History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 39

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 818

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ors. If the whole truth was known, however, they would have to acknowledge that their position was not always maintained without some drawbacks. They had to share with others the many hardships, privations and dangers of border life. These were numerous, but there were many to which the doc- tor was alone exposed-the danger of lonely rides, the exposure by night to wild beasts and to savage men, traveling through dark woods with only a trace, or a blaze upon the trees, and their knowledge of the cardinal points, to guide them. No bridges then spanned the narrow but dangerous streams which could only be crossed by swimming, and over the' marshy places stretched the well- known corduroy. One of the old practitioners who became widely known in the profession in this country, and one of the foremost in the State, says: "When I began practice, nearly fifty years ago, a few of the leading roads only were what is termed 'cut-outs,' that is, the trees were cut down to a certain width along a line, on which the road had been laid out. The greater number mean- dered through the timbered land in a general, but not a very straight, direction, as circumstances most favored, and which were very difficult to travel on dark nights. And with the lonely roads there were other troubles, such as getting lost, which was a common occurrence, sometimes to the most expe- rienced backwoodsman."

This distinguished father, who has gone to his rest, relates the following experience: "In 1832, I attempted to make a trip one cloudy, drizzly day, over this route to Bellepoint, to visit a patient who lived near that village. Soon after striking the dark path or road in the woods, I lost my way, and discovered that my faithful old horse and my- self were traveling in a charmed circle, and, not- withstanding the best efforts I could make, I repeated the trip around the circle several times, when at last I broke the charm by undertaking to travel the circle instead of the bee-line. By re- versing the order, I was brought to a point several miles from my patient, but from which I started and reached home, hungry, cold, wet and weary. I had traveled from 9 A. M. to 5 P. M. without being more than four or five miles from my place of starting." He relates an interesting story of old Dr. Reuben Lamb, who was summoned to attend a patient several miles distant. Both the messen- ger and doctor lost their way, and were compelled to lie down in the forest with their saddles for pil- lows, until the morning light. The scream of the panther and the howling of the wolves were often

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the unwelcome sounds to greet these early physi- cians. On one occasion, old Dr. James Hills was traveling from Worthington to Alum Creek, in this county. It was a beautiful moonlight night, and, as he rode along through the dense woods, he was suddenly aroused by the snorting of his horse and the rustling of the leaves and bushes. The panther, for such it was, followed him until he emerged from the woods into the open country, when, with liberal use of whip and spur, he suc- ceeded in escaping. In those times, the necessity of swimming the streams was quite common. When the late Dr. Ralph Hills came to Delaware, over fifty years ago, there was but one bridge in the county, and that was over Alum Creek, on the road from Delaware to Berkshire. This was an important line of communication, and the steep banks, probably more than the depth of the stream, compelled the early construction of a bridge. The Scioto, Whetstone and other streams had none. Swimming streams on horseback was so often re- quired that many persons became experts, and quite fearless in the practice. Dr. Hill says the first horse he ever owned was lost from swimming the Whetstone one cold March day, after a dash- ing ride of five miles. The horse fell sick soon after, and finally died from consumption. The owner held a post-mortem examination on him, after which they sang as a requiem the song, "Poor old horse, let him die."

About this time the physicians found a rival in the female doctor, a class of practitioners whose only diploma was the consent of the people. In a few years, every neighborhood had one of these doctors, who was a great blessing (!), and had an extensive practice. As the country became more thickly settled, and regular physicians in- creased in number, the female doctors were driven from the field. They had made their advent into the country about 1808-10, and for twenty or thirty years they increased in numbers, but then began to die out. A short time after them another class, known as the root doctors, put in an appearance. Their remedies were of the simplest, herbs and root teas. These were given in the most dignified manner, and they slowly gained a few customers, when the title doctor was con- ferred by their patients. They never became very numerous, and generally combined farming with their practice. About the same time, the Indian doctors made their appearance, and were closely allied to the herbists. They were nomadic in their habits, and professed to obtain their skill and

medicine from the Indians. The uroscopic doctors were next in order, and the same remarks will ap- ply to them. They never obtained a footing in the country or disturbed the equanimity of the regular doctor.

