gold-fever and joined the great westward movement for California in 1849. In San Francisco he elected to stay and remained and conducted a successful practice until 1855 during which time he was engaged by a Mexican planter to go to Mexico to fight an epidemic fever for which he was paid $100 a day. 312 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS But he had home longings for dear okl Illinois that prompted him to return, via the Panama Canal. Again he was successful in establishing a practice in Edwardsville and there he died in 1863. "A physician of superior attainments gained through a great love for reading, a scholar in Latin, and a linguist who spoke both French and Spanish fluently, was this pioneer, with an address that would have commanded atten- tion in any gathering." Small wonder then is there that, though he is dead many years, there still remain traditions of an exemplary life that left a lasting influence for good in the world. Dr. J. M. S. Smith, a direct descendant of Col. Merriwether Smith who sat in the House of Burgesses from 1778-1783, was born in Vir- ginia in 1797. Upon his mother's side he was descended from Sir Robt. Monroe, a colonist who came to the Old Dominion in 1642. His professional education he received in the Medical College of Louisiana. Following his marriage, after graduation, he located in Kentucky, but crossed the Ohio into Illinois, to settle in Edwardsville in 1844, after short periods of practice in Springfield and Carlinville. He practiced and ran a pharmacy here until the cholera in 1849 caused his demise. He leaves a record of having been a "very successful physician of fine personality and much loved by his intimate friends." Dr. Bluford Johnson, a Kentuckian born near Frankfort in 1811, came to Alton about the year 1832 to engage in the mercantile business. While so engaged he decided to study medicine. To St. Louis he re- paired to fit himself at the Medical College there, and from that insti- tution he received his degree. After graduation he located in Brighton, 111., where he remained until 1845, when he located in Edwardsville, an appointee of President Fillmore, to take charge of the land office. He remained until 1856, in which year he returned to Brighton. Be- ginning in 1862, he served two years or more as surgeon in the Federal Army and was stationed at the Overton Hospital at Memphis, Tenn. Here his health failed and he came back to Brighton, where he died in 1865. His biographer accords him this tribute. "A noble, grand man, loved by all who knew him; called the 'soldiers' father' by them, and the 'beloved physician' by all." Fort Russell Fort Russell, Illinois, was situated about 11/2 miles northwest of the present town of Edwardsville, and was established by Governor Edwards early in 1812. It was the rendezvous for the Illinois regiments in 1813, and was made the frontier headquarters of Governor Edwards. In the ^3 =- PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 313 spring of 1812, Captain Ramsey, presumably Captain Thomas Ramsey, Rifle Regiment, had a small company of regular troops stationed at Camp Russell and these were the onlj^ regulars who saw this post during the war. W. W. Hall was surgeon and Stoughton Gantt was surgeon's mate of the Rifle Regiment, but nothing has been found in the records to show whether or not either of these men was present with Captain Ramsey at Camp Russell. It is more than probable that surgeon's mate Stoughton Gantt and Edward S. Gantt, M. D., U. S. A., who came to St. Louis during the War of 1812 and practiced there, were identical. 220-c COLLINS^^LLE AND ENVIRONS Dr. Ruben Meack, who was born in Shelbume, Vt., in 1809, was the first physician to practice the art of medicine in or near Collinsville, arriving there in 1820. He lived under the blutf just west of the city. Though his life was short, the impression he made in the community still lives to this day. He died, according to our source material, in 1832, at the age of twenty-four and his remains were buried on the top of the bluff, and with him in the same lot, marked by a simple stone that to this daj^ is still a landmark, is buried his favorite dog. A Pioneer Physician Who Was a Noted Churchman as Well Dr. Jos. L. Darrow, born in 1809, the first doctor who settled in the town of Collinsville, came in 1833, one year after Dr. Meack 's demise. His presence was soon felt, both among the sick with their physical ailments and the well with their spiritual ills, for he was an ordained rector in the Episcopal church, as well as a physician. After two years' service in the community, he saw the need of a church home, so he founded and erected at his own expense Christ Episcopal Church, in which he served as pastor as long as he lived. This edifice stood until 1912 upon the ground he donated when he laid out Darrow Addi- tion. Not content with this accomplishment for God and his church, and through his pluck and energj^ in behalf of his creed, he succeeded in having established two other churches in the county, one at Edwards- ville and one at Marine, principally through his own means and the contributions of friends in the east. When the awful epidemic of cholera made its visitation here in 1849, he fought valiantly to stay its ravages, and when, six years later, there was another outbreak, he fell a victim to the disease and succumbed at the early age of forty-six. 220-c Information furnished by the War Dep't. U. S. A. 314 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS "Ills name, both in a professional and clerical capacity, is a pleasant memory to elderly people to this day." Dr. Samuel Hall, a native of Vermont, was educated in the common schools of his state and later entered Dartmouth College and received a degree upon completion of the prescribed requirements of that time. After graduation he came to CoUinsville, arriving in 1833. For thir- teen years he practiced successfully there, but death terminated his career in 1846, when he was but thirty-six years of age. Dr. W. S. Edgar came to CoUinsville about the year 1840 and was active professionally here ten years, when he moved to St. Louis. In order to give his children the advantages of college life in quiet sur- roundings, he moved to Jacksonville. In the Civil War he was enlisted as a surgeon and served until its close when he entered the practice again in St. Louis. While on a visit to his son at Paris, 111., he died. Dr. Henry L. Strong, one of the men who devoted nearly half a century of their lives to the service of their fellow-men, was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 1818. He graduated from the Transylvania Medical College in 1843 and almost immediately thereafter located in CoUinsville. Though one who knew the dangers of marriage between close blood relations, his love for his cousin who lived in Rochester, N. Y., was too great to cast off for another, and they were married. This union, however, proved a blessing, for she shared his arduous life for many years, until her death. Not until years later did he venture again into matrimony. He was twenty-five years of age when he came to this city and at once became the partner of Dr. Hall. When the latter died in 1846, Dr. Strong took his practice. A large share of the country practice fell to this pioneer and he had need of a strong constitution, which, happily, he possessed, to withstand its strenuous demands. A long and honorable life did this man enjoy, and in 1890 he closed his eyes, not to awaken again. Dr. Octavius Lumaghi was active in the days when cholera swept the country in 1848. He passed through that terrible time, figuring con- spicuously in a professional capacity. Later he went into business as a coal operator. He was born in Italy, educated at public and professional schools, and graduated from the University of Padua as a physician and surgeon. He was a student for twenty-five years before obtaining all of his degrees. Dr. Lumaghi came to St. Louis in 1845. He began practice there, ser^dng especially the steamboatmen. Shortly after 1848 he put aside his medical activities and bought a farm near CoUinsville. PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 315 Dr. Willard Abandons the Practice to Become a Teacher The reverse of the usual bent of the early physicians to turn from teaching to take up active practice was pursued by Samuel Willard, M. D., LL.D., the subject of this sketch. Born in Lunenberg, Vt., in 1821, he came to Carrollton in 1831, with his father, a druggist. When he had finished his common school work he entered Shurtleff College, of Upper Alton, where he prepared for entrance to Illinois College, at Jacksonville. In 1843 he completed his academic work and shortly afterward entered the office of a preceptor at Quincy, 111. Back to Illi- nois College he went, a little later, to take advantage of the medical lectures inaugurated by that school to attract medical students. There were few to reap the benefit of this attempt to bring such training to the students of the interior of the State, but Willard was one of them. In 1848 he completed his course and in 1850 he became the partner of Dr. Henry L. Wing, of Collinsville. His taste for the practice soon vanished, however, and his love for teaching drew him away from it when he was selected for the superintendency of public schools of Col- linsville. He held this position for seven years, when he accepted a position as professor in the department of languages at Normal, Illinois. He was a believer in fraternal orders and through his enthusiasm he was made Grand Secretary of the Odd Fellows of Illinois, 1856-62, and again from 1865-69. The lapse in service from 1862 to 1865 was because of his enlistment as private in the War of the Rebellion in the 97th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. His promotion in the army was rapid, however, and he was soon appointed surgeon with the rank of major. An attack of paralysis compelled him to leave the army. When he recovered he was chosen superintendent of public schools of Spring- field, where he had taken up his residence after completing his army service. During his incumbency in this city he organized, and became an en- thusiastic supporter of the first library of the city. In 1870 he was elected professor of history in the West Side High School of Chicago, which position he held, with the exception of two years, for twenty-five years. In 1898 he retired and spent the remainder of his life with his daughter in Chicago and there he died in 1913 at the advanced age of ninety-one. Dr. Bateman, a classmate of his, says of him: "Dr. Willard was a sound thinker; a clear, forcible writer; of broad and accurate scholarship, conscientious, genial and kindly and a most estimable gentleman." 316 HISTORY OF MEDICAL TEACTICE IN ILLINOIS Alton and Its Immediate Vicinity Dr. Augustus Langworthy was one of the first physicians of Madison county, coming from Vermont to Upper Alton in 1817. The following year his marriage to Miss Meacham, a daughter of one of the men who laid out the town, had much to do with his activities, which embraced every important movement for the uplift of his adopted city. Upper Alton was an important station on the mail-route running from Carlyle, Illinois, to St. Charles, Missouri, and had horseback service once a week. To look after this important star-route office. Dr. Langworthy was appointed postmaster, a position he held fourteen years, until succeeded by the Rev. B. Maxey, a circuit preacher from Virginia, in 1832. Just how much longer than this year Dr. Langworthy continued to practice here is not stated by his biographers. Dr. Erastus Brown, grandfather of Ansel L. Brown, editor of the Edwardsville Democrat, was one of the early pioneers in medicine, and made upon the community an impression that time has not effaced. Dr. Brown was an eastern man, a graduate of Yale, of the class of 1799. Following the completion of his course he repaired to Bridgewater, N. Y. In 1815 the west seemed to offer better prospects than the location he first chose, so he went to St. Louis, Mo., remaining three years. Up the river to Upper Alton he next wended his way, to grow up with a new community. Though there had been some progress made in laying out this town on a section of government land, it remained for a syndicate, composed of the doctor and several other prominent men, to develop it, after a purchase of the certificate of entry from Meacham, father-in-law of Dr. Langr^^orthy, which enabled them to become proprietors. Successful in the sale of lots he, with others, laid out an adjoining sub-division which they named "Salu," claiming for it greater natural advantages than could be found in either Upper Alton or Alton, the older city laid out by his brother-in-law, Colonel Rufus Easton, in 1808. The Doctor's Home Life Described by a Contemporary And now we pause to get a glimpse into the home life of physicians, the sort of houses in which they lived and the things that most inter- ested them in those remote days. To the pioneer missionary. Rev. J. M. Peck, we are indebted for a description of Dr. Brown's abode. In 1819 the hospitality of the Brown home was extended to the minister, and the comfort and happiness it accorded him he reflects in the following quotation : ' ' The snug, neat, newly-built log-house — no, we will call it a 'cottage' — where I found the doctor, his lady and two or three PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 317 little ones, in as comfortable quarters as any decent folks deserved to have in those frontier times." Then, in 1820, July 4th, the nation's forty-fourth birthday, was fittingly celebrated under the same roof, on the Milton road, just where that road joins Main Street in town. "On that occasion, with music, feast and merriment, speeches were made and toasts given, and it is worthy of notice that, even at that early day, the slavery question was the subject of most of the oratorical efforts. "Dr. Brown was a handsome man, slim built, over six feet tall and as straight as an arrow : his complexion was clear and his hair and eyes were jet black. He was a man of positive character and always identified himself with all the civic movements looking toward the upbuilding of the community. He was a fine physician and was highly respected by all who knew him. He continued in practice in Upper Alton up to the time of his death in 1833." Dr. Wing — Physician — Teacher — Botanist Dr. Henry Wing, who was born in Missouri in 1821 or 1822, was one of Illinois College's few graduates from its short-lived medical depart- ment. ]n his youth he grew up in an atmosphere of culture, for his father, who was a successful business man, provided abundantly the things that made for advancement, while his mother, a woman of un- usual force of character, energy and intellectual equipment, gave especial care in directing his mind during its formative period. In this environment it was not strange that he soon mastered the rudiments of learning and was on his way early in life to Jacksonville, the mecca of the seekers after the higher branches of education. Here at an early age he took an A. B., and, later, an A. M., degree. Turning his atten- tion toward acquiring an M. D. degree, he graduated from the medical department in 1846. Immediately afterward he located in Collinsville, where he married and started to practice. To this union were born four children, one of whom. Dr. Elbert Wing, held the chair of nervous and mental diseases at the Chicago Medical College, and another, the chair of physical diagnosis and clinical medicine in the University of Southern California, becoming a prominent surgeon of Los Angeles. Dr. Wing's professional life falls naturally into three periods: His residence in Jacksonville, Collinsville and Chicago. In Jacksonville he stayed but a short time, but during that period he was identified with the teaching staff of Illinois College. In Collinsville he was known as the best physician in the town and its environs, with a large consulta- tion practice. Here he eschewed political office, but associated himself 318 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS with the schools of the community as a member of its board of education and served the state as well, being one of the trustees of the Illinois Normal School. Later, Governor Yates, with whom Dr. Wing had been associated in his student days at Illinois College, appointed him as one of the board of medical examiners of Illinois, for appointment of army surgeons in 1861. Also serving on this body were: Hosmer A. Johnson, Edmund Andrews and John H. Hollister. Warm friendships were the result of this association, culminating in Dr. Wing's removal to Chicago, where he became one of the professors in the medical department of Lind University. Later he taught in the Chicago Medical College. This work, though nearest his heart, he was forced to abandon on account of the untimely illness of Mrs. Wing, for whose benefit he left the place that offered such opportunities, going to Collinsville, which field, be- cause of its rural setting, was limited. Here, however, the lost health was not regained, and his wife died the same year — in 1864. Owing to declining health, which must ultimately be the result of approaching old age, he never returned to Chicago to resume his work, unfortunately interrupted by his wife's illness. Vainly did he try to regain his health when he joined, as botanist, the Major J. W. Powell exploring expedition to the Rocky Mountains. While a slight measure of strength was restored him by this outdoor life among the mountains, and with kindred spirits, he was forced to struggle in his remaining years with an uncompromising lack of general vigor, rather than any definite disease, and the end came in 1871. Early in his college life Dr. Wing attacked the current theological doctrine of his time, but never failed in loyalty to the ethical teachings of Christ, and late in life joined the Presbyterian church. We can best close this sketch by quoting an estimate of his worth taken from a tribute paid the doctor after his death, by one of his contemporaries : "Throughout his professional life his standing was in every way the best, his sympathies as broad as the race and his life blameless." As evidence of the regard in which he was held by the community in which he lived, it may be of interest to state that during the funeral services at the time of his burial all business houses in Collinsville were closed and the expressions of sympathy and respect from all classes of people, were profound. 221 Dr. Wm. S. Emerson, born in Kennebunk, Me., in 1801, received his medical training in Bowdoin College, where he graduated before coming 221 Publication No. 10 of the Illinois State Historical Society. John H. Hollister. Pages 112-121. PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN" SECTION 319 to the west. In 1831 he settled in Alton proper and is credited with being the first physician to locate there. So deeply did his professional attainments impress themselves upon the community that his work is highly spoken of to this day. No matters of civic improvement escaped his attention and his co-operation with those who had the prosecution of them could be counted upon. He was a member of the town board of trustees from 1834 till 1836. Exceedingly popular was this early physician of correct personal conduct and gentlemanly qualities. His avocations carried him into the field of conchology and the study of natural phenomena, sciences he was especially fitted for through his habits of study. His shell collection, completely classified and cata- logued, compared favorably with those of foreign and American scien-- tists of his time, with whom he was constantly exchanging specimens. This fine collection suffered somewhat through frequent movings after his death, though it is now safely harbored in a case at Monticello Seminary, where to this day it is admired by those interested in re- mains of sea life. Dr. Emerson died in 1837 at the early age of thirty- six. Dr. Benjamin Franklin Long was one of the early pioneers in medi- cine and devoted his whole life to the service of his profession. He was all that the word "physician" implies, a worthy servant always ready to ameliorate the morbid conditions of his fellowmen and he deserved the place he occupied in the foremost rank of the sons of iEsculapius in Madison County. Dr. Long was born in Hopkinton, N. H., and received his early education in the village academy. To finance his medical education he taught school a season. The following year he entered the Medical College of Berkshire, situated in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and later attended lectures in Dartmouth, from which college he graduated in 1830. For a while he assisted his brother. Dr. ]\Ioses Long, who had an extensive practice in Warner, N. H., but later augumented his knowledge by attending a postgraduate course in Phila- delphia. In 1831 he came to Upper Alton to visit his brothers there, but only with the intention of continuing on to St. Martin's Parish, La., where it was his intention to settle. Learning of a very sick child in the Wood River district, whose life was despaired of by the local attendants, he offered his ministrations, which were accepted and which restored the child to health. His success, with its advertising value, determined him to change his plans. At Alton he located and ere long established an extensive practice. In 1839 with others he organized the Illinois Mutual Fire Insurance Co., and served as its president for twenty-five years. In 1844, during the cholera epidemic, his practice 320 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS became so extensive that, like a true soldier of the crusade, he remained in the saddle until his health was seriously broken. A sequel to this devotion to duty remained in the form of an impairment of his eye- sight which prevented the continuation of his professional work. His interest in medicine and surgery, how'cver, never abated. In 1850 he, wath his wife (who was a daughter of Dr. Wm. Martin, of N. H.) and their family, three sons and two daughters, moved to his farm near Upper Alton, where he devoted most of his time to fruit-growing until his death in 1888. Dr. Thos. M. Hope was born in Hampton, Virginia, in 1813, and came to Kaskaskia in 1832. Three years later he married Miss Elizabeth Pope, daughter of Judge Nathaniel Pope, and soon afterward moved to Alton, where he followed his profession during his lifetim.e. In 1841 President Tyler appointed him U. S. marshal for this district. He occupied a prominent place in business circles of his home city, becom- ing mayor in 1852. A nervous, temperamental Southerner was this pioneer physician — outspoken in his views and intolerant of those of others. This propensity brought him into disputes and conflicts that usually ended in a fistic encounter. During the Mexican War one of these disputes with Dr. Price, of San Antonio, Texas, ended in a duel. What the outcome of the duel w^as is not clear, but certain it is that Dr. Hope did not come out second, for he lived to take active sides in the slavery question. His partisanship made him a participant in the famous Lovejoy riots and he was present at the death of that martyr. During the Lincoln-Douglas debate in 1858 this fiery-tempered South- erner frequently interrupted the "Little Giant," asking some very pertinent questions. After the outbreak of hostilities his outward an- tagonism to the Union brought him into conflict with the law and he Avas incarcerated in the county jail of Alton. In 1868 he extended his activities to state politics when he became a candidate for the office of governor on the Breckenridge ticket, but he was, of course, defeated. In his declining years he became more sedate and his biographer bal- anced some of his previous faults by stating that "Dr. Hope was an elegant gentleman of very charming address, a leader of men and a fine physician. He died at the age of seventy-two in 1885." Dr. Friederich Humbert was born in Frankfurt-on-the-Main, in Germany, in 1808. After his early education was completed in his native city, he entered the University of Vienna and graduated in medi- cine in 1832. The next year he emigrated to this country and settled in Upper Alton. Here he won a wide reputation for his professional attainments and in consequence gained a large practice. Horticulture 'i ° eh 03 (J<3 ^ t/J =-«> O ^ *-' __ X CD 3 CC a; (B N J. rj ^ 5" < p h:5. 1,3 op: ~ 02 ~. S- r ° -. i 2 * p ::■ i-i=5-ps 2 B CC 3 - ~ ro ^ »-. y. 3 3 P 3 3, - C CD tD ^ O V ^ 5 a fD > _ ft) a- -. 3 :; C "3 ^ <^ self a little, at least when sick and no doubt tired ? We then instinctively ask : How long did he pur- sue this policy and live ? From his birth in Erie County, Pennsylvania, in 1817, we learn he lived but fifty years. Surely, too short a time for PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 363 such a useful man, and it is not outside the range of possibility that his unselfish desire to serve the public at all times was the primary cause of his early demise. He was the son of a man who was also a physician, Dr. IMoses D. Morey, and his mother was the daughter of a surgeon of the Revolu- tionary War, Dr. Frederick Aubrey. His parents came to Illinois in 1838 and his mother assisted her husband in his work, so when his father died he was urged by her to study medicine. He repaired to Cincin- nati in acceding to this request and was graduated from the Physio- Medical College of that city in 1848. Immediately after getting his degree he began to practice in Vandalia. Several years later he estab- lished himself on his large estate in Otsego Township. Long exhausting rides on horseback in the bare and unprotected country finally told on him, and another martyr was laid to rest in the cause of humanity. Dr. George Halbrook was called the "first physician of Avena Town- ship. His practice extended over a radius of twenty to thirty miles. . . . Very seldom did his patient have any money with which to pay him, and his services frequently went unrecompensed, or were rewarded with produce or coon-skins." Dr. I. S. Berry, of Vandalia, was among the signers who met in Springfield in 1840 for the purpose of making preliminary arrange- ments for the organization of a State Medical Society, and was one of those who were to act as a committee of correspondence. ^36 Jersey County Physicians Given a High Tribute We have tried to temper the exuberant praises of the local historians in recounting the deeds of medical men in this work, making allowances for over-estimation of the virtues extolled. But in the long encomiums that are written concerning the medical men of this county there is something so whole-hearted and withal so true, that we must give part of it space. "It has been justly said by one of the deepest thinkers and most philosophic of men, that a physician is the most unfortunate of men, as he is expected to cure men and keep them well, when they violate the very laws of their existence every hour of their lives. Hence the life of the active practitioner in the healing art is no sinecure, at best, as any one who has followed the profession can testify. Twenty- five or thirty years ago (before 1880) it was rather a serious matter to 236 Historical Encyclopedia and History of Fayette County, Illinois. Munsell Pub. Co., Chicago. 1910. Newton Bateman, LL. D. and Paul Selby, A. M., Editors. Vol. II. Pages 811, 812, 664, 709, 783-785, 641. Illinois State Journal, Friday, June 19, 1840. 364 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS be a physician and to make the long and toilsome rides through this then newly and sparsely settled country, when there were scarcely any roads, and no bridges, and the adventurous disciple of Galen was frequently lost on the wide prairie, and often floundered through sloughs. Often in the muddy days of spring or fall he found, on emerging from some particularly miry place, that his girth was broken or some equally important part of the harness damaged and, alone on the wide expanse of wind-swept prairie, with night coming on, he must stop and repair it, with fingers numbed with the cold, and energies exhausted by a hard day's labor. "The medical profession is an honorable one, if conducted in an honorable manner. John Quincy Adams called it 'the most honorable of the professions,' and one of our eminent physicians speaking of it uses these words: " 'The doctor certainly feels proud to relieve the pain and distress of his patients; to soothe the dying pillow, and to comfort the afflicted friends. But the people are sometimes imposed upon by pretenders who claim to cure all the "Ills flesh Is heir to" and to raise the dead, but we think the days of miracles have passed.' " After going oil at a tangent, giving his views upon over-education and cramming, the writer gets back to the main line: "The people owe certain duties to the physician and the physician owes certain duties to the people and the way these duties are performed stamps the stand- ing of both the practitioner and the people. "In all ages of the world, among civilized and uncivilized people, the medical profession has been held in high esteem. Whether it be the learned professor who has studied the science of medicine in all its branches, or the 'great medicine man' of the untutored savages, who from actual experience has made discoveries of the healing powers of herbs and roots, honor awaits him upon every hand, while the life and death of every human being is virtually placed In his keeping. The weary patient lying upon a bed of pain, and the no less weary watcher by his side, wait anxiously for the coming of the 'good doctor' and, on his arrival, note his every movement and every expression for a ray of hope." This picture drawn by a humble pen gives faithfully the experience of every physician as well as of the patient, relatives, and friends. After this generalization, he lauds the home doctors thus: "The medical fraternity of Jersey County have with few, if any, exceptions, been an honor to the profession. They have ever been ready to respond to the call of duty. The winter's cold, the summer's heat, or the rains of spring and autumn could not keep them back when the cry of distress reached their ears." He lauds especially the early doctors who, it seems, were a little more faithful than their successors : "Not a physician in the county, especially among those who settled here at an early day, but has experienced sufferings that would have deterred those in any other profession, in response to a summons to attend the bedside of PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 365 a sick and suffering one." Further commenting upon ttie dlfBculties en- countered through lack of roads and disadvantages of climate, he states that even though there was no hope of reward, they complained not. In conclusion he admonishes the laity not to forget their benefactors. "If the good deeds of the profession are not remembered by those hav- ing received aid, a time will come when they will be recollected." Who were these men that could bring forth such exuberance of praise? A Liberated Slave Gives Db. Silas Hamilton a Posthumous Tribute In the spring of 1830 there came to Otter Creek Township a physi- cian from Tinmouth, Vermont. He was born in the momentous days of 1775. His father was then a captain of the Green Mountain Boys, whose deeds of valor are inseparably connected with the success of that epoch-making struggle that, as the British soldiers sang, "put the world upside down." His parents were among those who were known as the "Ohio Company," who settled in the river valleys of the Buckeye State and finally moved to Monroe County, Illinois. In his early years Dr. Hamilton practiced in Mississippi, back of Natchez. After he came back to Illinois his life was short, for he died in 1834. During his residence here he served both as a physician and clergyman. "He bore a high reputation while he lived in this county, and if his life had been longer spared, he would undoubtedly have risen to a high place here." A Large Slave Holder It is recorded that he was the owner of a considerable number of slaves whom he in his lifetime liberated. It is more than likely that these were brought north by him when he left the south. In evidence of the esteem in which he was held by these slaves, there is a monument in Otterville that was erected by one George Washington, born in Virginia, a slave who died of tuberculosis in 1864, a Christian free- man. This negro was held in high esteem by the whites, many of whom he taught in Sunday school ; when he died he was buried in a common sarcophagus with Dr. Silas Hamilton, and Gilbert Douglas. Upon the monument of Italian marble there is the following inscription: "To the memory of Dr. Silas Hamilton, his former master, born at Tinmouth, Vt., May 19, 1775; died at Otterville, Nov. 19, 1834; having in his lifetime given freedom to 28 slaves, and at his death bequeathed $4,000 for the erection and endowment of the Hamilton Primary School." This gives testimony concerning his character far greater than any belated praise a modern historian could possibly bestow. The will that left this $4,000 alluded to by Black George in his memorial, was an interesting document that 366 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS read as follows: "Believing in the very great importance of primary schools, and desiring that my friends and relations in this neighborhood should receive the benefit of them, I give and bequeath $4,000 for the establishment of a primary school, viz: $2,000 to be appropriated to the erection of a building suitable for a school, and for a place of public worship; and $2,000 to constitute a fund for the support of a teacher." S. V. White, in his "Reminiscences of Jersey County, Illinois, from 1835-1850," commenting upon the love the negro had for the doctor, says : ' ' He used to go to school with us ; he sat in the same forms with us; he recited the same lessons and without being brilliant he was thorough. With humility I confess that although Dr. Hamilton's gift was available far more to me than it was to Black George, yet Black George left provision in his will for the erection of a monument to his benefactor and I never did anything." Dr. A, H. Burritt was the first disciple of the healing art to locate in Jerseyville. He came in 1833 before the town was laid out. He erected upon his entered eighty acres a log cabin, which was still standing when this county's history was written, and as the scribe says, was a monument to his memory. He was born in Troy, N. Y., where he re- sided until 1832, when he came to Illinois, locating at Carrollton. The following year he came to Jerseyville. Here he practiced until 1836, when he moved to a farm in Greene County. In 1838 he went to Cleveland, Ohio, and later to New Orleans, where he lived until his death, in about the year 1875. Dr. Asa Snell became an acquisition to the ranks of the profession of Jerseyville in 1833. He was a native of Vermont. He remained in this county until his death, in 1874. The latter part of his life he gave up active practice. During his active years he "was considered a smart man, having a large and lucrative practice, and died leaving considerable property." He raised a large family all of whom were "bright . . . and industrious." Dr. Edward Augustus D'Arcy, for thirty years one of the most prominent physicians of this county, came in 1833 and settled on land which he entered near a small stream now known as "Dorsey's Branch." He was bom in Hanover, New Jersey, in 1796, and was the son of Dr. John D'Arcy, an eminent physician of that state, and surgeon in the First New Jersey Regiment in the Revolutionary War. Before the dawn of the new century his mother was among the dead, leaving the future medic an infant of three years. But others gave him the care needed until his father could take him in hand and supervise his edu- cation. Under the father's tutelage he studied medicine, after his preliminary education was completed in the Morristown schools. By PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 367 1817 he was sufficiently grounded in the art of medicine to be licensed to practice by his native state. Three years later, through acquaintance with a colleague, Dr. Hugh McEowen, he fell in love with the daughter of his friend and married her. To this union were born two daughters, one of whom married Judge Teese, a member of Congress from New Jersey. Dr. D'Arcy "was considered a skillful man and a pronounced authority." But, with all this preparation for his life's work, he did not stick to the profession, for it was distasteful to him and he did not devote much time to it. Instead, because of his love for tine horses, he paid more attention to the breeding of these animals and looking after his farm. He died in 1863. Dr. John W. Lott, another native of New Jersey, came to Jerseyville in 1834. He was among those who owned property in the original town plot, assisting in laying it out and naming it in honor of his native state. But although he practiced for some time in the new land, his attachment for his beloved New Jersey was so strong that he returned there to live out his existence where there were more creature comforts and the com- munity was old enough to have developed a culture not possible in a pioneer country. Dr. James C. Perry, a native Scotchman who had served in the British service for seven years, came here in about the year of 1838. * ' He is well remembered by the citizens of Jerseyville as a skillful prac- titioner. " The historian says that in addition to being a scholarly and scientific man, he was generous to a fault "and was never known to oppress the poor for payment for medical aid." He practiced until death, in 1859, terminated his ministrations. "Dr. Edwin A. Casey, who came to Jerseyville about the year 1840 and practiced successfully many years," died in 1874. "He was a native of Rhode Island." He formed a partnership with a younger man, Dr. Wellington, who came about the same time. Dr. R. H. Van Dike came to the city of Jerseyville from New Jersey about the year 1840 and was one of the prominent physicians of the county until his death, in 1845. Dr. James Bringhurst was among the early physicians of the county. Philadelphia was the scene of his birth in 1818. Until he was thirteen years of age he lived in the "City of Brotherly Love" and then his parents took him to Wilmington, Delaware. In his early life he studied courses that led toward his preparation for his life's work, which was directed by his preceptor. Dr. Robert Porter, of Wilmington. Later he attended Jefferson Medical College. He gave more time to 368 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS preparation than was the custom then, for it is said that he spent eight years there acquiring knowledge before he located in Wilmington. Here he stayed until 1842, when he came to Illinois to settle at Ruyle Town- ship in this county. From there he moved to Fidelity Township and later, in 1850, to Jerseyville, where he entered into partnership with Dr. D'Arcy. For seven years he served for periods of varying duration in Jersey- ville, Chicago and Springfield, after which time he spent four more years practicing again in Jerseyville until the War broke out in 1861, when he joined the army as surgeon for the 128th Illinois Infantry. In the service he was promoted to brigade surgeon, but contracted an illness that not only terminated his career in the army, but under- mined his health as well. He never recovered from this set-back and tried several times to re-enter the practice at home and at Alton, but Bright 's disease, which became aggravated during his stay at the latter city, necessitated his return to his relatives, where he steadily declined and passed away in the year of 1870. Dr. R. D. Farley, another of the early physicians of Jerseyville, came in the forties from Massachusetts, where he was born in 1808. Soon after his marriage to a Boston lady he moved to Illinois, locating at Carrollton. Later, Alton, Illinois, was the field of his endeavors and later this county, at Jerseyville. He was a follower of Hahnemann's tenets and is said to have been highly esteemed for his wisdom and judgment. In 1852 he was county physician, with the care of the poor and the indigent as part of his duty. He lived till 1884. Dr. Augustus R. Knapp was a prominent physician in Jerseyville, where he located in 1844. He is reputed to have had an extensive practice until his death in 1862. In politics he served as a member of the constitutional convention in 1847. Dr. Charles Glazier, a German physician, located in the county seat in 1846, but only remained about a year. Dr. Pitner was another ship, figuratively speaking, that "passed in the night." He came from Marion County about 1846, but in 1848 joined the caravan for the gold fields of California, and never returned. "Joseph Ormond Hamilton, M. D., was born in Monroe County, Illinois, April 2, 1824. . . . Dr. Hamilton attended school first in Monroe County, then at the stone school house built at Otterville through the munificence of Dr. Silas Hamilton. In 1843 he became a student at Ohio University at Athens, Ohio, remaining there two years. He then commenced the study of medicine with Dr. Silas Parker. The latter moving from Athens, he continued his studies with Dr. William Blackstone. In 1845 he came to Jerseyville and practiced under Dr. James C. Perry, who was originally from Scotland and a PIONEERS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTION 369 gentleman of fine attainments. Dr. Hamilton practiced with him one year, after which he located in Calhoun County. In 1846 he returned to Jersey County and taught school. After teaching in Louisiana, he returned to Jersey County in 1849 and attended lectures at the Medical University of I^Iissouri, graduating on the fourth of March, 1850, and commenced practice at Grafton. He married Dr. Perry's daughter and practiced with Perry from 1852 up to 1858. Dr. Hamilton was called 'one of the most celebrated physicians in the west.' Some of his essays may be found in transactions of the American Medical Association, volumes of 1870 and 1872. He was the first native president of the Illinois Medical Society, elected in 1871. He was a delegate of the A. M. A. to Cincinnati, Ohio, New Orleans, Washington, Philadelphia, and San Francisco conventions. 'In 1867 he was appointed surgeon for the U. S. pension office of this district and acted as examining surgeon for six of the most prominent insurance companies of the United States.' He was said to be a man of great ability and 'performed many difficult surgical operations with perfect success.' " "Dr. Charles A. Knapp was born in Blenheim, N. Y., July 21, 1823. He studied medicine with his father, afterward took a medical course and graduated from McDowell College, in St. Louis. He commenced practice at Kane, Illinois, in 1847. Two years later he came to Jerseyville and took the practice of his father (who then went to California) and continued here until 1854. Then, on account of feeble health, he migrated to California, where he died in 1856." "Austin F. Slover, M. D., was born in 1828. In 1836 he went to Delaware County, Indiana, where he obtained his education and remained until 1850; at that date he came to Jersey County, Illinois, and located at Jerseyville." "Dr. George Adrain, at one time connected with the medical profession of Jerseyville, deserves mention in this connection. He came here about 1850." 237 237 History of Greene and Jersey Counties, Illinois. Published by Continental Historical Co., Springfield, 111. Pages 148, 149, 278, 279, 150-152, 156, 208, 157, 158, 159, 152. Reminiscences of Jersey County, Illinois, from 1835 to 1S50. By S. V. White. Pages 2, 6, 7. CHAPTER XIII INTERIOR OF THE STATE: CENTRAL COUNTIES Coles County — Its First Medical Men THIS County was originally part of Clark County, but in 1830 its citizens petitioned that the territory comprising its present confines with that portion that is now Cumberland and Douglas Counties, be- come a separate political entity. As one early observer opined, "The native American mind tends as naturally to self-government as the duck takes to water." Trite though this expression is, it voices a condition well borne out in pioneer history, and especially so in this county whose list of voters in those remote times totaled but one hundred. No better name could have been applied to it than that by which it is known, for Edward Coles, our second governor, was an able man whose name is worth perpetuating. Prior to 1824 the county was not inhabited by white men. "The red man of the forest held high carnival over the land; his camp-fires were seen in the distance (for the land, though undulating, was not hilly) and it was his war-whoop and his death song that broke the stillness, while his wigwam was the only specimen of a habitation made with human hands," says the de- scriptive writer of the last century, whose records are our source of material. Then in 1824 the first white men ventured within the domain from the older communities of the Wabash. As time went on some fourteen souls migrated into the undisputed realm of the red men in the region of the Embarrass River. And with this advent came the first physicians, whose goings and comings it is our privilege to record. Dr. John Apperson was the first physician in this entire section. A native Virginian was this old time doctor, with his birth recorded as having occurred in Culpeper County in 1794. In 1829, in response to the call of the West, he came to Illinois. Through the changing con- ditions incident to forty years of practice he held the confidence of the people, for it is stated: "After he had repeatedly declared his inten- tion to retire from active life," on account of his unfitness "through age and infirmity to longer serve his friends and neighbors, yet the old settler, when afflicted with disease, would suffer no one to prescribe for his ailments save the good old Doctor." That the doctor was not 370 THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 371 averse to looking after his own collections when greatly in need of money is evident from the novel manner in which he received cash for an old account, the delivery of which was almost stopped for the want of a canoe. Being a resourceful man, upon finding that the Okaw River was unfordable because of the spring freshet, the delinquent patron, who happened to live on the opposite bank, cut a hole in the end of a suitable stick, inserted some bank notes therein, plugged its end and proceeded to a narrow place, where he threw the receptacle toward the opposite bank, and the doctor rescued it gladly. Soon after the arrival of Dr. Apperson in his wilderness home, Silas Hart, passing by, stopped to make the acquaintance of the newcomer. Riding up to the cabin he found Mrs. Apperson weeping and in great distress; greeting the doctor, Mr. Hart inquired how they were pros- pering and how they liked their new home. The doctor replied that he was well pleased, but that his wife w^as fearful that starvation would overtake them, as the only food they had left was a small amount of meal. Without a word Hart turned and rode away. He had not been gone long until the report of a rifle was heard and in about a half-hour Hart came back with a fat deer across his saddle, which he tumbled off in front of the cabin door and again rode away. When the Black Hawk War came in 1832-33, a brother of Mrs. Apperson went as a volunteer. He brought back to her as a trophy Black Hawk's snuff-box, which had been taken from his wallet. Land Hunger Almost Deprr^es Dr. Apperson of His Farm When Dr. Apperson arrived at the banks of the Little Wabash he found that a few settlers had preceded him and had made clearings and erected cabins in the wilderness. Of one of these he purchased a tract for twenty-one dollars — a munificent amount of ready cash in those days. Here he lived during the winter, and in the springtime broke and put into cultivation thirty acres of prairie land. And when another of his neighbors decided to locate on the National Highway, then in course of construction, the doctor purchased his plot. But through some circumstances that prevented his leaving, he had not entered these purchases with the land agent at Vandalia. Another newcomer, learning of the purchase and anxious to acquire land which according to the prevailing code of honor he knew belonged to another, bethought himself of the legal way he could get some without paying for it. Accordingly he got title to the land recently purchased by the doctor and proceeded to occupy it. He did not, however, reckon with the popularity of the physician. The neighbors, learning that Dr. 372 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Apperson had been "entered out," proceeded to take drastic action against the breaker of the unwritten law of the prairies. Coming with their teams at night, they loaded the doctor's effects, tore down and loaded up his cabin, with every other vestige of improvement and moved all to his recent purchase. On their way over they stopped at the cabin of the intruder's brother-in-law, where the interloper was staying. Here they severed the head from a dog, mounted it upon a pole, threw the rest of the body in the well, with such miscellaneous rubbish as they could pick up, and set the gruesome object in front of the cabin. "This simple device was full of meaning," and as it was a maneuver in which the very best men of the entire neighborhood participated, the culprit felt that he had been ostracized for the sharp game he had played. He made no improvements, and soon left the country. His relative stayed a few years longer, but found his sur- roundings so uncongenial that he, too, left. The doctor and his wife lived to celebrate their golden wedding and he died at his home in 1877. Dr. John Carrico was a native of Meade County, Kentucky. He came to Coles County about 1830-31, and was reputed to have been the first physician in Charleston Township. He was also the first representative of the county in the State Legislature, and died soon after his term of office expired. Dr. Byrd Monroe came from Kentucky in 1833, and was a man of prominence. In 1883 he was elected to the State Senate from Coles County. Dr. Thomas B. Trower was born in Albermarle County, Virginia, in 1809. He practiced medicine in Kentuclcy for a short time in 1830. This was his first practice, but nothing is known of the name of the city or town where he received his medical training. He came to Shelbyville, Illinois, this same year, and continued the practice of medicine until 1836, when he moved to Charleston and engaged in mercantile business for three years; after which he again resumed the practice of medicine. He enjoyed an immense practice throughout Coles County and several adjoining counties. He was a member of the -^sculapian and Illinois State Medical societies. He represented Shelby County in the state legislature for three terms, and was a close friend of Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas. He died April 15, 1878, after practicing medicine about forty-two years. He was married to Polly Ann Cutler, daughter of Judge Jacob and Sinia Clark Cutler, in Shelbyville, Illinois, in 1831. He was at one time presi- THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 373 dent of the Moultrie County Bank, at Sullivan, and later was vice- president of the First National Bank, at Charleston. