USA > Pennsylvania > Armstrong County > Armstrong County, Pennsylvania her people past and present, embracing a history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, Volume I > Part 20
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Dr. Thos. H. Allison, of Kittanning, and Drs. A. M. Hoover and David Alter of Free- port, held a conference and decided to send out a call to assemble the profession, and on the 28th day of March, 1876, fifteen physicians responded to this call, and met in Freeport at the office of Dr. A. M. Hoover, where they effected a permanent organization with fif- teen men as charter members. This organiza- tion has grown both in interest and in numbers, and in the year of 1911 every regular prac- ticing physician in the county, except one, was a member in good standing.
The constitution adopted by these good men of '76 remained intact for many years, and reads as follows :
Art. I, The name and title of this society shall be The Armstrong County Medical Society.
Art. II, The objects of this society shall be the advancement of medical knowledge, the elevation of professional character and the promotion of medical science.
Art. III, Sec. I, Any physician of Arm- strong county, who is a regular graduate in medicine of a respectable medical school, may be admitted to membership by a vote of the majority of the members present at the time of his election, and none other than graduates with diplomas or under the laws of the State Medical Society shall be admitted to member- ship in this society. Sec. 2, Any person who shall procure a patent for any remedy or sur- gical instrument, who shall sell of deal in or is in any way connected with the sale or pro- ceeds of patent remedies or nostrums or who shall after the establishment of this society give a certificate in favor of a patent remedy or instrument shall be disqualified from becom- ing a member of this society. Sec. 3, Each person after his election shall sign the con-
stitution and pay to the treasurer the sum of two dollars, before he can exercise the privi- lege of a member.
Art. IV, Sec. I, The officers of this society shall be a President, a Vice-President, Re- cording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, three Censors and a board of three examiners. Sec. 2, The election of officers shall be by ballot at the last meeting of each year.
Art. V, Sec. I, The President shall per- form all the duties usually pertaining to said office and shall exercise the casting vote in case of a tie. He shall not be eligible to two terms in succession. Sec. 2, In the absence of the President, the Vice-President. He shall not be eligible to two terms in succes- sion. Sec. 3, The Recording Secretary shall keep a correct minute in a book, kept for that purpose, of all the proceedings of the society. Sec. 4, The Corresponding Secretary shall con- duct all correspondence of this society and shall perform all other duties pertaining to this office. Sec. 5, The Treasurer shall receive all monies belonging to the society and dis- burse the same as directed by the society, pre- serving vouchers therefor, and shall annually present a financial statement which shall be referred to a committee of auditors at the annual meeting. Sec. 6, It shall be the duty of the Censors to examine all claims to mem- bership and report favorably before any vote can be taken on said applicant for membership or if any member of the society be accused with any infringement of the laws of the so- ciety in letter or spirit it shall be the duty of the Censors to fully and thoroughly investi- gate the case and report thereon to the society. Sec. 7. It shall be the duty of the examiners to examine all applicants for admission as stu- dents of medicine into offices of members of this society.
Art. VI, Sec. I, This society shall meet quar- terly, early in April, July, October and De- cember. Sec. 2. The President may call in- tervening meetings if he thinks it advisable or at the request of three members, giving ten days' notice to the members.
Art. VII, Delegates to the State Medical So- ciety, shall be elected at the first meeting of each year by a majority of the members pres- ent.
Art. VIII, This Constitution may be al- tered or amended by a vote of two-thirds of the members of the society present, provided that three months' notice of such amendment shall have been given, said amendment to be submitted in writing.
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
son, Wm. M. McConnaughy and W. S. Dun- can, censors of the State Medical Society of Pennsylvania. The following are the charter members subscribing their names and agree- ing to stand by the foregoing constitution : Dr. David Alter, Freeport ; Dr. J. G. Cunning- ham, Kittanning; Dr. T. II. Allison, Kittan- ning ; Dr. T. M. Allison, Kittanning; Dr. W. H. Stewart, Kittanning ; Dr. C. J. Jessop, Kit- tanning ; Dr. A. G. Thomas, Freeport ; Dr. R. P. Hunter, Leechburg; Dr. A. M. Iloover, Freeport ; Dr. R. L. McCurdy, Freeport ; Dr. R. P. Marshall, Orrsville; Dr. W. B. Ansley, Apollo; Dr. R. E. McAuley, Apollo; Dr. J. K. Kittanning.