The Thompsonian or steam system was a great innovation in the medical profession. It originated in 1824-25, and took its name from the inventor, Thompson, who lived in the East. He patented his book and his medicine, but forgot his theory. He thought, "Heat was life, and cold was death." His medicines were all rated No. 1, No. 2, etc .; his No. 6 being a strong compound of hot stimulants, and was the only one that survived any length of time. He would steam the patient outside, and stimulate him with No. 6 inside. His book of in- structions, and a right to practice in one's own family or neighborhood, was sold for $20. Dela- ware County was not slow in its patronage of this system of medicine. Its popularity and success were due, no doubt, to the influence of Mr. Horton Howard, who held the patent for' Ohio, several Southern States and the whole West, and who lived in Delaware. He soon moved to Columbus, however, where he printed his pamphlet of in- structions and started a pharmacy for the medicine, and also began the practice. It soon became a great power in the land, and in 1832, Mr. Howard succeeded in having the medical laws of Ohio re- pealed by the Legislature. This was the means of disorganizing all the medical societies in the State, and in a few years, the system having had its run, went into a decline which neither No. 6 nor heat could revive.

In the year 1830-31, the people were startled by the establishment of a medical college at Worth- ington. This was another new system, or rather a root and herb practice or system, that was free to denounce the use of the lancet and minerals. The students, on entering the college, were given a di- ploma in the "Reformed Medical Society of the United States," as an honorary member. This was opened December 6, 1830, with Dr. J. J. Steele as President, and J. G. Jones, Dean.' It continued in operation for several years, and being contiguous to Delaware, exercised considerable influence in the county, especially in the southern portion. The college, after a few years, was moved to Cin- cinnati, Ohio, and became the Eclectic Medical College.

The character of homoeopathic medicine is well. known, and the system still has its representatives in the county. It first made its appearance about

HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

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18-, and is increasing, perhaps, at the present day throughout the country. Quite a large class of people believe in this method of practice. But we will not enter into a discussion of its merits or demerits in this connection.

The principal diseases known to the early settler were the malarial, or the summer and autumn in- termittents, remittents and various other diseases, such as scarlet fever, typhoid fever, measles, ete. Consumption was a rare disease in our early history. In addition to the above the "milk sickness" usu- ally made its appearance in September every year. About 1806-08, there appeared in New England what was termed the " cold plague," which, in course of time, reached this Western country. From 1815 to 1822-23, it raged severely and fatally to a considerable extent, not only in Dela- ware County, but all over Ohio. It was during these years that some of our best citizens died with it: The Rev. J. S. Hughes, the first Pres- byterian minister of Delaware, was a victim, and the father of President Hayes, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Sweetzer, father of the late Hon. Charles Sweetzer, and many others.

Having taken a hasty glance at the early, history of medicine, the various systems, and their advent into the country ; also, a brief sketeh of the dis- eases most prevalent, it will now be in order to say something of the early practitioners, as gathered from those who personally knew them. Much of our information has been obtained from one whose knowledge extended back professionally over a period of nearly fifty years, and who knew, per- haps, every physician or surgeon personally that practiced in the county. Others have corroborated his information, as well as furnished additional facts of historical interest. For the first five years after settlements were made in the county, we have been unable to ascertain who was the medical ad- viser, if indeed the early settlers were so fortunate (or unfortunate) as to have one. But in 1806, Dr. Reuben Lamb came to the county. He had read medicine in New York, his native State, and was on his way down the Mississippi River. But, on arriving at Pittsburg, he fell in with Col. Moses Byxbe, and was persuaded to join his party at Berkshire, in Berkshire Township. At that time, there was no village in the county, and none nearer than Worthington, Franklin County. After a brief sojourn with this emigrant party, he decided to move to Worthington, as it was without a phy- sician. In 1806, he married there, and his oldest child, long a resident of Delaware, was born in