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1847. Dr. Samuel Van Meter came to Coles County in 1827. He read medicine under Dr. Trower, and practiced until 1849, when he went overland to California, the trip consuming five months' time. He re- mained in the "Golden State" a year and a half, then returned to Charleston and resumed medical practice. In 1857 he founded the Illinois Infirmary, the fame of which extended to all parts of the country. Patients came to it from the Pacific coast and even from beyond the Atlantic. As an illustration of the popularity of the Illi- nois Infirmary, its receipts for 1868 were $186,000. It continued in successful operation until 1877, when Dr. Van Meter, worn out with constant care, closed it and retired from active business. Dr. Aaron Ferguson, of Charleston, was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, in 1802. His parents moved to Bloomington, Indiana, when he was quite young. After receiving his preliminary training in the Bloomington public schools he entered the college of that place. Later, with Dr. Maxwell, he read medicine and attended a course of lectures in Cincinnati. In 1830 he entered practice at Charleston, Illinois. But after several years' residence there, during which time he married, he decided his training in medicine was not complete with- out a diploma from a recognized medical college, so he entered Tran- sylvania University, of Lexington, Kentucky, and graduated therefrom in 1837. His practice was extensive and so engrossed was he in the work that he eschewed public offices, though his steadfast adherence to the principles of the Republican party made his candidacy desirable. His professional duties were his greatest concern and close application to them had a serious effect upon his health in his last five years, for he was a victim of paralysis that confined him to his room until he died in 1876. As a physician he occupied an exalted position, and as a citizen he was held in universal esteem. Physicians op Outlying Districts "The first man who came among the early settlers of Humboldt Township, to relieve them of their bodily 'aches and pains,' was a Dr. Bacon, whose residence was in what is now Douglas County. He was here, perhaps, as early as 1838. Dr. Apperson, nephew of Dr. John Apperson, of Paradise Township, was also among the early physicians." "The early physicians of Okaw Settlement were Drs. John Apperson and Seth Montague. Apperson, as has been elsewhere noted, was an early settler 374 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS of Paradise Township, but his range of practice extended to the then uppermost settlements along the Okaw. Dr. J. T. Johnson came in some years later, and settled among them, and was for many years the leading practitioner In the community." "The first man who administered to the ills of the body was John Hite, long a resident of Ashmore Township. He was not a regular physician, but being a man of considerable intelligence and some knowledge of the science of medicine, he could handle the ague and bilious fever pretty successfully, and in such cases did a great deal of gratuitous practice." Superstitious Beliefs of Backwoodsmen Dr. H. Rutherford of Oakland, one of the early practitioners of Central Illinois, tells of meeting a typical backwoodsman at a sale in Douglas County. He gives us an intimate account of the man's char- acteristics, his mode of dress and his knowledge of woodcraft. Through this chance acquaintance this man visited the doctor in 1844 to consult him about a wen as large as a turkey's egg upon his upper arm. He said he had tried two faith doctors on it, but it did no good, adding, "The sign wasn't right-or-sumthin'." Could Dr. Rutherford cut it out for him? To the doctor's inquiry as to the time he wanted it done he answered, "It must be done to-day or to-morrow, because the sign to-day is in the legs and to-morrow it'll be in the feet. After that it '11 be in the head again and you know it wouldn 't do then at all — it'd be dangerous." "The wen therefore was removed at once. As the wound bled slightly he became uneasy, remarking that he had the power to 'stop blood' on other people, but could not on himself. He could 'learn a woman,' however, to do it, and if I would permit my wife to go into the back yard with him, he w^ould learn her to stop the flow. Nodding assent, they retired — it would ruin the charm for me to see or hear the process — and he had her place her fingers over the wound, repeating after him a pow-wow formula commanding the flow to stop in the name of God and His Holy Angels. As there was no apparent result and he seemed anxious, I did what I should have done at first, put on another and tighter bandage. But Mr. Richman was satisfied, nevertheless, that the 'words' had done the business. ' ' ^ss 238 History of Coles County, Illinois. Wm. Le Baron, Jr. & Co., Chicago. 1879. Pages 224, 243, 229, 230, 506, 501, 499, 300, 299, 535, 536, 296, 520, 473, 494, 439. Information furnished by Dr. Dudley, Charleston, Illinois. Illinois Historical Collections. No. 12, 1907. Pages 293-295. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 375 Douglas County Early Practitioners Dr. George Wade Bacon was, it is said, the earliest arrival to practicvi' the healing art in this county. He was as well prepared as the average doctor of his time, for he was graduated from Jefferson Medical College, in Philadelphia, across the Delaware River from his native state of New Jersey. Near Bourbon, in our State, he located in 1834, w^hen to practice here meant continued hardships, for the roads were almost im- passable and bridges were spoken of only in prophecy. These obstacles to travel, with the tiying climate and poor drainage, took heavy toll in the form of a devitalized system and the doctor succumbed at the early age of forty years, after thirteen years of unremitting toil. Dr. James Harvey Apperson, a Virginian, but a graduate from a western school, the Indiana Central Medical College, came one year before Dr. Bacon departed this life, and settled at Fillmore. Later, in 1858, he moved to Bourbon. Four different counties depended upon his medical skill in their hours of need, which necessitated a physique of more than average strength. There were streams to cross at flood tide, winter storms making roads almost impassable, the hazards at- tendant upon darkness and lack of sleep, necessarily the result of his ministrations in widely scattered provinces. His biographer states that he met these exigencies unflinchingly, but adds : ' ' The doctor possessed a good physique, and while more sincere than genial in his speech, com- manded the respect and confidence of those who knew him." Reading between the lines one can surmise that he more than once let out welled-up indignation about his lot, via the well-known "he man's" method of indulging in the use of expletives. Yet this common fault did not exclude him from being classed as a Christian gentleman. Politically, his general education was used to aid those whose duty it was to create new boundary lines in the new county then forming. Dr. J. T. Johnson, a contemporary neighbor of Dr. Apperson, located at Bourbon. The historian states that he had some knowledge of anat- omy, physiology and pathology, and divided his time between the law, as justice of the peace, and medicine. In neither did he shine bril- liantly, nor did his combined efforts give him a competence ; nor did this hybrid union of the two learned professions improve his diagnostic ability, and the result was that his was a lot fraught with a legacy of hate. The Law Plays Horse with the E.uily Physicians Frequent allusions have been made to the hardships of travel from place to place before the advent of railroads; and to add to these diffi- 376 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS ciilties the law could command the services of physicians for the State to make post-mortem examinations upon those dying under suspicious circumstances. This service was supposed to be given without recom- pense, for the good of humanity. There is still a widespread belief that medical men can be summoned through legal processes and they are not expected to be too exacting in the matter of pay for their services. This situation is well illustrated by the plight of two pioneer physicians who were called to hold a post-mortem on the body of a man who was supposed to have died under suspicious circumstances. This they did and in due time they were subpoenaed to appear before the court some twenty-five miles away to report their findings. They obeyed the sum- mons, but a change of venue was obtained by one of the litigants and the doctors were haled before another forum twice that distance from home, making one hundred and fifty miles traveled with a loss of ten days' time and the outlay of incidental expenses besides. Not even a valid promise of an honorarium was accorded them. The early doctors of Bourbon were divided into three sects: the Allopaths, the Eclectics, and the Botanies. All left the field except Dr. Apperson. Dr. Gardner moved to Farmer City and continued his practice. Dr. Johnson went west to seek his fortune in a distant field. Drs. Duncan and "Wilkinson changed locations. Dr. David A. Meeker purchased a farm and combined agriculture with medical practice for thirty years. -^9 Medical Pioneering in Moultrie and Edgar Counties Previous TO 1850 Shelby and Moultrie were not separate counties until the latter part of the first half of the nineteenth century, hence had but three names, found associated with their early medical history. Dr. B. B. Everette, Dr. Wm. Kellar, at whose house the county commissioners met in 1845 to locate the exact point of the county seat, and Dr. T. V. Lewis. The former served as treasurer of his county and the latter as one of its school superintendents. In Edgar County, however, there was a goodly supply of medical talent, for it was in close proximity to the more settled communities of Indiana. The first venturesome spirit in the section who sought to make a living there dispensing medical services was Dr. Url Murphy, a Virginian by birth. He had not been there long when he contracted an illness that consigned him to an early grave in the year of 1822. Both 239 Illinois Historical and Douglas County Biographical. Batenxan-Selby. Munsell Publishing Co., Chicago, 1910. Pages 641, 642. 3/0] THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 377 before and after his death the community depended upon Dr. Durkey, who resided fifteen miles below on the opposite side of the Wabash, for their medical services. Then it seems there was quite a lapse, until 1830, before another ventured forth in the difficult field of pioneering in medical practice. This intrepid one was Dr. Ferris, who settled in Paris. After him came Drs. Widner and Huff. These men gave quinine and calomel almost by the teaspoonful, and the early settlers wondered, and many are still puzzled to know where they managed to get their supply. They also practiced blood-letting, according to the custom of the times. But, though this statement by the writer of their time seems a little critical, another, "William Darnall, who knew them personally, pays the medical fraternity compliments as a hard-working conscientious body of men who did much good through their ministrations. He mentions quite a coterie of physicians as follows: Drs. Steele, Smith, Willard, Massie, Ten Broeck, Condiuts, Opp, Davis, Thomas, McGee, York, and others. In the Black Hawk "War, Drs. Ferris and Huff served as surgeons. Dr. Ten Broeck, a Rush graduate, made the overland journey to California during the gold rush, but evidently did not think well enough of the prospects of the country to remain among the miners, for he returned to re-locate in Illinois a few years after his departure. Dr. Peter Yeargin Taught School When Not Engaged in the Practice op Medicine In 1836 there arrived a wagon showing the effects of a long journey over mountain passes and through streams, in the Eldridge Section, Seven weeks had elapsed before the great distance from Randolph County, North Carolina, to the valley of the Wabash in Illinois, had been traversed. In this covered wagon there was a physician who was to play an important part among the pioneers, for they were sorely in need of an upright man to look after their medical wants. As judged by the estimate of the recorder of the narrative, his predecessor was not what the natives could esteem in a learned man. ' ' This man. Dr. James Love, was one of the first settlers in the precinct and withal a rather disreputable character." Dr. Yeargin settled at first two miles north of Eldridge "Village, but ere long his scholarship attracted the pioneers, and he was induced to live in the village so that he might instruct the young a few months out of the year in the rudiments of reading, writing and arithmetic. For this work he received the munificent sum of sixteen dollars per term from the public funds, and the balance from the parents 378 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PEACTICE IN ILLINOIS of the children, if they were able to pay. Part of James Ray's cabin was set aside for this work of instilling knowledge into the children who in subsequent years were so instrumental in building up this great com- monwealth. The doctor stated that there were about fifty of these in his class, a considerable number for that day, though it must be borne in mind that a school district then embraced a large scope of country. One can picture well this cabin with its meager furnishings crowded almost to suffocation, for a cabin larger than twelve by twenty was unusual in those early days. Though there were few people in the community, Dr. Yeargin had competition, for Dr. S. J. Meldon came from Old England to share his fortunes. After five or six years he moved to Newport, Indiana, leaving the field again in undisputed possession of Dr. Yeargin. Dr. Meldon stated that when he arrived settlers still resided prin- cipally along the water-courses, leaving the intervening country un- occupied. Commenting upon the county as a possible location for a physician, the historian records that, owing to the long siege of chills and fever (ague) all newcomers were subject to from the hilly regions of the east and south, it was scarcely a good location. Sickness there was plenty to treat, but how about the pay when working was out of the question until the newcomers became acclimated? After giving a graphic description of the hot, cold and dry periods of the ague, which he as a sufferer was fully capable of recounting, he adds that it was not considered as a dangerous illness, and was either allowed to wear itself out, or quinine was used to break up its periodicity. With the draining of the lands and the renioval of the decayed vegetation, he avers, the disease became very rare. Dr. Paul Huston, of Paris, was born in Greene County, Ohio, in 1815. After being grounded in the elementary courses in his home county, he began the study of medicine at twenty years of age in Worthington Medical College, from which institution he was graduated in 1837. He began his medical career at Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, but a year later migrated to Illinois and located at Paris. At the age of sixty-one he retired and devoted his remaining years to public matters pertaining to the good of the county, such activities having been his avocation during the years spent in the service of the sick of his realm. Dr. John Ten Broeek, of Paris, was born in Pennsylvania in 1808. After the usual preliminary studies at home, he entered Lafayette College at Easton, Pennsylvania, from which institution of learning he received his academic training. Medicine he studied at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, and after graduation repaired to Charles- ton, Illinois, where he began to practice. In 1840 we find him at Paris, THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 379 where he stayed for much of the remainder of a life filled with public service. In addition to attending the sick, he served as elector to the State legislature for two years, from 1862-64. Returning home he eschewed further political fame to devote his entire time to the pro- fession which after all he was by nature best fitted to practice. All measures for the public good received in him an ardent adherent. Dr. D. M. Camerer was born in Ohio in 1824 and in 1830 came with his parents to Edgar County. He attended common and secondary schools until the age of twenty years. Two years he spent in further preparation for his life work, at the expiration of which time he entered the office of Dr. Ten Broeck for added tutorage. During this time he attended two courses of lectures at Rush and was graduated from that college in 1848. After this training he returned to the county to take up practice in Brouillett, where he remained three years. But youth was not contented to remain home when the great adventure of gold seeking was the chief topic of conversation wherever men gathered together. As wagon-load after wagon-load of prospectors, leaving for the dreamland of sudden riches, passed in apparently endless procession, this youth could stand it no longer and made a belated start in 1850 over the end- less plains toward the setting sun. At last the great state of California was reached and then the task began of finding the precious yellow metal. Fifteen months of the incongruous, hybrid occupation of mining and practicing medicine convinced this youth that Illinois was still a better place than the Golden State. Back to Brouillett Township the weari- some homeward trek carried him, and back to the practice he went, among those who knew his worth better than the motley array of fortune hunters ever could, with their single-purpose minds. Here he remained until 1873, when he removed to Chrisman to engage in the drug business. Here his efforts were attended with a considerable degree of success, for he erected a three-story brick building — the only one of this material in the town at that time, — one story containing a store for his business, one being used as a toAvn hall, and the third as a hall for the Masonic Lodge. Dr. James M. Steele was a native of Monroe County, Virginia, where he first saw the light in 1806. The old Pennsylvania University of Medicine was the institution of his choice for preparation for his life's work, which commenced at the age of twenty-six. In 1836 he arrived in Edgar County, after short periods of residence in Warren and Clinton Counties, Ohio. For forty-two years he was in constant practice, during which time it is recorded : ' ' He never refused to attend a case, though he knew he would never receive pay for his time and trouble." Young 380 HISTORY OF MEDICAL TRACTICE IN ILLINOIS physicians who were worthy found in him a willing helper and after he retired, he kept up interest in the work he so liked during his active years by attending local and state society meetings and national con- ventions whenever it was possible for him to do so. Dr. A. R. Kellar was bom in Kentucky in 1827. He was brought to Illinois in 1832, to Moultrie County (then Macon), near Lovington. He was a student in Bacon College, at Harrodsburg, Kentucky. He "began studying medicine at Sullivan, Illinois, in 1847, with his brother, Dr. Wm. Kellar, then the only physician in the town. ' ' During the winter of 1848-49 he attended a course of lectures in the medical department of the University of Louisville. He attended a second course of lectures in the same college in the winter of 1850-51. He had begun practice in 1849 in the neighborhood of Lovington. "For about nine months after his graduation he was preaching as a Christian minister in Moultrie, Shelby and Macon Counties. ' ' Dr. Kellar practiced four years at Decatur, beginning in 1852. In 1856 he moved to Sullivan. From 1865-1875 he practiced at Shelbyville, then returned to Sullivan. ' ' His reputation as a citizen and a physician is well known to the people of Moultrie County." 240 History of Christian County, Typical of the Hardships Our Medical Confreres of Pioneer Days Encountered Snow-fall, while a boom to the farm productiveness after the spring thaw, was to the pioneer an almost insurmountable obstacle while it re- mained during the long winter months. Especially was it a fearful handicap to the doctor whose love of humanity and its impelling cry for help in its afflictions banished all thought for his personal safety. So before we go on to the individual biographies of these intrepid men of the plains, we quote a historian's description of one of these winters of the early thirties of the last century. Likewise were prairie fires a great menace to the early settlers, as the subjoined narration of one of these calamities shows, "The annual prairie fires were a great annoyance to the early settlers. Many years ago, some emigrant wagons passed where Stonington is now located, going towards Mt. Auburn. The emigrants at night camped in the tall wild- grass that grows luxuriantly in the low land, of that vast prairie. During the night the prairie was set on fire; it came sweeping toward them with almost the velocity of the wind and, not knowing how to avoid it, they nearly all perished In the flames. Had they burned the grass for some distance around 2*t' History of Edgar County, Illinois. Wm. Le Baron, Jr. & Co., Chicago. 1879. Pages 227, 385, 322, 323, 407, 436, 579, 604, 605, 627, 645. History of Shelby and Moultrie Counties, Illinois. Brink, McDonough & Co., Philadelphia. 1881. Pages 67, 74, 197, 198. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 381 their camp, they would most probably have passed through the danger un- scathed." "The deep snow occurred in the winter of 1830-31. At that period the territory now embraced in Christian County was sparsely settled. The roads were merely trails or by-paths; and the houses of the settlers were log-cabins, and of a rude style of architecture, and the larder was not well supplied with sufficient provisions to carry the settler and his family through the winter. This being the case, much suffering occurred. The 'deep snow' is one of the landmarks of the early settler. It is the milestone, so to speak, from which he counts In dating events. He sometimes relies upon it in recounting the date of his coming, his marriage, and the birth of his children. The deep snow was an Important and very extraordinary phenomenon. Nothing has equalled It In this latitude for the last century — if the Indian's traditions are correct as to what occurred before the advent of the white man. The Indians had a tradition that about seventy-five years before, a snow fell which swept away the Immense herds of buffalo and elk that then roamed over these prairies. This tradition was verified by the vast quantity of buffalo and elk bones found on the prairies in different localities when first visited by white men. "The snow began falling early In the autumn, and continued at intervals the entire winter. The snow-falls would be succeeded by heavy sleet, forming crusts of Ice between the layers of snow, strong enough in many places to bear up the deer and hunter. Frequently for weeks the sun was not visible, and the cold was so Intense that not a particle of snow would melt on the sides of the cabins facing the south. For weeks people were blockaded or housed up, and remained so until starvation compelled them to go forth In search of food. Great suffering, hunger and untold hardships were endured by the people. Game, such as deer, prairie-chickens, quails, rabbits, etc., before that time had been abundant, but for years afterwards was very scarce, having perished In the snow. As the snow would thaw, deer were often caught and killed without the aid of fire-arms, being unable to get through the snow or walk on top. Later In winter, when the mass of snow or Ice had become compact, fences that were staked and ridered, were driven over with heavily loaded vehicles, and In fact the old settlers say in places could not be seen. The snow in many places, where not drifted, was three to five feet deep. In the spring, when this immense amount of snow melted, the river, streams and marshes became flooded. The "Sudden Freeze" "The writer. In conversing with a lady, an old settler, elicited from her the following facts and recollections relative to this wonderful and extraordinary atmospheric phenomenon which occurred a little after noon one day in January, 1836. The lady says she and her family had finished the noonday meal, and were sitting around and in front of the old-fashioned, large, open fireplace enjoying its generous warmth, chatting and discussing the state of the weather, as during the morning it had been snowing and raining a little; presently the lady, in looking from the window in her cabin, noticed a heavy black cloud lying off to the west, which seemed to be rapidly approaching. Needing some water, she took a bucket and went to the well, at a distance of about 100 yards, lowering the bucket with a long 'sweep,' then used In drawing water. 382 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS filled it and started for the house. Before reaching the house the wind and rain struck her; blew and upset a portion of the water on her clothing; the cold air seemed to cut like a knife, and before she reached the house, her dress and apron were frozen stiff in a solid mass. . . . Many persons were frozen to death who happened to be caught away from home; and many others, before they could get to a place of shelter, had their faces, ears, hands and feet frozen. Immediately preceding the storm the ground had been slightly covered with snow which from rain falling in the morning, had become 'slushy.' Cattle that were In the fields were held fast by the 'slush' freezing about their feet; and It became necessary to cut away the ice to liberate them. Ducks and geese were imprisoned in the same way. Scarcely ten minutes after the cold wave swept over the place the water and melting snow was hard enough to bear up a man on horseback." The Earliest Physicians Arrive "Few studies are more interesting and profitable to mankind than those of the past experiences, deeds, thoughts and trials of the human race. Civilized man and the untutored savage alike desire to know the deeds and lives of their ancestors, and strive to perpetuate their story. National patriotism and pride have prompted many in times gone by to write and preserve the annals of its people. This Is entirely laudable if prejudice and selfish interests do not suppress the truth nor distort the facts." It is the aim of this work to collect and preserve in enduring form facts concerning the early physicians and the part they played in the scheme of development in Illinois. Their difficulties and sorrows, their labors and their patriotism, should not be allowed to fall into oblivion. So, if some of these biographies seem commonplace, if some are given too much space and others too little, do not condemn the collectors of this material ; for in the nature of things dependence lies upon the recorded facts as elicited by historians of a previous generation. These facts are weighed and rewritten according to their relative value and given in a concise form, as the demands of our time and our crowded life require. Taylorville was not platted until 1839 ; and among those who bought the land upon which it was laid out, and who had it surveyed, was Dr. Richard F. Barrett, who was, therefore, one of its earliest physicians. Dr. Alexander Ralston, a Scotchman, came also in these early times, and he opened a drug store. Following these physicians came Drs. Higsby, Chapman and Goudy, the last named of whom had a history full of action that is covered here. Dr. Calvin Goudy, a Printer and Physician Born in Ohio in 1814, he moved Avestward to Indianapolis with his parents and later to Vandalia, Illinois, in 1832, where he worked in THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 383 the State printing office and bindery. In the fall of 1833 his family moved to Jacksonville and the following year he entered Illinois College. Here he continued his vocation as printer, working for a time on "Peck's Gazeteer" and "Goudy's Almanac," his father's publication. "With his brother he published "The Common School Advocate," a pioneer publication of its kind in the northwest. This continued but a year; after this he decided to study medicine with Dr. Henry and Dr. Merriman, in Springfield. Later he was graduated in medicine from the St. Louis Medical College. In 1844, he received a degree from Illinois College. His first location was at Tajdorville, and in 1847 he entered politics, being elected probate judge of Christian County for a term of four years. In 1851 he engaged in the mercantile business and con- tinued therein nineteen years, terminating his business career when elected to the lower house in the general assembly. In the next session of that body he was a leading supporter of the act to establish a State Normal School. He served sixteen years on the State Board of Educa- tion. In 1848 he was appointed professor of chemistry in the Rock Island Medical College. He died at Taylorville in 1877. Dr. Harvey C. Chapman, a native of North Stonington, Connecticut, where he was born in 1821, came from an illustrious ancestry. His family tree can be traced back to the twelfth century in old England, where the name has been famous in the annals of that country 's military, educational, scientific and artistic progress. Again, in New England, the Chapmans lent luster from the earliest times to the development of their adopted country. Therefore it is not strange that, when our own Illi- nois needed settlers to wrest the country from the throes of the wilderness, Thomas Chapman, the father of Dr. Chapman, represented that family of action in the new land when he came in 1837. The future medico was in his sixteenth year when he arrived to grow up with the country. That this growth was conspicuously full of action was in a measure due to his early training in his native State, which in those days was noted for its excellent and thorough educational system. The memories of the primitive schools of Illinois in which he spent one short season were indelibly fixed in his mind when he described in after life the "puncheon floors and greased deer-skin windows." In these primitive schools he and his brother taught the pioneers' children for some time. Both of these schoolmasters decided upon a medical career as their future business in life. From Drs. Merriman and Henry, of Springfield, H. C. Chapman obtained the rudiments of the medical art, and Erastus F. Chapman studied under Dr. Edwards, of Edwards- ville, Illinois. 384 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS In 1844 Dr. Harvey Chapman felt himself capable of treating the sick and he repaired to Zanesville, in Montgomery County, to look up a location. He was favorably received and induced to remain. How- ever, his short stay there seems to imply that the field had its limitations, and he elected to settle in Audubon. But the Mexican War was then in progress, and no red-blooded pioneer could sit idly by when a fight was going on. Enlisting in the army, he received the appoint- ment of surgeon of his company, but was disappointed to learn that the quota of Illinois men required was filled, so his company was not ac- cepted. Nothing was left for him but to work in his chosen pro- fession at home, and with this in view he settled in Van Burensburg, only to change his location to Greenville a little later. Again dissatisfied with the scant returns from the rural community he served, he was induced to go to Nauvoo, the city that was attempting to regain the prestige lost through the stigma of Mormonism. Here in this beautiful spot on the Mississippi he remained five years. Goes to Chicago to Enlist in the Fight Against Asiatic Cholera Thinking that he had discovered a specific for cholera, he determined to test his remedy in Chicago, where that disease was prostrating thousands. The Chronicler apprises us of the fact that the remedy was all that he claimed for it, but does not detail what this magic remedy was. However, he remained some time in the wider field for the exercise of his talents, at the expiration of nine years returning to Christian County, and in 1870 he became a resident of Taylorville, where he evidently closed his career. A Pioneer in Proprietary Medicine Distribution Although it is recorded that he discovered combinations that had a vogue in a limited way in his day. Dr. Chapman did not, like so many of his successors in that field, become wealthy. "His industry, re- search and experience have their reward ; not in the accumulation of great wealth, but in the discovery and admixture of compounds that have brought relief to suffering humanity wherever they have been in- troduced. His medical discovery known as the 'King of Oils,' the great specific for bronchitis, diphtheria, croup and all affections of the throat, breast or kidneys or for rheumatism, has no equal within the range of materia medica." A truly wonderful remedy to cover such a wide field of usefulness. In the way of testimonial the author continues his laudation : " It is with pleasure that we here add our mite of praise and speak of it from experience, and say that its curative properties -ll?**' '^-^ Chicago in 1821 Buildings from right to left: The Kinzie house occupied at different times by Surgeon Wm. Smith, U. S. A., Dr. Harmon, DuPin, the trader who dispensed medicines, and others; Dr. Wolcott's U. S. Indian agency, Fort Dearborn surrounded by a stockade with well in the foreground and barn with a cupola behind: shop and wash-house of the Fort; U. S. Factor's houses. Building facing the outlet of the Chicago creek at the south end of the sandbar, shown in the foreground, occupied at different times by Dean, "Whiting. Crafts and J. B. Beaubien; in it Forbes taught the first school in the village. Taken from nature hy Henry R. Sehoolcraft. Rrproduced through the eOiirtesy of the Chieago Historical Society. \sre p. ir,(i\ THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 385 are most wonderful indeed. His 'Cholera Balm' is also a wonderful medical preparation, but not of such universal use as the 'King of Oils.' In cases of severe cramping it cures almost instantaneously." The credulity of the laity, as judged from this narration, is not confined to any age, but is a product of a great desire for magical cures. Dr. Joseph H. Clark was born in Christian County, Kentucky, in 1819. His family came to Illinois in 1844, settling in Taylorville. Dr. Clark began studying medicine in 1838, under the direction of Dr. T. P. Poole, of Christian County, Kentucky. He attended Wash- ington Medical College of Ohio (later moved to Cincinnati and known as "Eclectic Medical Institute of Ohio"), and graduated from that school with the degree of M. D. He began practice in his native State in 1842, but came to Taylorville in 1844. The doctor entered land in Johnson Township with a view to abandoning the practice and taking up farming; but he kept a supply of medicine on hand and his habit of prescribing for his neighbors led to regular practice. In 1856 he moved into Taylorville and opened an office in the court house. He died in 1880. Dr. David C. Goodan was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, in 1818. He was brought to Sangamon County, Illinois, when four or five years old, but was sent back to Kentucky to be educated. He studied medicine at Louisville. After being fitted for practice, he came to Macomb, McDonough County. Shortly after 1837 he moved to Fulton County and practiced there four years. Later, after locating in Springfield, he practiced for two years in Paris, Kentucky, In 1844 the doctor came to Taylorville. He afterward practiced in Sanga- mon County, returning to Christian County in 1857. He died at Greenwood in 1864. He is said to have been a "man who possessed fine natural ability. He had acquired an excellent education and his attainments placed him, as a physician, in the front rank of his pro- fession. He was said to be the best penman in Christian County, and for a time held the office of circuit clerk." "A man of a kind heart and generous impulses." -^^ Early History op Medical Practice in Sangamon County This county, famous for its association with the life of Abraham Lincoln, had the usual history of malarial fever, previous to 1850, before the flats were drained. When Springfield became the capital in 1838 a tremendous impetus was given the country town; and almost over 241 History of Christian County, Illinois. Brink, McDonough & Co., Phila- delphia, 1880. Pages 230, 41, 115, 114, 130, 131, 133, 138, 173, 174. 386 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS night it became the pivotal point for influences that had great bearing upon the subsequent history of the State. Not only was attention focused upon it by the State, but its fame soon radiated in every di- rection in the nation. For here, born of the initiative of the frontier, was developed a commanding consciousness of self-reliance that cul- minated in the production of one superman, among a constellation of lesser lights, whose greatness as judged by subsequent generations is increasing year by j^ear. With such a school for increasing the wits of its men, Springfield had also a number of medical men whose great- ness was projected beyond the confines of the county. Dr. Gershom Jayne, a Surgeon of the War of 1812, Locates in Illinois The first, and probably the most famous, was Dr. Gershom Jayne, who came in the early twenties, and had a territory to cover that extended within a radius of fifty miles. He was born in Orange County, New York, in 1791. Dr. Jayne as a young man entered the army and served his country in the conflict of 1812. His life in this community was filled with professional duties primarily, but he found time as well to be foreman of a jury that indicted the first murderer in the community ; he was one of the first to serve as commissioner of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and was a superviser of the con- struction of a penitentiary at Alton, and helped to organize the first State Medical Society. With these many duties, he still found time to direct his son. Dr. William Jayne, in the intricate art of the prac- tice of medicine, before he died in 1867. Dr. Jayne was one of those who were in the thick of the battle against the cholera epidemic in 1849, unmindful of personal danger. Dr. Kreider, commenting upon conditions at that time, says: "The means of preserving food in the summer-time were very poor, and cholera morbus from decayed vegetables and meat was frequent." Dr. Pasfield remarked that "it was nothing unusual to find in the hot summer morning that three or four citizens had died of cholera morbus during the night, after a few hours illness." "Dr. Garrett Elkin came from Kentucky in 1823." He was a man of considerable courage and served for six years as sheriff during the trying early days. In the Black Hawk and Mormon Wars he could not refrain from action when there was fighting going on, and so he was in the thick of these military encounters. Again, when the Mexican War was on, he enlisted from Bloomington, where he had moved in 1844. His military training was recognized and he was given a captainship THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 387 in E. D. Baker's regiment. After this conflict, he located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, where he finally gave up life's battle. It is rarely recorded that one man had seen active service in several military expeditions, but Dr. Elkin was one of these. Dr. John Todd, son of General Levi Todd, and uncle of Mrs. Lincoln, was one of the early physicians of this county. He was born near Lexington, Kentucky, in 1787. In 1810 he had given evidence of fitness for graduation and received his degree from the University of Pennsylvania. When the War of 1812 broke out he was among the surgeons serving at the front. It will be recalled that the British had captured the advance guard of Kentuckians on the River Raisin, in Michigan; that Gen. Proctor allowed the Indians to cruelly scalp most of the captives, and that the enraged Kentuckians and Indianians who brought up reinforcements, spurred on by the battle cry, "Remember the River Raisin," gave pursuit and avenged the cruel treatment of their countrymen by the utter rout of the British and Indians at the Battle of the Thames. But fortunately. Dr. Todd's life was spared on the River Raisin, although most of his colleagues suffered martyrdom. In 1827 he re- turned to Springfield with the appointment of Registrar of the U. S. Land Office, but lost the position in 1829, when "Old Hickory" Jack- son brought into play his celebrated slogan, "To the victor belong the spoils." This was, after all, a distinct gain for Dr. Todd, for he went back to practice his profession, for w^hich he was better suited than for the prosecution of a political career. In summing up this man's place in the hearts of his countrymen, we quote his biographer's tribute to him. "Dr. Todd was a man of good attainments and excellent character and left a fragrant memory, on his death in 1865." Dr. William Merriman came to Illinois in 1820, from Baltimore, having previously been, according to rumor, a surgeon on a slave-ship. He soon acquired a good practice. Later he aspired to political honors by running for Congress. He was not successful in this quest. Dr. E. H. Merryman and Dr. P. A. McNeill also were practicing physicians of this period. The Second Decade of Springfield's Existence Adds More Names to THE List of Medical Men "Dr. Ephraim Darling came in 1830, and after practicing for some time went to Fairfield, Iowa, where he died." Dr. Alexander Shields came in 1833 from Pennsylvania, and Dr. A. 388 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS G. Henry in 1837 from New York. The latter was "active in politics and Avith Abraham Lincoln signed the call for the first Whig State Convention held in 1839." When the first state-house was built, he was one of the commissioners who superintended its construction. He was appointed by Mr. Lincoln, surveyor-general of Oregon, but lost his life while on the ocean. Dr. William S. Wallace, who graduated from Jefferson Medical College in 1824, came from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1836, and in 1839 married Miss Frances Todd, thereby becoming ]\Irs. Lincoln's brother-in-law. Through this family connection he was among those who were at Mr. Lincoln's side when he delivered that sad farewell address, so prophetic of his impending death, to his friends, from the railroad car. Dr. Wallace accompanied the Presi- dential party to Washington, for he was to take up the appointment given to him — as paymaster in the army. Exposure in the military service caused his death in 1867. Dr. Charles F. Hughes was born in Baltimore in 1807. His mother's father was physician to Frederick the Great. Dr. Hughes was graduated from St. Mary's College, Emmettsburg, Maryland, at the age of twenty. He studied under Dr. Edrington, in Baltimore, and was graduated three years later from Maryland Medical College, Baltimore. "His health being impaired, he took a sea voyage." When the vessel on which he traveled arrived at Guatemala, the negroes, in a state of insurrection, killed all the officers, crew and passengers, except Dr. Hughes and another physician, sparing them because they were "medicine men." For seven years he practiced among these savages. One day upon seeing an American vessel approaching, he secreted himself among some barrels. Unobserved he reached this vessel and returned to his native land. He came to Springfield in 1836, engaged in the drug business for a short time, then practiced for two years in small towns of the county, when he returned to Springfield and resumed the drug business. Dr. Meredith Helm, who came from Maryland in 1840, was a grad- uate of Baltimore Medical College. In addition to being a good physi- cian, he was a fine Greek scholar. His reputation as an obstetrician kept him so busy that though he was an active IMason and was elected Grand Master, he was obliged to relinquish this honor because of more pressing obligations in his practice. Dr. B. Greenwood, last known at Edinburgh (Christian County), leaves a typical pioneer record of achievement after a multitude of hardships and disappointments that would have discouraged any ordi- nary man. But like all the really worthwhile personages that have THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 389 electrified the world of action through their ambition to rise above mediocrity, this man left his impress upon the community he served. His history harks back to the days when the red man still disputed the adoption of Illinois by the more progressive white man, and we learn about a little of that conflict by the narrator of his history. He was born in Kentucky in 1810, a son of a Virginian who was on his way (like many of the easterners) to make a home for himself and his family in Southern Illinois at Illinoistown (East St. Louis). Scarcely had they arrived when they were attacked by the red men and the family was separated. The future doctor, who was only four years of age, was taken care of by the squaws of the savages. Be it said to their credit, the savages seldom killed children and many offspring of the pioneers were tenderly cared for during their childhood by these Indians. The ignorant mind of the savage conceived this to be his duty, for he hoped to bring up his charges to become adherents to his cause by association. For several years the Greenwood child lived among these aborigines. In their migrations in 1819 they carried him to where Springfield now stands and in 1824 he was ransomed by the government. The need of the government for interpreters gave him employment for several years, for during his life with the Indians he imbibed their language and ways. Embarks in Business An incident in 1836 determined him to go into business. Having been engaged by a local firm to drive oxen from Springfield to Phila- delphia, he proceeded upon the long journey with but little expense money. While on his way news reached him that his employers had failed. A calamity that would have crushed the spirit of any ordinary man had but the effect of bringing forth the qualities that bridged all obstacles, for to be without money and without friends in a strange land surely was an ordeal. Working his way back to Springfield, he arrived there three months later and immediately afterward he decided to learn the carpenter trade. During his apprenticeship he served as a mill-wright, and the knowledge so acquired was applied successfully when he embarked in business, for in the succeeding few years he established mills in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. Studies Medicine On the lookout for better opportunities, during this period, he de- cided to study medicine, and with that in view he entered the Missouri 390 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Medical College, from which institution he received a degree. In 1847, after graduation, he located again in Springfield. After two years of routine work in the practice, the wanderlust seized him and he decided to see the west when the opportunity offered to enlist with Fremont with an emigration train exploring party going to the interior of our virgin country. However, he did not stay long, for he returned in the same j^ear to Springfield, and for a good reason, as it is recorded that he married Miss Eliza Townsend, a miss from New Jersey. Two years later he still could not remain settled, for he joined an expedition fostered by the Illinois and California Mutual Life Insur- ance Company for a trip across the plains. Four years of this satis- fied his craving for travel, and back to the scene of his early endeavors he wended his way. Forming a partnership with a local physician in 1856, he practiced medicine until the war came on, and with its advent came also the loss of his property. Again he rose from the ashes of failure, but this time he started in Christian County, in 1865, when there were but few settlements. Here, combining a general store with the practice (for the doctor had busi- ness acumen), he succeeded. In connection with his store he ran a grist and saw-mill. When the town of Edinburgh was established he sold out his store in the county and located there to engage in business. A paradox was this man who could combine two apparently incom- patible occupations and make the hybrid combination pay. His ability to see openings made him engage in many diverse lines of business, for it is said : "He assisted in starting many lines of business; in fact the growth and success of the town were due in no small degree to his labors." Engages in a Mining Enterprise That he made money is evidenced by the statement that he sank the lirst coal-shaft at his own expense. Later he incorporated a company with $50,000 capital stock and was elected its first president. So wisely did he direct this enterprise that it expanded into an electric- light, coal, tile and brick company whose capital stock advanced to $150,000. One would think that a concern of such magnitude would alienate him from the practice of medicine, but not so, as the historian apprises us of the fact that "he continually carried on the practice of medicine with success." That this good opinion of him was general is apparent by the announcement that Greenwood Township was named in his honor. In the days of strong party lines he allied himself with the Republicans and through close proximity to Lincoln's early life THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 391 became a personal friend of his. But, as becomes all broad-minded men, his party strifes did not prevent him from numbering Douglas, as well, among his personal friends. The Third Decade (1840-1850) Marked by the Coming of the Herb Doctors and Eclectics As has frequently been observed in this work, various cults sprang up in this decade that were variously known as herb doctors, steam doctors and Thonisonians. This time also brought forth the Eclectics, whose slogan was ' ' Down wuth mercury and other minerals, and depend upon the products of Nature 's own laboratories ! ' ' They made a close study of the native roots and herbs and extracted from them green tinctures, making claims that these remedies would cure all ills that flesh is heir to. They did not find any panaceas in their quest, but added many valuable drugs to the materia medica. Then the homeopathists were also in the field with their infinitesimal doses. And, lastly, the Indian doctor flourished with his secret cures, supposed to have been obtained from the aborigines. Dr. Higgins was the first herb doctor and hailed from Indiana. He afterwards moved to Peoria, where he died. Dr. Henry Wohlgemuth was a practitioner in Springfield, with a characteristic German thrift that gave him a financial standing and, with it, a political prestige as well. He was one of the first water-works commissioners and later a trustee in the Oak Ridge Cemetery organ- ization. He was a director in the Farmers' Bank and when he died, in 1908, he left a large estate to his children. Dr. Freeman, known as a "botanic doctor," came in this decade and built the original St. Nicholas Hotel, which, though small, was com- fortable. Dr. Daniel Drake, of Cincinnati, although not a native, must be mentioned because of his monumental effort in 1845 to study, arrange and classify the diseases prevailing upon the frontier. He was a most versatile and industrious student and spent his time and his own money in this investigation which, when completed, proved of great intrinsic value. County Physicians in the Early Days These half-educated medicine-men were for the most part farmers as well and divided their time between agriculture and medicine. Their knowledge of drugs was verj' limited and the application of them was usually preceded by a lancing. Diagnosis was eschewed, for they treated only symptoms. Women, as well, essayed to treat the sick, and 392 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS scarcely a rural community existed that did not have one or more of this ilk. To illustrate their hold on the natives, we quote a recorded incident of a visit Dr. Helm made to see a patient in the country. After examination, he made a diagnosis and proceeded to prescribe for her. His ministrations were declined, for he was told that an old lady over in the corner could attend to that if she knew what the ailment was. An old-time self-educated physician, Dr. Benedict, of Round Prairie, usually had a ready explanation for inquisitive patients, and upon one occasion when a lady propounded the following question to him: "Doc, what is it that makes that tizzerizzen in the back of ray ear?" answered, "My dear madam, that is caused by a drappin' down of the narves." Another of these characters. Dr. Josiah Brown, practiced at Mechanicsburg in the forties and depended upon calomel, jalap and the lancet as his principal remedies. It was his habit, when entering a cabin, first to fill his pipe, take a live coal from the fireplace to light it, and proceed to smoke before attending the patient. The suffering patient did not take kindly to this delay and often remonstrated. But the story runs that the doctor was unperturbed by these entreaties until he had finished his smoke, depending upon his good-natured re- plies to tide him over the period of the patient's impatience. Dr. McNeill, the elder, practiced in Mechanicsburg before the war. He lived until 1880. Dr. George M. Harrison was born in Virginia in 1813. He came to Illinois in 1822, settled on Richland Creek, Sangamon County. He is said to have been a graduate of Rush Medical College, and was called a "first-class physician," although we find no record of his practice. History states that he was an upright character, that he died possessed of six hundred acres of land and that his death was sudden, occurring in 1873. "Dr. Alansan Stockwell was the first physician in Chatham. In 1837 he hung out his shingle." The people are said to have been too healthy or too perv^erse to get sick, and Dr. Stockwell was obliged to work as a mechanic or day laborer in order to secure a living. He soon left for Tremont. James H. Gibson, M. D., was born in Gallatin County, near Warsaw, Ky., in 1809. He attended lectures in Cincinnati Medical College, graduating with honors. Dr. Gibson came to Beardstown and practiced with Dr. Chandler, then to Berlin, where he practiced more than thirty years. At the time of his death (1873) he was the owner of 440 acres of valuable land. flints.'