From this time on to the present the or- ganization of the Armstrong County Medical Society has had a happy and successful life. These good men of '76 instilled into its new life sufficient energy to make it fruitful, to multiply and replenish, and it is pleasing to know that of the fifteen charter members of '76, seven of them still survive, and all are members of the Armstrong County Medical Society, except Dr. A. M. Hoover of Parker, who has his membership with the Clarion County Medical Society, and Dr. H. K. Beatty, of Pittsburgh. The home members are Drs. T. M. Allison, C. J. Jessop, and Dr. R. P. Marshall of Kittanning ; Dr. R. P. Hun- ter, of Leechburg ; and Dr. R. E. McAuley, of Apollo. All these men have always been ac- tive for the best interest of the society. [ Drs. Beatty and Hunter have died since this was written .- Ed.]
For a number of years the society met quar- terly on the first Tuesday of March, June, September and December. The society was organized in Freeport, but held most of the meetings at the county seat, with an occasional meeting at Leechburg. Freeport and Apollo. The office of Dr. J. G. Cunningham on Jef- ferson street, Kittanning. was the home of the society until his death, which occurred in ISO8, and his successor in office, Dr. F. C. Monks, continued the same courtesy to the society as had his friend, until he was com- pelled to vacate the rooms which were to be converted into store rooms. For a time through the courtesy of R. A. Steim, proprie- tor of the Steim House, the society was ac- corded the privilege of the hotel parlors, for which the society has always felt very grate- ful. At a regular meeting on Sept. 8, 1908, a resolution was passed by the society arrang-
This constitution was approved on the first ing that the regular meetings should be held day of May, 1876, by Drs. William Ander- on the first Tuesday of each month in the Kit- tanning General Hospital, where it has con- tinued to meet ever since. The officers of the society realizing that a well organized county medical society, utilizing the ability of the men for clinics, papers and operations, would be equal to a post graduate course in a college, decided to improve our society by getting all practicing physicians interested in the work, and with automobiles they started on a mis- sionary tour of the county, and as a result all physicians in the county but one became mem- bers and in 1911 the Armstrong County Medi- cal Society was the banner society of the State, and the banner society in attendance at the Maxwell, Worthington ; and Dr. Il. K. Beatty, State meeting of that year in Pittsburgh.
In many places there are strife, jealousy and envy among physicians, but we are happy to say and proud of the fact that in Armstrong county they are a pleasant set of physicians, courteous to each other, always willing to help each other in any kind of difficulty and are meeting more frequently, discussing better methods of caring for the sick and suffering, looking after better methods of business for the physicians. All this has largely elimi- nated the feeling of distrust and envy and brought us out of the misty cobwebs of self- ishness into the clear sunlight of congeniality and brotherly love. Medical ethics are well observed, and this has elevated the profession to a high plateau of loyalty.
Dr. J. B. Donaldson, president of the State Society, after visiting our society was most happy in referring to the good work of the Armstrong County Medical Society. He said it was the best organized and best working medical society in the State, and in his annual address before the State society at Harris- burg, he referred to its work and advised that all eyes should be turned towards Armstrong county. In every field of the practice of medi- cine there are those people who appreciate the work of the physician and are grateful for the work he does for them and feel that they can never compensate him sufficiently for the great service rendered in times of their dis- tress, while there are others who feel that they can not get enough service for which they could pay but never will as long as it is possible to evade it. They go the rounds until they have their names on every doctor's ledger and they never expect to pay; they form a class in common parlance called "dead beats." This class, on account of the legion of its mem- bers, drove the members of the fraternity to organize what they call a "Protective Associa-
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
tion," whose motto may be defined: "Live in alone in the world as the only person who harmony with the rules of ethics of the so- ciety, see to it that the former physician has been satisfactorily dismissed before you ren- der service." Many collecting agencies have been organized on account of this class but if the medical fraternity observe the rules of their faith there need be no accounts for any such organizations, for when you read a little extract from an address of Dr. T. N. Mc- Kee on this matter you who may follow in the medical ranks will be as pleased with the re- sults as the members now in practice are.