1807. In the spring of 1808, the Doctor again joined his old friend, Col. Byxbe, and together they laid out the town of Delaware. Dr. Lamb aided in organizing the county, and in starting various enterprises. He was the first County Recorder, as well as the first physician in the county and in the town. His residence and office were in a log cabin, built by Col. Byxbe, and stood in the front yard (or what is now the front yard) of Hon.J. C. Evans. He soon built himself a palatial cabin in the rear of where Martin Miller's residence now stands, and on the banks of the Delaware Run. He was about thirty-three years old when he be- gan practice in the county, and remained in active practice until 1822, when he moved to Missouri. But losing his wife, he returned to Delaware in less than a year. From physical disability he gave up general practice on his return to this county, but confined himself to the sale of medicines, con- sultations and office business. He was a well-read physician, but whether a graduate or not, is not known. It is quite conclusive, however, that the office of some good physician in New York was his alma mater. Coming to the Western country, his best lessons were culled from his own experi- ence at the bedside of his patients, as the type of diseases here differed from those he had met in the East. He was a very successful physician, and in the days of the so-called bilious forms of trouble, he usually had his hands full to attend the calls made upon him. A good story was often told of his early practice : "About 1820, a Mr. Shippy was taken sick. at Col. Sidney Moore's. When the crisis of the disease came, two watchers had been engaged, but one failed to put in an appearance. The Doctor made his last visit for the night, gave full instructions, and left. The nurse seated himself comfortably before the fire awaiting the arrival of his assistant. But weary from a hard day's work, he soon forgot all his cares in a heavy, undisturbed sleep. When he awoke, the bright sunshine was streaming into the room. Fearing from his neglect that the man must be dead, he went to the bed, when the patient turned over, rubbed his eyes, and seemed surprised that it was morning. He spoke of having had a good night's rest, and that he felt much better (so did the nurse). The Doctor soon came, pronounced the man out of danger, highly complimented the good nursing, and remarked that, in future, he would know who to call on to watch his patients."

Although Dr. Lamb disliked surgery, he had the only case of instruments in the county at that

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

time, and freely loaned them to those who had oc- casion to use them. He was a man of few words ; was a kind-hearted, generous, sympathetic, affec- tionate man, but being professionally and socially quiet, was often taken to be cold and distant. He was married four times, leaving a widow at his death, which occurred in 1850, at the age of sev- enty-six.

Dr. Noah Spalding was a native of New Hamp- shire, and graduated in literature and medicine at Dartmouth College. He possessed a mind well stored with knowledge, but was slow in expression ; was amiable, sociable and temperate in all his hab- its, and succeeded in gaining a good practice. An old physician said, " It was the Doctor's delight to be seated with his feet higher than his head, en- tertaining his listeners with pleasing stories." Dr. Spalding first located in Berkshire Township, about 1809. He afterward came to Delaware, where he practiced his profession until his death, in 1832. He was a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church, an exemplary Christian, and, as early as 1818, assisted in organizing the first Sabbath school in the county. While a member of the Board of County Examiners for teachers, he made a pleasant impression on the late Dr. R. Hills, which was never forgotten. He came before the honorable Board for examination, and for creden- tials to teach school. His trepidation was soon dis- pelled by the genial examiner, occupying the first half-hour with some anecdotes of school teaching, and the qualifications of some who had been before him for examination. Suddenly he turned, and said, " Ralph, what is the difference between six dozen dozen, and a half-dozen dozen ? " The answer be- ing promptly given, the Doctor turned to his asso- ciates and said : "You may as well write out his certificate. He is one of Dr Hill's sons, and we know what he is." Another joke is told of the Doc- tor, which is too good to be lost. It seems he had not the most implicit confidence in his own profes- sional judgment. One day he met Dr. Lamb on the street, and said: "Doctor, I have given my wife some blue pills, and. they have not acted as they should, see what you think of them," showing him some he had in his hand. Dr. Lamb placed one in his teeth, then quietly remarked, " You see they are buckshot, and made of lead."