.';; f J mfTrfriEff'^f:, *; Till! i II iiiVffnl" " , -V'^TTnTnTTTK- 'f'- -C-ss- iMiM :^i**^J^J^_^Bj.,,^^- ii p '«M Bird's-eye View of Chicago in the Fifties Looking north from the Court House. The arrow to the extreme right indicates Nos. 49 and 51 South Clark Street where was situated Dr. Brainard's office at the time he established Rush Medical College (where the Olympic Theatre now stands). The arrow to the left of it points out the Saloon (Salon) building, at the southeast corner of Clark and Lake Streets, where lectures were held the first term of the college. This building is famed because Lincoln tried the Rock Island Bridge Case there, and in it, in 1S3S, Douglas made his first speech in Chicago. The arrow in the upper center portion marks the site on the North Side where Rush Medical College built its first permanent home in 1844. Reproduced through the courtesy of the Chicago Historical Society. [See P. IS-,] THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 393 Dr. Addison M. Browning began life on a farm in Kentucky. At fifteen years of age he went to Lexington to attend school and later medical college. He was graduated from Transylvania University in 1842. Dr. Browning came to Berlin and practiced seven years. He was a partner of J. H. Gibson. Later he practiced in Loami. In 1861 he enlisted in Co. C. 11th Missouri Vol., and was surgeon of the regiment. "Dr. John R. Lewis came in 1843. He was a Connecticut man and a good physician. He died in 1857." "Dr. Thomas Spottswood came in 1844. He secured a good practice, but only remained two years, when he left for Florida." "Dr. Malone came in 1847 and left in 1849. He was a fair physi- cian and secured a good practice, but moved to Waverley." Drs. Fox, Helmle, Hammond and Sprague are also mentioned as having "dispensed powders and pills." Dr. Nehemiah Wright is said to have been a native of New Hamp- shire. He came to Illinois at the age of eighteen and entered the classical school of Professor Beaumont Parks at Springfield. In 1844 he entered Jacksonville College, completing the four years course in three years. He then went through Harvard and finished his medical education at Rush Medical College of Chicago. He returned to Jack- sonville and received an A. M. degree, locating at Chatham on January 10, 1850. Dr. Wright was an active member of the State Medical Society and a member of the American Medical Association. Drs. Slater, Robert Price and Fox, who lived on the south fork of the Sangamon, were the earliest physicians in Rochester. Later, Dr. Abells arrived and accumulated considerable property. Dr. E. R. Babcock, for many years an active practitioner, was born in New York in 1826 and graduated from the University of Vermont. He had a splendid reputation and lived until 1882. He had the satis- faction of seeing his mantle fall upon his son. Dr. 0. B. Babcock, who later located in Springfield. Dr. Babcock, the elder, had a Civil War record. Drs. W. H. Veatch, W. C. Johnson and Charles Kerr were the earliest Pawnee practitioners. Dr. Kerr and Dr. Johnson were bitter rivals and each vied with the other to outdo him in speed in answering summons. This necessitated the outlay of considerable amount of money to keep their stables well stocked. They resorted to the old- time practice of belittling each other's treatment. And there was sure to be a prompt throwing out of medicine, with an admonition delivered to the patient not to take any more of it unless he courted death, if one supplanted the other. This was, of course, an economic loss to both 394 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS in that it placed them at a disadvantage in competing for the patient's favor, and price-cutting was the result. Fortunately, the founding of medical societies led to a better understanding. The greater peace and harmony of to-day can be traced no doubt to these organizations. During the Civil War, Dr. Kerr served in the medical department of the Army. Dr. Halbert, of Williamsville, was one of the most noted of these country practitioners in the forties and was known as "Dr. Red Drops," a cognomen he earned from the character of a concoction of his that had a wide-spread use in the treatment of malarial conditions. Dr. Halbert had picked up some ideas of medicine in Ohio before he came to this county, and a native adaptability, with practice, increased this knowledge. "All the Dr. Taylors in Springfield are relatives of Dr. Halbert." Preliminary Steps Taken for the Organization op a State Medical Society in 1840 "Medical Convention of Illinois — To the Medical Profession of Illinois: "At a meeting of a number of the Physicians and Surgeons of the State of Illinois, convened in Springfield on the 9th of June, 1840, for the purpose of making preliminary arrangements for the organization of a State Medical Society, the undersigned were appointed a committe of correspondence and, as Buch, directed to address you on that subject. It was proposed that the medical men of the State of Illinois should assemble in convention at Springfield, on the first Monday of December next, and then and there proceed to the complete organization of the Illinois State Medical Society — the Convention to be composed of one or more delegates from each County in the State. This proposition was unanimously adopted; and we now call upon you to co-operate with us in the consummation of so desirable a result. "Hitherto we have been like a vessel cast upon a boisterous ocean, without compass or helm; we have acted solitary and alone, without harmony or concert; but when we see hundreds of our fellow-citizens and worthy friends annually sacrificed by the empirical prescriptions of charlatan professors, on the altars of ignorance erected within the very temple of ^sculapius, by rude and unskillful hands, is it not time for us to act? We think so; not, however, by declaring war against mountebanks and uneducated pretenders to the art of healing within our borders, but by digesting a plan that shall be calculated In its legitimate operations to benefit the people, instruct the unlearned, Inform ourselves and elevate the entire profession above all mercenary considerations to a station of superior mental, moral and medical excellence. Already do our forests groan under the axe-man's hand, and our prairies swarm with a busy, free and enterprising population; in agriculture and commerce, we are rapidly approximating the level of the oldest States; our citizens are rearing colleges and universities for mental culture; our Divines and Lawyers have already THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 395 attained a high rank and an elevated standing; and shall medicine be wholly neglected? Is law of more consequence than medicine? or property more valuable than life? If not, let us not be behind our sister states in our efforts to improve our profession, and place It on a level with that of law. We ask not the protection of legal enactment to sustain us. We place ourselves before the public on our true merits, having a strong and abiding confidence in the wisdom of the people. All we require is a concerted effort, to enable us to diffuse true and useful medical knowledge and this we ask. It is due to the profession and to humanity, now, and in all time to come. We hope, then, to see a general attendance on the day proposed." J. C. Bennett of Fairfield. C. V. Dyer, Chicago, (Castleton, 1830). A. W. Bowen, Joliet, Will Co., (Fairfield, 1828). M. Helm, Springfield, (Baltimore Medical College). E. H. Merryman, Springfield, (Sangamon Co.). F. A. McNeill, Springfield. J. Todd, Springfield, (University of Pennsylvania, 1810). W. S. Wallace, Springfield, (Jefferson Medical College, 1824). D. Turney, Fairfield, (Wayne Co.). C. F. Hughes, Rochester, (Sangamon Co.), Secretary, (Maryland Medical College ) . I. S. Berry, Vandalia, (Fayette Co.). B. K. Hart, Alton, (Madison Co.), (Harvard University Medical Department). "Editors of all newspapers in Illinois were requested to publish the above once or more." — Illinois State Journal, Friday, June 19, 1840. 2^1 a Organized Medicine Transacts Important Business That this organization was effected, and that it transacted very im- portant business for the interests of the profession, is evident from refer- ences made in public utterances and press articles in the forties. These notices refer to the adoption of a "Fee Bill" by the Medical Society of Illinois at one of its meetings in Springfield, but diligent search has not revealed the exact contents of this bill, nor what these early physicians deemed proper charges should be. That they were considered fair and worthy of general adoption we judge from the fact that Dr. Moses L. Knapp referred to this fee bill in his address to the graduating class of the Indiana Medical College, Feb. 18, 1847. On Dec. 16, 1847, the Illinois State Medical Society convened in Springfield and elected Dr. John Todd president, and David Prince secretary. Among other transactions, a report was given upon medical education by Dr. Mead. Delegates were elected to attend the "National Medical Convention." 241-a The medical colleges from which these men graduated were inserted by the author. 396 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Men Who Tried to Keep the Embryo Organization Intact As in all organizations, there was great enthusiasm in the infant medical society of Illinois at first, but when demands for the good of the association were made upon the time and purses of the organizers, not many responded, it seems, for but few of the names of the original mem- bers appear among the prosecutors of the work. One outstanding name — that of John Todd — appears in the records of the society's transactions throughout the lean years of its existence. Dr. Prince, Dr. Hughes and Dr. ]\Ioses Knapp appear to have been active during the years the society struggled to attain permanence. This society was supplanted ultimately by the new Illinois Medical Society, for in 1852 Dr. Todd was elected a member by invitation, but did not, it seems, take any active part in the affairs of the Society thereafter. In this permanent organization, in 1850, Dr. M. Helm, of Springfield, was appointed a member of the committee on obstetrics. 2^- MoRGAN County's Early History When Illinois became a State, in 1818, most of its inhabitants were south of the mouth of the Illinois River. The earliest settlers were for the most part offshoots from the southeastern colonies. Kentucky and Tennessee, in particular, contributed the greatest number of pioneers to the new country, these being rough men who could hew the logs to build cabins and subsist upon the abundant game that could be shot almost from their cabin doors. The prairies had scarcely been touched as yet by these trail-blazers who came in 1819. Four years afterward there were a sufficient number of these venturesome spirits to petition the legislature to establish a county, which they named Morgan. While these uncouth backwoodsmen had very little, if any, schooling, they showed interest in it, as our informant, Dr. Black, of our history com- mittee, states: "Yet all of our early laws and ordinances show the wide-spread belief in the necessity of general education as the basis of a free and democratic state. For this reason the few who were educated in the schools of the colonies, or foreign states, were appreciated to an unexpected degree." But the county's real history began two years later (in 1825) when a ''group of cabins near the forks of the Mauvais- 2-»2 Information concerning this organization obtained from letters and data furnished by Dr. Geo. H. Weaver, of Chicago. Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Sangamon County. Paul Selby, Editor. Article by Dr. Geo. N. Kreider. Munsell Publishing Co., Chicago. 1912. Vol. II. — Pages 750, 751, 752, 524, 763, 757-759, 821, 833, 935, 941,850. Vol. I. — Pages 303, 304. Early Settlers of Sangamon County. By John Carroll Power and Mrs. S. A. Power. Published by Edgar A. Wilson & Co., Springfield, Illinois. 1876. Pages 389. 748. 749. Portrait and Biographical Record of Christian County, Illinois. Lake City Pub. Co., Chicago. 1893. Pages 365, 366. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 397 terre received a municipal identity as the town of Jacksonville." The names of three phj'sicians are associated with the activities of the set- tlers in this early period. Dr. Ero Chandler, the first who arrived in 1821, had apparently prospered, for in 1828 he gave a lot for a Presby- terian meeting-house, in which the Rev. J. M. Ellis was the pastor, and to the support of which he contributed liberally. His name is also in- delibly associated with the founding of a female academy, for w'hich he donated the land upon which it was erected. The following year the fifty-third anniversary of the birth of the nation was fittingly cele- brated. An oration was given by the Honorable Walter Jones and that immortal document, the Declaration of Independence, was read by Dr. John Challen. Early did these denizens of this little community of six to eight hundred souls give thought to the education of its youth. William Thomas, an educated pioneer, taught and used his powers of persuasion to establish a free common-school system. Others, among whom Dr. Taylor is mentioned by a contemporary writer as one of the prominent citizens, started a movement which merged with that of the Yale band of missionaries and which resulted in the establishment of two educational institutions, Illinois College in 1829, and the Jackson- ville Female Academy, in 1830. The plans for the organization of the college were effected by the Rev. John M. Ellis, a home missionary for the Presbyterian Church, and the Hon. Samuel D. Lockwood, then Jus- tice of the Supreme Court. They included in their proposal a seminary for women, hence it had the distinction of first fostering higher educa- tion for women in the west. The Rev. Ellis interested a group of young men at Yale College who had entered into a compact to devote their lives to the cause of education and missionary work in the west. This was a happy union, for out of it grew a subscription fund of $10,000 for the purpose of laying the foundation of the proposed institution, and a beginning was made in building operations. ' ' This first building, 'Old Beecher, ' surrounded by seven other large buildings, all fully equipped, still stands on its beautiful hill, in the midst of comfortable homes, overlooking a beautiful little city, although originally erected in the edge of a grove of natural forest and overlooking unending stretches of prairie. In January, 1830, the first class of nine students assembled on 'the hiir and met the solitary instructor, . . . the Rev. J. ]\I. Sturtevant. What that teacher said to the assembled class on that mem- orable first morning when this coUege began work, was typical of the spirit of the times: 'We are here to-day to open a fountain where future generations may drink.' " A year later, the Rev. Edwin Beecher, brother of Henry Ward Beecher, the eminent divine, became the first president. Prejudice against easterners in educational circles, especially theologians, held 398 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS back the legislature from granting a charter until 1835. The little village received a setback when in 1833 the cholera, then raging in the west, took a toll of fifty-three deaths. Two physicians. Doctors Samuel L. Prosser and Bezalleel Gillet worked valiantly with the afflicted, serving rich and poor alike until the epidemic subsided. The College Broadens its Scope Humble as its beginning was, ere long evidences of growth were present on every hand. The classes grew in numbers, the faculty mem- bers increased, and in little more than ten j'ears the board of trustees had taken formal action on an extensive programme. They resolved, "That departments of Law, Medicine and Theology be added to the existing departments . . . and that professors be appointed in these several departments as soon as shall be judged expedient." They fur- ther resolved, "That the Prudential Committee, in connection with the Faculty, . . . report at the next annual meeting a plan for carrying into effect the preceding resolution and that they be authorized in the meantime to take the preliminary steps for the commencement of instruction, or the raising of funds, if they shall judge it expedient." Thus, "by the truly great and devoted pioneer educators represented in the Board of Trustees and Faculty of this first college of Illinois, a medical college was conceived" in the same year that others in the state were hastening to consummate like enterprises. "It was a note- worthy and a noble purpose, designed to provide competent care for the sick and suffering in the infant state." Quoting further from the school historian's narrative: "A peculiar feature of the settlement of this glorious free country was the almost universal determination toward future greatness. This was pre-eminently true of the settlers of the Northwest Territory. Naturally one of the first thoughts of the people was for proper care of their families when sick. They saw the necessity for competent physicians. There were only a few in the territory and these were much scattered and had to travel long distances to the sick, and therefore could not render effective services. Consequently one of the first cares was the establishing of a medical school. This under- taking was made possible by such enthusiastic and broad-minded physi- cians as Dr. Samuel Adams and Dr. David Prince." Though this college was better equipped than Eush or Franklin Medical colleges. Rush had the good fortune to have had a better geographical location and accordingly received greater support ; in consequence Illinois Col- lege abandoned its medical department after five years. The fate of Franklin College has been covered under Kane County. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 399 Illinois College Medical Department "At the meeting of the Board of Trustees In June, 1842, 'reports were made by the Faculty on the subjects of Medical and Law Departments in the college, which were read and referred to the Prudential Committee with full power to act in the premises as the interests of the college shall require.' In June, 1843, on report of Dr. Adams, of the Faculty, it was: " 'Resolved, That it is expedient to establish a medical school in connection with this institution, to be under the control of the trustees, and that im- mediate measures be taken to carry Into effect a plan for the above object, provided the same shall be without expense to the college treasury. " 'Resolved, That we now proceed to elect professors to fill the following departments of instruction in said school: 1. Anatomy and Surgery. 2. Chemistry and Materia Medica. 3. Theory and Practice of Medicine. 4. Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children. " 'Resolved, That the Faculty be authorized to make such regulations for the management of the Medical Department as they shall deem necessary. " 'Resolved, That the agent be authorized to lease the Medical Department such public rooms in the Chapel — including the north attic — as the Academical Faculty shall think can be spared from the purposes of the Academical Department.' "It would seem from the terms of the above resolution that the business affairs of the medical school were kept entirely separate, and that this depart- ment was not only required to pay its own way, but to pay rent to the Literary College for the use of part of its rooms. The reference to the attic is suggestive of the study of anatomy and dissecting — a subject which played a very Im- portant part in the future relations of the medical school to the community. On account of its dissecting room and the necessity of securing anatomical material from the neighboring graveyards, this school was literally a terror to the community, which stood ready to hang to the nearest tree the doctor who was guilty of malpractice, and to lynch him if he took steps necessary to acquire sufficient knowledge of anatomy to make himself proficient." " 'The following persons were then elected to fill the several professorships above mentioned, viz.: Anatomy and Surgery, David Prince, of Qulncy; Chemistry, etc., Samuel Adams, M. D., Illinois College; Obstetrics, etc., Henry Jones, M. D., Jacksonville. Theory and Practice of Medicine referred to the Prudential Committee to fill.' "Thus after two years of maturing plans the medical department conceived In 1841 was born as an independent medical school, having all the dignities of its position. The first lectures began November 1, 1843, and continued sixteen weeks. The two years between the conception of the medical depart- ment and the birth of the medical school had not been idle ones in medicine. Adams, Jones and Prince had been busy teaching medicine and preparing students for the practice of their profession in these isolated and needy com- munities. Making the medical school a part of the college gave it degree- granting powers. The only Instruction accorded to many of our pioneer doctors was to 'ride with Prince or Jones' or some other philanthropic and 400 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS conscientious physician. In the olden times it was considered a part of the duty of the doctor to 'take a student.' Much of their teaching was done system- atically and thoroughly and contained an element of human worth often missed by the machine-made doctor of a later day. In Jacksonville, in addition to riding with a preceptor, the student had the advantage of the instruction of Dr. Adams in chemistry and materia medica even before the formal founding of the medical school, and some of the more ambitious ones put on the finish- ing touches by spending four or five months at a school in Cincinnati, Louis- ville or St. Louis, and receiving a degree. "The medical school had an attendance of fourteen students the first year and graduated six men with the degree of M. D. Evidently some of their students were at work in other departments of the school. "The first announcement of the Medical School shows that the chair of the theory and practice of medicine was filled by Daniel Stahl, of Quincy, who is described as a Hessian Jew, a short, stout man of quick nervous movements, very lively, and popular with the students. It also states that W. B. Herrick, M. D., of Chicago, was professor of surgical anatomy and surgery, but Dr. Samuel Willard, a member of the first class, states that Dr. Herrick did not accept the appointment and never came to Jacksonville to lecture. The course was given by Dr. Prince. During the second year of Rush College's existence, Dr. Herrick became a lecturer in anatomy, which appointment probably caused him to decide not to leave Chicago. In that year materia medica and therapeutics was taught by Dr. Samuel Adams." Lecture Fees "Lectures began the first of November and continued sixteen weeks. The cost of tickets for admission to the full course of lectures was sixty dollars and tickets for private dissection, five dollars, with a graduation fee, including the diploma, of ten dollars, while those preparing for a missionary life and wishing to pursue medical studies for that purpose, were admitted free of expense. " 'But we trust that those who have friends or relatives, who are able to help them, will always esteem it more honorable to be in debt to those friends than to a public institution. " 'We would here urge the importance of every student being on the ground at the very opening of the Course of Lectures. The first lectures are pre- liminary, and are the most important part of the Course. " 'It is recommended that each student provide himself with a medical dic- tionary; and some good modern work on each of the branches which he wishes to pursue in connection with the lectures.' " Requirements for a Degree " 'The following qualifications, and compliance with the following requi- sitions, entitle a young gentleman to the degree of Doctor of Medicine from the institution: " '1. He must possess a competent acquaintance with the Latin Language, and a sufficient knowledge of all the usual branches of an English education. " '2. He must have pursued a thorough course of study with some regular practitioner. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 401 " '3. He must have attended two full courses of medical lectures, the last of which must be at this institution; Provided, however, that experience in the practice of medicine may be accepted in the place of one course of lectures. " '4. He must pass a satisfactory examination in all the branches of medical study, before the Medical Faculty, assisted by a board of censors, annually appointed for that purpose by the Trustees. " '5. He must publicly read and defend a dissertation on some medical subject. " 'N. B, This institution does not require any definite term of study as a condition of graduation. A thorough knowledge of all the branches of medical science, whether acquired in a longer or shorter time, must, however, be ex- hibited at the examination. " 'Candidates for the degree of Doctor of Medicine are examined at the close of each course of lectures. " 'Degrees will be conferred at the close of the lectures, and at the annual commencement of the College on the last Wednesday of June.' "One reads with great interest," comments the writer, "concerning the requirements for receiving the degree of M. D. They are full of a desire for a high quality of man from an educational point of view, and yet are widely lacking in positive statements. The educational facilities of this rough and untamed country were very few and it would have been manifestly impossible to insist on anything like a uni- form standard. In medicine, like everything else, a man was taken for what he hoped to be rather than for what he had already accomplished. We are acquainted with a medical man of this period — of international professional and scientific reputation, and decorated with numerous honorary degrees by several prominent institutions, who never attended school to exceed three years, for the reason that there were few schools to attend, and little time to attend them. Every boy of the family, by the time he was of school age, had to go to work and 'make a hand' in breaking the farm out of the forest or the prairie. Therefore, while 'two full courses of medical lectures' were offered and one course was required as the basis for the degree of M. D., yet there was an N. B. to the effect that 'this institution does not require any definite term of study as a condition of graduation.' All that was really required was a knowledge of the subject. This was beautiful simplicity compared with the large bolts of red tape which must now be unwound in some of our states prior to receiving the degree of M. D. and a license to practice. Few things could be more interesting than the statement of 'advantages' offered by the institution. The skeletons, anatomical prep- arations and anatomical charts are suggestive of the meager equipment of medical books and charts then attainable. The illustrated medical book of our day was yet unborn. Certainly the facilities of a medical 402 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS college of three rooms and four professors seems to us to present very meager advantages when compared with the modern medical school with its graded course of instructions and its hundred or more instructors, its ten or fifteen laboratories, its great clinics in charge of specialists and its great library. Yet we see in the statements of the catalogue of this early school the first rays of light of a university, with its interchange of courses and reciprocity in study. "Notwithstanding the scarcity of money and the limited resources of these pioneers, the price of board was fully as high as it Is at present in com- munities of the same number of inhabitants: " 'Board may be obtained at the College boarding-house for $1.50 per week, if paid in advance. Twenty or thirty students can be accommodated with rooms in the college buildings, or in houses near the college premises, at a low rent, by sending in their names before the first of October next. Preference will be given those who apply first. " 'Board and rooms, ready furnished, may be obtained in the village of Jacksonville, at from $2.50 to $3.50 per week. Students may save more than half the expense of board by taking a plain fare at their rooms. " 'N. B. Applications for rooms, and letters of inquiry, may be addressed to Samuel Adams, M. D., Jacksonville, 111.' " Dissection Material Hard to Procure The same lack of sympathy that created the distrust of early medical colleges at Chicago and St. Charles obtained at Jacksonville, and this, believes Dr. Weaver, was the cause of discontinuance of medical instruc- tion at Illinois College. He continues: "This was largely due to the 'anatomical question.' Such a man as Prince would not pretend to teach anatomy without dissections and he always provided subjects. The methods of securing subjects for dissections . . . were always open to question and Prince came in for his share of blame. Once the medical building of the college was surrounded by an angry mob seek- ing vengeance on the professor of anatomy and his accomplices for the supposed offense of exhuming the body of a governor (Duncan) for anatomical purposes. Only the timely presence of Dr. Samuel Adams, with assurance and promise to the family and public, prevented a catastrophe." Trustees Review the First Year's Work and Plan for the Next Session "The first year of the medical school seems to have been regarded by the Trustees as a success, for we find that at their next regular meeting 'Professor Adams made his annual report on the state of his department, which was read and accepted and referred to Messrs. Baldwin, Kirby and Lippincott. It being THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 403 represented to the Board that further accommodations for the medical depart- ment are indispensable to its success, it was ordered that the whole subject of providing such accommodations be referred to the Prudential Committee with a request that they act upon it as soon as possible.' "While the order of the Trustees' records does not mention a special medical building, it is learned from those who attended that the Medical Hall was built about this time (July, 1844) and occupied by the medical department during the rest of its life. This building was a frame of rather cheap and unpreten- tious construction. It had two stories with two rooms each. The first floor had a small laboratory and clinic room and a large dissecting-room, and the second floor had a small room for the professors and a large room where the lectures were given. This was the only building of the college group which was frame. It would be interesting to know how the money was raised to pay for this building, and why it was not paid for out of the funds raised by the Trustees. It is not beyond the imagination that some of the generous medical men who gave freely of their time for instruction also gave of their cash for this building. "The following order passed at the same meeting of the board gives some Idea of the relation of the medical department to the College. It also gives the first board of censors: " 'Ordered, that the President of the College may permit medical students of good moral character to occupy vacant rooms in the college buildings on condition that such students shall pay rent and incidental charges at the same rate as other students and provided also that medical students so occupy- ing rooms be under the same regulations with reference to religious exercises as other students. " 'Ordered, that no student of the college be permitted to attend any of the medical lectures except that the members of the senior class shall be permitted to attend the course of lectures on anatomy by paying into the College Treasury the sum of four dollars for the course.' "The following gentlemen were appointed Censors for the Medical School, viz.: " 'Drs. — English, Prosser and Read, of Jacksonville. Dr. — Chandler, of Panther Creek. Dr. Brown, of Waverly. Dr. James, of Alton. Dr. Todd, of Springfield. Drs. Samuel and Morrison, of Carrollton. Dr. Lewis, of Chatham. Dr. Ralston, of Quincy.' " Second Session "The catalogue announced in 1845 the teachers who served in the previous year, excepting Dr. Stahl, of Quincy. Dr. Henry Jones took up the Chair of Materia Medica and Therapeutics, instead of Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children, which was left vacant, as was also the Chair of the Practice of Medicine. A foot-note said: 'The blanks in the medical department will be speedily filled and the names announced in the medical circular to be issued In the spring.' 404 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PEACTICE IN ILLINOIS "It is evident that the medical school found considerable difficulty in secur- ing the services of competent teachers. Few of the physicians of the day had the education necessary. Many who had sufficient education were in the new country for purposes of speculation, rather than to practice their profession. They were following the mirage of 'get-rich-quick schemes.' "For some reason, not plain after this lapse of time, the trustees found it desirable to omit in the second catalogue the first requirement for a degree, as quoted from the first catalogue. This referred to a 'competent acquaint- ance with the Latin language,' etc. Probably the pioneers who were building their new civilization under new conditions did not feel the same love and necessity for the dead Latin language as a ladder to the science and practice of the healing art as did those of the older colonies, who were more bound by the traditions of the old-world teachings. "At the meeting of the trustees in June, 1845, a communication from the Faculty of Medicine recommending the honorary degree of Doctor of Medicine to be conferred upon N. Ralston, of Quincy, J. B. Samuel, of Carrollton, and Horace A. Ackley, Professor of Surgery in Cleveland Medical School, was read and considered and it was thereon voted to confer the degrees as recommended. Drs. Ralston and Samuel had previously served the college on its board of censors, which board, in the undeveloped state of society and public institutions, took the place of the present licensing board. Such boards had the great ad- vantage of representing the profession which should properly control admission to the fraternity of practical medicine. "The state of medical education of those days is illustrated by the un- precedented fact that though Ackley had risen to a high position as a teacher of surgery in another state, he had as yet not procured a degree until one was conferred upon him by this institution. "The resignation of Dr. Todd, as professor of surgery, a place held by him in lieu of Dr. Herrick, who was announced, but did not fill the chair, was com- municated verbally by Dr. Adams, and the presidential committee was im- portuned to hunt for a suitable successor." Proceedings in 1846 "At the meeting of the Board of Trustees in June, 1846, the following action was taken: 'On recommendation of the Medical Faculty and Censors in that department:' " 'Voted, — That the degree of M. D. be conferred upon J. F. Rice and Henry Wing. " 'Also Voted, — That the same degree be conferred upon M. H. L. Schooley of Virginia, Cass County. " 'Voted, — That the following gentlemen, being all of them Doctors of Medicine, be appointed Censors of the Medical Department for the coming year, viz.: Drs. Haskell, Drs. H. M. Stewart, Drs. A. Reynolds, Munroe, S. S. Ransom, Adams Nichols. E. Dunlap, M. M. L. Reed, A. W. Pinkerton, G. Y. Shirley, John Todd, James Bunce. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 405 "An entry on the records of the board of trustees at the same meeting shows that the medical department paid rent for the use of the 'Medical Building.' This is also the first mention on the records of a special building for the medics." Proceedings in 1847 "The catalogue of January, 1847, gives a list of twelve censors of the medical department. The faculty that year had been extended by the appointment of 'John James, M. D., Professor of the Principles and Practice of Medicine; Edward Mead, M. D., Professor of Materia Medioa and Therapeutics; and J. Leland Miller, M. D., Professor of Anatomy and Physiology. Henry Jones, M. D., was returned to the Chair of Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children.' The Medical School that year had 'thirty-nine students,' which was one more than one-third of the total number of students in the institution, including the preparatory department. "At the end of the Catalogue is given a list of all the graduates of the medical department to date." "The following note in pencil, is found at the close of the 1847 Catalogue Report: 'The following is a true copy of an abolition petition presented to the Senate and House of Representatives of Illinois: " 'To the Honorable Senate and the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois: Your Petitioners, inhabitants of Illinois, respectfully request and In- struct your honorable body to repeal all laws now in force making a distinction between our people on account of color.' "Those persons whose names in the catalogue are marked with a star were signers." "Class of 1845: Augustus F. Hand, M. D.; N. M. Hunt, M. D.; G. Y. Shirley, M. D.; Carolus C. Terrell, M. D.; J. B. Samuel, M. D.; Horatius Ackley, M. D.; "Class of 1846: Petrus R. Boice, M. D.; Jacobus Budden, M. D.; Warren H. Chapman, M. D.; C. C. Emerick, M. D.; N. B. Hooker, M. D.; A. B. Ireland, M. D.; Henricus Ousley, M. D.; J. F. Rice, M. D.; Clark Roberts, M. D.; Jerome B. Tenney, M. D.; Russell B. Tripp, M. D.; M. H. L. Schooley, M. D. "'Voted Also, — On Recommendation of the Faculty, That the Degree of Master of Arts be conferred on the following persons. Alumni of this College, of the Class of 1844, viz.: Hiram K. Jones, M. D.; Henry Wing, M. D.; Parmenio L. Phillips, M. D.; and Charles H. Tillson; also John Tillson Morton, of the Class of 1843. " 'A communication from the Medical Faculty was read and in accordance therewith it was — " 'Resolved, — That candidates for Professorships in the Medical Department of this institution be first appointed for one year only until they should have become experienced Lecturers.' " " 'Resolved, That Henry Wing, M. D., be appointed to the Chair of Materia Medica and Therapeutics in this institution for one year. " 'Voted, — That the following gentlemen be appointed Censors of the Medical Department for thQ ensuing year, viz.: Charles Chandler, M. D.; Charles 406 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Knight, M. D.; C. Roberts, M. D.; Merriman; Gibson; O. M. Long, M. D.; J. S. Rogers, M. D.; Russell, M. D.; J. B. Samuel, M. D; Robert Boal, Nathaniel English and George T. Allen. '"Dr. Julian M. Sturtevant, — President; Hon. Samuel D. Lockwood, John Tillson, William C. Posey, Thomas Mather, Dr. Theron Baldwin, Frederic Collins, Dr. John F. Brooks, Dr. Thomas Lippincott, Dr. Elisha Jenney, David Smith, Dr. William Kirby, David A. Ayres, Dr. John G. Bergen, William H. Brown, Dr. William Carter. "At the meeting of the board of trustees in June, 1847, we find the degree of Master of Arts was conferred on at least three men who had the year before received the degree of M. D. "At the same meeting the trustees took action regarding the appointment of professors in the medical department, looking toward improvement In the quality of teaching by securing those of more experience." Closes Its Medical Department in 1848 "A catalogue of the medical school was issued in January, 1848, containing announcements of the faculty and courses of study for the ensuing year, but as far as we are able to learn from the records of the college extant, or from other sources, no medical classes were ever held after the spring of 1848. Just why the project, which had apparently had so satisfactory a beginning, was so abruptly and unceremoniously discontinued, does not appear. It does not seem to have been on account of debt, for there is nothing in the records of the Board of Trustees to indicate the existence of debt incurred by this department. "In a letter Dr. Samuel Willard says, 'The school was discontinued because it did not pay the professors who came from abroad to lose their practice at home for all they got by the professorship. For the most part they had promis- sory notes — the payment of which was indefinite.' "At the meeting of the board of trustees in 1848 an arrangement was made with Nathaniel Coffin, Esq., that if he would pay the debts of the college, certain properties would be transferred to him, 'saving and excepting the thirty-three acres of land on which are situated the college buildings, appurtenances, library and apparatus — the medical hall and lot, etc' Not another word appears in the records of the trustees regarding the medical school until their meeting in January, 1853, when the following resolution was adopted: " 'Resolved, — That the Prudential Committee be instructed to repair the south wing of the college building, as fast as they deem necessary for security and neatness; " 'That the medical hall be repaired under the direction of the Prudential Committee, Provided, they are convinced that the investment will be a good one, and — Provided Also, that the cost be not reckoned as a part of the current expenses of the institution.' "At a meeting of the Trustees on July 12, 1854, it was " 'Ordered — That the Prudential Committee be authorized and instructed to sell at auction the medical hall and the lot upon which it is situated, being the eastern part of lot No. 64, on the plat of College Hill, and bounded on the wee' THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 407 by land sold to Mr. Crocker, Provided, They be offered for the same $1,000 or more in cash, or its equivalent on time, well secured.' " Medical Graduates Petek R. Boice, M. D. Claek Roberts, M. D. James Budden, M. D. Jerome B. Texny, M. D. Warrex H. Chapman, M. D. Russell B. Tripp, M. D. C. C. Emerick, M. D. Henry Wing, M. D. N. B. Hooker, M. D. Henry C. Long, M. D. A. B. Ireland, M. D. James M'Cord, M. D. H. K. Jones, M. D. John N. M'Cord, M. D. Peter L. Bostick, M. D. Samuel Willard, M. D. Isaac V. Goltra, M. D. N. M. Hunt, M. D. Richard Hainds, M. D. Augustus F. Hand, M. D. Nathaniel Jayne, M. D. Daniel Pierson, M. D. Henry Owsley, M. D. Chas. Terrell, M. D. J. F. Rice, M. D. George V. Shirley, M. D. "Historic Morgan County and Classic Jacksonville" Establish A School for the Deaf and Dumb and an Insane Hospital As the future greatness of the State of Illinois became manifest by the influx of ever-increasing numbers of inhabitants, the need of special care for the insane became evident and those unfortunately afflicted with deafness and dumbness. Illinois was fortunate that within its borders there was no lack of men of foresight and public spirit whose efforts were instrumental in launching these enterprises. There is a difference of opinion of authorities concerning the part Dr. Edward Mead played in the establishment of the insane hospital at Jacksonville. Dr. George H. Weaver quotes from the American Psychological Journal of Cincinnati 1:199, 1853, in which Mead says: "He was the tirst to move in behalf of the insane of Illinois, having done nineteen-twentieths of the active labor of getting the Jacksonville Hospital established and having been laboring in the cause as far back as 1842;" while Dr. Carl Black states: "Mead's whole interest was in a private institution for the insane. He left Jacksonville when it was demonstrated that such an institution could not be established here, and established one in the northern part of the State." The building for the deaf and dumb became a reality in 1846, when thirteen pupils were admitted. All superintending of construction and executive work was done free of charge, except when members of com- mittees lived outside of the countj', in which instance traveling expenses were allowed. The insane hospital preliminary work was done by a com- mittee on sites and buildings, composed of James Dunlap, John J. Hardin, Dr. N. English, Dr. D. Prince and Dr. Samuel Adams. Dr. Adams agreed to furnish information concerning the construction of buildings, the lay- 408 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PEACTICE IN ILLINOIS ing out of tlie grounds, treatment of the insane and the general manage- ment of such institutions. But though they did their work well, they found the State in such financial embarrassment that there could not be raised, either by taxation or private subscription, sufficient funds to even purchase 160 acres at the ridiculously low price of $21.00 an acre. This temporarily put the matter in abej^ance. Mr. J. 0. King, a citizen of Jacksonville, then induced a Miss Dix to spend her time traversing the State collecting data concerning conditions in penitentiaries, poor- houses and the state of tlie insane in the realm. Her investigations carried her beyond the borders of the commonwealth, to Missouri, Indiana and Ohio. At Columbus, Ohio, she became ill and consequently her report was not delivered until the new legislature was in session. This matter of treatment of the insane became again a vital issue and a bill was introduced in the legislature. But before it passed both houses Miss Dix reappeared and stated her findings to the legislators. A new bill prepared under her supervision, entitled "An Act to Establish the Illinois State Hospital for the Insane, ' ' with a supplementary report by Dr. Mead, supplanted the bill previously introduced, and passed both houses, as written, except that the proposed location of the hospital was changed from Peoria to Jacksonville. The purchase of the land at $21.00 an acre was consummated during the summer, and by fall the foundation was put in. The plans were replicas of those for a similar institution in Indiana which Miss Dix pronounced the best in the United States. In due time the unit was completed and Dr. James M. Higgins was installed as the first medical superintendent, serving in that capacity until 1854. 