PROTECTION
The Kittanning Physicians' Protective As- sociation was organized June 23, 1908. From that time up to and including the meeting of January 20, 1913, the members reported six hundred and seventy-two persons to the asso- ciation from whom they were unable to collect for past services. During the same period five hundred and one, or seventy-four and four-tenths per cent of these persons, settled their accounts, thereby not only putting hun- dreds of dollars into the pockets of the mem- bers where it rightfully belonged, but doing to themselves a distinct and lasting service in the lessons of economy and honesty taught. When we consider that many of these accounts were of upwards of twenty years' standing and had been placed with some of the so-called "Col- lecting Agencies" the results are truly remark- able. And let it be said that worthy charity has been well cared for ; the worthy poor have been given ample time to make settlement, but the intentional "dead beat" has been taught the lesson of his life.
It is quite true that there are families into whose homes the physician goes, and instead of charging for the services rendered to the afflicted family he does it gratuitously, and often orders goods from his groceryman to be taken to the afflicted home, and no one knows from whence they come. No one else in all the world gets into the family secrets and learns more of the poverty, the misery and the suffering than does the kind-hearted and conscientious physician, and instead of mak- ing a public scene, as would some seeking per- sonal glory, he quietly helps them to tide over the emergency of the hour and goes quietly on with his work as though all were sunshine and song. His work at all times and in all places should be to make bad men good and good men better, as well as to look after their physical condition. The physician stands
cannot pray for much business. The minister may pray for large salary, lots of weddings and big business, the merchant may pray for lots of customers, to come often and for big orders, the farmer for large crops and full granaries, the laborer may pray for better wages and shorter hours, thus we might muse through all the different walks of life; the physician can only pray for the speedy recov- ery of his patient, that he may be restored to his former health. And it is with real pleas- ure that we can say that this is the cast and character of the physicians of Armstrong county. The other business and professional men may lay plans and arrange for an increase of business, while the physicians are always endeavoring to look after better sanitation, teaching people to observe the laws of nature, to care properly for the isolation of the con- tagious disease and to thoroughly disinfect the residue of the sick room.
In 1905 the Legislature authorized the ap- pointment of a State board of health, with a health inspector in each county, and the counties were divided into districts with a health officer in each district, and with the local boards of health with a physician as a member. All these are working assiduously for safeguarding the public, and thus caus- ing better health of the people and less work for the medical man.
HOSPITALS
For many years the medical fraternity of Armstrong county had hoped for a hospital to care for the sick and injured, and finally the need became so great during the building of the B. R. & P. R. R. that Drs. S. A. S. and C. J. Jessop, doing the surgical work for the contractors, secured a private dwelling, employed nurses, and cared for the sick and injured. This stirred up the minds of public spirited men and women and they saw the crying need for such an institution ; a board of directors was soon organized, property was secured and a general hospital was established, ready to care for the sick and injured. This is known as The Kittanning General Hospital. With the increasing industries in the county, and the growing population, the demands for the care of the sick and injured have largely outgrown the present hospital facilities and a move is now on foot for a larger and a mod- ernized hospital; a site on the elevation just back of the county court house has already been secured by public subscription. And it
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
is the hope of all that in the very near future the anticipations will be realized and the much needed hospital, modern in all its arrange- ments and details, will adorn the landscape overlooking the beautiful valley of the Alle- gheny and the town nestling so pleasantly on its banks.