Dr. N. Hawley, so near . as can be ascertained, was the third physician in the county, and located in Berkshire (the point of attraction to doctors) about 1810-12. He was an energetic practitioner ; shrewd and skillful, and full of anecdotes and laugh-

able stories. He died about 1822, at quite an ad- vanced age, as he was called " Old Dr. Hawley" when he came to the county.

Dr. Silas C. McClary was probably the fourth doc- tor to immigrate to Delaware County, and, like those who preceded him, he settled at Berkshire. He located there about 1813, and remained a resident of that place for a period of nearly twenty years, when he removed to Delaware, and soon after to Radnor Township, where he died. At one time he was very successful in business, but in later years, through misfortunes, he was left des- titnte, and died poor and uncared for. Some traits in his character, unnecessary to mention in this connection, always prevented him from becoming a favorite with members of the profession or of be- ing much sought after by them.

Dr. Samuel Moulton located in Delaware in 1819, thus giving Berkshire a rest from new doc- tors. He came from Vermont; was educated in Rutland, in that State, and was a graduate of medicine. Soon after his removal to Delaware, he began to rise in his profession, and to grow in pub- lic esteem. He was a well-read, skillful physician, and made very few mistakes. His useful career was cut short by that fell disease, consumption, and he died in 1821, at the age of twenty-nine years. Dr. Lamb esteemed him highly, and often sought his counsel. For many years after Moul- ton's death, Dr. Lamb kept his name familiar among the people of Delaware by making, and using in his practice, "Moulton's Cathartic Pills."

Dr. Eleazer Copeland was also a native of Ver- mont, and came to the county about the same time as Dr. Moulton, locating in Galena, or Zoar, as the place was then called. He was wholly a self-made man; was a shoemaker by trade, and obtained much of his education while at work at his bench. In this way he committed Murray's English Gram- mar in two weeks, and likewise prepared himself for a teacher. While teaching school, he began the study of Greek and Latin, which he mastered without an instructor, and became a good translator of both languages. He took up the study of med- icine in the same manner, and was an excellent and skillful physician. He was highly esteemed by all his professional brethren, and for several years held . the position of Censor, first of the Sixth and then of the Eleventh Medical District of Ohio; the latter district comprising the counties of Franklin, Delaware, Marion, and Crawford. He met his death, in 1834, from accidental drowning, in Big Walnut Creek, near Galena. As counselor, phy-

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sician, scholar, and citizen, his loss was deeply felt in all circles.

Dr. Royal N. Powers was the next doctor in the field, and came .to the county about 1820. He settled in the town of Delaware, but, owing to con- duct that was unappreciated by a majority of the people, he was, it is said, compelled to leave some- what unceremoniously. A number of the citizens accompanied him a short distance on the way, and presented him with a "ride on a rail" as a token of their remembrance.

Dr. Alpheus Bigelow, who located in Galena in an early day, was a brother of the celebrated Rus- sell Bigelow, the well-known evangelist of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It is said that he, like his brother, was self-educated, and was a plain, unpolished man. He possessed energy of character, as well as a strong intellect and excellent judgment, and became a skillful practitioner. Not being a regular graduate, he evinced little disposi- tion to cultivate an intimacy with "Regulars," but was nevertheless respected by all. He died in 1850, having been longer in practice, in one place, than any other physician in the county.

Dr. James Harvey Hills was a native of Con- necticut, and was educated at Yale College. He studied medicine with his brother-in-law, Dr. Eli Todd, and began the practice of his profession in his native place, but soon determined to emigrate to the West. He located at Worthington, Frank- lin County, in 1808, and, in 1822, removed to Delaware, where he remained until his death, in 1830, aged forty-nine years. It was universally conceded that he had a thorough professional edu- cation. He was a clear thinker, possessed strong perceptive faculties. an excellent judgment, and was successful as a physician. Surgery he did not like, but never shrank from it, as connected with common practice. A brother physician who knew him well, says: "As a physician, he was exten- sively serviceable to suffering humanity, and when he died was greatly missed.'

years, he still practices to some extent. May his last years be his best.