2^3 School for the Blind In 1847 a blind man named Samuel Bacon visited Jacksonville and proposed the opening of a school for the blind. Although the State had already opened institutions for other unfortunates and could not im- mediately respond to an appeal for more funds, the public-spirited 243 Dr. Black states in "Origin of Our State Charitable Institutions," vol. XVIII, 1925, No. I, Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, p. 179, "There was a group of Doctors in and around Jacksonville who knew of the advances in the care and treatment of the insane. They knew of the work started by Phillipe Pinel (1745-1826) in Paris and by Conolly and Tuke working independently in England, and the success they had achieved by inaugurating a humane treatment for the insane. This same plan was inaugurated in Massachusetts and extended to other eastern and southern states. Among such physicians of Jacksonville and vicinity are the names of Ero Chandler, S. M. Prosser, Nathanial English, M. M. L. Reed, Archimedes Smith, Samuel Adams, David Prince, Henry Jones, James Leighton (Scott County), Thos. Worthington (Pike County), 0. M. Long, Jonathan Dearborn (Brown County), Robert Boal (Marshall County), Daniel Stahl (Quincy), Edward Mead and others." First Pkrmanknt Home of Rush Mkdical College Facetiously termed "rat trap" by Professor Allen. Erected at the southeast corner of Dearborn and Indiana Street (Grand Avenue) in 1844. Plate loaned by the Society of Medical History of Chicago. [See P. W'l] THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 409 citizens volunteered to support sucli an experiment until such funds were available. Mr. Bacon demonstrated his fitness when he secured a class of six pupils, and instructed them during the summer. His method was patterned after the French school which existed in that country since its invention in the latter part of the eighteenth century. In 1833 the first attempt was made to furnish this instruction in the United States by Dr. Howe, of Boston, and J. R. Frieidlander, of Philadelphia, who simultaneously established schools in both of these cities. This method was invented by Abbe Hauy in 1785. Previous to this time blindness was considered to be the greatest of privations. "The loss of the organs by which man usually receives a knowledge of objects around him was naturally supposed to close the world to him, and to produce a mental darkness which no skill could enlighten. This opinion was so universally prevalent that no effort was made, except in rare instances, to In- struct this class of unfortunates. The benevolent Abbe one day entered a caf6 in Paris and, hearing some blind musicians performing with skill and taste certain trifling airs learned by ear, asked himself the question, 'II these men can perform so well without instruction can not instruction Improve their talents?' He commenced an investigation of the powers and capabilities of the blind and devised a method of printing for their use, which Is still followed. In 1789 his efforts attracted the attention of the French government and it established the institution in Paris for the education of the blind. This was the first attempt at opening a school for the blind. The regulations established, the methods adopted at that time, and the course of instruction, have been continued to the present time. From the cities of Boston and Philadelphia have radiated the methods of instruction and there is now scarcely a state in the union which has not made liberal appropriations for the education of its blind." The accomplishments of Bacon's pupils were displaj^ed before the legislature the following session in the j^ear 1849. They won the approval of the legislators, who voted favorably upon a bill written by Judge Thomas and introduced by Mr. Yates entitled, "An Act to Establish the Illinois Institution for the Education of the Blind." An appropri- ation of $3,000 was given to start the building and a tax of one-tenth of a mill on the dollar was levied to aid in the establishment of the school. This insured free instruction for the blind in the State. The trustees appointed Dr. Nathanial English and Joseph 0. King to super- intend the institution while Mr. Bacon was retained as principal. At the close of the term, in July, Mr. Bacon resigned and the board was constrained to seek another competent principal. They visited the east and selected Dr. Joshua Rhoads, former superintendent of the Pennsyl- vania Institution for the Blind, who, with Mrs. Rosanna Rhoads, re- opened the school in October, 1850, with twenty-three pupils, all that could be accommodated at that time. 410 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Early Jacksonville Practitioners — Dr. Samuel Adams Abandons THE Practice to Become an Illinois College Professor After practieinf? several j^ears, Dr. Adams, in 1838, "assumed the chair of natural philosophy, chemistry and natural history in Illinois Collegje, at Jacksonville." In addition to this he was "professor of materia medica and therapeutics in the medical department of the same institution." During his connection with the college, because of his versatility, he gave instruction in nearly every branch in the college curriculum, including the French and German languages. "Of un- compromising firmness and invincible courage in his adherence to prin- ciple, he was a man of singular modesty, refinement and amiability in private life, winning the confidence and esteem of all with whom he came in contact, especially the students who came under his instruction. ' ' Well Prepared for His Life Work One having the ability to impart knowledge on so many subjects had to be well prepared. This man from his birth, which occurred in Brunswick, Me., in 1806, until he was graduated in the departments of both literature and medicine at Bowdoin, was almost constantly in an intellectual atmosphere. It is therefore not strange that the class- room appealed to him more than the routine practice of medicine, A Contributor to the Literature of His Time Among the productions of his pen we find articles on "The Natural History of Man in his Scriptural Relations," contributions to the "Biblical Repository" (1844), "Auguste Comte and Positivism" (New Englander, 1873), and "Herbert Spencer's Proposed Reconciliation between Religion and Science" (New Englander, 1875). "His connection with Illinois College con- tinued till his death, in 1877, a period of thirty-eight years. A monument to his memory has been erected through the grateful donations of his former pupils." Dr. John Herbert Foster, a Teacher and Practitioner Born of Quaker parentage in New Hampshire, he followed the calling of his father, who was a husbandman. But at sixteen he turned to his natural bent and entered the academy of Meriden, New Hampshire, to prepare himself for teaching. This work he followed, after graduation, for sixteen years. During this time he also practiced medicine in various parts of his native state. In 1832 he was attracted to the prairies of the THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 411 west, locating in Morgan County, Illinois. Just then the Black Hawk War opened and he enlisted as surgeon. Before the war closed he was summoned to Chicago where a brother of his had been shot by a subor- dinate in the company in which he was a superior officer. The death of his brother left the doctor with a considerable estate in early Chicago — an estate that increased rapidly in value and determined his locating there to look after his interests, which proved to be extensive. During his sojourn there he was active in the promotion of education, serving on both the city and State boards. His death occurred in 1874, following injuries sustained by his being thrown from a vehicle. Henry Jones — Illinois College Faculty "Henry Jones was born in New York City, August 26, 1803. He was graduated from the Berkshire Medical College in 1824, his thesis entitled 'On the Analogue existing between certain American indigenous vegetables and foreign articles of medicine,' being still preserved in the Berkshire Athenaeum and Museum at Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He began practice in New York City and in 1826 married Catherine Smith, Hadley, Massachusetts. In 1831 he moved west, locating at Jacksonville, 111., where he continued in active practice the balance of his life. He was professor of obstetrics in the Medical Department of Illinois College during the entire period of its existence. He is said to have been a man of good education and an excellent teacher. He died in 1884." Edward Mead — Illinois College Faculty "Among the teachers in these early medical schools, Edward Mead stands as the pioneer student of psychiatry in this region and as the first to offer institu- tional care for the insane in Illinois. He was born in Leeds, Yorkshire County, England, March 21, 1819. When 12 years of age, his parents brought him to America. Little is known of his early years. About 1838 he began the study of medicine with Dr. Robert Thompson of Columbus, Ohio. In 1841 he was graduated from the Medical College of Ohio, and journeyed to Europe to complete his education. On his return, he located in Cincinnati, and in 1842 he moved to St. Charles, 111. Here he carried on an extensive practice among the settlers. Almost at once he began agitation for the establishment of a State hospital for the Insane, and after years of persistent endeavor, backed by his colleagues in Illinois College, the Illinois State Hospital at Jacksonville was established in 1847. "When a medical school was organized at St. Charles, 111., In 1842, he was one of the teachers. In 1844 he wrote a report on medical education for an Illinois school convention, and he made a report on medical education at the Illinois State Medical Convention at Springfield, Dec. 16, 1846. In 1845-1846 he was professor of materia medica and therapeutics in the medical department of Illinois College. As a delegate from this school, he attended the National Medical Convention in New York, being the only representative from Illinois. Here he was appointed a member of a committee to prepare a report on pre- 412 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS liminary education of students in medicine, and he contributed to the report of the committee whicli was presented in Philadelphia the following year when the American Medical Association was organized. In 1847 Mead opened a private hospital for the insane in Chicago, this at the time being the only hospital for the insane west of Columbus, Ohio. The institution was located on 20 acres of land 2% miles northwest of the business part of the city. The institution came to an end in 1851, when the buildings were destroyed by fire. During its existence treatment was given to 139 patients, nearly half of whom were cured. After the loss of his institution by fire, he accepted the chair of obstetrics in the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, lecturing also on his favorite topics, mental diseases and medical jurisprudence. In 1853 he founded the 'American Psychological Journal,' which was published for one year." "Unable to subscribe to the methods followed in conducting the medical school, he resigned after two years. He then founded the Cincinnati Retreat for the Insane, which he conducted until 1869, when he moved to Boston. From 1872 until his death he conducted private hospitals for the insane in Winchester and Roxbury, Mass., near Boston." "In 1883, while on a trip for his health, the vessel in which he sailed was wrecked on the coast of Pico in the Azores, and he was drowned." Dr. David Prince, a Pioneer Anatomist Among the early physicians in our State who had special training for teaching anatomy was Dr. David Prince. He was a native of Connecticut where he first saw the light in 1816. Early in his youth his parents moved to Canandaigua, New York, and he received his preliminary education in the academy there. Going to New York, he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Western New York for the study of medicine. He did not, however, finish there, but entered the Ohio Medical College, at Cincinnati, from which institution he was grad- uated. Here he happily associated himself with the celebrated surgeon. Dr. Muzzy. Jacksonville, Illinois, with its embryo medical college, at- tracted him in 1843, and he remained there two years as professor of anatomy. With the waning of the prestige of Illinois College as a med- ical center, he moved to St. Louis, spending five years in the dual role of practitioner, and professor in surgery in the St. Louis Medical Col- lege. But he preferred Jacksonville for the practice of surgery, for which he was especially qualified, returning there in 1852. During the latter part of the Civil War he served fourteen months as brigade surgeon with the Army of the Potomac and on the capture of a portion of his brigade he surrendered himself to attend the captives of his command in Libby Prison. After the close of the War he was employed by the Sanitary Commission to record his knowledge of the medical history of the war. In 1881 he was a delegate to the International Medical Con- THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 413 gress in London, during which visit he made a study of the hospitals in London, Paris and Berlin. Again he was honored, being sent as a dele- gate to the Copenhagen Congress in 1884. In Jacksonville he established a sanitarium for the treatment of surgical cases and chronic diseases to which he devoted his time for the balance of his life. He was a member of leading professional associations and local literary and social organiza- tions until his death in 1889. His biographer sums up this man's achievements thus: "Thoroughly devoted to his profession, liberal, public spirited and sagacious in the adoption of new methods, he stood in the front rank of his profession and his death was mourned by large numbers who had received the benefit of his ministrations without money and without price." Joshua Rhoads, M. D., A. M., Devotes His Life to the Care of the Blind After graduation from the University of Pennsylvania in medicine. Dr. Rhoads also took the degree of A. M. from Princeton. "While practic- ing medicine in Philadelphia he found time also to act as principal of some of the public schools of his city. Through his qualifications as a physician and an educator tlie responsible position of principal of the Pennsylvania Institution for the Blind was given him by the electors. Again his work attracted attention beyond the confines of his native city for he was chosen to take charge of the State Institution for the Blind at Jacksonville, Illinois, then but in its infancy. Until he retired in 1874 he guided its destinies and brought it up to a high standard of efficiency. Two years after retirement he died in Jacksonville. Dr. Edward Reynolds Roe, A. B., M. D., Physician, Soldier and Author Like mam^ of our pioneer physicians, Dr. Roe left the practice to devote his time to the less strenuous pursuits of research in geology and literature. Medicine has always been a great time consumer and men of other natural talents have forsaken it for vocations that did not demand their entire time in the public service. Dr. Roe was one of these and because of this decision the world of literature was enriched by such works as: "Virginia Rose; a Tale of Illinois in Early Days," a prize serial in the Altoii Courier, 1852; "The Gray and the Blue," "Brought to Bay," "From the Beaten Path," "G. A. R. ; or How She Married His Double," "Dr. Caldwell; or the Trail of the Serpent," and "Prairie- Land and Other Poems." In journalism he edited the Jacksonville Journal and later the Constitutionalist. 414 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Dr. Roe was born at Lebanon, Ohio, in 1813, and spent his early years in Cincinnati. He studied medicine in Louisville and ^aduated from the Medical Institute there in 1842. As a practitioner he first served at Anderson, Indiana, but soon he left to pursue his love for geological research at SliawneetoAvn, Illinois, adding greatly to his geologic and natural-history collections. Aside from this he lectured on his favorite science during the years of 1848 to 1852 and contributed articles for the press in Jacksonville and Springfield. During part of this period he was lecturer on Natural Science at Shurtleff College. A lecture on the geology of Illinois before the State Legislature determined that body upon establishing a State Geological Department. Moving to Bloomington in 1852, his presence was immediately felt in educational matters, for he became the first professor of natural science in the State Normal University. The Democratic party made him its nominee for state superintendent of public instruction in 1860, but with the inception of the War his entire efforts were expended in the cause of preserving the Union. He raised three companies composed mostly of Normal students. Of the Thirty-third Illinois Regiment he became the captain, rising rapidly to major and lieutenant-colonel. He was dangerously wounded at Vicksburg, in 1863, compelling him to return home. When he recovered, in recognition of his services to his State both parties com- bined to elect him circuit clerk. Four years later he became the editor of the Bloomington Pantagraph and in 1876 he w^as elected to the Twenty-seventh General Assembly, where he won distinction by a someM^hat humorous speech in opposition to removing the State Capitol to Peoria. In 1871 he was appointed "Marshall for the Southern District of Illinois," serving nine years. With all this public service, he lived to the age of eighty, his death occurring in Chicago in 1893. Dr. Edmund IMoore, who was born in Ireland in 1798, of Scotch-Irish parentage, was an early pioneer in this county. His maternal ancestors were prominent fighters in the British na\y under Nelson. When Edmund IMoore was an infant in arms he came to the United States by compulsion, for his parents migrated to America. This was fortunate for him as Avell as his adopted land, for he Avas destined to play an im- portant part in the formative period of our State's history Avhen he grew up to manhood. This is said after estimating his worth as judged by his value in the circle he served, not as the world computes greatness — by the published stories of a man's activities. These are often at vari- ance with the actual facts of his life. After trying his hand in two different locations, the elder Moore decided that the Blue Grass State THE CENTRAL COUXTIES 415 offered the best opportunities for advancement. Here in Nelson County the future ph3'sieian began to prepare for his career. After his com- mon-school training he read medicine under Dr. Bemis, of Louisville, and subsequently attended lectures at the medical school there. After this preparation he began practice at Rockport, Indiana, under a state license, but in 1827 he moved to Morgan County, 111. There he was examined to test his fitness to practice in the state, and received a license. Purchasing a tract of land there in 1833, he remained upon it until his death, in 1877. "Dr. Moore was a splendid specimen of manhood, mentally and physically. He typified the doctor of the old school, im- mortalized by Ian MacLaren, the Scotch novelist, for during the half century of his residence in Morgan County he was called upon to perform a vast amount of work for which he expected and received no re- muneration." "He became an acknowledged expert in the diagnosis and treatment of fevers peculiar to the Illinois country." During the War of 1812 he offered his services to Gen. Harrison in the Canadian Campaigns, but was rejected because of delicate health, which fortunately he outgrew in later years. During the Black Hawk War he was surgeon of the Third Illinois Regiment. He was personally acquainted with Abraham Lincoln when the future master-mind was a boy in Spencer County, Indiana, where the doctor practiced in early life. Losing track of the boy, he had almost forgotten him until he was elected to Congress. Upon meeting the doctor one day in Jackson- ville, Lincoln extended his hand to Moore and asked him whether he did not remember his former patient. His memory refreshed by this allusion to former days, the doctor gave him a hearty handshake and the customary felicitations were extended. Little thought did he then give to the man's possibilities. But in after life he reverted often to the incident with feelings of great pleasure in speaking of it to his friends. Though interested in public matters he held but one local office, that of township treasurer of school funds. When he married j\Iary O'Neal in 1823 he joined forces with one of the most illustrious families in the Revolutionary War days, for her father received from Patrick Henry after that struggle a grant of land as a reward for braver}'. Again as the War for possession of the Northwest Territory was prosecuted, he served under St. Clair and later Wayne. Her brother also saw service for his country in the War of 1812. A romantic incident has been handed down from this family that recounts the stirring scenes those on the side-lines witnessed in the War for Independence. A neighbor lady of the O'Neals in Virginia was shocked after a battle in their vicinity by the appearance of a wounded British soldier who dragged himself from the scene of 416 HISTORY OF MEDICAL TEACTICE IN ILLINOIS caruage to her door to ask for care and relief of his suffering. The good ladj^'s heart went out to the strieken man and she proffered him a drink of milk. This he drank ravenously and, to her dismay, most of it escaped through a rent in an abdominal wound. He remained at this house until nature healed his wound and ultimately transferred his allegiance to the patriotic cause. Dr. B. F. Rodgers came to Belleville in 1849. He had practiced both in Ohio and Kentucky before coming to Illinois. He settled in Jackson- ville following his service in Belleville. A Doctor's Pro-Slavery Tendencies Assuaged by the Plight of Runaway Slaves Many tales are recorded about the part physicians played in the "Underground Railway" movement and here may be recounted how one of them, though his leanings are reputed to have been with those who favored the use of negroes as chattels, answered the dictates of his heart, in a true Christian spirit, when put to test and aided the escape of slaves who resented an outrage about to be perpetrated against them and their families. One very cold night in December in 184G J. B. Turner, from whose narrative this account is taken, found to his great surprise, upon entering his barn, ]\Ir. Irving, a pronounced abolitionist, who told him he was secreting in a nearby abandoned cabin three females who had escaped from the slave market in St. Louis. He implored Mr. Turner's aid in rescuing them, for if they were left there, they would certainly freeze to death. Turner agreed to watch them while Irving watched the police, who were searching the negro section of the town for fugitives. Turner with a bludgeon in hand went into the cabin to investigate. Not a sound nor a response to his "hello" emanated from its darkened chambers. "I am your friend," spoke he, to which assurance the half-frozen females responded and rose to follow him. They informed him that they had been out for a week, were members of the orthodox M. E. Church and escaped to prevent their being sold and transported to plantations away from their friends and relatives. In single file they followed their leader, dodging behind trees and fences to avoid detection, for they could see the lanterns of the police as they were relentlessly pursuing their search for breakers of the law of property rights, f Realizing that the police would continue to search the premises of confirmed anti-slavery citizens and that his charges assumed the pro- portions of a white elephant, figuratively speaking, though literally they were as black as the night, he was undecided how to proceed. The thought then possessed him that Dr. Pierson, whom he knew to be a t Mary Turner Carriel, wife of Dr. Carriel, whose two sons were also prom- inent Illinois physicians, was the daughter of J. B. Turner. .Mi;.mi;ki!s ok tiik Kaciitv ok Kimi .AIM'Uai ('oI-Lkge (1) Daniel Brainard: (2) James Van Zandt Blaney; (3) John McLean; (4) Moses L. Knapp; (5) Austin Flint; (6) Graham N. Fitch. Plate loaned by the Societjj of Medical History through the courtesy of Dr. George H. Weaver and Dr. Morris Fishbein. [See P. /.''.? I THE CENTKAL COUNTIES 417 generous old man, even though he had been classed as a pro-slavery adherent, might give them shelter. The doctor lived on the old Post place a mile or two west of town and by the time they arrived at his door they found one of the women had her feet so badly frozen that she had fallen upon the roadside some distance behind. The first thought of their benefactor was that she had been apprehended, but after a search they found her. With fear and misgivings Mr. Turner rapped at the doctor's door, and called: "Here we all are. Doctor; I found these strangers . . . you must either protect or betray us." Their calculations concerning the doctor's humanitarianism were correct, for as an elder in the Presbj^terian church he had long since found that God's word was a better guide than man-made laws, as to the proper con- duct in human relationships. He replied : ' ' Come in, Mr. Turner, we won't betray you; we w411 do the best we can for them. Wife, these people need some hot coffee and something to eat." The doctor and his good wife kept the negro women for a week or two, during which time they were nursed and restored to health sufficiently so that they could be transported rapidly in Mr. Turner's sleigh (drawn by his best team of horses) to the Canada line, which they reached without furthei molestation. Another instance of assistance rendered by the profession as conductors of the "Underground Railroad" with its many stations and methods of assisting runaway slaves in escaping their masters, is recorded in a newspaper editorial in the lUmoisan of Jacksonville, I\Iay 6, 1843, which states, "One Dr. Richard Eells, notorious for having attempted last summer to steal and run off a negro, the property of ]\rr. Durkee of Missouri, was recently tried for his rascality and found guilty." At the same time this editorial was printed Julius A. and Dr. Samuel A. Willard were indicted for harboring a runaway slave and the case against the doctor was dismissed. "A year later he was again indicted for another attempt to railroad an escaping slave. He threw himself on the mercy of the court." For this heinous crime he was fined one dollar and costs. ^^4 244 "A Pioneer Medical School." By Carl E. Black, M. D., JacksonA'ille, Illinois. (Read before the Society of Medical History, Chicago, December 14, 1911.) History of Morgan County, Illinois. Donnelley, Lloyd & Co., Chicago, 1878. Pages 410-412. Beginnings of Medical Education in and near Chicago. Geo. H. Weaver, M. D., 1925. Pages 17, 68, 75, 78. 79. Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois. Cook County Edition. Munsell Pub. Co., Chicago, 1901. Vol. I. Pages 10, 174, 204, 433, 434, 450, 455, 456, 139. Information furnished by C. H. Rammelkamp. Illinois College, Jacksonville, Illinois. "Historic Morgan and Classic Jacksonville." Chas. M. Eames, Jacksonville, 1885. Pages 120-124. Journal of Illinois State Historical Society, Vol. XVIII, No. 1. 1925. P. 18, 19, 46, 53, 55, 101, 141, 179. Edward Mead, M. D. the Pioneer Neuropsychiatrist of Illinois. Geo. H. Weaver, M. D. Bulletin of Medical History of Chicago. 1924. Vol. Ill, pp. 279-292. 418 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Scott County "Dr. James Leighton, of Manchester, may be considered to have been a pioneer physician of Scott Connty, although not among the earliest here, and for many years he was a leading member of his profession in this part of Illinois. He is widely known and honored, for he has not only been the beloved physician, but the dear friend, in many a house- hold, where his soothing touch has healed disease or stayed death's ravages. He has now retired from active practice, though notwith- standing his advanced age he is in full possession of his faculties and preserves his physical powers to a wonderful extent, enjoying excellent health, and frequently may be seen riding horseback to look after some of his farms or other property near here. Wliile attending to his pro- fessional duties Dr. Leighton has displayed an active propensity for business and finances and has accumulated wealth, and owns considerable valuable real estate in Greene, Morgan and Scott Counties, besides houses and lots in IVIanchester. ' ' So writes the biographer. The doctor was born in 1806, in Harmony, Somerset County, IMe., coming of sterling New England stock. He was carefully reared by his parents and given the advantage of a liberal education, attending at first the district schools, and at the age of sixteen entering Bloomfield Academy, preparatory to studying medicine ; in that institution he was a pupil for portions of three years. Shortly after his twentieth year he began the study of medicine in Bowdoin College, and received his diploma in 1831, having pursued a thorough course of instruction and taking high rank for excellence of scholarship. He established himself in the practice of his profession in the town of Monson, in his native county. In 1832 the doctor was married to Miss Ann Hall, a lady of superior intelligence and culture, who was educated in the Bloomfield Academy, of which her father, the learned Rev. James Hall, was pre- ceptor. He afterward accepted a similar position in Anson Academy, the same county, and died there in 1835. The doctor remained in Monson six years. And then deciding that the West offered great attractions for a young and well-instructed physician, he moved with his family to the then far-distant Illinois, it requiring a month to make the journey by public conveyances, overland and by water. He settled here in Manchester and, opening an office, was in continuous practice for forty years, not withdrawing from general practice until 1877. Those were busy years for him, as he had a large number of patients, and he won an enviable reputation among the members of his profession for his skill and success. During the fifty or THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 419 more years of his life in Illinois the doctor saw many eventful changes, and watched with much satisfaction its great growth in population, wealth and standing, till he saw it one of the richest and proudest states of the Union. When he came here the country was very thinly settled and the improvements were simple and cheap. Illinois was then entitled to a representation of only three congressmen, and all the State north of the northern line of Madison County was in one Congressional District. "Dr. Lelghton is a fine representative of the gentleman of the old school, always courteous, considerate, refined in his manner, gentle and kind in his disposition, and a general favorite with all. He has been much in the public eye of the community, and his wise counsel and enlightened views have made him invaluable as a civic officer. He has been trustee of schools for many years, and has been township treasurer seventeen years. He is entitled to the prefix 'Honorable' before his name as in 1844 he was elected to represent his district in the Illinois Legislature, and served with honor and distinction. He has watched with interest the political growth of the country, and has always been strongly in sympathy with the Republican party, having been an old-line Whig before the formation of the Republican party. He identified himself with the temperance movement in 1831, and has favored it ever since, being a strictly temrierate man in deed and word; in fact, he is in favor of all reforms. "August 15, 1864, death invaded the househoM of Dr. Leighton and removed the beloved wife, who had walked with him hand in hand over thirty-two years. She filled the perfect measure of all that belongs to a true and noble woman- hood. Dr. and Mrs. Leighton had six children." Dr. Clark Roberts, a graduate of Illinois College, located in "Win- chester after getting his degree in 1846. He retained his interest in his Alma ]\Iater, for in the catalogue of the institution in 1847 he was named as one of the censors of the medical department. -^^ Early History op Greene County and Its Practitioners South of the series of small lakes, in 1778, in the area adjoining the Illinois River was the winter home of the Peorias. Later the Kickapoos and the Pottawatomies warred for possession of that hunters' paradise. During the trying times preceding the War of 1812, Tecumseh's activ- ities made these tribes restive. To offset this menace the whites organ- ized a volunteer regiment of rangers, whose headquarters were at Fort Russell, to protect the settlers. To cover the great distances involved in their mission, these vigilantes were almost continually in the saddle. The first permanent settlement was made south of Macoupin Creek in 1815. By 1818 the Indian titles were extinguished through a treaty with the Kickapoos consummated by Auguste Chouteau and Benj. Stephenson on the part of the United States, which opened the country for homesteading. Shortly after 1820, when a petition was presented, a separate county was established. 245 Portrait and Biographical Album of Morgan and Scott Counties, Illinois. Chapman Bros., Publishers, Chicago, 1889. Page 486. 420 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Dr. Titus Cornwell Leaves a Legacy tuat was not Distributed Among the Stipulated Beneficiaries To will for posterity and expect those desi^iated to carry out the provisions of that bequest, to fulfill its obligations, is placing too much credulity upon the integrity of humans away from the supervision of the descendants of the deceased. At least, so it seemed, according to the collectors of historical data in Greene County, where the doctor formerly lived and prospered and accumulated a considerable amount of real estate. After leaving this State he moved to New York, where he died in 1855. Upon opening the will in that city it was learned that Greene County was one of its beneficiaries. The will stipulated that all of his Illinois property was to be divided into four-fifths and one-fifth. The income from four-fifths was to be used to buy books upon the subjects of physiology and hygiene, these to be distributed among school-children of the county without cost, for one hundred years at least. The income from the other one-fifth was to be divided equally between two medical institutions. The value of the property bequeathed was about $10,000, a considerable sum in those days. No record, says the historian, has been found that these books were ever distributed. Several other physicians supplied the county with medical attention in the early days. Dr. Thaxton was the first, coming in 1818 or 1819, when there were not enough white people to practice upon. Savages were plentiful to impede the progress of the brave hearts who con- ceived this county to be a fit place in which to live. Dr. Throckmorton and Dr. Cyrus A. Davis, who represented the county when it had suffi- cient people to be represented in the State, were among the earliest arrivals. Doubtless they had enough to do to keep up the quota necessary for representation, for in 1833 they were in the throes of an epidemic of Asiatic cholera that destroyed fifty of the struggling colony. At Carrollton, Dr. James B. Samuel, who is on record as having lived a spotless life. Dr. 0. B. Heaton, who was stated to have been of consider- able worth, and Dr. B. C. Wood, who combined practicing with preach- ing, held forth. Blatehley C. Wood, M. D., and D. D., was born in North Carolina in 1797 and spent his youth in the pursuit of the ancient occupation of husbandry. Following the plow gave him time to think upon higher things. He had abundant evidences in the growing plants about him that a Supreme Being was at work for the benefit of mortals like him. Introspection brought forth the realization that his heart was not right in the sight of God and he forthwith became a member of the M. E. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 421 church, whose divine services directed him to study for the ministry. He studied under ministers of the Presbyterian and Methodist churches and was ordained in 1822. To the mountain villages of Tennessee and Kentucky, as a circuit preacher, he repaired, and there the thought brought forth by human suffering urged him to prepare as well to minister to the physical welfare of the poor. "With this in view he studied under Dr. J. E. Cook, of Kentucky, and later Dr. J. Brady, of Tennessee, and in 1829 began to practice the art of healing among those he served in a spiritual way as well. In 1834 he came to Greene County and for fourteen years he practiced until others arrived to look after the sick. He then went back to the vocation nearest his heart and pursued his career in the ministry until 1878, when he became super- annuated. Twenty years in the practice of medicine and thirty years in the ministry, with time for the acquiring of knowledge in Hebrew as well, sums up a service in the interest of humanity that has been rareh'^ surpassed. Dr. J. French Simpson, who hailed from Virginia, the place of his birth, in 1814, came to Carrollton in 1837 to keep a general store. He had finished his medical studies under Dr. Farrow, Medora, Illinois, in 1834. He continued to practice for thirty-five years and opened a drug- store to supplement his earnings. In addition to this he gave much atten- tion to the poor and for twenty years he attended to their medical wants at the county asylum. As an ardent temperance advocate his confreres nominated him for governor on that ticket. Finally he placed his surplus earnings in the hotel business and here his personality brought returns in increased business. Dr. Throckmorton, of Carrollton. had an extensive practice and supplied the village of Greenfield with such medical attention as was needed, but he was not accessible at all times. Doubtless, there was some grumbling among these people and these complaints reached the ears of Dr. ]\Iartin A. Cooper, an unmarried Tennesseean. He proposed to domicile there if encouraged by the natives. He promptly received the solicited encouragement in the form of a cabin erected by the people. This commodious apartment, twelve by fourteen feet in dimension, was intended for the doctor, and for him it was ample. But the doctor wanted a little time to close affairs in the South and left with promises soon to return. He re-appeared shortly with a bird for his cage, a lady not averse to occupying the same space at the same time. The law of physics which states this to be an impossibility was wrong when applied to human relations, for the small cabin had ample space to furnish a full measure of domestic happiness for both. Of course when the 422 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS doctor's income improved "the cottage of content was deserted for a palace of cold splendor," to borrow philosophy, for the cottage with all its content could not hold the six additions to the family. The description of the extent of his practice, radiating as it did to some seven or eight villages located for miles around him, reminds one of Ian MacClaren's Dr. McClure of Dromtochty and his trips to Glen Urtach. That Dr. Cooper enjoyed just as much confidence in the American wilderness as did the famous Dr. McClure in his community, is quite evident from the statement that competitors tried to dislodge him, when Drs. Metcalf, Mayfield and Rice came but went again. And it was not until Drs. Ledbrook and Finch came, in 1850 and 1852, that he had to divide the business ; and then there had come additions to the community sufficient to support more physicians. His popularity can in a measure be accounted for by the voice of the past which states that he was a miserable financier, but made many friends through his gratuitous services during his long career and but a single formidable enemy. Among physicians mentioned as having practiced at Carrollton is "Dr. Potts, who lived near Carrollton." He came about 1821; Drs. Pegram, Dulaney, De Pew, Sharon, Johnson, Lashure, Coward, Bostwick, Gladwell, Hardtner, Thompson, Lindsey and Kingsley are also spoken of. "Dr. De Pew was here but a short time" and died at Carrollton at "an early age." "Dr. Johnson, also an allopathic physician, remained here but a few years," going to Michigan. "Dr. Lashure resided in Carrollton about two years, but his health not being robust, he emigrated to Los Angeles, California." Dr. J. Coward, an Englishman, practiced successfully in Carrollton several years, later going to Utah. "Dr. Thompson was the first physician of the homeopathic school to locate in Carrollton. He did not make this his home for very long." "Dr. Chester Gaylord was quite a well known physician in Carrollton and in the surrounding country. He remained here in practice for many years, and died at Cincinnati, Ohio, whither he had gone on the 4th of June, 1847, at the advanced age of 75. He was a strong believer in the temperance movement and a prominent member of the ' Sons of Temper- ance' order in the town." "Dr. Jesse Chorn, a talented physician, settled at Carrollton in 1830, where he practiced his profession for many years. He was formerly a resident of Clark County, Kentucky, and an excellent doctor." Dr. M. F. Kelly is said to have practiced in Carrollton for about a year, going to Madison County, where he remained two years, then returning to Greene County, and locating at Woodville. It is said that Dr. John C. Miller practiced in early days in Carrollton. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 423 Dr. C. Armstrong, a native of Tennessee, born in 1823, who graduated in 1847 after three years of study, locating in CarroUton in 1849, had more than average success and served his State as assistant surgeon at the siege of Vicksburg. "Among the honored physicians of the county perhaps there were none better known than Dr. Luther Cory, of Kane. He was a native of New Jersey, born February 18, 1789. When he was but a few months old his parents moved to Addison County, Vt., where they spent the balance of their lives. The doctor was reared there among the rugged hills of his adopted home, receiving his literary education at the Castleton Academy, Vt. When about twenty-one years of age he commenced the study of medicine and attended lectures at Castleton, securing there a diploma. He commenced the practice of medicine at Bridgeport, Vt., in 1813. ... He served two terms in the Vermont legislature. He practiced his profession at the above place over thirty years, when in October, 1844, he came to Greene County, locating at Kane, carrying on a farm aud practicing medicine. He died here on July 20, 1850." Dr. William Holliday, Dr. S. H. Culver, Dr. Gosnold and Dr. A. Bowman also served the county up until 1850. -^^ Early Physicians of Pike and Calhoun Counties From the time the Ross family arrived from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 1820, to make their home in the northern end of the military preserve set aside for the veterans of the War of 1812 for land-grants in the present Pike County, until 1850, "the panorama of human events therein could well furnish exciting episodes for several chapters of a novel." Atlas, the little world they had established in the wilderness, soon received a staggering blow, when pestilence laid low its inhabitants. The sickness they ascribed to the miasma they had liberated from the virgin soil by their plowing operations and the decaying fish that were left to die in the ponds after they instituted their primitive drainage schemes. Sad was the burial of some eighty of them, their coffins made out of puncheons of basswood hollowed out by the woodman's ax which they conceived to be necessary to give their loved ones the semblance of a decent burial. No individual slabs of stone could be erected with homely verse inscribed thereon to sing the praises of the departed ones whose remains were placed in a trench, for others were still sick and had to be nursed in the absence of physicians in the community. Evidently the physician of the Ross family, Dr. Henry J., had either 246 History of Greene County, Illinois. Donellev, Loyd & Co., Chicago, 1879. Pages 233-240, 299, 639, 377, 335, 504, 505, 498, 499, 377, 469, 470, 397, 421. Historv of Greene and Jersey Counties, Illinois. Continental Historical Co., Springfield, Illinois, 1885. Pages 568, 569, 578, 723, 668, 669, 725, 724, 772, 773, 730, 724, 728, 729, 727, 736, 726. For site of the Peorias' winter home, see Thos. Hutchin's map in this volume. 424 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS moved away or was one of the victims, for the historian relates that there was no medical aid any nearer than Louisiana, a village beyond the west bank of the Mississippi. Later, Dr. Ludlow settled in the river-bottoms and is recorded to have been the first physician in Atlas TowTiship. He practiced, as many of the earliest physicians did, according to the Thomsonian methods. "There was a man by the name of Davison who was found living as a hermit a few miles above the mouth of Spoon river on its banks by the first settlers In Fulton County. He was a physician and a man of culture and refinement. How long he had resided there before discovered by the whites is not known, but evidently for many years, as the shrubbery and trees that he had planted had grown quite large. He was selected as one of the first grand jurors for the Circuit Court of Pike County. He refused all intercourse with the whites, and about 1824 put his effects in a canoe, paddled down Spoon river and up the Illinois to Starved Rock, where he lived In obscurity until he died, which was a few years afterward." The earliest practitioners in Pittsfield were Drs. Campbell and Worth- ington, and both leave records of skillful service. These physicians arrived shortly after the Black Hawk War. Dr. 0. C. Campbell, a grad- uate of the University of Vermont, practiced till 1864, when he died, but Dr. Worthington continued for six years longer, when he, too, passed to the great beyond. He had acquired quite a competence through increased land values and his faith in these investments. Our informant of data concerning these gentlemen states from personal knowledge that Dr. Worthington was a fine, scholarly gentleman, one of the old school, with gray hair and a long white beard. He served his State as senator during his early residence there. He must have arrived in the county as a youth, for he was one of Nancy Heath's class, a famous teacher in the annals of the county. When he retired, he devoted his time to his love of the great outdoors in the Rockies, studying geological formations and kindred subjects. He was succeeded in the practice by Drs. Norris and Comstock, the latter of the two, dying early in life. Dr. A. C. Baker, a native of White County, attached himself to Dr. Worthington as a protege and later attended the courses in the Ohio Medical College, of Cincinnati, graduating there in 1837. He began practice in Pittsfield, but later located at Barry. Under his brother, Col. Baker, who had a contract to build a section of the Panama R. R., he went to the Isthmus to look after the welfare of the laborers in that malarial-infested region. Later, after his return to Pike County, he got the wanderlust of the times for the golden state of California. Cross- ing the plains with a herd of cattle he returned safely the next year, Members of the Facui-ty of Rush Medical Coli.p:ge (1) Wm. B. Herrick; (2) John Evans; (3) Thomas Spencer; (4) Nathan S. Davis; (5) Alfred W. Davisson; (6) Josiah B. Herrick. Plate loaned hy the Societtj of .Medical Histori/ of Chicago. [Sec P. l!i<)\ THE CENTKAL COUNTIES 425 after a gold hunting experience along Humboldt River. The need of surgeons in the army caused him to enlist in the 71st Pennsylvania Regiment in the Civil War. He was for many years the oldest living practitioner in Barry, and one of the oldest settlers of the township. Dr. Clemmons, born in 1817 in North Carolina, studied in the Louis- ville College of Medicine, graduating in 1841 and practiced in Pike County for eighteen j^ears, closing his career in Greene County. Dr. John A. Thomas, another pioneer of Pike County, was born in Virginia in 1818. As the son of a physician he started the study of medicine at the early age of fifteen. He borrowed books freely from physicians' libraries and got what he could out of them until he studied under the guidance of Dr. Ballard, of Louisiana, Mo. Betweentimes, during the season of the school term, he taught the young of that age. In 1843 he moved to Pleasant Hill and began practicing. But as he was a self-educated physician, and as he felt he should have a diploma, he presented himself before the faculty of the Missouri Medical College, in 1859, who upon examination thought him well enough qualified to receive a degree. The Illinois State Board of Health subsequently gave him a certificate granting him permission to practice. Evidently he had acquired enough knowledge to impart some of it to others, for he lectured upon the physiology of the brain and upon the abstract subject of moral pliilosophy. As a devout churchman, he espoused the cause of temperance. He acquired through his earnings eight hundred and forty acres of land. Dr. W. D. C. Doan, another son of a physician, was born in Ohio in 1828 and came to Pike County in 1848. In his youth, at eighteen, he studied medicine under his uncle. Dr. E. Bennett, of Clemont County, Ohio, and at twenty-two began practice in this county, locating at Perry, where he acquired two hundred and fifteen acres of land from the pro- ceeds of his practice. Religious devotion was a strong characteristic of the early physicians and the doctor was an earnest member of the Chris- tian church. After several years' service he moved to Kansas. Dr. Hezekiah Dodge, from Virginia, located at Bayville, and the county wag comments facetiously upon his physical features thus: "Long, lean and lank and moved upon a spindle-shank." Dr. Bennett and Dr. Phillips are others casually mentioned in the records. Asiatic cholera in 1848-49 infested the region and taxed the skill of the medical men. Other pioneers who practiced in Pike County after 1833, but whose attributes have not been recorded in the source material at our command, are Drs. Dunn, Carey and Sutphin of Perry, Stoner, Harvey, Skinner, Higgins, of Griggsville, McKinney of Barry, Fortune of 426 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Pleasant Hill, Norris, Casal, Doss, J. L. Edwards, Spencer, Hodgen, of Pittsfield, and the Henrys, of Rockford. -^"^ Dr. Vanderventer Presents Posterity with a Gruesome Inheritance Our age, -with its superabundance of crime, is no worse than other ages, apparently, though because of the greater number of people, and the wide publicity given criminal acts, there would seem to be more. The early law breakers were just as daring as those of today and dis- played a bravado that we can not condone, but which brings forth admiration of its possessor, in speculation of how much good he could have done if he would but have employed his talents for the constructive phases of life, instead of its destructive side. With this in view is recounted a story of one Franklin, who started his career by petty rob- bery of a gun belonging to a settler. He was apprehended, found guilty by the judge, who meted out the sentence of twenty-five lashes on his bare back. This was inflicted publicly and the prisoner bore up nobly during the ordeal, displaying a stolid indifference. It was thought then that he had had punishment enough to go forth and sin no more. But liberty again gained was not improved in righteous living by the des- perate man. He committed another crime shortly afterward and was again taken into custody. His cunning stood him in good stead, for he eluded his captors and was again at large. Tracked to Fort Edwards, his pursuers again took him captive, but unable to jail him at the place of capture, they took no chances of losing him again, so laced him to 247 An interesting business agreement reproduced from tlie original document is printed in the Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society, Vol. 32, 1925, page 87, in an article by Dr. C. S. Nelson. The principals in this agreement, Dr. Orrin S. Campbell and Dr. John T. Hodgen, both practicing physicians in Pike County, formed a partnership in 1853, to cover a period of five years. Evidently Dr. Campbell owned the office and its equipment and had established a good practice, for the document places pecuniary obligations upon Dr. Hodgen for one half the cost of the medicines and medical furniture, for which he was to pay Dr. Campbell $30. According to the stipulations in the document Dr. Hodgen was to do most of the night riding and attend to most of the surgical practice. For his part of the work Hodgen "should be entitled to % of the proceeds of the joint business of the concern for the first two years and ^2 the profits of the business for the three remaining years of the partnership and said Campbell shall receive the re- maining proportions," so records the instrument. There also appears in the agreement a statement which shows that even in the beginning of his career Dr. Hodgen would not give up his teaching position at St. Louis Medical Col- lege, for it records that "Said Hodgen shall have the privilege of being absent during each winter, during four months and said Campbell shall say whether during this time the joint proceeds of their business shall be divided or whether each shall retain the proceeds of his own business." If Campbell would so elect to work independently during Hodgen's absence it was to be understood that he was to pay for the medicines and office expenses of his own practice in the interim, until his partner returned. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 427 a mule, tying his feet underneath the animal's abdomen. Thus they resolved to transport him to the jail at Edwardsville. Coming to the fording place over a creek, they found that a hea\'y rain had made the water high and a halt was called to consider the best way to proceed. The cunning Franklin saw in this indecision of his captors a chance to elude them. Urging the animal on, he ignored the entreaties of the posse to beware of the torrent. He j^elled back that he would "go to h — 1 and kick the gate open" for them. This was no idle boast, for to the bottom of the raging stream did the desperado and his steed sink before the opposite bank could be reached. Franklin's body was buried upon the bank of the creek and that saved the authorities the cost of his maintenance and prosecution. The question arose in the mind of the judge. Where was the prisoner, since he did not arrive at the jail? To this the captors answered, "We drowned him." The learned judge, mindful of the majesty of the law, answered, "You will have to account for him in some way according to law." Some time afterward, the historian states, "Franklin's bones were exhumed and wired together by Dr. Vanderventer and the skele- ton is now in the possession of his family at Versailles, Illinois." ^^^ Adams County Pioneer Physicians Dr. Thomas Baker, from New York, previouslj'' mentioned in this work, was the first physician of the county, for it was not until 1824 that colonists first settled upon the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi, where now the beautiful city of Quincy stands. Following Dr. Baker, who moved to Mercer County, where he was accidentally killed by a kick from a horse, came Dr. J. N. Ralston in 1832, whose presence was soon felt in the community. A veiy forceful man was this pioneer physi- cian, for he founded the Adams County Medical Society, one of the few societies having an uninterrupted existence for the seventy-five years that the Illinois Medical Society has served the interests of the medical men of our state. Here, then, was a man whose life's history should be of more than passing interest to our fraternity. He was born in 1801, in Kentucky, the "Blue Grass State," that has brought forth many famous pioneers. His early education was as good as the times afforded 248 Pike and Calhoun Counties. History of Pike County, Illinois. Chas. C. Chapman & Co., Chicago. 1880. Pages 246, 200-202, 197, 780, 657, 658, 710, 711, 805, 735, 736, 614, 222, 227, 239, 204, 205. Information furnished by Dr. W. E. Shastid, Secretary-Treasurer Pike County Medical Society. History of Greene County, Illinois. Donnelley, Cassette & Lloyd, Chicago, 1879. Pages 473, 474. 428 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS and in early manhood he attended medical lectures at the Transylvania University, at Lexington, Ky. After graduation, Quincy, Illinois, was fortunate to have procured his services, for not only as a practitioner, but as an organizer, did this city receive his most earnest endeavors. Among his public-service acts was the organization of the public- school system, and as its president he directed its policies. The estab- lishment of a college for higher education next engrossed his attention and as president of Quincy College, a Methodist school, he put forth efforts that made the institution a force in education of the youth of the middle west. In fraternal circles his name will ever be asso- ciated with the organization of the first Masonic Lodge in Illinois. In everything pertaining to civic growth and betterment this busy man of the early nineteenth century was interested, and when his death came in 1876 few men could say that they had accomplished more than Dr. Ralston in this short span of life that is our dispensation. Dr. Samuel W. Rogers, a colleague of Dr. Ralston who arrived shortly after him, also played a large part in the groAvth and development of the new settlement. Other physicians associated with these men in the organization of the Adams County Medical Society were : Dr. Daniel Stahl, Dr. M. Shepherd, Dr. Louis Watson, Dr. Adam Nichols, and Dr. I. T. Wilson. Dr. ]\r. Shepherd was the first vice-president of the Society and the first delegate sent to the meeting of the A. M. A. At this historic meet- ing. Dr. John C. Warren presided, his fame being indelibly associated with the historic event of the first administration of ether by Dr. Morton upon a surgical subject at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. M. C. Pocock of Breckenridge, who hailed from Jefferson County, Ohio, came to Adams County, in 1837. He had begun his medical studies as early as 1832 and graduated with high honors at both the Cincinnati and New Orleans Medical colleges. He is reputed to have had a large practice in the county. Dr. Francis Drude, a graduate in 1842 of the University of Berlin, another pioneer, was a new arrival from Germany in 1848, when so many left that country because of political persecution. He soon adapted himself to the new surroundings, learned the language so as to speak it fluently, and was a power for good in the community. "Representing the County Society, he organized in 1869 the first Board of Health in Quincy and served as its registrar and chief officer, without any but nominal compensation, for 20 years or more. Dr. Drude has left a very complete record of our early cholera epidemics," a copy of which ap- pears in this work. