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HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Publication No. 24

WINTER 1985

Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37133-0906

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2010 with funding from

Lyrasis IVIembers and Sloan Foundation

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RUTHERFORD COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PUBLICATION NO. 24
Published by the
RUTHERFORD COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
OFFICERS

President Mrs. Homer Pittard

Vice President Mr. Steve Brown

Recording Secretary Mrs. Cathy Goode

Corresponding Secretary Mrs. Susan Daniel

Publication Secretary Mr. Walter Hoover

Treasurer Mrs. Kelly Ray

DIRECTORS: Mrs. Lalia Lester

Mr. Jerry Gaither
Mrs. Judy Lee Green

Publication No. 24 (Limited Edition - 650 copies) is distributed
to members of the Society. The annual membership dues is $10.00.
(Family $11.00) which includes the regular publications and the monthly
NEWSLETTER to all members. Additional copies of Publication 24 may be
obtained at $6.00 per copy.

All correspondence concerning additional copies, contributions to
future issues, and membership should be addressed to:

Rutherford County Historical Society

P.O. Box 906

Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37133-0906

Library
Middle Tennessee State Uni>«rs,x>

•^'"^"^ Urfreesboro. Tennessee

^ '^^■'/^ FOR SALE

V , 7 ^:

THE FOLLOWING PUBLICATIONS ARE FOR SALE BY:

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THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE

IN RUTHERFORD COUNTY,

TENNESSEE

PART I

by
ROBERT G. RANSOM, M.D,

Dedicated to all the physicians
who have lived these scenes, and
to those of the future who will
create theirs

CONTENTS

PREFACE iv

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vi

INTRODUCTION 1

Chapter Page

I. STATE OF THE MEDICAL ART 1803-1860 5

II. MEDICAL PRACTICE IN RUTHERFORD COUNTY

1803-1860 21

III, THE STATE OF THE MEDICAL ART 1860-1920 .... 71
IV. MEDICAL PRACTICE IN RUTHERFORD COUNTY

1860-1920 87

V. STATE OF THE MEDICAL ART 1920-1980 172

VI . MEDICAL PRACTICE IN RUTHERFORD COUNTY

1920-1980 189

VII. BLACK PROFESSIONAL PRESENCE IN RUTHERFORD

COUNTY 245

VIII. CONTEMPORARY MEDICAL PRACTICE IN RUTHERFORD

COUNTY 267

BIBLIOGRAPHY 277

INDEX 288

PREFACE

In the course of the research on this historical
project, I have drawn certain conclusions and made certain
assumptions which I deem to be logical and plausible
explanations of the data at hand. The information has
been gathered from multiple sources. Prominent in the
research have been the material obtained at the Tennessee
State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee; Vander-
bilt University School of Medicine library, Nashville,
Tennessee; Meharry Medical School library and archives,
Nashville, Tennessee; Middle Tennessee State University
library, Murf reesboro, Tennessee; Linebaugh library,
Murf reesboro, Tennessee; and the Filson Club library,
Louisville, Kentucky. Additionally, much valuable
information has been obtained from members of physicians'
families through correspondence, telephone conversations,
and personal interviews. The assimilation of this material
has not been an easy task; I consider the conclusions to
be reasonable based upon the extensive analysis of the
data obtained, although occasional errors may be discerned
in the findings.

The history will be presented in five parts. Part I
will be an introduction and overview of the history of
medicine in the county; Part II is a collection of

biographies of nineteenth century physicians who practiced
here; Part III is a collection of biographies of twentieth
century physicians who practiced or are practicing here;
Part IV is a history of Rutherford Hospital (now the Middle
Tennessee Medical Center); and Part V is a history of the
Rutherford County Health Department.

The subject of medical history is intensely interesting
and stimulating. Like all research projects it seems a
continuous and never ending task and can frequently be a
lifetime involvement. I recognize that my effort on this
subject is at best an imperfect outline of the medical
history of Rutherford County. However, I present this
research to all those interested in history with the hope
that it will prove interesting to the present and future
generations, and especially to those who have direct or
indirect involvement in the medical history of this area
that it may help to preserve to their posterity information
regarding that involvement.