Dr. George M. Smith came to Delaware in 1826, and was taken into partnership with Dr. James Hills, a partnership that continued as long as he remained in the county. He was a fine an- atomist, the knowledge of which had been gained in the hospitals of the East. For some little af- fair, in the way of exhuming a body "for the cause of science," he was forced to leave his native State (New Hampshire), and seek a secluded retreat. In the height of his success here, his abode was discovered, and again it became necessary for him to seek safety in flight. He went to Mississippi, where he married a rich wife, and became famous. Some years after his marriage, he made a visit North, and while here died with the cholera. The first quinine ever brought to Delaware was at his suggestion, in 1826, and the invoice consisted of one drachm.

Dr. W. M. Miller removed from Worthington, a favorite resort of doctors, to Delaware, and opened an office. He was a Virginian, and a graduate of some one of the colleges in that State. When he settled in Delaware he was in middle life; and, not succeeding well in establishing a practice, although an excellent physician, after two or three years he sold out and removed to Columbus, and after- ward to Missouri. He is said to have been a brother-in-law to ex-President John Tyler.

Dr. Charles H. Pickett was born and educated in the city of New York. He was a graduate of medicine (a rare thing in those early days), and came from an educated and influential family. His father and brothers conducted a female seminary in New York, and were the authors of some popu- lar school-books. Dr. Pickett's abilities as a phy- sician were universally conceded, even by himself, it is said. He first located in Worthington, but, in 1831, moved to Delaware, where he died in 1855, at the age of sixty years. His son, Dr. Al- bert Pickett, studied medicine with his father, but, after a few years' practice, died suddenly. Dr. Christopher C. Rausburg studied medicine in Columbus, and came to Delaware the same year as Dr. Pickett, and formed a partnership with Dr. Pickett. In a few years his health failed, and he was forced to retire from professional work.

Dr. Jonathan N. Burr read medicine and grad- uated in Columbus, and came to Delaware in 1823. Here he entered into a partnership with Dr. James Hills, which continued until 1825, when Dr. Burr withdrew, and removed to Mount Vernon, and is still living there in the enjoyment of all his facul- ties. During his sojourn in Delaware, he made a Dr. James Langworthy was from Albany, N. Y. He came to Delaware in 1835, and en- gaged in the drug business. In the winter of 1836-37, he began the practice of medicine, but host of friends. He was, and is still, quite a jovial man, literally bubbling over with jokes and fun. For more than half a century he has been practicing his profession, and, though advaneed in | had been in practice before coming to Delaware.

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Upon the return of Dr. Ralph Hills, who resumed his business as a physician, Dr. Langworthy re- tired from professional work, and from Delaware.

Dr. Ralph Hills was a son of Dr. James H. Hills, and came with his father's family from Worthing- ton to Delaware, when he was but twelve years of age. He commenced the study of medicine with his father, in 1827, at the age of seventeen, and continued it until the death of his father, when he was himself licensed to practice. He at once en- tered on duty, and took upon himself the most of his father's business. But, after a few years, at the request of his uncle, Dr. Eli Todd, who was in charge of a large hospital for the insane, in Hart- ford, Conn., he went to Hartford, and took a position in the hospital; the instruction there received was of the utmost benefit to him in the active and useful life he afterward lived. He then returned to Delaware and commenced a practice which he followed uninterruptedly for twenty years. In 1830, he received an honorary certifi- cate from the college at Cincinnati, to practice medicine. This took the place of a diploma, as his father's death called him home before he had completed his medical course, and hence, he had never graduated from a medical college. His repu- tation- grew rapidly, and his fame as a physician extended beyond his own county." He was em- ployed to deliver lectures on astronomy, and to travel with Russell's Great Planetarium for a year or two (about 1836-37), and his fine talents were recognized both at home and abroad. He was an able thinker on other subjects than medicine. As a writer, none questioned his ability. His produc- tions on medical and other subjects were of the highest standard of merit. His judgment and cal- culations upon matters of business were almost un- erring. It was in his parlor that the idea origi- nated which developed into the Ohio Wesleyan Female College, an educational institution of high reputation. Of his great inventive genius, appro- priate mention will be made in another chapter.

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History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 39

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 818

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 818