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 429 Daniel Stahl — Illinois College Faculty "One of the most interesting characters met with among these early teachers of medicine in Illinois is Daniel Stahl. His sterling personal qualities and charm combined to make him a good teacher, a splendid practitioner and consultant, and an efficient medical ofiBcer. "He was born in Gilserberg, Germany, July 12, 1807; he was educated in Germany and attended the Universities of Munich and Vienna in 1828 and 1829. In 1832-1833 he attended the University of Marburg, where he was a fellow-student of Pelissier. In 1833 or 1834 he came to America. He first went to Philadelphia, where he continued his studies of medicine and the English language. He received a medical degree in 1844 from Western Reserve College, Ohio. By 1835 Stahl had settled in Vincennes, Ind., and in March of that year became a member of the Vincennes Medical Society. While in Vincennes he married Therese DeHoule, whose grandfather came from France with LaFayette. Here also he lectured on anatomy and physiology at St. Gabriel College. He remained here until about 1841, when he located in Quincy, 111. "When the Medical Department of Illinois College was organized he became professor of theory and practice of medicine. Here he gave two lectures daily and appears to have been a popular teacher, several of the professors attending his lectures regularly. (While serving in that capacity he made some recognized contributions to the medical literature of the day and attracted the attention of Dr. Daniel Drake, a leading professor in medicine of his day, and in his book on "Principal Diseases of the Valley of North America," Drake gives hin credit for data contributed by him in 1842 when he traveled on horseback many miles for first-hand information upon the subject.) After one year, he dis- continued his lectures, probably because he could not afford to leave his family and practice to give lectures with little remuneration. "In the cholera epidemic of 1849 his wife was one of the first victims in Quincy. "About this time he published several medical articles. In one, entitled 'Sulphate of Quinine in the Congestive Modifications of Scarlet Fever and Measles,' he introduces his subject in this manner: 'In medicine we want no idle words, nor talk for talking's sake; we want facts, true observations, and laws and principles deducted from them.' In other articles he published trans- lations from German of articles on pyelophlebitis and transposition of the viscera. In this scholarly production, he maintained that the symptoms, etiologj% course, and treatment of western diseases were best taught by western physicians, schools and hospitals. He was a member of the medical convention for the purpose of organizing the Illinois State Medical Society in 1850, and a member of the committee on practical medicine. The same year he was one of the organizers and first officers of the Adams County Medical Society. He was depended on by the other physicians in his region in surgical cases. "In 1857 he retired from practice, went to Europe, where he put his children in Swiss schools, and visited the medical clinics of France and Germany. Owing to the financial panic later in the year, which affected his finances unfavorably, he returned to Quincy and resumed practice. "At the opening of the Civil War, Stahl entered the national service, May 1, 1861. For five years he served as surgeon in various commands, and was then brevetted a lieutenant-colonel and retired. 430 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS "On account of his health, he spent the last four years of his life in Paris, London, Dresden, Heidelberg and Baden-Baden. Here he occupied himself with study and attendance on lectures. Before his plans to return to America were realized, he died in Baden-Baden, Oct. 26, 1874. "His last instructions to his children were: 'The period during which I served in the army of the United States being the proudest of my life, I wish to pre- serve as heirlooms in the family my commissions and my sash. " 'Put a plain white marble slab on my grave with the inscription: "Daniel Stahl, M. D. Late Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel and Surgeon, U. S. V.' " "He was buried in the Protestant Episcopal Cemetery in Baden-Baden. "Stahl read and spoke fluently English, French and German. He was a real patriot, devoted to his family, generous, and had a host of friends." Dr. A. G. Pickett, late of Mattoon, Coles County, was born in Ken- ton Co., Ky., in 1826. The early life of this man was spent in study, for he took, after his preliminary schooling, the full course in Wood- ward College of Cincinnati and was graduated from that institution in 1844. After his groundwork in the fundamentals of learning he entered the Ohio Medical College to acquire a medical training. After three years of study he graduated and immediately began his life's work in Ohio. But after one year he left for Illinois, locating at Quincy, where he remained until 1861, when he entered the army as surgeon of the 50th Illinois Infantry. In 1864, after his discharge, he located in Moultrie County, where he remained until 1874, when he located in Mattoon. Dr. Pickett descended from several generations of physicians and by association with things medical the profession seemed to fall to him as naturally as if it were his birthright inheritance. A Pioneer Physician Forsakes IMedicine to Become an Eminent Divine It is not often recorded in history^ that a physician has left his early calling to enter the ministry, but Dr. David Nelson decided to make such a change. Born in the southland in the wilds of Tennessee in 1793, he in his youth attended the preparatory schools of his day and gradu- ated at Washington College in his home state. Deciding to study medi- cine, he repaired to Danville, Kentucky, and later entered the Phila- delphia Medical College, from whence he graduated and returned to Kentucky. The War of 1812 having commenced, there was much need for physicians in the army and Dr. Nelson offered his services to his country. The Kentucky regiment was ordered to Canada, where he THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 431 served the army as surgeon and, after the close of the war, started to practice in his own home town of Jonesborough, Tenn. Becomes an Infidel through Army Contact Being one who had had early training and strong religious convictions, it is rather strange that the contact with unbelieving army men should have turned him away for awhile from the faith of his fathers. But not long did he remain an infidel after again coming in contact with eminent men of the church. A good sermon by a minister of the American Board re-converted and determined him to study for the ministry. In 1825 he blossomed forth as a licensed minister and held pulpits in the Presby- terian church at Danville, Kentucky, and at Jonesborough, Tennessee. He soon saw the need of more schools to educate boys for the ministry, so he established Marion College near Palmyra, Missouri, and became its first president. His strong tendencies toward abolishment of slavery incensed the Missourians and he decided to cross the river to a soil where anti-slavery was more popular and where that great man Abraham Lincoln rose later to accomplish the banishment of it forever from the nation. Here in Oakland, near Quincy, Illinois, he tried to establish another school for the education of the youth of the day for the work of God. But through lack of funds it failed, and Dr. Nelson spent the rest of his days on the farm upon which the institution was to have been reared. Many literary papers were published by him upon religious and slavery matters, the best known of which are "Cause and Cure of Infidelity," and the pamphlet, "Genius of Universal Emancipation," the thesis that made the Missourians intolerant during his residence there. Reminiscences of the Cholera Seasons of 1849 and 1850-51, BY A Pioneer Physician, Dr. Trude "As the only surviving physician of Quincy who lived here during the whole season, it may be interesting to my children and the public in general to be informed what then transpired, how the cholera made its first appearance, how it was treated and with what success, and how it might and ought to be treated and met with in its future appearance. I leave this memorial as a kind of last will for the benefit of my survivors. I have been instructed and taught to consider cholera in a different light from the modern teaching. I can not imagine and think that the so-called 'comma bacillus' is the cause and the sub- stance of this dread disease. It is repugnant to my common sense to account for such symptoms as are prevailing in cholera, that this 'comma bacillus' could produce such symptoms, as, for instance, the changed voice, the vox cholerica, consisting in nothing but a mere whisper without all tone and 432 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS strength, the hollow, sunken eye with a black halo, the sharp-pointed ice- cold nose, the continual audible rolling of the gas in the bowels, the cramps in the legs, the asphyate condition, the paralytic condition of the skin, which will keep standing if elevated, above all, the unquenchable thirst, with a cold-pointed tongue, a continual effort to vomit or purge, of what? of a rice-water stool, colorless, odorless. No, such grave symptoms are not the result of the 'comma bacillus,' at least I do not believe it. I cannot adhere to such a doctrine, which, if true, has done so far no good at all in promoting a more successful treatment. "I have been taught that as the cradle of mankind was placed in the East — in Asia — as all progress of knowledge, every religion, every development of humanity took its course from East to West; so also we have to take the evils coming from the same region. These evils were the plague, the black pox and the Asiatic cholera. "In the year 1848 I arrived here after I had been in Mexico, during the war time the year before. I had found here of my colleagues Doctors Ralston, Nichols, Clarkston, Bartlett, Castle, Rogers, Stahl, Doway, Byrd, Oehlmann, Zimmermann, Roeschlaub and Woebken. Afterward, Rittler, Gireentho, Ehmann, Bucking, Bibras, Erler, Cohen and Lee, all of whom have died within the last two decades. This list of deceased physicians shows an alarming per- centage of mortality among them during this short time; it shows that the physicians, by their exposure to contagious and infectious disease, incur as much danger as those of the most dangerous vocation, the railway employes. As I alone am singled out to tell the tale, I will do so truthfully and faithfully. "Cholera made it first appearance in Quincy in June, 1849. It was imported by immigrants coming on a sailing vessel from Europe by way of New Orleans. It was a family by the name of Jost; they had lost the head of the family and two children from New Orleans here. They found shelter with their relative Leonhard Schmitt, living on Hampshire Street between 8th and 9th Streets. During the first months of its appearance the disease proved to be the most malignant in its character. Then it lost much of its virulence, appearing in a much milder form in 1850-51. The worst cases of cholera occurred at 1 to 3 o'clock in the night; the attacks were often so severe that when called an hour later we would find the patient in a state of collapse. In regard to mortuary records, Quincy was at this time in a rather primitive, unorganized, yes, chaotic, condition. No certificate of death was required, the two sextons, one American and one German, buried a corpse placed in a coffin box at once — when notified. Quincy had at this time scarcely a population of 6,000 inhabitants. Without records, it is therefore quite impossible to make an estimate of the per- centage of the dead. "Asiatic cholera is considered both contagious and infectious, that is, it is propagated by contact as well as by infected air. It is based upon a specific poison, whatever that may be, whose true nature has so far escaped our knowl- edge. The disease has so far never originated on American soil; it was always imported, and therefore a strict quarantine is deemed not only a wise, but very efficient, measure. It cannot be too strictly carried out, lest any one might escape and propagate the disease to those he comes in contact with. When called to a cholera patient we are treating only the most prominent symptoms. And right here I will express my views and experience in a very few words. As a general rule, do not attempt to overdose the stomach with medicines, as THE CENTEAL COUNTIES 433 long as the patient keeps sick at the stomach and suffers an unquenchable thirst, because he is but too apt to eject every and all medicines, thereby only aggravating the sickness. Rather, rely, in the beginning of the treatment, on an external treatment. Give the patient from time to time, say about every five minutes, a piece of clean ice the size of a hazelnut, let the patient suck, not bite It, and when the size of a pea swallow it. The ice will tend to cool the burning stomach. Then I would inject hypodermically a small dose (one- eighth or one-sixth of a grain) of morphine with atropin, to be repeated in about half an hour if necessary. Furthermore, I would make use of a strong liniment, of which chloroform and belladonna form the basis. This should be rubbed on the spine with a cotton flannel rag and after reaction on the skin the same liniment should also be applied to the stomach. A bag with hot dry salt should also be applied to the abdomen. The patient ought to be commanded with the greatest strictness to quietly keep on his hack. A suitable bed-pan ought to be used by the patient, who should be positively commanded not to get up. The excrements, both by the mouth and per anus, ought to be carefully preserved and buried at once in a hole dug in the yard and covered with quick-lime. The less opium is administered, by the stomach, the better it will prove for the patient if he gets over the attacks, for we are not then so apt to meet after- diseases, congestion of the brain, meningitis, dizziness, etc. Whenever diarrhea, with considerable rolling in the abdomen, is prevailing, I have found an injection per anus with a long tube of tannin with laudanum in a solution of starch water, very beneficial. For the severe and painful cramps in the calf of the legs the above-mentioned liniment of chloroform will prove much more efficient and pain-relieving than a general warm bath, even with the best applied massage; for I observed in. '49, when bathing was so generally recommended, that the patients were taken out of the bath more dead than alive, and that they all died within an hour or two later. If the cholera patient continually feels chilly, quinine with morphine ought to be used, either by the mouth, in wafers, or under both arms by inunction with lard. In the state of collapse, we should not give the patient up, however helpless the case may appear. Oft- times the East India treatment consisting of an injection per anus of rice- water with one or two ounces of strong brandy, has saved the patient. During the (present European) epidemic, hypodermic injections of strychnine have been used with gratifying results. This treatment is employed only in the stage of collapse. Five minims of liquid strychnine with equal parts of water are employed morning and night. In cases of entire suppression of urine, pilocarpin has been used with most excellent results. From heroic doses of medicines, particularly opiates, I have seen only the worst of results. The recollection of a few cases haunts me even now. I can boldly assert that in no other disease is the danger of being buried alive so great as in cholera. A person even in the state of collapse is often overdosed with opiates, and, falling asleep, is taken for dead and, in order to prevent the spreading of the disease, is buried within a few hours, almost surely to resuscitate in the grave. Here the necessity for a good morgue is imperative, and should be used in all doubtful cases. What- ever treatment we adopt, let it be carried out with energy. I cannot close these remarks without stating that I have experienced that fright is one of the worst agents to be overcome, for I believe the fatal cases are promoted by fright and hopelessness. In the stage of convalescence, when a heavy feeling in the 434 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS stomach predominates, with a sour taste, I would advise the use of 'Liquid Epispasticus,' an English preparation of cantharides and acetic ether. This ought to be applied at the scorbiculus cordis (?) with a fine hair brush; about 3 applications are sufficient to quiet the stomach in a short time and raise a blister within 6 or 8 hours which, however, after relieving the serum, heals up at once. This counter-irritation proves very beneficial. Pregnant women, if taken sick with cholera, have a mighty slim chance of recovery. Now one word about cholera morbus, which we meet with now and then and which sometimes is, from the beginning, as prostrating and as fatal as Asiatic cholera. This disease comes from irregularities in diet, such as overloading the stomach and cold drinks in a heated condition. It is never contagious, and is very apt to yield to a hypodermic injection of morphine, which I might almost pronounce a specific against it. Often (in Asiatic cholera) as soon as reaction takes place, we will notice symptoms resembling those of bilious burn (?) with congestion of the brain or liver. These symptoms require an active calomel treatment combined with morphine. The activity of the kidneys is always slumbering during an attack of cholera and even during reaction. An abundance of albumin will be showing, disappearing within 24 hours. I cannot close these reminiscences without mentioning an episode which occurred to myself. It was at the end of the most busy season of 1849. Daily, from early in the morning until late in the evening, I had worked. For many a week, every night, somebody would disturb my short slumbers. (Old Pinkham had derived the most benefit from my practice, for he furnished me a buggy in the morning and a fresh horse in the afternoon.) Once at midnight I woke up dreaming that I was taken sick with the disease and would be a corpse at daylight. This horrid dream had produced a cold sweat all over my body, the rolling of my Intestines could be heard by an outsider. Being wiped dry and re-dressed, I took a dose of calomel and quinine, each 5 grains, and lay down again. I soon found sleep, and rested till late In the morning, when I awoke weak, but restored, to resume my business. Dr. Woebken, a young German physician, having a great run of custom, presented a similar example which, unfortunately, ended his brilliant career. I recollect his case quite distinctly. He came to his office about 11 a. m., felt quite exhausted, and had to lie down. He told his friends at his bedside that he would be a corpse in about 3 to 4 hours. He had no confidence In any medicine, refused every advice and medication and made his prophetic words true. He died at 3 o'clock p. m. "Dr. Stahl, another German physician who had lived in Quincy about 6 years before the cholera season, after treating a good many patients with cholera and losing an alarmingly big percentage, felt so disgusted with the practice of medicine that he quit it entirely, having lost his wife and two children within one week. He went later to Germany and died at Carlsbad. "Almost had I forgotten to mention my old friend Dr. Lewis Watson, who lived here during the whole season. At 10 o'clock he would regularly frequent the then only fashionable Hall of John Nelsch's, take a big glass of Dayton Ale, into which he would Invariably put 5 grains of quinine, believing that it was a sure preventive of the disease. He moved from here to Ellis, Kansas. He visited his old friends here about two years ago. "Now, after giving away the salient points of my experience, if by any hints any one person is saved from premature death, I will feel richly recompensed for my effort." THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 435 It is quite possible that the doctor would change his views were it possible to resuscitate him long enough to witness the triumph of science over the disease he so valiantly fought with but indifferent success, with his limited armament. Several of the statements made, especially con- cerning treatment of Asiatic cholera, differential diagnosis and causa- tion of cholera morbus would in the light of present day knowledge be retracted by any progressive observer, even though schooled in a different age. ^^^ Dr. James Blackburn Establishes the First Tannery in Schuyler AND Brown Counties Although these counties were rather late in settlement, as was common for most interior counties, there are several historic points that seem to show that their topography was known before 1778, when a detail map was published entitled: "Map of the "Western parts of Va., Penn., Md., and N. C, and comprehending the River Ohio and all the rivers, which fall into part of the River Mississippi ; the whole of the Illinois river, Lake Erie, parts of Lake Michigan, Huron, etc. ; and all the country bordering on the lakes and rivers, made by Thomas Hutchins, Capt., 60th Regiment of Foot, London, published according to Act of Parliament, November 6, 1778." They were not settled, however, until in the thirties of the nineteenth century. Several notations on this map are of interest, in that they show that white men traversed this land in search of metals. That they found mines not of minerals, but what was to succeeding generations of more importance, coal, is evidenced by the naming of a small stream that passed through the hills to the Illinois, Mine River. But as the entire State was settling up rapidly in the thirties, all re- maining lands were entered by newcomers. Among these pioneers was a physician. Dr. James Blackburn, from Ohio. In his native state he had learned the tanner's trade and studied medicine in his leisure hours. When he came to Rushville he started a tannery to supplement his meager earnings as a phj^sician. But evidently he did not do as Avell in that location as he expected, for he moved in 1836 to Brooklyn, where he lived with his wife and three children until he died. Dr. B. V. Teal is said to have been the first physician of Rushville. He came from Pennsylvania in 1827, "met with a hearty welcome and 249 Beginnings of Medical Education In and Near Chicago. Geo. H. Weaver, M. D. Pages 85, 86. Quincy Medical Bulletin, May, 1925. Dr. Montgomery. Reminiscences of the Cholera Season of 1849, 1850-51. Article by Francis Drude, M. D. Published in Quincy Medical Bulletin, read before the Adams County Medical Society on December 12, 1892. History of Coles County, Illinois. Pages 553, 554. 436 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS was instrumental in giving the name to the county seat." Others were "Drs. Adams, Dunlap, George Rogers, Hall and Smith." In the village of Littleton were Drs. W. H. Wendow and Hosea Davis. Dr. North is mentioned in history as an early doctor of Huntsville; others spoken of were Drs. John P. Richmond, Samuel Clarkson and A. J. Meade. Thomas Munroe, M. D., was born in Maryland in 1807, grandson of Wm. Munroe, who was one of 135 men in and near Annapolis to protest in 1774 against certain acts of the Colonial Government under British rule, and later he joined the cause of the Colonies against King George. Dr. Munroe was educated at St. John's College, Annapolis, taking the full classical course and finishing in 1826. He studied medicine in his native state and attended lectures at the University of Maryland. Receiving his medical degree in 1829, he practiced several years in Baltimore, coming to Illinois in 1835 and forming a partnership with Dr. Shirley, later with Dr. English. He practiced at Jacksonville from 1835-1843, then settled at Rushville, where he remained until 1862, when he entered the army as surgeon of the 119th Illinois. History speaks of Dr. Munroe as an ''honorable man, honored citizen and a Christian gentleman." Dr. Isaac Vandeventer is said to have come to Brown County with his young wife from Virginia, in 1825, in a one-horse wagon. He taught school and studied medicine with Dr. Ross, of Pike County, graduating later from the Cincinnati Medical College (1830). It is said that he had a large practice, visting patients in Jacksonville, Griggsville, Rushville and Quincy, etc. Dr. Saul Vandeventer, a cousin of Dr. Isaac, went to school in Ohio and gained a knowledge of chemistry and anatomy from his cousin. ' ' In 1842 he began to devote all his time to the study of medicine and in 1844-45 attended lectures at Kemper Medical College of St. Louis, after- ward McDowell College. He practiced at Cooperstown from 1845 to 1852. "Dr. Bristow also came in 1828 and built his cabin in section 19 on Six's prairie. He was a native of Virginia and in an early day came to this state and first located in the American Bottom. Not liking that portion of the state he came to this county (Brown). He was the first physician of this settlement and was well beloved by his neighbors. ' ' It is said that Dr. D. R. Lucas, from Ohio, was an early settler in Brown County, coming to Mt. Sterling (then in Schuyler County) in 1836, after having studied in Indiana. Later he located at Ripley. The first resident physician at Ripley is said to have been Dr. Town, who came about 1843. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 437 History speaks of a Dr. Dunlap who was converted at a Methodist revival in Brown County in 1834, as was also Dr. Cossett, "an eminent physician, past middle age." It is said that Drs. North, J. P. Richmond and Hubert Grizzle were early physicians at Birmingham. ^^^ Dr. Chandler, an Early Cass County Physician, Finds Abraham Lincoln a Friend in Need A young physician. Dr. Charles Chandler, who had established him- self in Rhode Island and had built a home there through success in his calling, got the wanderlust for the much heralded prairie land in Illinois. This impelling force made him forsake the effete east for the land of ad- venture. If it were adventure he was seeking, it was there in central Illinois in 1831, when Black Hawk and his warriors were fomenting the unequal struggle against the superior race, whose encroachments upon the time-honored occupants of Illinois had resolved itself into a last stand of the red men. Dr. Chandler came up the Illinois River with the obvious purpose of settling at Fort Clark (Peoria). The captain of the steamer, however, announced his intention of not finishing the journey, because of the menacing attitude of the red men in the vicinity of that stronghold. This made necessary disembarkation of passengers and freight at Beardstown. With plenty of time on his hands, the doctor did a little prospecting by riding up the "Sangamon Bottom" with one Thomas Beard. The country around what is now Chandlerville seemed so inviting, with the green grass and wild flowers shooting up through the charred soil, made black by a recent prairie fire, that he decided to go no farther. Returning for his wife and daughter, he escorted the ladies to where he hoped they would agree with him should be the site for their future home. The lovely foliage of the trees and shrubbery just then in the eternal miracle of the spring awakening, and the luscious strawberries of which they ate their fill, were sufficient persuasion for their ac- quiescence, and the doctor entered at the land office 160 acres, and erected a cabin on his property. With a propensity for farming, Dr. Chandler, although late in arriving, chanced the plowing of three acres into which he sowed buckwheat. So rich was this soil that by fall he had an abun- dant harvest. By common consent among the settlers each adjoining "■''' History of Schuyler and Brown Coimties, Illinois. W. R. Brink & Co., Philadelphia, 1882. Pages 66, 64, 313, 365, 68, 302. 303, 70, 355, 339, 204, 205, 375. "Historic Morgan and Classic Jacksonville." Chas. M. Eames, Jacksonville, 1885. Page 304. 438 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS eighty acres of an entrant's land was allowed him until such a time as he could conveniently pay the required $1.25 an acre to the government, and enter it as his own. Unanimously this custom was upheld and to violate it placed one in the same category as that of thieves. Shortly after the doctor had settled there, however, an intruder named English arrived in the settlement and announced that he would enter the land adjoining that of the doctor. To this the doctor was no ob- jector, for he hoped to have the newcomer as a neighbor. But English had other visions and declared that he would enter the entire tract for himself and would proceed to Springfield at once to legally claim it, as he cared not for the customs of the country. Dr. Chandler's protesta- tions were unavailing, and the other started to put into execution his threat. This hastened the doctor to a decision to circumvent the inter- loper by taking a circuitous path to the land-office and forestalling his design. But the doctor had only fifty dollars on his person, and then (as now) figuratively speaking, money talked. Nothing daunted, he called upon his neighbor, McAuley, who advanced him fifty dollars more. Mounting his faithful steed, who seemed to scent that much depended upon his efforts, the doctor rode (as Paul Revere did in the historic past) by the back way, through the woods and prairies, to Springfield. When within about ten miles of the capital, he overtook two young men on horseback who asked what object could induce him to ride his horse almost to exhaustion. When he related his mission one of these young men proffered his own horse so that the doctor might cover the distance in quicker time, saying that he would follow slowly with the tired horse. But the doctor declined the kind offer and rode his faithful steed at a slower pace the rest of the distance. We are happy to record that he frustrated the designs of the avaricious English by reaching the land- office first. Not wishing again to take any chances of losing his land, he inquired where he might find a surveyor. The county surveyor, who was qualified to stake his land, lived in Jacksonville, then a day or two's journey from home. A neighbor informed the doctor that there was a better one, named ''Abe Lincoln," living in Salem. To this young surveyor was sent a summons, and when the young man arrived with his instruments, he proved to be the same one who so kindly had offered a fresh horse on the momentous ride to the land-office. Dr. Chandler seems to have been a pioneer in more ways than one, for it is said he was the first physician in central Illinois to adopt the use of quinine as a remedy, the first to inflict bodily pain to counteract the failure of respiration in an overdose of opium, and the first to oppose l^SE CENTRAL COtJNTlES 439 the nefarious custom of bleeding for every conceivable ailment flesh is heir to. That his services were considered a great blessing is evidenced by the statement that he was called to practice even before he had time to build a stable for his horse. This faithful animal was forced to sub- sist upon grass pulled up by the doctor, while his shelter was a tree that served as a hitching-post. It is stated that Dr. Chandler built the first cabin in the county, covered with split and shaved oak shingles. Despite the crudeness of this roof, it withstood the elements for twenty-five years. In this building he conducted a drug store and office. In 1836 he reproduced the commodious home he had left in Rhode Island, which he conceived was a just reward to his family for the sacrifices they had sustained in the wilds of the west. Illinois from the earliest days has been the scene of sudden changes in temperature and the historian records one such event in the winter of 1836-37, after a thaw brought on by very warm weather entirely out of season, with a heavy warm rain. In an incredibly short time it turned very cold and death followed for a vast number of cattle and fowl. Even men succumbed to the intense cold and it is said that one resorted to the expedient of killing his horse and disemboweling it, and crawling into the carcass, hoping thereby to avoid death in the open prairie. In the morning the gruesome sight of the dead man within the carcass of the horse revealed the extremity to which the man resorted in trying to preserve his life. In this same storm Dr. Chandler was returning from a professional call and saved his life only by thawing out his board-like clothing, which had been soaked in the rain before the change of weather came, stopping at four cabins and remaining long enough in each to remove the ice from his garments. As he came within hailing distance of his home his horse fell down, throwing him to the icy ground, from which he was rescued in an exhausted condition by members of his household. It is further recorded that he was a man of untiring industry, as well we might judge from the statement that he traveled as many as one hundred miles in twenty-four hours over territory that is now incorporated in the counties of Schuyler, Sangamon, Menard, Mason, Cass, Morgan, Brown and Fulton. As a builder he erected stores and small shops for artisans, to aid the farmers in procuring necessities previously secured only through a trip to Beardstown, over almost impassable clay roads. With his brother he embarked in the establishment of a general store and did a good business. Pork-packing was an extensive adjunct to this business and as many as 3000 hogs were slaughtered and packed for the market in a year. In 440 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS 1849 the Chandler brothers suffered a loss through fire, but out of the ashes there was raised another and better store, which also served as a post-office, with Dr. Chandler as the official in charge. Of his specific benevolences, which were varied, we call attention to his interest in church work, which was furthered by the doctor's dona- tions of lots for every church in the community except the Christian church, and for this he charged but half-price for the lot upon which that society built its meeting-house. For a public park he donated three lots and also the land for a cemetery; in addition to this he con- tributed liberally for their support. In conclusion we sum up his char- acter by the estimate his biographer gives us of the worth of the man to the community he so ardently fostered : "It is difficult to imagine the early prosperity of this settlement without the material and moral support of Dr. Chandler. He was the central figure in Its early history, and lost none of his prominence while he lived. Coming as a benefactor, he allowed no desire for private ends to swerve him from his chosen course. He sought to establish a center of civilizing influence; his was a mission of good, and the records of his time bear ample testimony of his faithfulness to such a cause; the sick, the unfortunate, found in him a helpful friend; public enterprises were placed beyond the danger of failure by his efforts; struggling merit never failed for lack of material aid when solicited of him, while his old account books, bearing the names of every member of the settlement in those early days, tell many a tale of his devotion to his people. His support of the church and school was liberal, frequent and voluntary. He labored for the common good and the elevation of mankind. Some three years ago, to the regret and sorrow of all who knew him, 'God's finger touched him, and he slept.' " We find that a Dr. Stockton settled in Panther Grove in 1830. Dr. H. H. Hall, said to have been a native of Ireland and a regularly graduated physician, came to Illinois in 1831 and entered several hundred acres of land, settling in Cass County in 1835. It is recorded that he had served in the British navy as surgeon and it is also stated that he came to America in that capacity during the War of 1812, and settled in Virginia in 1818. Coming to Illinois, he named his chosen town "Virginia" in honor of the state of his first residence in this country. It is believed that Dr. Hall was the first physician of the town of Vir- ginia ; it is said that he laid out and platted the town in 1836, and it is stated that he built the first house there, also that he was the first mer- chant; however, we learn that he only practiced in emergency cases. History tells us that "Dr. M. H. L. Schooley was the next physician and commenced practice about 1836." He was a graduate of Philadelphia Medical College. Dr. Schooley moved to Cass County, Missouri, in 1867. "Dr. Lord came about 1846 and practiced some three years in partner- Monument Erected in Otterville, Jersey County By "Black George Washington," one of the twenty-eight slaves Dr. Silas Hamilton liberated twenty-eight years before the "Emancipation Proclamation" was promulgated. Pfwtograph by H. Bell. [See P. -Vl')] THE CENTEAL COUNTIES 441 ship with Schooley." "Dr. Tate came in 1841. He was a graduate of the medical college of Ohio (Cincinnati) in the class of 1840." "Dr. Hathaway arrived in 1844 and kept the first drug store opened in the town (Virginia)." Drs. J. W. Fitch, Rue, Owen M. Long and Chas. Hochstetter are men- tioned in history as among the business men in Beardstown in 1834. "Dr. Geo. Engelbach came here (Arenzville) in 1834." He is said to have died here in 1844. "By profession he was a doctor of medicine, but gave up his practice and devoted his energies to farming." He was elected county commissioner of Morgan County in 1840. Dr. H. H. Littlefield, of Beardstown, was born in Maine in 1823. In his youth his parents moved to New Hampshire, where he received his primary education, which prepared him for his entrance into Bowdoin, from which institution he graduated in 1848, after two years of prepara- tion in medicine. Immediately afterward he took up his life's work at Beardstown, remaining there but a year, then moving to Schuyler County, where he lived until 1860. At the outbreak of the War, in 1861, he enlisted for two years' service in the Union Army, as assistant surgeon. From re-location in Beardstown in 1860, until his death, he remained a resident of that city. He was a member for many years of the Illinois State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. The collector of the facts upon which this compilation is based begs the reader to be indulgent and not too critical about errors that possibly have been incorporated in the text, and comments concerning them in the following vein : "The historian, like an insurance agent or an undertaker, has a thankless task to perform, no matter how diligently he may rummage through the dusty memorials of the past, putting forth his greatest powers to encompass every thing of any degree of appropriate importance, and to hand down to posterity an accurate and comprehensive record; it falls far short of what a great majority of people anticipated it would be. But there is one satisfaction, the coming generations will become more fair and consistent in taking in the situation, and will more fully appreciate the labors of the historian. It must be taken into consideration that but few of the first settlers are living; those that are, their memories and recollections are not what they were in the prime of life, and a history at best must consequently be but a partial narration of events." Dr. C. M. Robertson was born in Kentucky in 1821. He began the study of medicine in Woodford County, that state, with a brother who was a physician, continuing until 1845, when he pursued his studies with another brother, also a physician, at Rocheport, Missouri. Later he practiced in Cass County until 1850, when he went to Menard County. 442 HISTOEY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS In 1857 he moved to Plattsburg, Missouri, and in 1859 he came back to Illinois, settling in Tallula. -^i Menard County Medical Practice Previous to 1850 Dr. Charles "Winn is said to have come to Indian Point about 1820. "Among the early physicians were Drs. Winn, Abbot, Lee and Eatey." John D. Lee was born in Virginia in 1812, grandson of John Lee, physician and surgeon. Our subject was deputy postmaster in Win- chester, Virginia, at twelve years of age. He began the study of medicine in 1832, graduated from the University of Maryland in 1834 and prac- ticed some years in Springfield, Illinois, then, came to Menard County and practiced a year in Petersburg, after which he spent twenty years in the practice in Athens. He then moved to Indian Point and retired on account of ill health. It is said that none stood higher in reputation for "professional skill and as an honored and useful citizen" than Dr. Lee. According to the analysis of his worth by a native historian who re- views the past and compares it with the present, the pioneer doctor "would be liable to be indicted for cruelty to animals" if he attempted to practice in our day with the crude methods of the past ; in discussing the qualifications of Dr. John Allen, he records that he "had the largest practice of all the doctors and was a good collector." That, we might assume, if we read between the lines, is the cause of the scribe's rancor in describing the doctor's business activities. It is also recounted that in winter time he would take dressed hogs on account on his bills to the extent of two to three hundred at $1.50 to $2.00 per hundred-weight. These he would render and barrel up as lard and bacon and by spring he would have $1,000 worth of provisions to ship by way of the Illinois River at Beardstown (per steamboat) to St. Louis. Accordingly, be- cause of this business sense, he would collect most of his bills. Still thinking of the doctor's good fortune, the historian adds: "He doctored in the old style with calomil. If he had a bad case, the patient was most always salivated." Looking back upon this pioneer physician with business instincts, we find he hailed from the Green Mountain State, that state w^hich has sent ideas of thrift even to the White House in this day. Arriving in 251 History of Cass County, Illinois. 0. L. Baskin & Co. Edited by W. H. Perrin. Chicago. 1882. Pages 29, 125, 126, 43, 124, 132, 250, SO, 84, 149, 31, 170. Historical Sketch of Cass County, Illinois. By J. Henry Shaw. Beardstown. 1876. Pages 17, 18-21; 12, 25, 33, 34. History of Menard and Mason Counties, Illinois. 0. L. Baskin & Co., Historical Publishers. Chicago. 1879. Page 716. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 443 1834, he settled in Salem. Six years later he moved to Petersburg. "He was not strong physically, but did more to make the character of the people than any living man." In view of what the historian had said previously, we at least can say that if that be true he was a very useful man to the community, for he taught those pioneers thrift and the neces- sity of keeping their credit. And upon balancing up this statement, we find he was an active worker in the Presbyterian church. ' ' And he had hardly pitched his tent in Salem when there was preaching at his house." "When he m,oved to Petersburg but a few years elapsed before he erected a Presbyterian church. In addition to this his commendable thrift enabled him to erect a large brick residence. The old frame home he vacated served as the only church in town for many years. His new home was the mecca for his friends, who gathered there for such social intercourse as the times afforded. Doctor Allen was twice married and died about 1860. Dr. Regnier of the Tallula district and Salem, preceded Dr. Allen by several years, having arrived in 1828 or 1829. After four years of bachelorhood, he married. The writer of the time gives us a picture of the relative unimportance of physicians in the pioneer days of the county when he says: "In those early days people could not afford to get sick, and hence doctors were not such important personages as they are now. A man who owned a mill or a blacksmith shop was a 'bigger man' than any doctor, as it was supposed that the good wives could do all the 'doctoring' with catnip-tea and 'yarbs.' " Dr. Richard E. Bennett, in the Petersburg vicinity, who came in 1837; Dr. John H. Huglies, of Sweetwater; and Dr. Duncan, of Salem (a contemporary of Dr. Allen), who later took up his residence and prac- ticed at Warsaw, and is reputed to have been well-read and successful, are on the list of the countj^'s medical men of that period. "Reuben D. Black came from Ohio. . . . He was a plwsician and at last accounts was living in Missouri." While in Illinois he is said to have been at Sugar Grove. Dr. Walker is reported to have been the first physician at Indian Creek, but "he did not remain very long. Dr. David Meeker was the next doctor, and combined school teaching with the practice of medicine." This was, perhaps, in the thirties. "Dr. ]\Iorgan, at 'Old Sangamon Town,' was the first physician who practiced medicine in this neighborhood (Irish Grove)." Dr. James Smiek is mentioned in historj' as being an elder in the Presbyterian church at this place. He was born in Kentucky, studied medicine in Lexington, practiced there and in Indiana and came to Menard County in 1847. 444 HISTOEY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Dr. B. F. Stephenson was born in Wayne County in 1823. He grew up in Sangamon County, studied medicine Avith his brother, Dr. Wm. Stephenson, and with Dr. Clarke, at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and attended medical lectures at Columbus, Ohio, also at Rush Medical College, re- ceiving a diploma from the latter college in February, 1850. He went to Petersburg on graduation and acquired a large practice. "His first partner was Dr. Cabanis, an able physician and an excellent man." Dr. Stephenson was known as very social in disposition, of cordial manner, yet vitally interested in his profession. In 1866 he conceived the idea of the G. A. R. 252 Dr. Cabanis Performs an Amputation The fortitude of pioneers is well illustrated in an account of an accident to an early settler of the county, whose hand became caught in a threshing machine, which so mangled it that ami)utation was necessary. The surgeon was Dr. Cabanis and his assistant was Dr. Richard Bennett of Petersburg. Anassthetics at that time were not in use, so they proceeded and the patient steeled himself for the test. Once he asked for the privilege of moaning, which was granted him, but after his first outcry he did not utter another sound. -^^ A Town Lincoln Put on the IMap New Salem, now known as "Old Salem," near Petersburg, is a shrine that is growing in importance as the years go by and the magnitude of Abraham Lincoln's service to the nation is fully estimated. It was here that his early manhood was spent and his habits of study Avere formed ; also where his love for Ann Rutledge engendered expectations of a happy married life, which fate crushed by her death, to bring the first great sorrow to this man of many sorrows. It was here that in his forma- tive period he came under the influence of Dr. John Allen, and imbibed wisdom that was drawn upon in after life to solve the weighty problems that confronted him. Here he began his political and military career incident to the Black Hawk AVar and therefore this town can with pro- priety be called, as suggested by a local historian, "the Mount Vernon of the West."-53-a 252 History of Menard and Mason Counties, Illinois. O. L. Baskin & Co., Historical Publishers. Chicago. 1879. Pages 201, 740, 343, 352, 239, 373, 362, 380, 322, 287, 294, 365. Menard-Salem-Lincoln Souvenir Album. Edited and published by The Illinois Woman's Columbian Club of Menard County. Petersburg, Illinois. 1893. Lincoln and Salem. Pioneers of Menard and Mason Counties. T. G. Onstot. Forest City, Illinois. 1902. Pages 186, 187, 152, 153. Chicago's Highways Old and New. By M. M. Quaife. Pages 252, 253. 253 Jonathan Colby, Pioneer. Lydia Colby, Illinois Historical Collections. Vol. XVII, No. 3, Page 433. 253-a Dearborn Independent, May 8, 1926. (W. E. Barton, pages 7, 31.) THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 445 Logan County in Pioneer Days Before the year 1818, when Jas. Chapman, his family and his brother- in-law, arrived from Kentucky and settled on the Sangamon River above the present site of Springfield, no white men were known to have located within the present limits of Logan County. If any one saw the "beautiful groves and prairies" before that time it was the Indians or an occasional white hunter or traveler on his way to the far west. In- crease of settlers was slow, for the Sangamon River was wont to over- flow and very few ventured beyond to its tributaries that ramify throughout the confines of Logan County. Early ]Medical Men As early as 1829 some pioneers had pushed onward and settled in the vicinity of Mt. Pulaski. Prominent citizens of this northern por- tion of Sangamon County brought before the legislature in 1838-39 a bill asking for a separation from the parent county and their petition was granted. The question of giving this new political entity a name was decided by the citizens in favor of "Logan." Just which of the early men (or what place) bearing that name, Chief Logan, Dr. John Logan, his son. General John A. Logan, Judge Logan, or Logan County, Kentucky, was honored by this selection, is not definitely known. Though this petition was presented at the session above recorded, the act creating the county was not approved until ten years later. Dr. John Clark, according to our available source material, was among these early citizens of Mt. Pulaski, to render medical aid. He practiced among them into the forties, when Dr. A. C. Dement arrived to share the field with him. Dr. Alexander Shields, of Springfield, sometimes practiced at Mt. Pulaski in early days. Dr. Barton Robinson is mentioned in history as being prominent here, well educated, an excellent physician and public spirited man. He was from England, born in 1819. Dr. Robinson studied and graduated in London. He came to Mt. Pulaski in 1836. In 1858 he moved to Kansas. Because of its central location, Postville was selected as the county- seat and, as the city of Lincoln grew, this village became part of it. -^^ 254 History of Logan County, Illinois. Donnelley, Lloyd & Co., Publishers. Chicago. 1878. Pages 240, 227, 286, 288, 289. 