The Daughters of the American Revolution’s Micajah Pettaway Chapter met recently in the Wiley Room in Braswell Memorial Library.

Chapter member Jane White introduced Jennie Schindler Graham, curatorial director of the Country Doctor Museum in Bailey.

Graham spoke about early medical practices used 100 to 150 years ago. The museum, one of the first dedicated to health care in rural America, opened in 1967.

Some artifacts at the museum date back to the Civil War era.

Dr. Josephine Newell, who practiced medicine in Bailey as the only female doctor in a long line of doctors in her family, said her family legacy inspired her to start the museum to honor country doctors. The Board of Directors dissolved itself and gifted the museum to the Medical and Health Sciences Foundation of East Carolina University. Since 2003, it has been operated under of the auspices Laupus Libraries History Collections Program. Over the years, the museum has grown to include such topics as pharmacy, public health, nursing, midwifery, dentistry and transportation.

Graham brought a number of artifacts to discuss, including a medicine chest, a portable chest filled with medications; patent medicines (Pain Balm, Nerve Food and Golden Relief) and various “snake oils” or “cure alls”; a pocket scale, a small, portable scale used by country doctors to weigh ingredients for compounding medications; apothecary bottles, bottles used to hold ingredients for compounding medicine in an apothecary shop; poison bottles, blue, green or brown textured bottles to alert individuals that contents were harmful or toxic; scarificators, fleams and lancets, sharp, bladed devices used to cut skin for the purpose of bloodletting; dental forceps, an instrument used for extracting teeth; a head lamp, a mirror on a leather strap, commonly used by ENT specialists; and a guillotine tonsillotome, an instrument for severing and removing tonsils.

In larger towns or cities, pharmacies and soda fountains were often found together. In rural areas, there usually was not a separate pharmacy or apothecary shop, so the country doctors would mix the medications for their patients. Later, the physicians and pharmacist would order medications from pharmaceutical companies.

A hot topic with doctors, especially in Eastern North Carolina, was “granny” midwives delivering babies. These women usually had little to no formal education; however, they had high survival rates and charged less than a physician. Doctors left after the baby was delivered, but midwives stayed to help the mother and family. If any complications should arise during the labor or delivery, a doctor would be called upon immediately.

Comments about patent medicines being made were hysterical! Some ladies would not touch a drop of alcohol but had some in their medicines. Some ingredients were cocaine, alcohol, opiates like morphine and heroin, etc. The reason they were so popular one could get a bottle for about $1. That was cheaper than a doctor’s visit which cost around $4.

Early in the morning, many doctors would have office hours, and for the remainder of the day, they would be out making house calls. A common signal used to summon the doctor would be to hang a white towel at the end of the driveway. The doctor might see this and stop or others would see the towel and tell the doctor.

Many doctors were paid for their services with goods or produce like eggs, potatoes, or a turkey. Some farmers paid only once a year when their money came in from the harvest. Some doctors were farmers, or had a pharmacy or general store to earn extra money.

Before the germ theory was developed, they did not know what germs were and how infection or disease was spread. When doctors began hand washing before they saw female patients, especially those in labor, they noticed the number of deaths decreased. Carbolic acid was first used when they started sterilizing instruments. Testimony Of Two Men by Taylor Caldwell is a book that discusses the history of germ theory and sterilization practices.

The Museum’s Medicinal Herb Garden is planted in May of each year and is an enjoyable addition to the tour during the spring and summer months. Visitors will learn what about a variety of herbs and their medicinal uses. The selection of herbs planted can change from year to year, however, some popular herbs are: American Holly, Apothecary Rose, Blackberry, Boxwood, Burn Plant (Aloe Vera), Butterfly Weed, Coltsfoot, Coneflower, Devil’s Walking stick, Dogwood, English Thyme, Feverfew (Chrysanthemum), Gailardia, Germander, Golden Rod, Horehound, Hyssop, Lamb’s Ear, Lemon Verbena, Lovage, Lungwort, Marigold, Mayapple, Mint, Mustard, Oris Root (Iris), Penny royal, Peony, Pomegranate, Rosemary, Sage (Salvia officinalis), Santolina, Sassafras (Sassafras albidum), Summer Savory, St. John’s Wort, Tansy, Toothache Plant, Valerian, Wax Myrtle, Wild Ginger, Witch Hazel, Wormwood, and Yarrow.

For more information, go to countrydoctormuseum.org on the Internet or call 252-235-4165.

Continuing the meeting, National Defense Chairman, Jane White, gave two reasons to fly the U. S. flag on Friday, September 17. (1) It marks the 223rd anniversary of our U. S. Constitution. A law passed in 2004 requires all schools receiving federal funding assistance to teach the Constitution on September 17 to all students. (2) It is to be POW/MIA Recognition Day. There are 1,711 who are still missing.

Kay Freeland’s American History report: On 1-15-1776 “Common Sense” written by Thomas Paine was published. The plain language that Paine spoke to the common people of America was the first work to openly ask for independence from Great Britain.