Robert G. Ransom, M. D.
Murf reesboro, Tennessee
October, 1984

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To list individually all who have helped or encouraged
me in this research would require pages. Many have been of
invaluable assistance, but some are preeminent.

I am grateful to Dr. Robert Jones of the history
department at Middle Tennessee State University for his
helpful suggestions and encouragement.

Mrs. Kelly Ray and Mr. Ernest Johns have encouraged
the publication of this material from the outset.

Many physicians' family members have given their time
unselfishly in correspondence, telephone conversations
and personal interviews.

Many busy physicians were interviewed to "tap their
memory bank." They granted time unhurriedly for this
project and encouraged me along the way.

I have received many photographs through the courtesy
of physicians and descendants of physicians which were
earmarked for use in the final manuscripts. I thank each
of them.

The libraries used in the research were very generous
with their help and suggestions. Those with restricted
archival and historical sections welcomed my project and
granted me unhindered access to their priceless and
irreplaceable material.

vi

My thanks to each publisher or copyright holder who
gave me permission to quote or reproduce their copyrighted
material .

Mrs. John Q. Wade offered many helpful suggestions
during the organization of the manuscript, and typed the
final manuscript with her usual professional skill. A
special acknowledgment and thanks is extended to her.

Throughout all the traveling, interviewing, corre-
sponding, and researching among the various "medical folk,"
I have only encountered cooperation, interest, encourage-
ment, and kindness. Their enthusiasm made this work much
easier.

Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Margaret.
Her hours of assistance in reading microfilm, typing, and
proofreading, as well as her understanding and
encouragement, were invaluable.

INTRODUCTION

The physicians who figure historically in the practice
of medicine in Rutherford County include not only those
who practiced in Murf reesboro, but also those who practiced
in the outlying rural communities. Such a list must also
include the physicians in the neighboring communities of
our sister counties; Cannon, Coffee, Bedford, Marshall,
Williamson, Davidson, and Wilson. The physicians who
practiced in such neighboring communities to Rutherford
County maintained practices which encompassed both
counties. Such communities include Cainsville, Norene ,
Vine, and Vesta of Wilson County; Unionville, Rover,
Deason, Bellbuckle, Wartrace, and Fairfield of Bedford
County; Beech Grove, Gossburg, and Noah of Coffee County;
Allisona, College Grove, Kirkland, Triune, and Nolensville
of Williamson County; Chapel Hill and Holtland of Marshall
County; Auburntown, Bradyville, Woodbury, Curlee, Porter-
field, and Readyville in Cannon County; Oneyville,
Treppardsville, Kimbro, and Antioch in Davidson County
(Figure 1 ) .

At the inception of Rutherford County in 1803, few
doctors were in the area. And the few who were resident
did not depend on medicine for their living. Few, if any,
could make a living practicing medicine alone. Too, the

1

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3W3ilo/v,

o**-

area was pioneer and primitive, sparsely settled, hardly an
area for a flourishing medical practice. Medical practice
was usually combined with another occupation such as
farming, storekeeping, preaching, teaching, and other forms
of endeavor. The economy was agrarian; as the century
progressed more physicians were found in small country
communities. During the late nineteenth century, virtually
every rural community in Rutherford County had one or more
doctors. With the advent of industry and improved
transportation, the economy became less agrarian and more
concentrated in the towns and cities with the resulting
migration of physicians away from the rural communities to
the more urban. With these gradual changes, the physician's
medical practice increased and he became a man of medicine
full time. Too, the improvements in medical knowledge
improved medical practice. X-rays, laboratory testing
became available, hospitals built, all concentrating
medical practice in the town or city. The horse and buggy
passed into oblivion in favor of the automobile. Home
calls faded away in favor of medical office or medical
center care. Let us not yearn for the old, but appreciate
the new. But let us not forget the old. Much of that
which is learned today, in its broad aspects, is under-
standable only when superimposed upon a historical

background. "The longer you look back, the further you can
look forward," said Mr. Winston Churchill, when addressing
the Royal College of Physicians in March, 1944.