446 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Early Practitioners of Piatt and De Witt Counties Before the coming of the regularly qualified physicians, in this, as in all sparsely settled communities, the inhabitants depended upon their own home remedies which they had learned to use through the instruction of their medical advisers in the states from which they had migrated. The practice of using herbs gathered from the primeval forest, distilled in the fireplaces, was of necessity in vogue by these trail-blazers. But as early as 1838 an influx of medical men placed the treatment of the sick upon a more rational basis. Among the earliest of this vanguard of ^sculapians was Dr. Burrill, who came in that year. The next year Dr. King arrived and located in Macon County in the locality that is now part of Piatt County. His medical training was obtained in Cin- cinnati, Ohio, that medical center of the early days. He found two or three others had preceded him, but he remained and served the com- munity until old age compelled him to surrender the work to younger men. Shortly after his arrival came Dr. Hillis who, like a ship passing in the night, moved on to other parts after a short stay. But a more permanent acquisition to the medical fraternity came in the advent of Dr. Hull two years later. This man "seemed to possess just the right qualities for a physician," as the records imply. "The memory of him, as a genial friend, com- panion and citizen, yet lingers in the hearts of hundreds of people." That this eulogium was not the product of an enthusiastic friend, we learn from the further statement that, ' * He has left an impress upon the minds of his professional brethren who were associated with him that will not fade away during their lives." We further learn that much of this inherent good nature could be ascribed to his love of the great out- doors with its manly sports of hunting, fishing and horseback riding. "His ear was ever open to the tale of distress and his hand ready to give. In fine, he was one of those strong natures, mentally and physi- cally, full of individuality, the type of man which is fast falling away. ' ' Dr. Christopher R. Ward, who located in Monticello in 1845, "soon worked himself into a very lucrative practice, the extent of which has not been surpassed by any physician in the county." Born of Scotch- Irish parentage in Abington, Virginia, in 1809, he possessed the prover- bial qualities of that race whose sons have migrated to the uttermost parts of the earth. The love of adventure manifested itself in him when yet a stripling. The mere mention of the finding of gold in north- ern Georgia and Alabama fired the spirit of the youth and he betook himself to the region reputed to possess the precious metal. The fact THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 447 that the ferocious Cherokees were in possession of the domain and were backed up by an iron-bound treaty and a proclamation by the President, hindered him not, and he joined many prospectors and fortune hunters who flocked to the region. But the authorities put a stop to the in- cursion by forcibh'' removing the intruders from the territory. Frustrated in this adventure, Ward studied medicine at Knoxville, Tennessee, and finallj- moved to Edgar County, Illinois, where he married. To support his growing family he did a little of everything, but prin- cipally farming and school-teaching. After the death of his first wife, he took unto himself a second helpmate and with this momentous oc- casion the consciousness came to him that he might do worse than to take up the practice of medicine. He decided wisely to try this venture away from the field of his varied pursuits, so the embryo practitioner wended his way to Piatt County. Before he had time to unload his goods, a citizen dangerously ill sent for him and, according to his biographer, "From that time until he was finally compelled in 1870 to relinquish his practice by the premonitions of heart disease, he never knew what it was to rest from his labors." Evidently unlike the days of Nicholas Nickleby, when failures in all walks of life took up teaching. Dr. Ward left teaching to find success in the more difficult profession of treating the sick. For fifty miles in every direction this pioneer visited the sick without assurance of reward save the esteem of his fellow- men. Some of these, lacking money, proffered produce as pay, but minus even this, their thanlcs sufficed. Dozing, at times, on his faithful horse as he rode over the trackless prairies on his errands of mercy from one lone cabin to another, surely his was a figure to give inspiration to a poet — if there were one in that desolate country. But the pioneers were too concerned in every-day struggles for subsistence to write an epic of the wilderness, so feebly we sing his praises in the prosaic historian's style. And finally when the call for his departure came in 1881, as a sufferer from cardiac disease, he arranged his financial affairs as methodically as if he were prescrib- ing for a patient. Awaiting death stoically, as befits a soldier who has battled with the grim reaper for others and now must succumb to the inevitable, he died as he had lived — with an indomitable courage. His son. Dr. John Ward, who adopted his father's profession and practiced successfully at Lovington, Illinois, died in 1875. Dr. Thomas T. Willits, as the oldest physician and settler in this county, deserves more than passing mention, for he was engaged in the practice for fifty-four years, forty-five of which were spent in almost 448 HISTORY OF MEDICAL TRACTICE IN ILLINOIS the same locality. As the Nestor of the medical fraternity, he impressed his own ideas upon his confreres, who acknowledged his chieftainship as teacher and friend and honored him as "the noblest Roman of them all," if we may quote the compiler of his history. Any man who could practice in a rural community for that length of time in the formative period of our State and live to a ripe old age was indeed a physical rara avis. And we are interested to know from whence this stock emanated. Dr. Ward was born in Ohio in 1805, and here we cannot help digressing a little to call attention to the fact that his parents were of that valiant stock of pioneers called the "Ohio Company," that was organized in New England after the Revolutionary War to colonize the beautiful valleys of the rivers of the Buckeye State, to hew down its forests and cultivate its soil amid the hostile Indians who later aided the English to make that fair country the scene of unparalleled carnage. And as that state became fairly settled, these people and their descendants moved westward into Indiana and Illinois to repeat the epic in civilization that has been the marvel of historians both in Europe and America and to which we owe most of our subsequent greatness. These pioneers, thrown upon their own resources, built up a hardy civilization that for achieve- ment in an incredibly short time has not been duplicated in all of the world's history. With this westward migration came Dr. Willits, first to Indiana, and then to Illinois ; and in giving a secondary account of his life 's work, one can but inadequately express the sense of obligation due to such men as this. Few physicians, in the immediate past, have lived to practice over half a century — with notable exceptions, such as Dr. Nathan S. Davis. Preceding that great physician of Chicago, Dr. Willits started practice in Illinois in 1837, locating a few miles southeast of Keiths- burg at the base of the Mississippi bluffs, where he remained until 1840, at which time he removed to New Boston. Dr. Nelson G. Coffin, of Monticello, who came to the county in 1847, was born in North Carolina in 1820. The Medical College of Ohio was his alma mater. After graduation his first location was in Vermillion County, Indiana, in 1843. The inconveniences of travel in the roadless swamps made his calling a hazardous occupation. Dark nights on horse- back, fording streams, covering long distances — this was the common lot of these men — and they had need of a great love for humanity, coupled with an iron constitution, to withstand such rigorous demands. To illustrate the hardships to which the early doctors were subject, the writer of these facts relates what was considered a good joke upon a physician in a neighboring county who was called one dark night to visit a patient on the Sangamon. After bidding his faithful wife adieu, Sarcophagus in Otterville, Jersey County Containing the mortal remains of Dr. Silas Hamilton, Gilbert Douglas, and "Black George Washington," whose spotless life assuaged race-prejudice, and whose love for his master made them inseparable in both life and death. PJiotograph by H. Bell, [i^ee P. 36.5] THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 449 he issued forth on his errand of mercy. Across the prairies without the guidance of a light he struck out blindly, with his unaided sense of distance his only guide. At last a light streamed through the brush from a cabin and the good doctor sallied forth, relieved by the thought that here at least he could get directions to the cabin of his quest. When he knocked at the door the startled inmate challenged his right to intrude : ' ' Who 's there ? ' ' He promptly stated his mission and was surprised by the lady 's retort : ' ' Why, William, is that you ? ' ' and the worthy physi- cian found that he had alighted at his own door and was talking to his own wife. This narrative may seem far-fetched to the practitioners of our daj^ especially in the cities where often night is turned into day by the revelers upon the gay white way. But to the country physician even of to-day, such mishaps are actualities he still encounters in the dead of the night. The compiler of this work was himself, some twenty years since, the victim of an impenetrable darkness in the out-of-the-way corners of Jasper County, Indiana, in the Kankakee River marshes. With not even stars to guide him, he found upon the break of day that he had been circling about for hours seeking an opening in the fence that led to the road, and had missed it only by several feet. He shudders thinking back upon these harrowing experiences in an open buggy with the temperature below zero. Then the long drive homeward against the driving wind finally brought him to the warmth his aching limbs wished for during the solitary night. None but one who has experienced the utter despair that grips one in a situation of this kind can realize the feeling that such exigencies engender. Yes, the pioneers' praises can not be exalted too highly. Dr. Coffin served his State and country in the army from August, 1862, until July, 1865, as assistant surgeon of the 107th Illinois Regiment. Dr. K. P. Hull, who lived a number of years in Monticello, was born in Virginia in 1810. At the age of twenty-four years, he settled in Circle- ville, Ohio. As a young man he studied medicine in Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia. He migrated to Illinois in 1841, taking up his residence upon the Allerton farm. Here he and his family lived until the death of his wife in 1849. Later he resumed his residence in Monti- cello, where he liv'ed until his death, in 1859. His biographer records him as being successful, and an oracle in matters of disease. A man in- timately associated with him says: "He was a man of big heart and noble impulses and generous to the extreme." Of Dr. Goodbrake, it is said: "No physician in central Illinois has a more honorable record than Dr. Christopher Goodbrake, of Clinton, De Witt County, and few enjoy a more extended reputation. ' ' His name 450 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS is indicative of his Cicrnifin or-igin and his birthpUiee was near Stuttfjart, his natal day being June 14, 1816. The j^outhful stories of the un- developed resources of America, combined with a spirit of freedom, induced his father to emigrate to the United States in 1821. Land was purchased near Salem, Columbiana County, Ohio, where he of whom we write grew to man's estate. . . . The district schools of the neighborhood afforded Dr. Goodbrake his fundamental instruction, and this was supplemented by lessons in the higher branches, received from his father and two other gentlemen. The parent was not only a fine scholar himself and capable therefore of imparting information, but he gave to his son much of his own enthusiasm and love of learning. To one of his other instructors the doctor is also largely indebted for the forma- tion of his studious habits. By the time he had arrived at his majority the young man had a good knowledge of English and also a fair knowl- edge of Latin grammar. "The profession of medicine was one upon which Christopher had set his heart and going to Allegheny City, Pennsylvania," he spent three years under able instruction in fitting himself for practice. "In 1840 he located in Ports- mouth, Ohio." Three years later he returned to Allegheny City, and in 1847 came to Clinton, Illinois, where he made his home. "Being anxious to acquire greater proficiency in therapeutics and being ambitious to excel in his profes- sion, the doctor attended a course of lectures at Rush Medical College, in Chicago, receiving a diploma from that institution in February, 1855. In his younger days Dr. Goodbrake was a frequent contributor to medical journals and made some important reports to medical societies." While conducting a general practice, he gave especial attention to surgery and wielded the scalpel with great skill, in consequence of which he enjoyed a large practice. "Upon the breaking out of the Rebellion in 1861 he was among the first to offer his services to the government. He entered the army as a member of Company E, Twentieth Illinois Infantry, being the first in Dewitt County to respond to the call for volunteers. His recognized skill secured for him the appointment of surgeon and he remained with his regiment until the autumn of 18G2, when he was detailed as Surgeon-in-chief of the Third Division, Seventeenth Army Corps, Army of the Tennessee. He served with honor in that capacity until September 19, 1864, when he was honorably discharged, having tendered his resignation, based upon the expiration of his term of service. "During his connection with the army, Dr. Goodbrake served as Brigade Surgeon on the staffs of Colonels C. C. Marsh, Michael Lawler and W. H. L. Wallace, and as Surgeon-in-chief upon the staffs of Generals John A. Logan, M. D. Leggett and Charles R. Woods. In his official capacity he took part in the battle of Fredericktown, Missouri, where the regiment received its 'baptism of fire,' and where he was the only surgeon on the field until after the enemy had retreated. He was also present during the battles of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, Briton's Lane Bogue, Chitto, Nickajack, Kene- THE CENTEAL COUNTIES 451 saw Mountain, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Lovejoy Station and the sieges of Corinth and Vicksburg." Dr. Goodbrake was a permanent member of the American Medical Association ; a life member of the Illinois State IMedical Society, of which he was president in 1857; he was the founder of the De Witt County Medical Society, was its first presiding officer and was permanent secre- tary for ten years. He was the local surgeon of the Illinois Central Railroad at Clinton and the examining surgeon for five or six insurance companies. Great interest in the cause of education was manifested by Dr. Goodbrake, who served five years as president of the board of education of Clinton. He assisted in all measures calculated to advance the sub- stantial interests of the city he had chosen for his home and served several years on the board of trustees. After the incorporation of the city he filled the mayor's chair one year, discharging the duties to the satisfaction of his constituents and with honor to himself. As an ad- mirer of the ancient and honorable institution of Freemasonry he at- tained to the thirty-second degree. He was made a Master Mason in Aurora Lodge, No. 48, at Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1843; exalted to the Royal Arch in Springfield Chapter, No. 1, at Springfield, 111., in 1852 ; created a Knight Templar and Knight of Malta in Apollo Commandery, No. 1, in Chicago in 1857; and received all the degrees of the Ancient Scottish Rite, from the fourth to the thirty-second, in Oriental Con- sistory in Chicago in 1884. In religion. Dr. Goodbrake was a Univer- salist, and in politics, an out-and-out Republican. "In April, 1847, Dr. Goodbrake was united in marriage with Charlotte Glea- son, of Brookfield, Mass., with whom he lived happily until March, 1872, when she entered into rest, leaving one child, a daughter. A man of generous im- pulses and cheerful disposition, true to the core in his friendly relations. Dr. Goodbrake had a host of well-wishers and many sincere friends." 255 Macon County and its Early History of Medical Practice Reminiscences of the unprecedented snow-fall of 1830-31 are fre- quently reflected in the writings of the early State historians, and it has been alluded to under several headings in this work. That it caused great suffering and destroyed the wild, as well as domestic, animal life. 255 History of Piatt County, Together with a Brief History of Illinois. By Emma C. Piatt. Shepard & Johnston. Chicago. 1883. Pages 147, 148, 329, 330, 265, 287, 288. Portrait and Biographical Album of Piatt and Dewitt. Chapman Bros. Publishers. Chicago. Pages 205, 206. History of Mercer and Henderson Counties, Illinois. H. H. Hill & Co. Chicago. 1882. Page 836. 452 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS and took a goodly toll of human life, has been recorded time and again, and that it caused great havoc in the harvesting of the pioneers' crops and getting them to market is evident without going at length into the details of the disaster. But when anecdotes are recorded concerning a great man who in his youth encountered all the hardships of the trying early times, we must pause to bring them again before our readers, * * lest we forget." Too much can not be said concerning Lincoln's stay among us, for of all men who have loomed above the horizon of history, none typifies more the very spirit that made us the nation we are to-day. As a resident of Macon County at that time, he, like others suffered from the rigors of that terrible season. "Late in the winter Mr. Lincoln (to whom we allude) and John Hanks with great difficulty made their way across the Sangamon to a horse-power mill owned by Robert Smith, five and one-half miles southwest of Decatur, for the purpose of getting some com ground." They found Mr. Smith in the field gathering the ears that were exposed above the snow. These he carried in a basket to deposit them in a sled. Mr. Lincoln was asked : "Do you labor under such difficulties on your side of the river?" "Yes," said he, "we have to do worse than that, for we have used up all of our corn, and now have to go to our neighbors for assistance." The sudden freeze of 1836, also a much-recorded catastrophe, took a greater toll in human life. That phenomenal change, from a melting- point to an extreme freezing-point, in a few minutes, caught those on errands of mercy unprepared, so that only miracles seemed to preserve them from death in pursuit of their hazardous calling. Dr. Thomas Read nearly froze to death on his way to Shelbyville on horseback in this death-dealing blast that stands out in the history of our State, noted from time out of mind for its sudden variations of temperature. First Physicians Arrive "Dr. Rook, in 1832, was the first physician to locate in Decatur. The num- ber of doctors has now increased to sixty-six in the city and ninety-five in the entire county. The old Macon County Medical Society was for a long time very prosperous, but some of its members died, others moved away, and then it declined. During the Civil War nine of our number passed their examina- tions in Chicago, before the army medical board, received their commissions, and served their country with honor. Dr. E. W. Moore was my partner for thirty-five years and he was one of the best men that I ever knew. Dr. W. J. Chenoweth now carries away the palm as pioneer. He has always been the right man in an emergency, an able, honest counsellor and fair to his com- petitors. The present Decatur Medical Society is in the height of prosperity and long may it so continue. Most of the diseases in early times were inter- mittent, remittent, and typhoid fevers, with a sprinkling of rheumatism, pneu- THE CENTEAL COUNTIES 453 monia, etc. Many of the houses on the prairie were small and contained only two or three rooms, and one bed might have three patients in it, two at the head and one at the foot. "This state of things continued until after the prairie had been tilled and the mosquitoes killed; then the great demand for quinine nearly ceased. Serious problems often confronted the pioneer physicians. There were no paved streets, electric lights, street cars or graveled roads. The tortuous Sangamon river flowed on our east and south; Stevens Creek, with its various branches, formed barriers on the west, north and northeast. If you went west on the Springfield road, northwest on the Mt. Pulaski road, north on the Bloomington road, east on the county farm road, or northeast on the road past Mr. Green's, there was the same old Stevens creek to be reckoned with, and the two streams so nearly surrounded Decatur that in a trip to the country you would have to cross one or the other. After a heavy rain, the bridges — if there had ever been any — might have either been washed away or below grade and one had better investigate before he crossed the stream and the benighted doctor might have to leave deep down in the mud one or more horse- shoes for good luck or as a memento of his trip. "Dr. John Grave Spear was one of the early physicians of Decatur, and came to Macon County from Kentucky in the spring of 1832, and first located on a farm three miles south of Decatur. On this farm was a loghouse, eighteen feet by twenty feet, with a wooden chimney and puncheon floor; also a small meathouse and stable. In 1833 he moved to Decatur, but the people not re- quiring his professional services to a remunerative extent, he went to Morgan County, soon returning to Decatur, where Mrs. Spear had relatives, a brother, Albert G. Snyder, and others." 256 Other early physicians are mentioned in various histories as having practiced in the county about whom there is but little further knowledge. Dr. William T. Crissey was in Decatur in 1830. Dr. B. W. Gorin, who was born in Christian County, Kentucky, came to Vandalia some time previous to 1831, when he left to reside in Shelbyville and then moved to Decatur, where he stayed two years. Evidently he went from there to Louisiana, Missouri, for he died in the latter place in 1874. The records state that Dr. Reed was preceded by Drs. Spear and Crissey in the practice. Dr. Cooper is given as the first resident physician of Long Creek Township (1840). Dr. Greeley is said to have been the first physician at Harristown, and the first physicians at Mt. Zion are recorded to have been Drs. Buchworth and Blayloch. Dr. Joseph King was born in 1810 and in 1839 became a resident of this county. Shortly afterward he married and settled down to his life's work. Two other physicians, Drs. Reed and Spear were in the field when he arrived, and Dr. Rogers came in 1840, making competition keen enough, with four to divide a none-too-great amount of work. But after a few j^ears, Dr. Rogers left the county, and as more settlers arrived there was more to do for the physicians who remained. Dr. King received his medical training at Cincinnati, and soon after his graduation he came back to practice in Macon County. The historian 256 Article by Ira N. Barnes. 454 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS relates that he had an extensive practice, which we grant to be true when it is added that he was called upon to see patients twenty-five to thirty miles distant. The doctor relates "some very amusing incidents con- nected with his early practice, and some that were not so amusing." Being lost in the prairies Avithout a habitation within miles of him, with numerous wolves barking about him, was not conducive to a great peace of mind of this wanderer on a humanitarian mission, and such ex- periences were the common lot of all pioneers of our calling. Dr. Ira B. Curtis' native state was Ohio, and he came of Revolu- tionary stock. He moved with his father to Illinois in 1835, to Round Prairie, near Springfield, and there attended school in a log building and also at Oakland, whither the family had migrated. At the age of seventeen, or in 1840, with twenty-five cents in his pocket and a brave heart underneath his homemade shirt, he left home to come to Decatur, where a sister, the wife of Kirby Benedict, a prominent lawyer, lived. That winter he attended school in a frame building which stood on William street, having for his fellow-pupils Richard J Oglesby, "Doc" Martin and Henry Elliott, who were well known to other residents of the county. In 1842 he taught school in Coles County. Returning to Decatur in 1843, he read medicine with Dr. Joseph King, and began practice with his preceptor in about a year and a half. In the fall of 1846 he entered the University of Missouri (McDowell's College). After one course of lectures he returned to Decatur, going into partnership with Dr. King. He attended a second course of lectures at St. Louis in 1848, and graduated in 1849. The spring of 1849 found him practicing in Taylorville. The same year he married Jane Butler, daughter of William Butler, of Decatur. He remained in Taylorville seven years, returning to Decatur in 1856, where he became a partner of Dr. W. J. Chenoweth. He served as a surgeon in the Civil War, and took charge of the hospitals at Mound City. His principal work was performed in the interval between the years 1846 and 1862, at the expiration of which period a stroke of paralysis affecting his lower limbs curtailed his active services. Unable to walk, his usefulness was confined to office consultations and as it was difficult to hold the favor of the public in those days in that capacity alone, he sought and was elected to the office of county treasurer, which position he held for six years. Dr. Stapp Eschews Medicine; Becomes Capitalist Dr. J. T. B. Stapp came from a valiant stock, but did not inherit a rugged constitution. His father was a Revolutionary War soldier who THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 455 received bounty lands in Kentucky, where Frankfort now stands, and where the future physician was born in 1804. As a young man Dr. Stapp studied medicine ; but, when he had finished, his physical condi- tion was such that he decided he could not withstand the hardships of general practice as they existed in the early days. It is said that in 1820 young Stapp migrated to Vandalia then the home of official life in Illinois. -^" While a resident there he married a frail lady who died six months after she became a bride. Here he occupied positions of public trust, such as auditor, receiver of public moneys and lastly as receiver for the ''Old State Bank," the tangled affairs of which took considerable time to straighten out. But at last the task was completed, and when the bank doors were closed he found himself in possession of enough silver bullion to fill a wagon, which was to be taken to St. Louis to be deposited there. He was called upon to solve the problem of transporting so much money through a rough country without molestation. Boxing the treasure in suitable casings, loading it into a wagon and arming himself with an old horse pistol, he acted as guard while a trusted hired man acted as driver. The nature of their cargo was not suspected by any one along the way, so they delivered their encumbrance without mishap. Moves to Decatur Vandalia, whose future seemed so bright, lost lustre and declined when the capital was established at Springfield, so Dr. Stapp and his relatives looked with favor upon Decatur, heralded as a place of promise, to establish themselves anew. But when they arrived in 1836, or about that time, they found it much over-rated and, of course, crude compared with the place they had left. The local boosters, however, lost no time in presenting the town's possibilities, for a man like Stapp, with twenty thousand dollars of real money and the possessor of land in Fayette, Jasper and Marion Counties, was indeed worth angling for. The doctor, a keen investor, decided to stay, though at first the expected growth did not materialize. After the coming of a railroad there was need for better business buildings, and it is recorded that Dr. Stapp and Ed. Smith did about all the building there was instituted. "If it had not been for those two I do not know what we could have done to get the town started," says the narrator. Though the consummation of this programme seemed all that was needed to put the boom into effect, yet the growth did not come as fast as was hoped for. 257 In all probability there is error in this statement as to the year of this event. 456 HISTORY or medical practice in ILLINOIS Becomes a Convert in a Revival "It is because of Dr. Stapp's connection with the religious life that he is remembered by many Decatur people of a later generation. It was about the year 1865 that he was converted. Up to that time he had been an easy man of the world who enjoyed life in a quiet way. He and J. R. Gorin were the best billiard players in town. There was a billiard hall under the room of Burrow's Bank, where the doctor and his companion had many a friendly contest, playing the game both excelled in, to the amusement of those who took interest in the pastime. The pastor of the First Methodist Church near by, viewed this tendency with alarm. It occurred to him that some of the business men of the town needed converting, so he started a revival." Old-timers say it was the most successful religious awakening ever held in Decatur. The Reverend Pitner, the instigator of the revival, did most of the preaching, and so eloquent was his appeal that when he gathered the sinners in the fold, and the final returns w^ere in, it was discovered that Dr. Stapp, J. R. Gorin and Colonel I. C. Pugh were among the saved. Two years later, in 1867, the Methodists who had withdrawn from the First Church started to build a church of their owTi, and in connection with that separation one of the doctor's associates tells the following story : "A committee of Methodists came to the bank one morning to tell me they desired to get a handsome subscription from Dr. Stapp to help them in building a church. They asked me how to approach him. I told them to name their church after him and that might increase his subscription. Closeted with the doctor the greater part of a forenoon, the committee emerged with a subscription of five thousand dollars, to which later was added three thousand dollars, for the church when built was named ' Stapp 's Chapel. ' ' ' When later the chapel was in full operation an Episcopal clergyman came to Decatur with a letter of introduction to Lowber Burrows. After having walked from the station to the bank, the clergyman rested, for he had come on a long journey. Presently he opened the conversation : "1 noticed on my way from the station a church that is dedicated to *St. App.' I thought I was well acquainted with the calendar of Saints, but, Mr. Burrows, I cannot for the life of me recall St. App. I would be glad to have you tell me who St. App was." In later years they changed the name from Stapp's Chapel to Grace Methodist Episcopal Church. In the new church building in North Main Street a memorial window was placed for Dr. J. T. B. Stapp, in grateful remembrance of the man whose donations started the first house of worship. The doctor died in 1882. Dr. Walters was the first resident physician in Whitmore Township, Memhkks or TiiK Faci-i.ty ok thk MKDUAr, Dfpaktmext ok Illinois Collkcje (1) David Prince; (2) Samuel Adams; (3) Daniel Stahl; (4) Edward Mead; (5) Henry Wing. Phttr locDi'd by the Society of Medical History of Chicago. [See P. S'.i'.i] THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 457 and soon after his arrival Dr. De Watney, of French descent, also arrived here. -^^ Champaign County's Early Physicians Within the confines of the county that now harbors the State Univer- sity there was much low land in 1830. This propagated mosquitoes and caused much sickness among its denizens. Their plight attracted a physician, Dr. Fulkerson. Unmarried was this newcomer, so he put up at the home of Mrs. Coe, a widow who lived on the north side of the Big Grove. Fever and ague, the scourge of the pioneer, gave him plenty of opportunity to test his skill and his patience. His patience seems to have become exhausted, either from overwork or lack of pay, for he stayed but one summer. Neither the prospects of the country nor the charms of the widow could compete with the allurements of the west that had beckoned him a welcome. Dr. James H. Lyon was the next to take up the practice, a year or two later, making his residence with M. Byers on a farm a mile or two east of Urbana. He, too, stayed but a short time, moving to the site of the present village of Sidney, where he remained for many years. This village owes its origin to the foresight of this doctor of the early nine- teenth century, for he laid out and platted the ground upon which it was located. Having started the settlement he worked incessantly for its advancement. The date and place of Dr. Lyons' birth can not be given, although he is said to have been a native of Kentucky. He was a lover of fine stock and owned considerable land in the county. He was one of the first persons to bring finely-bred animals into Champaign County. By those who knew him he is spoken of as a large, fine-looking man. In 1836 he was elected a member of the lower house of the Tenth General Assembly, which John Moses, in his recent history of Illinois, says "was one of the most remarkable bodies of law-makers that ever assembled in the legislative halls of Illinois or any other state." Among its members were included a future president of the United States, a defeated candidate for the same high office, six future United States senators, eight members of the national House of Representatives, a secretary of the interior, three judges of the supreme court, and seven 258 History of Macon County, Illinois. Brink, McDonough & Co. Philadelphia. 1880. Pages 117, 134, 135, 179, 184, 230. History of Macon County, Illinois. By John W. Smith. Rokker's Printing House, Springfield, Illinois. 1876. Pages 144-147, 175, 261, 265, 266, 253, 254. City of Decatur and Macon County, Illinois. Pioneer Publishing Company. Chicago. 1910. Pages 278, 289, 335, 337, 334. Decatur Review, January 21, 1906. (D. S. Shellaberger and Lowber Burrows.) 458 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IX ILLINOIS state officers. Here sat, side by side, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, the gallant E. D. Baker, John Logan, father of General John A. Logan, Richard N. Cullom, father of Senator Cullom, General John A. McClernand, "Uncle" Jesse Dubois and a host of other notables, in- cluding such names as General James Shields, Colonel John Hardin, U. F. Linder and Ninian Edwards. In the early forties Dr. Lyon left the county and in 1888 he died at Preston, Texas, Dr. Harmon Stevens was the first doctor to locate in Old Homer, but the exact date of his doing so is not known. It is thought, however, to have been some time in the thirties. He had a very large practice and is well remembered by some of the older inhabitants of Homer. He was one of the old-time doctors who believed in and gave heroic doses. He practiced medicine at Homer a great many years and then moved to Newton, Illinois, where he died in 1882. He was a native of Canada, and the date of his birth was 1810. Dr. John S. Saddler was the first physician to locate in the village of Urbana and came there in 1839. But how long he remained, or where he went, it is not now possible to ascertain. Dr. Winston Somers came to Urbana in 1840 and remained in practice there till his death, in 1871. He was born in Surrey County, North Carolina, in 1800, obtaining his education in the common schools of his native state. Like so many medical men, Dr. Somers taught school for a time as a sort of stepping stone to something more permanent. One of his pupils was Miss Mary G. Haynes, whom afterward he married. He began the study of medicine and, after qualifying himself as well as he could, considering the existing opportunities, practiced medicine in North Carolina for a number of years and in 1840 moved to Illinois. He rode all the way on horseback. On his way he stopped at a house in the mountains to remain over night. His entertainers lived in a primitive log-cabin and in the night Dr. Somers heard certain noises that he did not like. These made him suspicious and, getting up, he saddled his horse and rode away. Next day he stopped at a town and remained while a gunsmith made for him a brace of pistols and, armed with these, he continued his way and arrived at his destination in safety. The pistols were long in the Somers family as curiosities. A little later he returned to North Carolina and removed permanently to Illinois, bring- ing his family and belongings in wagons. Dr. Somers was of strong character and had in his make-up much of the firm, hardy fiber of the pioneer. He was, moreover, thoughtful and studious, and, not satisfied with his education, he applied himself anew and in 1853 graduated from Rush Medical College. Later he took up THE CENTEAL COUNTIES 459 the study of Greek and Hebrew and in these languages acquired enough proficiency to read the Bible in the original text. Dr. W. A. Conkey located in Homer in 1843 and continued in practice there till 1850, when he exchanged it for the much easier and more lucrative business of farming. When he commenced practice in Homer the territory included within the present limits of Homer Township con- tained but nineteen families. Some years since, Dr. Conkey returned to the village of Homer, where he lived till his death in 1907. The first physician to locate in Mahomet was Dr. N. H. Adams, who opened an office there in 1843. He died about the year 1846. Dr. C. C. Hawes came to Mahomet and continued practice there until he died in 1872. Early in the fifties Dr. C. L. Crane located Mahomet, where he re- mained till his death, in 1856, the result of injuries received by the bursting of an anvil that was fired on the Fourth of July. Dr. A. J. Crane, a brother of the foregoing, also practiced medicine there in the fifties. That ubiquitous public servant. Dr. Fithian, of Danville, overshadowed the home talent in greatness and was frequently called to the locality. Asiatic Cholera Takes its Toll in the County In 1832, when the Atlantic Seaboard and the Great Lakes region were in the throes of that great devastating malady, cholera, the sparsely settled isolated villages were comparatively free from the scourge. But by 1834 intercourse with the outside world brought sorrow to these settle- ments. One can picture with what consternation the citizens of Big Grove were seized, who knew the malady only by highly exaggerated reports, when in actuality it appeared in the Moss family and took, within a few days, the father and three of his children. Others were stricken — with no physicians nearer than Danville. And little difference would their presence have made, as the historian of the pestilence in that remote section implied when he stated : "It mattered little, . . for the medical science of that day had little to oppose 'the pestilence that walketh at noon and wasteth at night.' " Again, in 1854, about the time of the completion of the building of the Illinois Central in the county, the disease made its re-appearance in Urbana and several persons were victims of it. Laymen Comment Upon Health Conditions in the Early Days Speaking of malarial fever, which he calls "miasma," one says: "It sought out and attacked every new-comer for twenty-five years in the 460 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS form of fevers, fever and ague and bowel complaint, and often stuck to them until they were too thin to make a shadoAv, and often until the shadow of death had usurped the place of their shadow." Another who comments inelegantly, yet expressively, in a similar vein, adds: "Pale men and women and little ague-ridden, pot-bellied children were the rule, and healthy constitutions the exception." He then gives a list of those whom he had known personally who had gone to the beyond, victims of the insidious enemy of the pioneer — an enemy that added so greatly to his discomfort and so impeded his progress. No eulogy in poem or prose can do justice to these bold spirits who left home and creature comforts to give us this heritage, the benefits of which we of the third generation are receiving in hundred-fold propor- tions and to whose self-sacrifice we scarcely give a thought in our security and affluence. Enemies from without, in the form of savages who resented their encroachments; white enemies, more savage because of their mercenary tendencies, uncontrollable by law; and the insidious enemies, the invisible disease germs from within — remembrance of these precludes the possibility of our "tuning" in with the song of the idealist who yearns for the "good old days." We in the upper story of civilization owe a debt that we can never repay to those who built the foundation of the structure. With our feeble attempts at laudation, we spasmodically erect a few monuments, grudgingly contributing our money and generally discharging this debt in a most perfunctory manner. Areas hallowed by these martyrs of the past we allow to be desecrated by a commercialism that brooks no interference. The man who raises a protest to such desecrations is designated a "bug" or a "back number" in this materialistic age. The Pioneer Era Under this heading one of our committee on "Medical Practice in Illinois" gives us a graphic description of early physicians, which reads as follows: "During the Pioneer Era a variety of causes conspired to especially handicap the practitioner of medicine on the frontier. To begin with, by reason of circumstances over which he had little or no control, he often began profes- sional duties with inadequate preparation. Seventy-odd years ago medical colleges were few in number and, for the most part, poorly-equipped. Then, with the poor and slow means of locomotion that characterized the period, these colleges were but little short of inaccessible to the majority of the medical students. Moreover, medical books were not plentiful as in our time, and those that could be had were relatively high priced. Medical periodicals were few, and upon these the postage was so high as to be, in effect, almost prohibitive in many instances. Rarely was it that the pioneer doctor had taken THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 461 the required two courses of lectures necessary for graduation; indeed, he was fortunate if circumstances had permitted him to take one course, and, not infrequently, his sole qualification for the important business of caring for the life and health of the frontiersman was a period of office tuition taken in an older state with some doctor of local reputation. Then, after beginning prac- tice, he was embarrassed by the great difficulty of obtaining the needed supplies in the way of medicines and instruments. The great city was many miles away and the means of reaching it slow, tedious and uncertain. Thus, limited in education, limited in opportunities for self-improvement, limited in means for treating disease, the practitioner of the frontier was compelled to fall back upon himself and depend upon resources near at hand. "Consequently, if books and periodicals were scarce, those on hand were read with care; and these well-scanned, then the great book of Nature was turned to and from its open pages no end of practical knowledge was obtained. The result was that, while the pioneer doctor was in no sense a learned man, he In time became a ready, observing and resourceful man. And if, in some emergency, an instrument was needed, he could improvise it; if a particular drug was indicated, its substance was gathered from the fields or maybe ob- tained from some crude mineral. "But, while self-reliance and resourcefulness were his noble virtues, the pioneer doctor was not without his faults — faults, let it be said, in extenuation, almost wholly due to his environment, but faults nevertheless. Lack of familiarity with medical literature, and of opportunity to exchange views with his fellow practitioners in medical societies and kindred meetings, had a tendency to make him narrow, opinionated and over-confident. The result was, that if he was fortunate enough to escape the fate of sinking hopelessly In the mire of prejudice, he was almost sure to settle deeper and deeper in the rut of routine. Hence his long use and persistent abuse of that old therapeutic tripod, bleeding, blistering and heroic doses of calomel." 259 Dr. Fithian, of Vermilion County, Ser\^s the State as a Spy in THE Black Hawk War In the annals of Vermilion County reference is made to the valorous conduct of Dr. Fithian and George Beckwith, who were sent out as spies to forestall the possibilities of ambush attacks. The Black Hawk war- riors had shown by their massacre of the Hall family, at Indian Creek, that the war was on in earnest and that the uprising had to be dealt with summarily. "With this in view, volunteers flocked to Danville to protect the sparse settlements on the Fox and Desplaines rivers and their tributaries. In two hours a company of these brave men were 259 A History of the Early Settlement of Champaign County, Illinois. By J. 0. Cunningham. Published in Champaign County Herald. Pages 13, 18, 19. History of Champaign County, Illinois. Brink, McDonough & Co. Phila- delphia. 1878. Pages 19, 137, 149, 91. Medicine in Champaign County, Illinois. By Charles B. Johnson, M. D. Cham- paign, Illinois. 1909. Pages 27, 7, 77, 381, 6. 462 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS on the march to the relief of the endangered settlers. Among these was Dr. Fithian, who acted as surgeon, but volunteered for a more hazardous service, that of learning the movements of the enemy. One evening the doctor and George Beckwith were sent out to reconnoiter and then return to a designated spot where the company had elected to spend the night. Passing a grove, their horses became unmanageable from fright. Frantically did they urge them on, but without avail. Further progress seemed not advisable, so they returned to the place Avhere they expected to find their comrades. The clatter of horses' feet brought the campers to their feet ready for action. "Who goes there?" shouted the sentinel. Thoroughly alarmed lest they be mistaken for the enemy. Dr. Fithian chokingly answered : ' ' Friends. ' ' The answer came quickly from the soldiers with leveled guns : "If friends, advance at once and give the countersign or we will blow you to h — 1 ! " It is need- less to add that this command was quickly complied with and a disas- trous mistake avoided. The danger they escaped was nothing compared to the danger their horses scented when they became unmanageable at the grove, for Black Hawk's warriors were ambushed and ready to take them captive had they advanced, which fact was ascertained in an inter- view with the recalcitrant chief by Major Beckwith, while the Indian was a captive at Jefferson barracks after his defeat at Bad Axe, which ended the dream of returning power of the red men. Valiant in the unequal struggle, they went to their doom with the stoicism that has characterized their dealings with the white men from the beginning of hostilities between the two races. In his public life as a legislator Dr. Fithian was conservative. Serving at a time when great activity in railroad-building tended to public ex- travagance, he steadfastly objected to a lavish expenditure of public moneys and predicted financial ruin if all the railroad projects pro- mulgated should be undertaken at that time. The State then was also financing canal-building, so far-seeing statesmen such as Dr. Fithian foresaw that revenues from taxation could not meet all these demands. But an orgy of public spending was on and no man could stop the tendency of the times. A pet railroad scheme, the Northern Cross Rail- road (Wabash), was voted for and, as public money was sure to be wasted anyway, the doctor succeeded in getting that portion of the work running through his county started first. This took a large portion of the .$1,800,000 appropriated and, in consequence, when the pre- dicted crash came, Vermilion County had the benefit of the work finished. There was no resumption of this work until 1853, fifteen j^ears after- THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 463 wards, when it was used as an outlet for a railroad across the State from Decatur. The heavy work already accomplished was too valuable to be abandoned for a more direct route and, consequently, Danville was benefited when this road became the connecting link. Thus his adopted city profited signally by the foresight of one of its pioneer physicians. Having acquired large tracts of land in Danville, he furthered the development of the county by donating a right of way through his holdings. He had great faith in Illinois although not a native son, for he was born in Cincinnati in 1799. Moving to Springfield, Ohio, and, later, to Urbana, in the same state, he is reputed to have built the first houses in both places. In Urbana he began to study medicine and practiced later in Mechanicsburg, returning again to Urbana to associate himself with his former preceptor. He came to Danville in 1830. From this county he was elected representative in the Ninth Assem])ly, having as a colleague Lincoln, who was serving his first term in the legislature. Later the doctor served a term in the state senate (1834-1838). He was a life-long member of various medical associations which he served actively for many years, for he lived until 1890 in Danville. Dr. Payne was an early practitioner in the county and remained in Georgetown for two years, when he left for Iowa. Dr. Isaac Smith, from Tennessee, commenced practice here as early as 1830. History states that Dr. Theodore Lemon, Danville physician, passed a "long life of usefulness in Vermilion County." He was born in 1812. After being educated at Bunker Hill, Virginia, he came to Illinois in 1835. Dr. Lemon taught school for one term, then began practice of medicine. Dr. Holmes and Dr. Wood; Dr. David Knight, Drs. Heyward and Davis, of Georgetown, Dr. Blood, Dr. Palmer, of Danville, and Dr. Thomas i\Iadden, of Carroll Township, are said to have been doctors of a very early time. Dr. A. M. C. Hawes, who came in 1836, was educated in Lafayette, Indiana, where he studied under Dr. 0. L. Clark. As a printer, in early life, he absorbed knowledge that he employed as an editor of the Lafayette Journal. His work in the profession was eminently successful, extending over a wide field ; Vermilion, Edgar, Champaign Counties in this State and frequently crossing the border into Indiana, covering a period of active life for half a century. Helping to organize the county medical society, he became its first president. His literary gifts were employed by that society in the compilation of the history of the pro- fession in that section of our State. 464 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Other Physicians Compete with the Regulars Thomsonians and Indian doctors practiced their art with some degree of success, according to lay opinion in the early days in the county. The Thomsonians were known in popular parlance as "steam doctors." They concocted their own medicines and according to the scribe of their day added new material to the materia medica. The Indians, with their roots and herbs, had a considerable vogue in their day. Wacun root was one of the new remedies brought out by these enthusiastic hunters for new panaceas, and had a considerable vogue as a cure-all. Like ginseng, it depended for its popularity upon the state of mind of the people of the locality, rather than on its therapeutic value. A Physician Loses a Patient by Suggesting Heroic Treatment In 1821, when Absolom Starr, a new settler, went hunting for an elusive * ' coon, ' ' his shoe abraded his heel. Infection followed and home remedies were applied in lieu of calling a physician, for, as the scribe puts it, "Doctors were not as thick as blackberries." After trying ineffectually to cope with the disorder, he concluded cancer had set in and was "working rapidly on him," so the couple went to the nearest practitioner, at Palatine. ' ' The doctor there agreed to warrant a radical permanent cure for fifty dollars, casually remarking in an undertone something about cutting off the limb if other powerful remedies failed. ' ' The perturbed sufferer, having neither cash nor the inclination to submit to such heroic treatment, declined the services. In deep sorrow they went back home, for the only support for the wife and four children were the products of the cultivation of two acres and a garden plot. They had no relatives to aid them in their distress, and here surely was a gloomy picture, with sinister forebodings. In this extremity a friend in need presented himself in the form of a neighbor, Henry Johnson, who gave them the harvest of two acres of his cornfield, which forestalled starvation. Not having availed themselves of the medical services proffered, they cast about for lay advice, which has always been freely given. This brought forth the knowledge that there was near by an old Indian doctor, who styled himself "Old Bonaparte's Indian," the title probably being assumed by this illiterate in admiration of the military genius of the general whose name then was a household word, even in remote portions of the world. This medicine man, as the story goes, went seven miles to the Vermilion river-banks to collect herbs which he concocted into remedies which soon had the effect of curing the disease. Thus it would seem that bad prognoses were as unpopular in pioneer days as they are in our time. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 465 But the dear old Indian doctor with his reputation for miraculous cures has been superseded, first by the Chinese doctor, who diagnosed by the pulse only, and now by the osteopath, the chiropractor and the Christian Scientist. How the public does like to revel in the discovery of new gods with inherited superiority, rather than to seek advice through the regular channnels of science. 2*^° Iroquois County Iroquois! What terror did that name strike in the hearts of the earliest denizens of Illinois ! Memories of sudden attacks and ruthless massacres. Surely it would seem that such a tribe 's name should not be perpetuated in a commonwealth where it wreaked such havoc in un- civilized warfare. But when we look into the way by which fault came and consider the bravery of these Indians and the only code of honor they knew, and when we recall that they had a legitimate cause for revenge, we agree with the early historians who felt that a river and a county should be named after them. Members of the one-time Algonquin federation, whose home was in Canada, they were banished from that tribe. Taking up their home in western New York, their presence there was felt throughout the entire country. The Algonquins were a vanishing race who hoped by alliance with the French to regain their power. This association only hastened the downfall of the tribe and that of all their allies at the hands of the valiant Iroquois. This almost total annihilation of the Algonquin tribes, who had occu- pied the Illinois country, and who were friendly with the French (claimants by right of discovery and colonization) made the Iroquois the dominant tribe of a vast tract almost to the very back door of the French colonists in the "American Bottom." The Iroquois and their allies, known as the Five Nations, "conveyed in 1701 to the English, with whom they made friends, their beaver hunting grounds, northwest and west of Albany including a broad strip on the south of Lake Erie, all of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, as far as the Illinois river." ^^^ The grantors reserved the right to hunt therein for them- selves and their descendants forever, and the grantee was expected in return to protect them against all invaders. 200 History of Vermilion County, Illinois. By H. W. Beckwith. H. H. Hill & Co., Publishers. Chicago. 