MEETINGS
The officers of the society have always worked for the best interest of the members, the program committee usually prepared the program at the first meeting of the year, and it was usually carried out ; if a member were unavoidably prevented from meeting with his society on the day his paper was called, he would read it some subsequent meeting, and during the last year more than ninety per cent responded. Some of the papers were demonstrated with an operation or the patient to illustrate.
Several good clinics have been held in con- nection with the society meetings. The secre- tary issues a monthly bulletin containing the names of the officers, the program, a resume of the preceding meeting, interesting short notes of tried and proved new remedies, and occasionally a good paper read before the society. The bulletin is a four page folder and is open for remarks, suggestions and criticism from any of the members.
RELAXATION
The society out of the goodness of its heart occasionally banquets, that is, the physicians and their good wives assemble for an evening. have a good time, a handshake, get better acquainted and close the evening with a good spread. Several years ago it was suggested by a member of the Armstrong County Medical Society that the society should have an out- ing, where the craft could assemble with their families and spend a day with nature. It was finally agreed to, and the druggists and the dentists with their families were requested to "join the happy band," and as a result the doctors, dentists and druggists' picnic or out- ing day has become an annual affair and is always looked forward to with a great deal of pleasure. The afternoon and evening are spent in the beautiful Lenape Park. The prin- cipal amusements of the afternoon are the annual ball game with the doctors on one side and the druggists and dentists combined on the other, and without exception the doctors came off the victors. Then quoits, horseshoe
pitching, races, jumping, swinging, visiting and a good basket picnic supper, with danc- ing in the evening. This, too, has had its influence in better feeling among the members of these three professions, it broadens the views on general principles, it widens the cir- cle of friendship and has brought each pro- fession to feel that there is a very close rela- tionship among them.
MEDICAL FEES
The fees of the physicians of Armstrong county have somewhat varied. Very early in the history of the county we find that some of the office work, examinations and consul- tations, by some of the pioneers in practice were free and they charged a small fee for the medicines, while others were high charges. One would charge twenty-five cents for ex- amination and medicine, another would charge one dollar for the same, their fees for visits varied much also; some men would make a visit into the country for twenty-five cents a mile and others would charge from fifty cents to a dollar a mile, but in those days money was very scarce and hard to get, and many a time the early doctor would take in exchange for his service a bolt of homespun linsey-woolsey, or the raw material, or prod- ucts of the farm. We learn too that the early doctors were very charitable, where charity was due ; but very few of their bills remained unpaid, for many of these people were getting their own homes and in due time would make settlement and "square up when the crops were off."
As time passed on and we find that in addi- tion to farming. fruit growing and fur trap- ping, new industries were coming into the county, instead of the flax break, the wool carder and the old hand shuttle loom, the woolen mills came, then the blast furnace, remnants of which still remain in different parts of the county to this day. All of these industries brought new people and more doc- tors, money became plenty and the doctor's fees went soaring high ; especially was it true of the villages which were assuming large proportions, becoming citified, and the doctors were busy and well paid. History tells us that this condition existed for some years until the number of physicians were increasing faster than the population ; then the cutting of fees began, and rivalry in the ranks of the profession became manifest, and the people. began to sit up and take notice and observed, as they always do, that rivalry along any
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
lines in which they are interested always on his return trip; his fees after that were brings lower charges, and to help the thing more in keeping with the dignity of his pro- fession. along they were willing, at any time, to tell Dr. A. what Dr. B. said about him, which of Events of this kind and the Cheap John prices of fee cutters bring the blush of shame to the faces of the medical men. This may be the cause of the perpetual blush of the nose of so many of the profession. Of course there are other causes which produce the same results. course would bring a sharp retort from Dr. A., and in this way the rivalry was kept going and the fee cutting moved happily along. Two of the most prominent physicians of the county in that day bid a three hundred dol- lar per year county job down to the measly sum of eighty dollars per year, where it re- mained until a few years ago, when two of LEGISLATION our bright lights bid the same work down to fifty-seven and a half dollars. This very much lowered the medical standard, and the medical society began to wake up to the fact that such procedure was not conducive to the best interest of the society and requested its members to refrain from fee cutting and bid- ding on contract work, and a regular fee bill was established and in the main has been ad- hered to by most of the men of the profes- sion. Yet there are some men in the ranks today, notwithstanding the increased cost of living, the increasing cost of office equipment and the higher cost of educational trend, who are doing twenty-five cent office work and making visits to the country for less than twenty-five cents a mile.