CHAPTER I
STATE OF THE MEDICAL ART 1803-1860

There was no such thing as a "licensed physician" in

Rutherford County in 1803. There was no law in Tennessee

which required a practitioner of medicine to be licensed.

Anyone, regardless of training, could profess to be a healer

and practice unhindered if he so desired. Those who were

legitimate practitioners of medicine possessed a knowledge

of the medical arts. Most were trained by apprenticeship,

usually two to four years, to a physician who most often

was himself apprentice-trained.

Under this arrangement the preceptor provided his
student with practical experience and such theo-
retical knowledge as he possessed, and in return
the student assisted his preceptor in practice,
performed various chores, and paid him a fee.
Whether the student was well or poorly trained
depended on the ability, knowledge, and conscien-
tiousness of his preceptor . ■'•

Apprenticeship, then, was the traditional mode of medical
education that carried over to the frontier.

At the time of the American Revolution it was esti-
mated that only 400 of approximately 3500 colonial
practitioners held the M. D. degree. 2 Prior to the

Ijohn H. Ellis, Medicine in Kentucky (Lexington, Ky. :
The University Press of Kentucky, 1977), p. 3.

^Highlights of 200 Years of American Medicine — No. 1,
prepared by the American Medical Association, Journal of
the Tennessee Medical Association, V. 69, No. 3 (1976), 210,

Revolution a few sons of wealthy parents went abroad for
formal medical education in the European centers of London
and Edinburgh. After the Revolution the political climate
with England was hardly receptive for our students to train
in their universities, even if students from this new, poor
and struggling nation could afford a foreign education. So
apprenticeship was virtually all that was available to a
young aspiring student of medicine.

Most of the few physicians, prior to the Revolution,
who possessed their M. D. were trained at the University of
Edinburgh. Benjamin Rush and John Morgan were both Edin-
burgh trained physicians under the great William Cullen.
In 1765 John Morgan established the first American medical
school, as an adjunct to the College of Philadelphia.

By requiring preliminary education for admission to
what became known as the Medical Department of the
University of Pennsylvania, Morgan intended to
elevate the social and professional standing of the
physician. His overall plan for the school was
almost immediately successful, and within a-.few
years, he assembled a full medical faculty.

Benjamin Rush (famous as a patriot and signer of the Decla-
ration of Independence) joined the faculty. The influence
of the University of Pennsylvania and its eminent and
forceful teachers was profound and of long duration.

^Ellis, p. 6.

King's College was founded in New York in 1768,
Harvard in 1783, Dartmouth in 1797, and the University of
Maryland in 1807, but the University of Pennsylvania was
far ahead of these in training new physicians.

There was no university west of the mountains in 1803.
Transylvania University Medical School was founded in
Lexington, Kentucky in 1817. The University of Louisville
Medical Department was founded in 1837. The University of
Nashville Medical Department did not open until 1851. Many
of the apprentice trained physicians, at least those who
were aspiring, hoped to obtain formal medical education and
an M. D. degree. Many of them were eventually able to save
the necessary money to travel to the University of Pennsyl-
vania, University of Maryland, Transylvania University, or
the University of Louisville. With two years apprentice-
ship the physician could enroll at a medical college and
take two years of course work of from four to seven months
per year, depending on the school curriculum, and after two
years of such work, obtain an M. D. degree.

The preeminent medical school at that time certainly
was the University of Pennsylvania and the preeminent
professor and force at the University of Pennsylvania was
Dr. Benjamin Rush. Therefore, American medical practice in
the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries was

dominated by the precepts and teachings of Benjamin Rush.