1879. Pages 344-347, 350, 351, 309, 370, 381, 519, 520, 498-500. The Past and Present of Vermilion County, Illinois. S. .1. Clark Pub. Co. Chicago. 1903. Pages 825-827. History of Vermilion County, Illinois. By Lottie E. Jones. Pioneer Pub. Co. Chicago. 1911. Pages 309, 402. 261 Beckwith in his History of Iroquois County, page 223, says this deed was executed on the 13th of July, 1701, by the Sachems of the Five Nations, con- 466 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Ubiquitous were the English subsequently, in their quest for land and trade gains, but not one had as yet traversed this great domain which they disputed the right of the French to hold and to exploit for its furs. In the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, the first in which the status of Colonial America figured, Britain diplomatically strengthened its claim to all of the country between the AUeghanies and the Mississippi, by virtue of this cession of the Iroquois, who were recognized as their subjects, though no definite boundaries were specified in that instru- ment. Surely this was a broad expanse, the right of possession of which, any casual observer could discern, could not stand without dispute. It is not our province to detail these struggles for supremacy of this tast hunting-ground that furnished the civilized world with furs for several centuries, but it is ours to point out that when the fur-trade diminished, Iroquois County was one of the last to hold out against the influx of the agriculturalists who supplanted the hunters. And, as our history is much more concerned with these settlers and their doctors, but a short sketch of their predecessors will be given in this work. GuRDON Hubbard Establishes a Trading Station on the Iroquois When Gurdon S. Hubbard, a long-time employee of the American Fur Company, whose name is indelibly associated with early nineteenth- century history of Illinois, moved to Danville, he established a direct line of communication with Chicago from that point which is known in history as "Hubbard's Trace." Upon the Iroquois River along this route he established a trading-point that is known to historians as "Bunkum." This, then, was the first real settlement in the county. A Pioneer Physician Establishes the First Tavern In the vanguard of the men of medicine was Dr. Timothy Locey (also spelled "Locy"), w'ho came in 1831, not to practice for a living, but to veying the territory to "William III King of Gt. Britain," and is to be found in London Documents, Vol. 4, page 908. The westward limit says the deed "Abutts upon the Twichtwichs (Miamis) is bounded on the right hand by a place called Quadoge." He quotes Eman Bowen's map as a verification of his de- ductions, "which shows a pecked line extending from the mouth of the Illinois, up that stream to the Des Plaines, thence across the prairies to Lake Michigan at Quadoge or Quadaghe, which is located on the map some distance southeast of Chicago." This is a cartographer's map made to show the topography of the country at the time of the Treaty of Feb. 10, 1763, a copy of which is in possession of the Chicago Historical Society under the title, "Accurate Map of North America by Emanuel Bowen and John Gibson," with an insert "Map of Baffin and Hudson's Bay," No. 30 of "Early American Maps." Upon it is printed copies of the treaties made between the English and Iroquois up till that time. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 467 open a tavern at Montgomery. Perhaps he had opportunities to practice his art among his guests and the first stragglers who happened in to the country, but more definite knowledge concerning him is denied us. A Colony of Norwegians Prior to 1833 the land that comprises this county was still known as part of Vermilion County, the northern limits of which was the Kankakee River. Two years after its establishment, a colony of Norwegians, con- sisting of thirty families, settled on the north side of Beaver Creek. Their habits of life were not conducive to their becoming acclimated rapidly in the new country, and in a short time many were stricken with the prevailing illness of the lowlands, and fifty of their number perished before two years were gone. So frightened did the survivors become that they abandoned the settlement and moved to the Fox River district in Wisconsin. Speculation Rife Among the Pioneers In 1836, the get-rich fever, more deadly to advancement than the ague, took possession of the natives. Paper towns w^ere platted, eligible town sites were promulgated and their promoters confidently told prospective purchasers the tale, as old as history, of immense fortunes awaiting the investors. To bring this prosperity to pass, one Micajah Stanley in 1846 went to the legislature to procure a charter for the "Kankakee and Iroquois Navigation and Manufacturing Company." This chimerical dream of development was to use these streams to their utmost extent by deepening and dredging, and to connect them with the Illinois- Michigan canal, which was then the center of interest in the north end of the State. The fact that the digging of it was at that time only begun did not hinder activities of the visionaries, who could not foresee the long years that would necessarily be required to make it an established fact. When it finally did materialize, its usefulness had but a short existence because of the competition the railroads furnished — with their con- tinuous serv'ice. But disastrous as these dreams were to early progress, the people finally awakened to the fact that easy money is not procurable except to a very few, and some of this is the result of the use of question- able means. So they went to work to till the soil and found that therein lay the foundation for permanent wealth. Dr. Taliaferro and Old Middleport On modern maps no mention is made of a village that had a real func- tion in the county before the advent of the railroads. It was situated 468 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS upon the Iroquois and had the right location for advancement, as judged by the prevailing system of tran>sportation. So secure did its people think was its destiny, that vs^hen the advance agents of the railroad came along with an offer to divert their road a short mile or two, by altering their surveys so that the road might pass through the town, if the towns- people would furnish part of this outlay in cash, no encouragement was given them. ]\Iiddleport's citizenry declined the offer. Not one cent would they donate for such purposes. Making good their threat, the railroad officials passed Middleport by, through the open prairie to the east of it. But, as the rails began to be laid, the more progressive of Middleport 's inhabitants saw the light, and house after house was transported across the open fields to proximity with the new road. Soon a station was erected and trains passed by, and "Watseka," named after an Indian girl (the daughter of a Pottawatomie chief, who became the first wife of Gurdon S. Hubbard, the fur-trader) — came into being and Middleport suffered a gradual decay. Dr. Richard Taliaferro was a native of Virginia, where he was bom in 1818. Richard, one of twelve children, left the Old Dominion when quite young. Following the trend of travel then depleting the eastern states, he went to Ohio. More than an average student, he acquired as good a foundation as the times afforded in the common schools of his day. Having a penchant for the study of medicine he repaired to Cincinnati and was graduated from the medical school there. He entered the work of his chosen profession in Indiana, but moved to Illinois in the year of 1848. After two years of practice in Middleport, he gave up single- blessedness when he lost his heart to Miss Minnie Stanley, daughter of Mieajah Stanley, whose activities for river transportation were now transferred to the upbuilding of Watseka. As the decline of Middleport could now be foreseen, Dr. Taliaferro decided to leave for a more settled field in Clay County, where he resided for several years and engaged in general merchandising. In 1861 he entered politics as a Democrat and was elected clerk of the circuit court. "He also held the office of justice of the peace and other official positions. . . . Wherever he lived he was an honored citi- zen, for his upright life and straightforward course won him the confi- dence and high esteem of all with whom he was brought in contact." His death followed an attack of typhoid fever in 1872. Dr. Jacob M. Murrey, of Sheldon, was born in Indiana in 1814, of Scotch ancestry. The lad received his early education in the common schools of Ohio. At sixteen he began earning his own livelihood. For five years he followed farming. Later he became a physician and located THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 469 at Sheldon. For many years Dr. Murrey specialized in the treatment of cancer. "He has made a life studj^ of this disease, and thorough preparation and natural skill and ability well fitted him for this line of practice. He has done an extended practice over many states and has performed some wonderful cures," states the historian. Just how he accomplished these happy results in a class of patients that to this day baffle the skill of the profession, is not hinted at. Very likely the marvel- ous cures were accomplished in epitheliomata with the use of arsenic paste that, as a matter of common observation, may destroy superficial growths. "It Is stated that he has a wide reputation and well deserves the liberal patronage which he has received." Dr. Wilson and Dr. Farmer served the people of Milford Township in the early days and Dr. Fowler, referred to by Judge Franklin Blades in a public address, had a most excellent reputation in the county. It seems that this judge, when a young man, was prepared to practice medicine and was introduced to the doctor with a view toward being taken into his office. This was done in the year of 1851. After introduc- ing him to his patients and commending him for their patronage, it would appear that the old doctor intended to leave, for the judge com- ments that he (the latter) was liberally patronized, and numbered many of these early patients among his friends in after life. It would seem the people had more confidence in him than he had in himself as judged from the following excerpts from his speech. "I got along fairly well in my profession for a youngster — but in later years, I often wondered how it was that people employed me ; I was conceited enough then to think it was all right. In later years I came to realize how much I lacked by inexperience. I am here reminded to tell an anecdote of myself at my own expense — a matter which happened to me in those days of my youth. "There dwelt at Lister's Point an old gentleman by the name of 'Lister.' Many who are here to-day knew him well. It was the first season I came here to Bunkum; the old gentleman was sick and he sent for Dr. Fowler to come to see him; the doctor undertook to palm me off on him; I went and found the old gentleman sitting out in the dooryard in a chair. As I approached he said: 'You are a doctor, I suppose.' I said: 'Yes, sir.' Says he: 'Young man, you can go home; I don't want any boys doctoring me.' Of course I was much mortified, but couldn't find it in my heart to blame the old gentleman. I was not in the habit of relating that anecdote of myself in those early days, but of late years I can afford to tell it." 2^2 262 Conquest of New France. George M. "Wrong. Yale Press. Page 151. A Short History of the United States. 1492-1920. Bassett. Page 119. Information about Middleport furnished by Frank W. Austin of Boynton, Fla. 470 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS The Good Old Times in McLean County Under the above caption, Dr. E. Duis, of Bloomington, in 1874 gives us a survey of the times preceding his, which he, in a reminiscent vein, calls good. Ironically he relates some of the experiences of the pioneers ' daily existence. These people, even in their adversity, had a sense of humor that later authors reflect in their writings. Whether the sub- joined song was the product of the doctor's brain or merely the offspring of tradition, we, in our search after truth, can not tell ; we merely append it and our readers may draw their own conclusions concerning it : "Great western waste of bottom land, Flat as a pancake, rich as grease; Where mosquitoes are as big as toads And toads are lull as big as geese. "Beautiful prairie, rich with grass, Where buffaloes and snakes prevail; The first with dreadful looking face, The last with dreadful sounding tail. "I'd rather live on camel's rump And be a Yankee Doodle beggar, Than where they never see a stump And shake to death with fever ager." Another experience, not put forth in this verse of the good old days, had a tragic consequence that with the aid of ordinary medical skill might have been averted. The author in this account says that the old settlers, nothwithstanding their self-reliance in all matters, even that of medication, could not improvise surgical procedures. He adds they could "get along very well so far as the doctor's services were concerned, but the surgeon's skill was not easily obtained." In illustration of such a predicament, he relates the case of an unfortunate j'oung man who broke his leg and they called an old "bone-setter," John Dawson, to attend him. He set the leg according to his native knowledge which — judging from the result — w^as very meager. ' ' The patient recovered, but his leg was always crooked." 262 (Cont'd) History of Iroquois County, Illinois. By H. W. Beckwith. H. H. Hill & Co. Publishers. Chicago. 1880. Part I. Pages 223, 334-337, 339, 349, 355, 356. Part II. Pages 211, 253, 254, 140. Portrait and Biographical Record of Iroquois County, Illinois. Lake City Publishing Co. Chicago. 1893. Pages 340-343, 848, 849. Old Settlers' Reunion, Iroquois County, Illinois. Iroquois Times Print. 1879. Pages 14, 15. Tales of an Old Bordertown. By B. E. Burroughs. Kankakee. 1925. Page 28. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 471 First Physicians Arrive Dr. Isaac Baker, born in Connecticut in 1783, of Puritan ancestry, in early life followed many vocations. In Ohio, where he married in 1803, it was his duty during the War of 1812 to watch for Indians from a tree top at the block house at Marietta, while men were at work in the field. He learned surveying and was also an architect. "In 1820 he went from Ohio to New York to aid his brother-in-law in the erection of steam works for a factory, and from there he went to Bath, in Maine, where he built the first steam mill ever erected in that State. ' ' In 1827 he came to what is now ]\IcLean County and with James Allin and Wm. Orendorff he laid out Bloomington in 1831. Dr. Baker Avas clerk of the county commissioners court for fifteen years and during this time a young man who had no money, but wished to secure a marriage license, offered to pay in maple sugar the following spring. The historian states that it was a "sweet transaction for all concerned." The doctor was postmaster at Bloomington for years. He moved to Leroy in 1853 or 1854 and died there in 1872. Dr. Baker was called a "quiet, unpretending man," honest and upright, kind and benevolent. He was known as an " extensive reader. ' ' According to source-material, and as near as can be ascertained from the secondary accounts that have come down, John Flournoy Henry was one of the first permanent medical residents of ]\IcLean County. His record for achievement in the things that make for greatness entitles him to first place in importance in the community he served. He was a native of Henry's Mills, Scott County, Ky., where he was born in 1793. Of illustrious parentage was this pioneer physician, a descend- ant of Huguenot ancestry of Virginia. His paternal grandfather was a minister whose patriotic son, the father of Dr. Henry, fought in the great fight for independence that gave us the security that is our heritage to-day. With General Greene, at Guilford Court House, in 1781, he witnessed the turning-point of the British victories in the south that had almost discounted General Washington's victories of the north and made the retreat of Lord Cornwallis' forces toward Yorktown imperative, with their ultimate surrender after a brilliant stroke of strategy by the ' ' Father of His Country. ' ' Then, as his term of service expired, this illustrious sire joined the great westward movement through the Cumberland Gap, the account of which is an epic, describing a display of bravery on the part of the per- sonnel of this trek, which is scarcely surpassed in the annals of historj'". And as the second war for independence came, the old martial spirit of the father again was revived ; he took up his arms as a major-general 472 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS under General Harrison and at the Battle of the Thames, gave valiant service in that brilliant rout of General Proctor and Tecumseh which ended the career of the red man and ignominiously curtailed the military- career of the former. In this engagement Dr. Henry served as surgeon's mate. His early training was directed toward the study of medicine, which he had entered upon and which was pursued during his military service. In 1818 he completed his studies and graduated from the College of Physi- cians and Surgeons, of New York City. After graduation he located in Missouri, where he spent some time and from there he returned to Ken- tucky. From here in 1826 he was chosen by his brother's constituents to fill his unexpired term in Congress, left vacant by the latter 's death. During his stay in Ohio he associated himself with Dr. Daniel Drake, a prominent physician of Cincinnati, and a warm personal friendship was formed between the two. As a result of this association Dr. Henry was given a professorship in the Ohio Medical School. The steamboat service to Illinois points was then at its height and Dr. Henry caught the spirit of the times and embarked on one of these for Pekin, Illinois, where he arrived in 1833. Then across the prairies he wended his way to settle in Bloomington. For twelve years he served the sick in this vicinity and then he again was seized with the desire to conquer new fields. In Burlington, Iowa, he found a place to his liking which he purchased. After a short time in practice here, he felt that his time had come to retire, for he had led a strenuous existence. Fortunately he had acquired a competence which, with the aid of a pension from the military government for services rendered, enabled him to spend his de- clining years in comparative comfort. He lived until the year 1873. The doctor was twice married, each time to a daughter of a physician. The first wife, with an infant child, died within the first two years of their married life. Three children of the second marriage survived, one of whom was Dr. G. R. Henry, of Burlington, Iowa. One of his co- workers of the Presbyterian church, of which Dr. J. F. Henry was the greater part of his life an honored member, gives us the following tribute to his worth : "He was one of nature's noblemen; tall, straight as an arrow, with a splendid presence, and a physical vigor which is rare in these latter days of fast habits and rapid living. He enjoyed robust health, which gave way at last from sheer old age. Upright, honorable, temperate, sagacious, and a thorough man and a gentleman, his course can be emulated with profit. He was a fine specimen of the Kentucky gentleman of the old school, of elegant and dignified manners, kindly sentiments and genial disposition." Building Erected for the Medical Department of Illinois College in 1844 Plate loaned by the Society of Medical History of Chicago. [See P. JiiiJl View of Illinois College, Jacksonville, in 1833 Organized in 1829 by a band of zealous Presbyterians, it has been eminently successful for nearly a century in molding citizenship of the highest order. In 1842 it established and a year later it opened a medical department, the first training school for physicians within our borders to possess the advantages of an association with a college of liberal arts. Reproduced throuoh the courtesy of the Illinois Historical Society. \see P. ,nn\ THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 473 Dr. Harrison Noble, a native of Hamilton County, Ohio, first saw the light of day in the year 1812. His parents were of English descent and his father, because of his service in the Revolutionary War, was dis- owned by his relatives across the water. The son had obtained only a fair education, for his parents were poor, and while the future physician was young he engaged in various occupations, such as teaching school, farming, carpenter work and surveying, each of which contributed to the development of a mind that was evenly balanced. In 1833 he married and shortly afterward came west. His road was a hard one, necessitating his passing through swamps and fording creeks during the wet season, but by good fortune and good management he came safely through, locat- ing at Randolph's Grove, where his father had settled some time before. By selling two horses he obtained enough money to enter eighty acres of land. Upon this he built his cabin and, with the aid of a horse belonging to his mother, and hired help which he paid for in carpenter work, he broke and harrowed several acres of virgin prairie, upon which he raised enough to give him a start. Employment in the various occupations of which he had working knowledge, and which he rotated according to season, kept him engaged so that he succeeded very well in the new country. With his versatility came popularity and soon he interested himself in politics and became associated with the minority, the old-line Whig party. In 1840 he an- nounced himself as an independent candidate for surveyor. This exact- ing office did not seem to fit the qualifications of a man who had worked at so many varied occupations and accordingly his censors of the time criticized his presumption in running for this office. The voters de- manded that he give proof of his fitness before they would cast their ballots for him. General Gridley and General Covel, men with high- sounding names indicative of military standing, wagered that Noble could not find out the number of acres in a given piece of ground. Here, then, was a chance to test out the young upstart's ability. After pro- pounding the question to Noble, he stated that the angles must first be given. In illustration of his point he picked up a limber switch that he bent into a four-sided figure which he moved sometimes into right, and sometimes acute, angles, with the result that his knowledge of the science was passed upon by the natives as sufficient to intrust him with the office. For three years he seems to have given satisfaction. But there were other worlds this man still felt he should conquer, so at thirty-five he started to study medicine with the same self-reliance he had shown in other pursuits and through his own efforts he prepared himself to attend a course of lectures at Cincinnati. Evidently he met 474 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS the requirements of the times, which were simple enough, for they con- ferred a degree of Doctor of Medicine upon him. With this evidence of fitness he cast himself into the none too critical community where his triumphs in less difficult fields had won him some distinction. Here he practiced, and it is stated that he was quite successful. In his younger day the doctor was a wrestler of no mean ability. His feet were de- formed and toed in (talipes), but this was an advantage, rather than a handicap, in wrestling. During his college life a person indelicately asked him whether this deformity did not lay him open to insulting jibes. This allusion to a defect which he keenly regretted he had to carry through life, enraged him enough to give the gentleman proof of his wrestling skill that silenced further reference to the matter. "Dr. Noble was a very honest man and very popular in McLean County." He died in 1870. Dr. Stephen Ward Noble, a nephew of Dr. Harrison Noble, was also born in Hamilton County, Ohio, in the year 1826. In 1831 his parents settled at Randolph's Grove. Here he received his early education be- tween farming seasons. But as he grew up to early manhood he was sent to his uncle who, with Dr. Colburn, of Bloomington, prepared him for his first medical courses, which were taken at the age of twenty at the Medical Institute of Cincinnati. Following this, he attended another course and in 1849 he felt competent enough to commence practice in Leroy in partnership with Dr. Cheney. Here he was happily married and to this union were born four children. In 1865, after a very successful career in Leroy, he moved to Bloom- ington, where he repeated his early success. He is recorded to have been very popular, which favor brought him financial success as well. As an organizer in medical circles he served several terms as president of the McLean County Medical Society, once as president of the Medical Society of Illinois, and frequently as a delegate to the A. M. A. meetings. In 1871 tuberculosis carried off this zealous worker, and he was buried in Bloomington. Other physicians who practiced in the county, but have left scant historical legacies of their activities, were Dr. Stipp, who in 1839 prac- ticed in Bloomington ; Dr. Eleazer Martin, who at the time of his death owned a large tract of land, and after whom the town of Martin was named. The name of Dr. R. H. Peebles, of Vandalia, appears fre- quently in the records, not as a practitioner, but as a money-lender. He had mortgages upon luany of the farms in the county and was regarded as a man of wealth. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 475 Indolence a Predisposing Cause of Ague, Opines a Pioneer Of course the regular visitor of the west, ague, brought forth from the wiseacres of the time all manner of opinions as to its causation. The more energetic of the populace, as is the case in all times, detested those less inclined to work, for there was much work to be done — clearing the land and wresting the resources from the virgin soil. One of these pioneers had been singularly free from the ravages of malarial fever and promptly attributed his good fortune to his energetic habits. "He de- clared that no one but a lazy man would have the ague. " As an example for others to emulate — who as he said, needed a practical demonstration of the soundness of his theory — he split more rails than any other pioneer could boast of. One day while he was making a show of this ability, he was taken with the "shakes," but kept right on after the hot spell supervened. Again the cycle came harder than before, and yet, full of determination to prove his assumption, he mauled rails with all his might, but, at last, so severe did his chills become that he stopped work and was "forced to acknowledge that the ague was no respecter of persons." Then again, he was seized, when in the midst of haying, and while on his homeward trip, with his wagon loaded, and perched on the top of it, he was pitched into a stream he was cross- ing. This involuntary baptism, though uncomfortable, had no ill effect for, "strange to say, he never had the ague again." A lady witness of the immersion avers some practical joker designed the upset. Dr. Thomas Karr, who was born in 1793 in Bucks County, Pennsyl- vania, the son of Captain John Karr of the Revolutionary War, was an early practitioner in McLean County. As a boy he attended school in Sussex County, New Jersey, near Philadelphia, the temple of education being a log cabin, with but one window. Facetiously the historian re- marks, in writing of this part of the doctor's life, that, "Thomas was a precocious boy in some respects ; for whether or not he was very forward with his lessons, he certainly was well advanced in the favor of those troublesome creatures who plague the lives of school boys — the girls ! For when he was sixteen or seventeen years of age he took quite a fancy to a young girl, and while dancing with her at noon around a bucket of water, they accidentally upset it. The teacher took them to task for it, and Thomas insisted that he was to blame, and claimed that he should receive all the punishment; but the teacher punished them both. Thomas bore his own without trouble but he cried most bitterly when the pretty girl he fancied so much was punished too. Forty-five years after this little circumstance, he met an elderly lady who recognized him and re- minded him of the incident — she was the pretty girl of his youth." 476 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN HXINOIS "When he was eighteen years of age his father moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he arrived on the last day of October, 1810. Cincinnati was then a very small place, and Thomas frequently shot ducks in ponds which were standing where Third street now is. In this new country Thomas was set to work. He hauled wood to market in the town, and made himself generally useful. After hauling the wood two miles he could sell it for fifty cents per cord. This oc- cupation he followed in 1810-11. In the spring of 1811 the family moved up the Ohio River, ten miles from Cincinnati, where he remained nearly three years. It was in the fall of 1811 that Thomas Karr first saw a steamboat. It slowly moved up the Ohio River, about as fast as a boy could walk, and Mr. Karr could only express his astonishment by following it for three or four miles and throwing stones at it! During the following year (1812) war was declared with England. During this war all men were enrolled, and those of military age were put on a muster-roll and were liable to draft. They were afterward divided into classes and graded, and one class was exhausted before another was taken. Men did not volunteer, but were drafted. Dr. Karr was drafted twice, and once he volunteered for a special expedition. But he was not at any time In actual service, as the occasions for which the drafts were made passed without requiring troops. "While living in Hamilton County, the only place from which to ship produce was at General Harrison's Landing on the Ohio River, from whence it was taken away on fiatboats. General Harrison, who lived there at that time, was a man of about six feet in height, and rather slim built. His eye was very bright and expressive, and whoever once saw him never forgot him. He was the son-in-law of Judge Simms, the early proprietor of Hamilton County. The land in this county was granted to Judge Simms by patent from the government in the year 1800 or thereabouts. The patent covered all the land from the Big Miami River to the mouth of the Little Miami ,and extended twelve miles Into the interior, and was given on the condition that Judge Simms should cause a large number of settlers to make their homes there. "In the year 1814, or about that time, the Karr family moved to North Bend in Whitewater Township, where General Harrison lived. Here it was that Thomas was married; but his lovely bride was not the pretty girl of his youth, in whose company he had been punished for upsetting the bucket of water. These little school-boy romances are short-lived" says the narrator, for he "married a charming young widow named Elizabeth Kitchell." To this union five children were born, four of whom died early in life. "In 1833 Dr. Thomas Karr bought land at Randolph's Grove, McLean County, Illinois, at $1.25 per acre, and in 1S35 he came with his family to occupy it." Arriving on the last day of October, he had at that time neither rail nor clap- board with which to start a cabin. In this extremity he was compelled to live for two weeks in a room sixteen feet square with two other families, containing in all eighteen persons. But at the end of two weeks, he felt rich, for he had built a log hut in the woods for his family which they moved into immediately. For about two and one-half years more they lived in this rude abode, when Dr. Karr was enabled to "build a frame-house of more respectable appearance." As assessor of McLean County in 1843, Dr. Karr "did his work in fifty-five days, for which he received two hundred dollars." In the early days the doctor was a Democrat, but when his old neighbor. General Harrison, was a candidate THE ce:n"teal counties 477 for the presidency, he was obliged to split his ticket and give the general his vote. "The political parties prepared for this campaign very early" and Dr. Karr said that in January, 1S40, the winter preceding it, he saw a party of men in the timber viewing trees, from which they selected a large one, out of which they made a canoe, the emblem of the Whig party. "This canoe . . . was taken to the various Whig gatherings during the following summer and created quite a sensation." Dr. Cyrenius Wakefield was born in Watertown, N. Y., in 1815. After receiving: his education and teacliing scliool for a time, he came to Illinois in 1837, first reaching Chicago, then going on from La Salle to Pekin. There, putting his trunk on a load drawn by ox team, he was compelled for lack of funds to work his way on foot to the vicinity of Bloomington, where he lived for two years. During his residence there he taught school. From then on until 1843 he taught and also worked his farm in De Witt County. His older brother. Dr. T. Wakefield, came from Arkansas to visit the younger man and was so pleased with Illinois that he entered partnership with his brother in a store for farmers. But as the senior partner began to dispense his "famous treatment for chills and fever" it became so popular that he could hardly satisfy the demand for his medicine and services; so the brothers decided to turn the store into a medicine factory. The older man died suddenly and Dr. Cyrenius Wakefield then carried on alone the business from which he is said to have made a fortune. Dr. Henry Conkling was born in New Jersey in 1814. In Illinois he taught school at Leroy and studied medicine with Dr. Edwards. He practiced one year, beginning in 1843, near Mt. Hope, then in Tazewell County, when his health failed. He read and practiced medicine for five years and received a diploma after attending a term (1849-50) at Starling Medical College, Columbus, Ohio. In the spring of 1850 he came to McLean County and practiced fourteen or fifteen years in and near Hudson, about nine miles from Bloomington. During the Civil War he was sent South as an "additional surgeon," and he acted as government pension surgeon for about three years after the war. -*^^ History of Mason County's Earliest Practitioners The first settlements in this county were along that beautiful stream, the Illinois, that has few parallels in this wide world. For over two 263 "The Good Old Times in McLean County, Illinois." By Dr. E. Duis. Leader Publishing & Printing House. Bloomington. 1874. Pages 206-208, 353, 176, 261, 262, 354-358, 800, 801, 711, 712, 236, 754, 312, 626, 814-817, 376-382. Transactions of the McLean County Historical Society. (Sketches of old settlers.) Pages 359-363, 506. History of McLean County, Illinois. Wm. Le Baron, Jr., & Co. Chicago. 1879. Pages 754, 312. 478 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS hundred miles its waters flow almost in a straight line with a very moderate drop, without great flood plains and devoid of rapids, an ideal stream for navigation. The primitive commerce of the pioneers was almost entirely can-ied on through its course and if it had not been a selfish policy of vested interests in other forms of transportation, it would never have lost the position it had as the chief artery of trade from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi. So it is not strange that when white men came to settle the country, they disembarked at a point where the city of Havana now stands. Many went no farther. When a con- siderable number of these settlers congregated in the county, the first practitioners arrived. Dr. E. B. Harpham, born in 1814, a native of the "City of Brotherly Love," arrived in the county in 1844, locating at Havana. He had studied medicine after his preliminary training in Ohio County, Indiana, where his parents had taken him when he was an infant. But when he finished his medical studies the lure of Illinois was stronger than the at- traction of home, so he settled in Mason County. Here he served the sick for many years and, partly through rigid economy, accumulated a large fortune which enabled him to live in quiet enjoyment in the eve- ning of life. He had augmented his earnings by an interest in the drug business during the saving of this competence. In public life he served as county school commissioner for several years and president of the first board of trustees of the town of Havana. Having an active interest in all things pertaining to the public welfare, and an abundance of common sense, his opinions had great weight and were sought in matters vital to the common good. Fortunate was this city in having a public servant touched so kindly by the hand of time that his words of wisdom were available for many years. Dr. J. P. Walker settled in the county in 1849 and moved to Mason City after nine years of country practice. Dr. Walker was more than an average man. He was born in Adair County, Kentucky, in 1826. Back among his progenitors were some of the stanchest spirits in the history of Virginia. These colonists were from Londonderry, Ireland, and their descendants spread over a great area in the Western and Southern States. When his parents came to Illinois, in 1880, they settled in Sangamon County, in Middletown, which is now part of Logan County. But after seven years they moved to Irish Grove, in Menard County. There his father died in 1841 and the support of the mother devolved upon the future doctor. Displaying a trait that befits an honorable man, in his filial devotion he took his mother back to their old home in Kentucky, though this com- THE CENTEAL COUNTIES 479 promised his ambition. Penniless, he worked for four dollars a month to save means to return to his adopted State. Accumulating enough for this purpose, he came back and worked upon a farm, teaching school in winter. Steadiness of purpose, with an insatiable ambition, was his, and those traits spurred him on in his leisure moments to study the subject nearest his heart, medicine. To further these studies and serve, at the same time, his country, he enlisted in 1846 in Company F, Fourth Illinois Volunteers under Col. Baker, and served as a second sergeant at the siege of Vera Cruz and the battle of Cerro Gordo. During these cam- paigns his knapsack Avas weighted down with his medical books, which were brought forth at every opportunity to aid him in studying the ail- ments of the soldiers. On his return to I\Ienard County he was elected assessor and treasurer. This political position enabled him to resume the studies he had so as- siduously pursued during his camp life. At last under the direction of Dr. J. G. Rogers of Petersburg, Illinois, the desultory knowledge he had acquired was reduced to a system that could be applied in treating the sick. At Athens, Illinois, in 1849 he tried out his knowledge, but after four months he abandoned the field for new quarters at Walker's Grove, ]\[ason County, At the same time he took a life's partner to share his lot in the wilderness but, unfortunately, she died after four years of con- nubial bliss. The following year he again married and with his wife's relatives he laid out Mason City in 1857; here two years later he joined them in making it his permanent home. His old martial spirit was revived when the call for volunteers went out in 1861 and the doctor was made a captain because of his previous military experience. Company K, 17th Illinois Infantry, made a good record at Fredericlrtown, Fort Donelson and Shiloh, and Captain Walker, through his part of the campaign, at- tracted the attention of the superior officers. He resigned his com- mission and, at the behest of his superiors, later assisted in raising the Both Illinois Infantry, of which he became the surgeon and, afterwards, lieutenant-colonel. His last active service was at Chickamauga, after which engagement he returned to Mason City to resume his professional duties. Mindful of the obligation this State owed the common soldiers who laid down their lives in the great struggle, he joined a movement of which he became president that proposed the erection of a monument in commemoration of those who had made the great sacrifice. In conclusion we quote the estimate placed upon his worth by a contem- 480 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS porary : "An active and entliusiastic member of his profession, en- joying an extensive and successful practice." Dr. Caloway, a successful country physician of Bath ; Dr. John Allen of McHarry's Mill, w^ho was the first physician in Manito township; Dr. Mostiler, who studied under Dr. Allen; Dr. J. B. Meggs of Macoupin County ; Doctors Parker, Yoke, Rider and Fain of San Jose ; Dr. A. R. Cooper and Dr. John Deskins, were early practitioners in this county outside of the cities. An idea of the primitive conditions the early practitioners had to put up with is well illustrated by a story connected with Dr. Deskins, who built a hut on the side of a ridge, so that the earth formed three sides of his domicile. This he conceived was safe against the elements, but a tornado in 1852 soon disillusioned him of his fancy, for his house was swept away, and his goods were scattered for miles around, but his family miraculously escaped serious injury. ^64 Fulton County's Earliest Medical Men Wm. S. Hamilton, son of the famous statesman, Alexander Hamilton, after a varied career in the outposts on the frontier, adopted a roving life in the wilderness of Northern Illinois in quest of beef cattle to supply the garrison of Fort Howard. In his wanderings he covered territory along the Illinois River as far south as Fulton County and from this we gather that settlers as early as 1823 were already raising stock for the market, an occupation developing an industry in sub- sequent years whose products have made Illinois a source of supply for the uttermost parts of the earth. On one of these excursions to the Illinois River Valley, Hamilton formed a friendship with John Hamlin, who held a commission as justice of the peace in the territory that now comprises Peoria and Fulton Counties. After the drove of cattle was collected, John Hamlin accompanied Hamilton on his trip to Green Bay. Passing through Chicago they became acquainted with Dr. Wolcott and the Kinzie family. Dr. Wolcott, in the pursuit of his duties as Indian agent, had dealings with his neighbor, John Kinzie, whose daughter, Eleanor, said by some writers to be a girl of twelve or thereabouts, attracted the attention of the doctor many years her senior. But such a discrepancy in ages in a field where there was of necessity a dearth of 2G4 History of Menard and Mason Counties, Illinois. 0. L. Baskin & Co. Chi- cago. 1879. Pages 515, 7G0, 632, 610. History of Mason County. By Joseph Cochrane. Rokker's Steam Printing House. Springfield. 1876. Pages 169, 170, 122-124. Lincoln and Salem. By T. G. Onstot. Forest City, Illinois. 1902. Pages 274, 300. f^ 5 5 2 O ?^ 00 3 O THE CENTEAL COUNTIES 481 the female of the species, did not hinder the course of true love, even though the lady could not, it would seem, have reached the age of discretion. Be that as it may, the couple decided to get married, but found that, in their primitive surroundings, there was not the necessary officer or minister of the gospel to solemnize the union. The opportunity was seized, upon the return of Hamlin from Green Bay, to press him into service for the consummation of the marriage, and the couple enjoyed such happiness as the wilderness, with all its drawbacks, afforded, until the doctor's death, in 1830. Physicians of the Early Days Dr. Hugh Martin, in point of time, seems to have been the first regular physician to locate in the county, in the year 1840, and left shortly after- ward, but returned in three years. The comtnon schools of Frederick County, Virginia, where he was born, and the Miami University of Oxford, Ohio, where he received a degree in liberal arts, prepared him in his youth. After this training he decided to take up medicine under Dr. Jesse Palmer, of Eaton, Ohio, remaining under his preceptorship for three years. At the expiration of this time he was granted a certificate to practice, after an examination by the state medical censors of Ohio. Not content with this privilege, however, even after a number of years of successful practice, he believed he should get a degree in medicine. With this in view, he attended lectures at both the Ohio Medical College and the University of St, Louis, Missouri, receiving from the latter insti- tution a degree in 1853. He again took up his practice and no one could say that he was not properly prepared. He lived to a ripe old age and left a record of a successful career. Garret V. Hopkins, M. D., a physician of this county, was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, in 1798. In his youth, enthusiasm for the work urged him to study and, as conditions for entering the field were easy, he started practice when quite young. At twelve the lad was in Preble County, Ohio, and in 1820 he married. Evidently at some time before that date he started practice. ''In 1841 he came to the point where Astoria now is situated, and practiced in his profession for many years. ' ' Dr. James Rilea though not a regular physician, served the settlers for many years, after his arrival in 1841. He was born in Ohio, in 1799, of Scotch aneestrj'; his progenitors were among those who passed through the thrilling, though trying, Revolutionary period. He came to the county in 1841. His biographer says that Dr. Rilea, "although not a regularly educated physician, in an early day paid considerable 482 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS attention to the treatment of the sick around him, and being very successful in the cure, had an extensive practice among the settlers." Dr. J. S. Portlock, of Farmers Township, was born in 1801 in Virginia. When he was six years of age his parents migrated to Kentucky, and there he received the rudiments of his education. From sixteen until twenty-five he pursued various vocations and then decided to become a physician. "With this in view, he went to Cincinnati in 1827 to begin the study of medicine. Just when he came to Illinois is not clear, but allowing for two years' study, and fifteen years' practice in Shelby County, Indiana, where he is reputed to have followed his voca- tion with great success, it is safe to say that he settled in Fulton County in about 1844. Up until two years of his death, in 1878, he was actively engaged in treating the sick. The following quotation is from a writer of the time, who records that, "The doctor was continually among the sick and dying, day and night, amid sunshine and storm, enduring hardships known only to pioneer physicians." Small wonder then that the doctor seemed glad to receive surcease from a life that held forth little in the way of pleasure to him, when at the end he saw visions of pleasures eternal, as his last words seem to indicate — "I want a plain coffin to contain my body and a plain marble slab to mark my last resting place. Do not weep for me, for I am going to a world where sorrow is no more ; where all is peace and happiness ; where I expect to meet you to part no more forever." Dr. Russell Coe, who gained a large local following, as well as a follow- ing beyond the confines of this county, was a native of Towanda, Pennsylvania, where he was bom in 1813. His father, a Presbyterian minister, lived several years beyond the century mark. Young Coe, having decided to study medicine, was encouraged to enter the Western Reserve College, at Cleveland, in 1843, remaining three years. When he graduated, in 1846, he decided upon Beardstown, Illinois, as a field for his endeavors. Though successful there, he decided to try for a better field, so he moved to St. Charles, Missouri, and later still he went to Mt. Sterling, Illinois. To augment his income he put on the market a cough syrup that had quite a vogue, bringing him a measure of finan- cial returns and making him famous, as the historian adds. This fame has not lived to our age to take its place alongside of that good old Father John, and Fletcher of Castoria fame and a host of others the virtues of whose products are daily emblazoned in the press. But in those days the marketing of a patent medicme did not make its proprietor wealthy, so the doctor returned to his legitimate work at Astoria, and later in Ohio, until in 1878, he decided that Illinois was the THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 483 field to which he should return ; and here he stayed, again building up a good practice. Dr. Wm. Montgomery McDowell, who settled and practiced his pro- fession in Canton in 1847, is given high praise by his biographer, who states that "he took more than ordinary interest in his profession and endeavored to excel in all its branches." If he showed such commend- able spirit in his desire to serve the public in their sickness, his popular- ity was deserved, which was proven when he was given the mayoralty of Canton. That he served w^ell is evident from the statement that he was mayor of Canton several years. Dr. Joseph C. Williams, chemist, was born in Connecticut in 1820. He obtained his education in the common schools and through self- teaching. Going to Ohio in 1822, he learned carriage making, then "qualified himself for the medical profession and practiced several years in Wisconsin and Chicago, where he engaged in the manufacture of chemicals." Dr. Williams came to Illinois in 1847. He resided in Canton, but in 1861 he was in the chemical department in Washington, D. C, and spent some time in field hospitals. He was employed in the custom house in New Orleans in 1866. In 1872 he went to Galesburg to live. Nelson Plummer, M. D., of Farmington, was a native of Massa- chusetts, where he was born in 1813. In 1847 he came to Illinois, settling after a little time in Farmington, this county, where he con- tinued to reside on the same lot he first selected. His early education was obtained in Franklin County, Ohio. He began practice at Knoxville, Illinois, then practiced for scA^en years in Iowa and for sixteen years in Farmington. He then became a dentist. Dr. Plummer graduated in medicine from the St. Louis University in 1855. Doctor Chas. Newton Acquires a Wife in a Novel Manner Dr. "Newt," by which contraction he was familiarly known, was a perfect gentlemian, though given occasionally to drinking sprees, states the historian of the time. He kept no office, but made his home with 0. M. Ross, of Havana, a year after he had settled in Lewisto"v\Ti. Often he remarked "there was no place that seemed so much like home as Ross's." His presence in the household, however, made more work for Ross's wife, so she sought help. She dispatched her son Harvey to hunt for a girl to do housework. Crossing the river, the boy inquired for girls at every house in South Fulton, but had little success in finding one until he was directed to an old gentleman named Louderbach who lived at the edge of Schuyler County, and who he was told had four girls. 