A little experience of one of our doctors is worth relating: A young man whose family lived some five miles from the village doctor called at his office late one night and asked him what his charges were to go out to his father's house. The doctor said, "Well, the roads are rough and the night is dark and stormy ; I will charge you about three dollars." The young man heaved a sigh of relief and remained silent until he caught up with his breath. The doctor not understanding the cause of the delay, hurriedly said, "Well, I will go out for two dollars and a half," fear- ing that the young man might go elsewhere. This was satisfactory to the young man and the doctor got his team ready and off they went, the conversation being principally of the topics of the times, until they neared the home, when the doctor incidentally asked the young man who was sick; and as the young man got out of the buggy he said, "Well doc- tor, no one is sick : I was anxious to get home and the liveryman wanted to charge me five dollars to send me out home, and it just struck me that you would go out for much less, and here I am home for just half the price asked by the liveryman, and I am certainly much obliged to you. Good Night." The doctor was free to relate that he did some thinking
Physicians as a rule do not have many po- litical aspirations, in fact only a few of them ever digressed from their chosen profession, feeling rather "That he that putteth his hand to the plow and turneth back is not worthy." This, however, does not apply to Dr. R. P. Hunter and Dr. J. W. McKee, who served as legislators, for they were well tried and proved, and went at the earnest solicitation of the medical fraternity. They are always ready and willing to serve their townsmen on the boards of school directors, in the council, or some other office that is full of empty honors, and there is scarcely a precinct in the county that does not have a doctor on one of these boards, if one is to be had. It is with real pleasure that they give of their time and their talents to improve the conditions of the schools, looking after better sanitary condi- tions, giving better light. securing better grounds and assisting to elevate the standard of morals in the boys and girls of today who are to be the men and women of tomorrow.
In all the bills pertaining to the health laws, the laws of sanitation, the laws of higher edu- cation, the laws relating to a more extended course of study preliminary to the study of medicine, the one-board bill and the optometry bill, the Armstrong County Medical Society has always taken an active part, and in many instances has sent her members to Harrisburg to give whatever influence possible for or against them. In fact the society from its earliest inception has been working assidu- ously for the best interests of the people. The United States has a bureau of health for the pig. the calf and the colt, and has safe- guarded them, and we are all proud of the fact that it does so, but the blush of shame comes stealing over the face of the true medi- cal man when he thinks that he has devoted his life to the care and interest of the poor and the distressed and has been using all the power of his soul to have a national bureau of health that the boys and girls may have an
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
equal chance with the pig, the calf and the ciety's meetings have a better knowledge of colt and has failed to secure it. As these medicine, and are more frequently called in are the hope of some of the resources in the consultation with other doctors; and they will commercial world, so the boys and the girls are the hope of America, the grandest arena God ever gave to man. tell you that membership in the county society and attendance at the meetings has been the source of great benefit to them, for the papers and clinics of the society have always been an inspiration and have been invaluable to them as post graduate work.
The medical men of Armstrong county have always been interested in the national bureau of health, and at some future time it is hoped that these things will come to pass. William Ilarvey was more than a quarter of a century trying to convince the world that there was a reality in the circulation of the blood, and the abuse he received from the medical work at that time was severe, but he had the cour- age to persevere and had the satisfaction of proving his claims, of seeing the world adopt his views and put his accusers to flight. This gives us both hope and courage, and the medi- cal profession, true to its convictions, stimu- lated by its past history will continue to plead at the altar of justice until the powers back of the throne hear our pleadings, and place the boys and girls on equal footing with other offspring of the animal kingdom.
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