484 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS Finally the place and the girls were found and one of them agreed to accompany him home. They did not arrive home until late at night, after the doctor had retired, though he was not asleep. Calling Harvey to his room, he in- quired of him what kind of a girl he had fetched. In answer the boy stated that he considered her splendid looking. The doctor took the lad by surprise then, asking him whether he thought she would make him (the doctor) a good wife. The boy assured the doctor that he be- lieved she would make any man a good wife. After checking up on this assay, the doctor decided that the lad was right, courted the lady and in three months they announced a wedding date. "Havana at that time was in Tazewell County, and Tremont was the county seat, fifty miles away," an obstacle that was bridged by getting the license in Lewistown and employing Squire Boice to come down to marry them. Legally the marriage could not be solemnized there, for the law stated it had to take place in the county in which the license was procured ; but the doctor was a resourceful man, bent upon winning the lady before she would change her mind in favor of a young suitor who also was in the running; so he took his bride and the squire and twenty-five or thirty guests in a ferry-boat, and when it passed the middle of the Illinois River channel, ordered the squire to proceed with the ceremony. At the point in the service that gave the objectors a chance to register their protests, if they had any, young Cook, his rival, remonstrated. When asked why he objected, he answered: "I want her myself." The limb of the law overruled the objection and the ferry-boat turned back to town. A wedding supper was given by the host and hostess, and the festal board groaned with the best the county afforded. Dr. Newton left after a few years of service. Dr. E. D. Rice, successor to Dr. Newton, came from Massachusetts. "He was a young man when he came here, and was possessed of integ- rity, honesty and ability. These noble qualities soon gained for him a good practice in his profession. He assisted very materially toward the building and progress of the town, and became a county judge, or judge of probate, and county recorder. He died in 1878." Dr. B. C. Toler, born in the "Old Dominion" state in 1829, w^as, when a young boy, taken by his parents to Kentucky. During his youth he studied under an elder brother, Dr. W. T. Toler, and later was associated with him in the practice. In 1848 he moved to ]\Iason County and to get a better understanding of his profession he entered the medical depart- ment of the University of Iowa, then located at Keokuk. In 1857 he located at Astoria, where he remained, directing all his energies to the THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 485 practice, and in consequence he was considered eminently successful. To him and his wife (who was Mary McLaren) there were born eight children. Dr. W. H. Nance, born in Floyd County, Indiana, in 1814, studied medicine under Dr. D. G. Stewart of New Albany, Indiana. Before he had finished he left for Illinois. Because of the urgent demand for physicians in the field of practice, he continued for several years before he took time to enter the medical department of the University of Missouri in the year of 1848. After one year's study he was granted a diploma and repaired to Vermont, Illinois, to re-engage in his pro- fessional work. For many years he labored, accumulating a comfortable living through his successful ministrations to the sick. On account of a serious accident, sustained by a fall from a buggy, the doctor retired in 1862, and his declining years away from the cares and responsibilities of active professional work were spent in comparative comfort. The Horror of 1849 Under this heading the historian writes : ' ' The most calamitous period in the history of Liverpool Township, or, indeed, the entire county, was the dreaded and fearful visit of Asiatic cholera in the year 1849. Homes were entered by the dark monster of death and loved ones carried off without a word of warning." A description of con- ditions at that time, published by an eyewitness in the Fulton Democrat in 1878, states that the contagion was carried along the line of river travel from St. Louis. The dead among the travelers were buried along the bank without markers and very few there were left to even point out, after the subsidence of the epidemic, the last resting place of any in- dividual. Curiosity op a Citizen Introduces the Fatal Malady A native of the county, seeing a steamboat at anchor, decided, through curiosity and sympathy, to visit a man dying on the vessel. Two daj^s later the visitor was a sufferer with "what appeared to be dysentery" and died shortlj^ afterward. Another citizen undertook to make a casket for his friend, but found his measurements lacked eight inches of the required length, and forthwith began the construction of another casket. This the writer believed to have been a fatal bunder, for within the next two days — before the body was disposed of — others were affected. In the next breath he gives what was in all probability the true cause of the subsequent infections. A friend who nursed the deceased and came 486 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS in contact with the sick man, his wife and three children, contracted the malady and died. The deceased were hurriedly buried. The wife of the infected friend washed her husband's clothing and quickly acquired the cholera ; and so virulent was the infection that it is said that at sunrise she was alive and well, but ere sunset's red light vanished below the horizon another new grave was dug. And so on, one after another of the sparse band of settlers died until there were but a few left to bury the dead and these, banded together, formed the burial squad. As reports of deaths piled up they hastened to the cabins to perform their mission. One settler and his wife living alone in a woods were ill and a report was circulated that the husband had expired. When the burial squad arrived at the home they found the man dead and the woman dying, imploring their aid, prone over the prostrate body of her husband. After burying the man they took her with them to seek succor in the home of her relations. After a four-mile journey over bumpy roads in a box-wagon they came to their journey's end, only to be refused ad- mittance, when they stated their mission. Under a tree where they had placed her, begging for water, the poor woman died in agony without a soul to give her a helping hand. The Sequel of the Disaster The orphaned children, still sick with the scourge, were cared for by noble, self-sacrificing women until they were well enough to be trans- ported to their future homes with friends or relations. In all thirteen lives were sacrificed in a week and but few were left of the pioneers in the stricken township. The doctors, whose services were heroically tendered to the stricken ones, were John B. McDowell, Thaddeus Nott and there was a mulatto assistant named Jas. Ashby. ^^^ Two McDoNOUGH County Physicians Contribute Much Toward Early Development op the Region Dr. John Hardesty, whose history is indelibly connected with the stirring events that culminated in the grandest of all experiments in nation making — the creation of our republic — was one of two physi- cians who helped in the early days to build up community life in the section that now is kno^\Ti as McDonough County. Born of Irish 2i!3 History of Fulton Countj', Illinois. Charles C. Chapman & Co. Peoria. 1879. Pages 573, 774, 463, 691, 932, 558, 559, 498, 666, 668, 427, 562, 440, 821-823. Lincoln and Salem. By T. G. Onstot. Pages 395, 396. Portrait and Biographical Album of Knox County, Illinois. Page 716. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 487 stock, with the proverbial fighting spirit and the especial hatred of the mother country, characteristic of that nationality, it is not strange that the name of Hardesty is associated with both of our early struggles with Great Britian. Charles Hardesty, his father, the son of a pre-Revolu- tionary War immigrant, was among those who took it upon themselves to fight to the last ditch in that epoch-making struggle. His son, John Hardesty, imbibed the patriotic principles of the father and was among those who fought in the second struggle for independence, in 1812. He was born in Virginia in 1793 and from his maternal side was descended from the Fowler family, one of the oldest in the state. Dur- ing his early life he lived and worked with his parents upon the farm, and in the common or subscription schools of his time he laid the foun- dation of an education that was greatly augmented in after years by self-application. Joins the Army at an Early Age When but nineteen years of age he was among the defenders who went forth to fight for the preservation of the young republic that was in danger of annihilation by the British, who were then in a better position to send the cream of their army to retake the lost colonies that were usurped from them when they were pre-occupied at home in Revolu- tionary days. "During the entire campaign he bore himself as became a hero and the son of one who, when the nation sought its independence, was ready to do and to die for the accomplishment of that end." The year before this enlistment he was married to the daughter of a Kentucky colonel, and to them in after life were born nine sons and three daughters. When Illinois became a State in 1818, the Har- destys moved from their Kentucky home to Hamilton County in the new commonwealth. After six years they removed to Adams County and four years later to McDonough County, taking up a quarter section in what is now Blandinsville Township. With the exception of three years spent in ]\Iissouri, during which time he studied medicine under Dr. Johnson, of Savanah in that state. Dr. Hardesty lived in "Job's Settlement" (Blandinsville) until death called him away in 1875. Helps to Lay Out the County Coming before the county was organized, he took an active part in the work incidental to establishment of its confines. At the first 488 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS election he was selected as one of the three county commissioners. So well did he serve that he was several times re-elected to that office. Macomb, the present county seat, was laid out by the commission of which he was a member. Practices Successfully for Many Years While in Missouri, Dr. Ilardesty built up a considerable practice and when he returned he found ample opportunity to display his knowledge in the county of his choice. To show his measure of success, we quote from the records: "In this field of usefulness he achieved some success, bringing to bear upon the discharge of the duties of his profession rare common sense in the discernment of disease." Again we quote a description of him that gives us an insight into his character : "A heavy-built man, six feet in height, fair complexion and of a gener- ous disposition. ' ' Highly esteemed as a friend and neighbor, his willing- ness to accommodate was proverbial. Austere in his family relations, but inspired by the law of love, his memory is now held dear by every member of his family. A consistent Christian, a deacon in the Baptist church, he never neglected to support the gospel against the scoffers. The two great commandments of love to God and love to man he held sacred. The text of Elder Delano when he was laid to rest at the age of eighty-two was fitting and illustrative of the life the good old doctor led: "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth . , . that they may rest from their labors ; and their works do follow them." (Rev. 14:13.) For sixty-three years he was a member of the Masonic order and its members had charge of his burial. ' ' May he rest in peace, and may we emulate his good deeds. ' ' Dr. Beverly R. Westfall, who was born in Troy, Ohio, came to this county in 1846. His parents, who were originally easterners, decided when he was seven years of age to take up their residence at Thorntown, Indiana. It was here that their son grew up and was educated, first at the common schools and then at the old Thorntown seminary, where he mastered the higher branches of learning, Latin and Greek, that were then — as now — prerequisites to the intelligent study of medicine. Following this course he entered the office of his preceptor, Dr. J. J. Nesbitt, an able physician of that time. Comes to Macomb With but a five-dollar gold piece in his pocket to start life, in a strange place, among people who knew nothing of his qualifications as a practi- :^3« Historic Vi i:\vs (1 and 2) Views of the cabin of Dr. Jolin Allen in Old Salem, Menard County. Dr. Allen's wisdom greatly influenced Abraham Lincoln's career during his early manhood, and from here he was elected captain of the local military company in the Black Hawk War. (3) Site of Dr. Regnier's office. (4) General view of the restored village which is now a State Park, the structures of which reflect the construction of the cabins and places of business in pioneer days. Photograplis ln) L'oht. Kniqht. {^ee P. ',)>] THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 489 tioner, the practice of medicine had to be put in abeyance until he could acquire some capital. One half of his paltry sum he spent for shoes, so that he might present a decent appearance when he applied for a posi- tion as teacher at Macomb, the only occupation he with dignity could fill in view of his intention of ultimately locating as a practitioner. For one year he taught school and during that time cultivated the friendship of Miss Ellen Hays, a daughter of Dr. Charles Hays, an old pioneer physician of the community, whom he later succeeded. Following the injunction of the Bible, this union surely was fruitful, for fifteen chil- dren were born to them. While engaged in teaching he still pursued his studies of the art of medicine. Not deeming it wise to start his life's work among those who knew him only as a teacher, he returned to Thorntown, Indiana, to engage in his chosen profession for one year. But his heart was set upon Macomb as a permanent residence, so he came back to that village, after a year's try-out in his old home — in which he had average success. Becomes a Homeopathist For seven years he followed the teachings of the old school of medicine, attending lectures at times at Rush, from which he received a certificate of graduation. In the environment of the struggle between the old and the new thoughts in medicine he became a convert of the new. So con- vinced was he that the homeopathic method offered better chances for success in his home town that he continued in this line for twenty-two years with ' ' remarkably good success, especially since he has adopted the homeopathic method of treatment, and no physician in this part of the State ranks higher among the masses of people." But general practice had then, as now, its limitations; surgery was then coming into the limelight, and even the county practitioner had ambitions to shine in that light. So, in 1867, to Hahnemann College in Chicago went this ambitious one, to take up courses to that end. This school gave him a degree, a superfluous document apparently, for the writer states: "Although this diploma adds nothing to the skill of the doctor, it yet shows that his knowledge was such as to warrant the con- ferring of this honorary degree upon him by an institution of acknowl- edged standing." Becomes a Breeder of Blooded Stock Dr. Westfall, though he "officed" in Macomb, lived upon his farm, for his interest in agricultural matters was second only to his interest 490 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS in medicine. Here he experimented for the promotion of better products and the results were exhibited at the county fairs for the edification of other agriculturalists who were less fortunate than he in the matter of time and money to carry on the tests. But the greatest help he gave the county follv was in the matter of improving the native stoclc by importa- tions of registered stallions and bulls. In 1870 he crossed the ocean to France upon one of these quests, purchasing several of these fine animals. He had no sooner placed these thoroughbreds upon the vessel when an order by Louis Napoleon, Emperor of France, placed an embargo upon such shipments, in anticipation of the impending struggle with Germany. But this edict did not aflfect those already upon the vessels, and McDonough County was the gainer in that the arrival of these animals brought fame and wealth to the native breeders. So successful was this venture that the doctor made another voyage in 1873 to fetch more of the thoroughbreds. Dr. Westf all's enterprise has made the county to- day a haven for fine horses and fine Jersey cattle. Interested in School Matters As one would expect in a professional man, Dr. Westfall took a keen interest in higher education and with this in view he purchased the old McDonough College property to forestall its getting into the hands of a man who desired it for residence purposes. He resold it to Professor D. Branch for five hundred dollars less than the first bidder had offered for it, with the stipulation that because of this reduction a condition be placed in the bill of sale that the premises should be used for a school of high grade for at least ten years thereafter. In conclusion we append a few more sidelights on his character with remarks concerning his appearance which are gleanings from the written word: "He has never held public office of any kind, nor ever desired it." A strong Republican, yet not a bigoted party man, he was friendly with those who differed with him and stanch in his devotion to the old school Presbyterian church, from which he received the waters of baptism. Physically, the doctor was not regarded as robust, yet he stood as much exposure as any man in the county. He was pictured as a man above medium height, with light hair and blue eyes and a full auburn beard, a style of adornment typical of his time. It is said he was kind and sympathetic and enjoyed the confidence of all. Every good work received his ready help and withal, this man did, unflinchingly, every thing that could reasonably be asked by the citizens of his county, ac- cording to his biographer. THE CENTRAL COUNTIES 491 Dr. B. A. Duncan, born in Pennsylvania in 1825, of Scotch, Irish and English parentage, was given by his father the medical education neces- sary at the time. "His preparatory medical studies were conducted under the tutorship of Dr. Alexander McCandless, of Pittsburgh, Pa." He graduated from the medical college there in 1845. In 1849 he came to Industry, McDonough County, and it is said that his practice became very extensive, "his success in all branches of his profession being good." Dr. Duncan was for many years a member of the American Medical Association. He was also in the army as a member of the 138th Illinois regiment. He died in 1877. -'^^ 2'o History of McDonough County, Illinois. By S. J. Clarke. D. W. Lusk, State Printer and Binder. Springfield, Illinois. 1878. Pages 367-369, 512-515, 348-350. CHAPTER XIV INTERIOR OF THE STATE: NORTHERN COUNTIES Early Medical History of Mercer and Henderson Counties AS early as 1778 Thomas Hutchins places an Iowa Indian village of one hundred natives upon his map (a copy of which is reproduced in this volume), on the east bank of the Mississippi south of the mouth of the Iowa River. This, in all probability, was at Yellow Banks, later known as Oquawka. And around this ancient Indian village settled the first white men known to have located in the early nineteenth century in the region comprising these small river counties of which we write. Probably the first of these trail blazers was S. S. Phelps, a trader who enjoyed the confidence of the Indians, whose wants he supplied in ex- change for valuable furs garnered through their unerring knowledge of woodcraft and marksmanship. This trader enjoyed the confidence of the great chief, Black Hawk, as well, and when that wily leader invaded Illinois in 1832, to give battle in protest to the encroachments of the whites, Phelps entreated him to desist, when he crossed the river to enter the Illinois village. ^"^ But no white man's reasoning could dis- suade the chief, for he was bent upon his mission, though it would appear that even then his cause seemed hopeless. At Oquawka, in the beginning of hostilities, Governor Reynolds sojourned for a time to keep in touch with the troops. The First Physician Arrives Dr. Isaac Garland erected in 1827 the first house on the site of the lower Yellow Banks in Henderson County. Afterward the doctor re- lated that it took him nearly a week to lay up the logs of his house, eight rounds high. There were no white men procurable to help him save his teamster, and in the emergency he hired six or eight Indians who were encamped at a point of the woods below. He had to pay them for each log as it rolled into place, also giving a round of drinks each time, repeating the process until the house was completed. A few other houses were erected in that year, for in 1828 and 1829 quite a number of settlers came and located in different portions of the county. Doctors Hereld, 271 Chicago's Highways, Old and New. Page 250. Quaife. 492 NORTHERN COUNTIES 493 Shriner and Howey, whose names appear in the records, were probably contemporaries of Dr. Garland, but details of their activities have not been found. Dr. William McMillan, of Biggsville Township, a South Carolinian, born in 1803, took one course of lectures in medicine at Charleston before coming to Henderson County in 1836. After remaining in this county one year, he completed his medical education in Cincinnati, returning to Henderson County in 1837. Here he continued to practice until 1861, when he became blind, which calamity occurred, as stated in the chronicles, "through excessive labors and exposure in behalf of his fellows." For many years he was the only doctor, and his calls took him for many miles around, covering parts of Warren, Mercer and Hancock Counties, besides his own. "For a large amount of his work he received no compensation, doing it as a work of charity and labor of love. To many of his poorer patients who were sick and disheartened he used to bring medicine, accompanying it with some little gift, and on going away would leave a receipt in full for his services," Lady Bountiful could not have done any more than this. "He was a noble, courteous gentleman and a thorough Christian man; his influence for good is beyond all human measurement." Dr. IMcMillan, who was a pioneer in Henderson County, traveled night and day, says the historian, and "his memory is still fragrant in the minds of many," Frequently he Avas so tired for want of rest that he fell asleep in the saddle. ' ' Once a man with a gash in his forehead was found on the Ellison, slowly bleeding to death. A man going to a neigh- bor's house where Dr. McMillan was treating a patient met the doctor sound asleep on his horse and wakened him. ' ' He was so unsteady that he implored them to let him sleep on the grass for an hour before sewing up the wound. After awakening he found his nerves steady enough to complete the suturing. ' ' ]\Iany like incidents are told of this good man, whose fame is now secure." That these praises were well earned, and not a panegja'ic bestowed upon him by an overzealous friend, is found by reading further that though the doctor and his wife were childless, j'^et their home was al- ways filled with youthful faces, as they adopted two children, besides caring for the orphaned children of a brother. As a fitting reward for his labors, the people of the county once sent the doctor to the legisla- ture, where he did them a good service. It appears that Dr. McMillan taught the first school in South Henderson Township, at Coloma. The death of this useful man occurred in 1881. 494 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS "Dr Freeman Knowles came from the State of Maine soon after the laying out of the town of Shokokon, in 1836." He did not stay long, going to Keokuk, Iowa, and becoming a professor in the medical college there. He died in 1880. "In 1840 Dr. Mark Willits settled in New Boston, the first resident doctor of the place." Dr. Martin Willits is mentioned in history as being at Millersburg. "Another early physician was Dr. Daniel Pickley ... a sheriff." Mention is found of a Charles Drury, who studied medicine with Dr. Reynolds, at Rock Island, then moved back to his home at Eliza Town- ship and practiced there, quitting the practice in 1851. Dr. Nelson was the first physician at Terre Haute. The chief interest of this neighborhood seems to center around the fact that it was a fa- vorite spot for social excursions of Keokuk, the great chief of the Sacs and the Foxes, whose headquarters were across the river at Burlington. Dr. W. K. Smith, when a boy, on these momentous occasions was honored with a place on the old warrior's knee to receive first-hand stories of adventure of the exploits of that fast-vanishing race. Dr, Jesse V. Frazier, who was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, in 1824, remained upon his father's farm until he was eighteen years of age. The desire for knowledge beyond the practical which the farm afforded, determined him to go to Youngstown, Ohio, where there was an academj^ that catered to the ambitious ones of the times. Here he pursued his studies for three years, interrupted only by the teaching of school during two of the winters. In 1845 a decision possessed him to seek a preceptor in medicine, which profession appealed to his studious mind. With this in view he presented himself to Dr. B. F. Richardson, whose ability as a teacher was shortly afterward recognized by the faculty in one of the medical colleges of Cincinnati and to which institution he received a call as professor. Remaining under the tutelage of Dr. Richardson, until 1847, young Frazier decided to emigrate wdth his father to the Illinois country. A thriving business in river traffic there was at that time, and upon one of these packets they embarked at Pittsburgh. To Cairo and then up the Mississippi they traveled laboriously against the cui;rent until they arrived at Keokuk, where an ice jam impeded further progress. Disembarking upon the ice, they continued their perilous journey by foot to the Iowa side. Recrossing to the Illinois side from Burlington, they went in a row-boat with the raAv northeastern spring wind cutting their faces like a biting frost to a point where the ice was strong enough to bear them. At last Viola was reached, there they decided to reside and with this in view they purchased a farm one and one-half miles from the village. Leaving his son in their new abode to put in the crops, the father returned to Ohio to fetch the family. Shortly after the re- union of the family Jesse decided to return to his medical studies, and NORTHERN COUNTIES 495 with this determination he repaired to Rock Island, entering the office of Dr. AVinslow S. Peirce, who subsequently left this State to reside in Indianapolis. In the fall of 1847 the embryo doctor attended lectures at McDowell's Medical College in St. Louis. A year later he began prac- ticing at Millersburg and in 1849, after more studying at the Rock Island Medical College, he received a diploma. His biographer accords him the credit of being "a student of more than ordinary talent, and in his final examination he acquitted himself with the highest honors." But this was the year of 1849, and a great year for the gold fever, and, as the scribe relates, the young doctor was stricken with the con- tagion that repelled the contents of an apothecary store, as well as the skill of any human physician, and for this disease there was "no anti- dote nearer than the gold mines of California." For his malady he prescribed for himself a trip to that country. In company with his friend, Dr. Peirce, he took the boat for New Orleans and there took pas- sage in a steamer bound for Panama. It will be recalled that those who did not care to travel by way of the prairie schooner, with all its hard- ships, took the water route to Panama, and, after crossing the isthmus, re-embarked on a Pacific coast steamer for the land of promise. Shortly after they had landed in Gorgonia and after their appetites were ap- peased with a bountiful repast at a nearby restaurant. Dr. Frazier dis- covered that some bird of passage had relieved him of the further burden of carrying his wallet. Consternation would hardly express the state of mind into which he was precipitated by this misfortune, for he was in a strange land, the language of which was foreign to him, without friends and without money. Fortunately his diploma was among his effects and, armed with that precious document, he sought an interview with the American consul in that city. Having persuaded that offi.cial of the veracity of his statements, he received a promise of a commission as surgeon on the first vessel that should depart for San Francisco. The "Sea Queen," a British vessel from Dundee, Scotland, laden with coal, was the first vessel destined for the port of San Francisco, and upon it he sailed to the land of adventure. But Panama in 1850 was not Panama in the twentieth century, and the Chagres River was still breeding mosquitoes with a deadly sting as it had for centuries, and Dr. Frazier became prostrated with the fever that was the bane of the white man of the tropics until the martyred soldiers of the medical profession proved by voluntary inoculation that it could be controlled, if not entirely eradicated. Undaunted and deter- mined, after his recovery he made his way to the mining camp known by the significant appellation of "Rough and Ready," in Nevada 496 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS County, and began work in the mines. Like others who have tried other lines and are still looking for better fields to conquer, Dr. Frazier found that the miner's lot has no attractions or hazards that could compare with the satisfaction that comes from the successful treating of the sick. So after seven years of effort in the alien field, he longingly looked back to "God's country" — which was in the ]\Iississippi Valley then, as it is now — and the first boat that left in the spring for New York took the passenger of disillusioned experience back to within striking distance of the river routes that would ultimately carry him to the land of his j^oung manhood. One month of sailing, not bad time for that period, landed him in New York. In the east he spent several months visiting its principal cities and then back to the "Sucker State," with the conviction in his heart that if he again laid eyes upon its unsurpassed beauties no allure- ment would again alienate him from its borders. In 1861 he was again in Viola and devoting his time principally to his profession, although he took a keen interest in politics. Furthering the candidacy of his friends by his sagacious foresight, he was a political power behind the throne. He was the first president of the "Scientific and Historical Association" of Mercer County and a member of the "State Medical Association." Dr. Elisha L. Marshall, born near Trenton, New Jersey, in 1823, was educated at the City University of New York. After graduation he made Keithsburg, Illinois, his home, as early as 1850. After serving in the capacity of surgeon with the 84th Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in 1861, he returned to this county and attained signal success as a surgeon. But let his biographer dilate upon his qualifications : "As a practitioner of medicine and surgery, Dr. Elisha L. Marshall stands deservedly high in the estimation of all, and not the least so in the estimation of his professional brethren. But it is in the department of surgery, perhaps, that the doctor has done his best work, and earned his highest triumphs. But few practitioners outside of the larger cities have done a larger number of intricate and capital operations, or met with a more uniform success in operative surgical procedures than has the subject of this sketch. His close observations of pathological conditions, his success in weighing the relations of cause and effect, and his almost intuitive judgment and decision at the bedside, have se- cured for him a reputation as consulting physician and surgeon second to none in the country. . . . Thorough in his professional attainments, earnest in his warfare against disease, with an almost chivalric fidelity to the sick and afflicted consigned to his care, Dr. Marshall has stamped the impress of his stalwart individuality upon the history and daily life of the large community In which he has lived and labored for nearly a third of a century." Dr. J. H. McDill is listed as a physician at Oquawka in 1848. NORTHERN COUNTIES 497 Dr. Cephas Park, was born in Vermont in 1819. It was not until the age of twenty-seven that he decided to read medicine under Dr. E. Blachley of Niles, Ohio. He did not finish his course with Dr. Blachley, however, but placed himself under Dr. T. B. Wood of Warren, Ohio, from whose preceptorship he entered the Western Reserve College and "received a recommendation as a practitioner." In April, 1850, he ar- rived at Oquawka, but being without full qualifications, he decided not to practice extensively until he had a diploma. The allied profession of pharmacy opened a field for his endeavors and by opening a drug store with his limited means he managed to make a living. But desire to enter the practice as a full-fledged physician prompted him to resume his studies in the winter of 1853 and 1854 at Cleveland, and he received his degree at the expiration of the term. Returning to Oquawka, he disposed of his drug store and entered the medical field in earnest. Twice he tried associating himself in partnership with other phj^sicians, but neither of the alliances lasted long, for the doctor was known as a "self-made man," and was possessed of all of the independence that term implies. Through his success in the profession he accumulated enough to pur- chase a large farm, which enabled him to live in comparative comfort in his declining years. Here are excerpts of a discourse by a local historian upon the general health of the community. He claims that for fifty years no place had greater exemption from disease than Oquawka. This he attributes to its location on the sandy beach of the Mississippi, where stagnation of waters was impossible. Obnoxious debris carried in the mighty stream had at this point no lowland in which to find lodgment. In 1849, when the cholera was raging, this town was relatively free from the infection and the death-rate, compared to that of nearby communi- ties, was low. But in 1854 and 1855, during a smallpox epidemic, they did not fare as well. To add to the confusion the doctors differed in their diagnoses, confusing the terrible malady with other eruptive diseases. However, verification of its true nature was announced after a conven- tion was called to discuss it. Their findings brought action by the board of town trustees, M'ho appointed Doctors C. Park, J. A. Maury, H. Burkleo, J. R. Snelling and George C. Pearce as a sanitary com- mittee with authority to impose such restrictions as the exigencies of the situation required. Diseased persons and those exposed were kept under surveillance and wholesale vaccinations Avere done within the corporate limits. Each committee-man received ten dollars for his 498 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS labor (munificent recompense). The layman then attempts to explain the good health conditions of fifty years by the fish food that entered so largely into the dietary of the natives. His having lived there during this period confirmed him in his belief that his deductions were true. In the same breath the chronicler states that sickness was less frequent than nowadays and attributes that happy state to fireplaces and crevices in the walls of the log cabins, that allowed a free circulation of fresh air. ' ' Simple food and a quiet life all combined to produce health. ' ' Comparing the old with modern methods of treatment of the sick, he recounts that water was withheld from a fever patient and when, per- chance, the doctor slept, and a patient emptied the contents of a pitcher of ice water, thereby saving his life, the doctor would exclaim : ' ' What a constitution that man has got." But with the passing of years he opines many of the old ideas also passed, much to the relief of physicians and patients. ^''^ Warren County The custom of naming counties after illustrious personages who have rendered signal service to our country in a time of great stress, was adhered to when the session of 1824-25 decided that "that part of the 'Military Tract' lying west of the fourth principal meridian, extend- ing to the Mississippi River, and including what is now Henderson County, should be called AVarren County," honoring in far-away Illinois the name of General Joseph Warren, who so gallantly defended his country at the battle of Bunker Hill, shows well that, though forty-nine years had passed, men were still thinking about the debt they owed those who gave their lives that a great nation might be born. It is especially gratifying to the profession to know that the bullet-pierced body lying prostrate on that hallowed ground upon that memorable June day in 1775 was that of a physician who left his calling to pursue the urgent demands of duty upon the battlefield. Physicians in the Early Days The earliest arrival among the pioneer physicians in this county when it was part of Henderson County appears to have been Dr. Garland. He was followed by Dr. Ethan Cabanis. In 1831 Dr. Alpheus Russell arrived, to locate in Monmouth and compete with Dr. Cabanis for the favor of the patients. 2-72 History of Mercer and Henderson Counties, Illinois. H. H. Hill & Co. Chicago. 1882. Pages 920-922, 872, 961, 671-673, 893, 934, 781, 782, 835, 836, 995, 1164-1167, 1362-1365, 1234, 1278, 1322, 1323, 83, 211, 662. NORTHERN COUNTIES 499 Dr. B. Ragon, born in Ohio in 1813, began to study medicine when twenty years old, with Dr. J. Lang. After "finishing" his studies under George W. Sampson, M. D., at the age of twenty-four, he began prac- tice. Moving to Greenbush, Illinois, in 3 842, he practiced two years at this place and then went to Indiana. But in the same year — 1844 — he came back to Greenbush. In 1855 he attended lectures at Rush Medical College and graduated in 1856. It is said that in 1846 Dr. Ragon had "booked from sixty to eighty dollars a day for some time." "When he came to Illinois he found Dr. Webster and Dr. Young, two as noble men as ever lived, and skilled in their profession." Dr. Wright and Dr. Gillmore were practicing in this county in early times. ^'3 Knox County Medical History Antedating the Year 1850 Dr. Charles Hansford is said to have come to Knox County in 1829, so must have been one of the first physicians, perhaps the first in the county. In 1830 he was, with others, appointed to draft a petition to the judge of the fifth judicial district, "praying for the organization of the county." Dr. Hansford was also on the committee to present the petition and address the judge in the interest of the plea. Later he was a county commissioner. The doctor and his famih'- were among those who fled from their homes in 1832 to escape the murderous on- slaughts of the Indians. Dr. William H. Heller, who came to the State in 1835, was born in Ohio. At the early age of seventeen he applied himself to the study of medicine under Dr. William Cline, a graduate of Jefferson Medical College who was located in Cuba, Fulton County, Illinois. But before he had completed his studies he embarked in the difficult field of prac- ticing medicine and surgery in the same town with his preceptor. At a later date — in 1846 — he located at Abingdon. Not, however, thoroughly versed in the art, he decided to get a regular degree, and with that in mind he entered Rush Medical College and was graduated from that institution in 1855. The political issues preceding the War of the Re- bellion were the chief subjects of interest among the people of the time, and Dr. Heller threw his support with the forces that had Douglas for their champion. But upon the breaking out of hostilities he changed his views and aligned himself with the unionists. This great cause v/on in him an ardent champion and he made public speeches to imbue others with the spirit of true patriotism. Dr. Heller had under his tutorship a young physician, Dr. M. Reece. 273 The Past and Present of Warren County, Illinois. H. F. Kett & Co. Chicago. 1877. Pages 107, 116, 282. 500 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS They were great friends and of one accord with those who were then trying to preserve the union. To help this cause in a more practical way, when there was a great need for army medical officers, these men decided that Dr. Reece, being the younger, could best serve the State in such a capacity, and he consequently entered an Illinois infantry regiment for service at the front. At home Dr. Heller gave support to the movement for prohibition. On his fine farm he devoted his spare time, outside of his professional duties, to the advancement of stock- breeding and he owned a large herd of shorthorn cattle. Dr. Lemuel C. Brunson, of Abingdon, was born in Vermont in 1796, where he received his early education and where he was married in 1823, the young couple going to Cleveland, Ohio, where Dr. Brunson began his career in the practice. Two children were born to this union. His first wife died and he entered into a second marriage in 1828. He still remained in. Ohio until 1836, when he was attracted to the possi- bilities of the prairies of Illinois and he journeyed with his family to Abingdon. Here he was very successful and served the county for many miles around. This, in common with all pioneer traveling, was attended with great difficulties over the trails through the mud. Dr. E. S. Cooper, born in Ohio in 1820, came to Illinois in 1843, settling in Henderson, Knox County. He had received his education at Oxford, in Miami University, also obtaining degrees from the college of South Hanover, Indiana, and from other colleges. He studied four years in the Cincinnati Medical College. Dr. Cooper was considered an able scholar, especially well versed in the Scriptures, reading the "old tongues" readily. He was also a mathematician and calculated eclipses at the age of seventeen. In addition to these accomplishments, he was much interested in botany. Dr. John L. Fifield, of Victoria Village, a native of New Hampshire, studied medicine as early as 1826, at Dartmouth. After two years' schooling he located in his native State, where he remained nine years. Then the prairies of Illinois interested him as a possible field for his labors, and he joined the caravan of westward travelers bound for the frontier. Rochester, Peoria County, seemed best suited for the display of his talents and this place held him for ten years more of his busy life, when the moving spirit again took hold of him and the result was that Victoria Village became the field of his endeavors until 1870, when he retired. Covering distances of forty to fifty miles was the common lot of the early practitioners and it would seem that Dr. Fifield minded it not, for he not only took care of his practice and the superintending of his 160-acre farm, but in addition he served the community as justice NORTHERN COUNTIES 501 of the peace. "He never refused to go where duty called," the recorda recount. "John Riley, M. D., was born Sept. 30, 1818, in New York City. His father served as a soldier in the War of 1812. John Riley acquired by his own efforts much of his education, being limited in opportunities. He taught school several terms and took up the study of medicine in Fulton County, N. Y., then went to Castleton, Vt., graduating in 1843. He began practicing in Saratoga County, N. Y., staying there until 1846, when he came to Knox County, Illinois. Three years later he settled in Henry County, not far from Andover, and met with excellent success. In 1853 he went to Spring Hill, Whiteside County, and soon won the confidence and esteem of the people, building up an extensive and lucrative practice in a few years. His rides extended to all adjoining counties, for he always responded cheerfully and promptly to all calls of his numerous patients." Dr. Riley bought land and built a fine home at Spring Hill. He was also in the mercantile business. The doctor was a Master Mason, was elected county coroner in 1872, and was actively identified with the Pro- hibition party. He was "generous, liberal minded and progressive." Reuben Baily, M. D., was born in 1816 in Pennsylvania. His father was a Quaker and a teacher. Dr. Baily attended Madison College, at Uniontown, in his native State, for some time, then farmed for a year. In 1841 he engaged in mercantile business in Ohio and later studied medicine with Dr. H. C. Conklin, of Sidney, Ohio, for two years, attend- ing a course of lectures at Cincinnati Medical College. Returning to Sidney, he finished his course and began practicing there, staying until 1847, when he came to Knox County, Illinois, settling at Knoxville. In 1852 he attended lectures at St. Louis and graduated from Missouri Medical College, resuming practice at Knoxville. It is said that he was noted for his "wide range of reading." ^^4 Livingston County's Early Medical Men Probably the first physician was Dr. Milton Woolley of Streator, who was born in the town of Washington, N. Y., in 1809, on a farm of eighty acres which his parents through thrift had acquired. In his adolescence he read every book he could lay his hands upon. Though he had no fundamental knowledge of English grammar, at the age of twenty-one he taught common school, and studied Greek and Latin assiduously dur- ing his spare time. Fourteen years later he began the stud}' of medicine, -74 Portrait and Biographical Album of Knox County, Illinois. Chapman Bros. Chicago. 188G. Pages 104, 128, 153, 328, 329, 598, 599, 667, 732, 821-823, 489. History of Knox County, Illinois. Blakely, Brown & Marsh, Printers. Chicago. 1878. Pages 694, 695, 712. Biographical Record of Whiteside County, Illinois. S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, Chicago. 1900. Pages 165, 166. 502 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS and in 1839 the regents of the University of the State of New York gave him a degree. In the same year he married a daughter of Dr. John Dodge. Ten years later he located in La Salle County to engage in farming and to some extent to practice medicine. Sixteen years later he moved to Livingston County, where he followed farming and prac- ticed medicine, and also took up the study of Hebrew so that he might prepare himself for a self-imposed task of writing "The Science of the Bible." In 1877, a year after he moved to Streator, this monumental task was completed, and following this literary effort he published a smaller work entitled, "The Career of Jesus Christ." Dr. Cornelius W. Reynolds, born in Ohio in 1811, settled in Amity Township in 1836. After a short period of residence in the countryside, he moved to the village of Pontiac. Here he resided four years. During this time he served in the civil capacity of clerk of the county commis- sioner's court, the first postmaster and organizer of the first school. He is listed as having also resided in La Salle County in 1834 and 1877. Dr. James S. Munson was undoubtedly one of the county's earliest inhabitants, as the following excerpts from the records would imply. One M. I. Ross, who was clerk of the commissioner's court, was removed by a local referendum the year following his election in 1837. The charge implied that he was not eligible to hold office, as the law required that an officer must reside in the county seat. So the "court made an order that, 'the above facts appearing, M. I. Ross be removed for this cause and for no other,' whereupon, James Munson was duly appointed to fill the vacancy. ' ' Cholera Leaves Devastation in its Wake From the first settlements, until 1849, the population grew to fair proportions, but the great scourge of that year gave the county a blow from which it recovered very slowly. One little township near Pontiac had a most deplorable death rate. In comparison with other sections it was most appalling. Out of a population of seventy-eight souls, thirteen died. The medical supply of this community was Dr. Holland, of Rook's Creek, and it is stated that in the pursuit of duty, this knight of the medical art contracted the sickness and died within a few days. Those who essayed to nurse the sick were frequently stricken. These were truly dark days and, as the writer relates, "No one but an actual observer can picture the gloom that settled on the little com- munity, or describe the alarm and excitement that prevailed. At times the number of persons afflicted was greater than the number of those who were well, and much greater than those who were willing or could be induced to wait upon them; and the disposition of the dead was a very serious question. Business of all kinds was stopped. Intercourse NOETHEEN COUNTIES 503 with the outer world was entirely cut off, and those having business at this point invariably avoided the route through this part of the county. ' ' That this proved a real drawback to prosperity can easily be surmised. As bad news spreads more rapidly than good tidings, the building up of the community received a setback that was overcome only by a sys- tematic policy of the survivors, who wrote back to their former homes, in the east or south, with urgent invitations to relatives or friends to come to see the country and perhaps work a year or more upon the land. When once these newcomers saw the land's possibilities the old shadow of the epidemic was dissipated by the hope of acquiring a rich section of land at a very nominal fee. And thus again were the vacant places of the departed ones filled. Dr. John Hulse is said to have come to the county in 1849, but we have no record of his practice. Among the earliest of the medical advisers in the tovmship was Dr. John Davis, of Pontiac, who his admirers opined, was the first physician in the county. He supplied the field conjointly with Dr. Ostrander, an old physician of Avoca, who in the early times practiced all over the eastern part of the county. Dr. Ostrander was among the contenders for the honor of being the county's first regular physician, but there is great difference of opinion in this matter. Dr. Ostrander 's Business Acumen The doctor, who resided upon a farm near Lodemia Station, was not practicing, it appears, for his or other people's health only, although his devotion to his sick brethren is shown by his biographer, who states that "he never suffered any trivial excuse to keep him from the bedside of his patients." But he had a keen sense of what these services were worth, which we glean from the statement that a patron of Indian Grove objected to the largeness of his bill. The doctor, who evidently left a back door always open, if we may be permitted to use a trite present- day figure, for such a challenge, informed his patient "confidentially that if he knew the cost of the medicine he had used in his case, he would not be surprised at his bill being so large." Naturally the inquisitor was interested to know what this cost was. The doctor had his fences well built, for he informed the astonished invalid that it "cost $2,700 an ounce ; that it required the services of ten men four months to gather one ounce ; and that nine out of ten lost their lives while at it. ' ' With radium still locked up in pitch blend, undiscovered, one reading that statement in this day and age is as curious as the startled native was at this remarkable information, and we are at a loss whether to accord the doctor a charter membership in the Ananias Club, or whether to be- lieve that he was indulging in a species of primitive humor. We are 504 HISTORY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE IN ILLINOIS inclined to think him a prototype of the detail man, whose numbers are legion in our time. Recounts Another Remarkable Tale As we look further into this man 's life we get secondary accounts of a story from his own lips that shows the doctor's faculty for vivid descrip- tions of fantastic happenings that remind one forcibly of the products of the brain of Don Quixote. The remarkable experience he records shows that, for speed in transportation, the modern automobile's per- formances are paled into insignificance. Then, as now, a hurry call demanded quick action in covering the ground between the patient and the abode of the medical man of vivid imagination. Racing toward the fording place in Indian Creek at break-neck speed in his buggy drawn by his trusty steed, the ^sculapian of the old school stopped a moment to allow his faithful horse time to sip a few draughts of water. He noticed the fore axle of his buggy was wheel-less and had just dropped into the water. Here, then, was a most irksome delay, and backward he wended his way to find the missing wheel. When he had covered considerable distance he met his faithful dog, whose habit it was to follow his master's rig, dragging the wheel with his mouth. The doctor attached the wheel, and onward the race against time proceeded. The remarkable thing about this story is that the doctor, if he had interpreted the power of speed in overcoming gravity that he experienced, might have hastened the advent of aviation considerably. A Great Fruit Magnate was this Pioneer Physician Aside from the other evidences of business acumen, this man of action obtained in the short period of a lifetime, wonderful results in horticul- ture, for we learn that as a side line he raised enough fruit to ship goose- berries to Chicago by the carload and he boasted of having raised as much as eight hundred bushels of cherries in a single season. A truly remarkable man was this physician of large vision, -''s Medical Practice in Peoria County Before and Including the First Half of the Nineteenth Century The region around that enlargement in the Illinois River known as Lake Peoria has been associated with our earliest history. It was the most important post in the State during the heartrending regime of that -75 History of Livingston County, Illinois. By Wm. Le Baron, Jr., & Co. Chi- cago. 1878. Pages 296, 298, 301-803; 235, 332, 381, 285. History of La Salle County. Vol. H. Pages 5 and 8. Site of Fort CREVtxtEUR (Broken Heart) With Peoria in the background. Here was established by LaSalle, in 1680. a fortification to protect the south end of an area intended for a colony, to develop the beautiful Illinois River Valley as far northeast as Starved Rock, where was established another stronghold called Fort St. Louis. The lower picture shows the trench designed to protect the fort against land invasion from behind. Photo