This man was intelligent, he was active in politics, he was

a signer of the Declaration of Independence, an ardent

patriot, activQ in public affairs. His energy seemed

boundless. He was a prolific medical writer and some of

his treatises are classics today. His monograph on insanity

was ahead of its time. Fielding Garrison, the medical

historian, characterized Rush as

a man of highly original mind, well read, well
trained in his profession, an attractive, straight
forward teacher--sometimes wrong-headed as well as
strong-headed . ^

Rush taught that

disease, particularly disease manifested by fever,
was due to the accumulation of a bodily poison that
exerted its harmful effect by causing a nervous
constriction of the vessels and to bring about a
relaxation of the nervous excitement. Elimination
was promoted by bleeding, administering drugs to
induce vomiting, purging, sweating, and salivation,
by drawing the poison to the surface by cupping
(applying suction cups) and by blistering the skin.
Calomel was sometimes given in such large doses that
it caused the hair and the teeth to fall out. Rush
cautioned his students that in blood-letting nothing
could be worse than timidity, saying that it was
frequently desirable to bleed a patient to the
point of unconsciousness. Even in his obstetrical
practice. Rush bled his patients, 30 ounces at the

^Fielding Garrison, History of Medicine (Philadelphia,
Pa.: W. B. Saunders Co., 1929), p. 379.

beginning of labor, and at the same time, administering
purgatives .^

Bleeding was produced by an operation which consisted
in making an opening into a vessel to draw blood from it.
When practiced on an artery, it was called arteriotomy.
When practiced on a vein, it was termed phlebotomy or
venesection. The process of bleeding is referred to some-
times as blood-letting, venesection, arteriotomy, or wet-
cupping. Blood-letting was used in the nineteenth century,
both during the existence of a disease and in the prevention
of disease. It was employed to fulfill various indications
among which were (1) to diminish the actual mass of blood,
(2) to diminish the consistence of the blood. The immedi-
ate effects of blood-letting were diminution of the mass of
blood and of heat, retardation of the pulse and sometimes
syncope. Blood-letting from the veins (venesection or
phlebotomy) was practiced on the subcutaneous veins of the
neck, the face, the forearm, the leg, sometimes on those of
the hand or foot. The necessary apparatus consisted of a
bandage or riband, a compress of rag, and a lancet. The
operation of phlebotomy in the limbs was performed by tying
a circular bandage around the limb, acting as a tourniquet.
A puncture was then made into the vein and the desired

^James Bordley III, M. D., and A. McGehee Harvey, M. D. ,
Two Centuries of American Medicine 1776-1976 (Philadelphia,
Pa.: W. B. Saunders Co., 1976), pp. 34-35.

10

quantity allowed to flow. The ligature was then removed
and a compress and retaining bandage applied. Capillary
or local blood-letting was also practiced on the skin or
mucous membranes by means of leeches, the lancet or cupping.
Cupping is a type of blood letting performed by a scarifi-
cator and a glass called a cupping glass. The lancets are
placed in such a manner in the scarificator that when it is
applied upon the affected part, the whole are by means of
a spring, pushed suddenly into it. After scarification
the cupping glass which has been previously exhausted by
heat or by an exhausting syringe is then applied. The
pressure of the air within the glass, being thus diminished,
allows the necessary quantity of blood to be drawn. The
latter procedure is referred to as wet-cupping. Dry-cupping
is the application of the glasses without previous scarifi-
cation. Dry-cupping was used to prevent the activity of
absorption from any wounded part. Occasionally it was used
to excite suppuration in abscesses and to remove pus when
an abscess was opened. Cupping, taken without any epithet
means the abstraction of blood by means of the scarificator
and cups .

Blisters were often used as a counter-irritant. The
physicians felt that by exciting a disease artificially on
the surface, he could often remove the effect of a disease

11

which might be, at the time, existing internally. The
blisters were accomplished by applying irritants to the
skin such as cantharides, mustard, euphorbium, garlic and
ammonia. It was simply raising a blister on the skin by
applying irritating chemicals. The physicians thought the
fluid in the vesicles was drawing out the various "poisons"
within.

Emetics were felt to be valuable agents in disease.
They were substances capable of producing vomiting. The
physicians felt that there was a "sympathy" between the
stomach and other parts of the body which was very
extensive; therefore they used emetics to "help" other organs
in disease. The chief emetics used were antimony and
potassium tartrate, copper acetate, copper sulfate, ipecac,
lobelia, and zinc sulfate. Purgatives were used to keep
the bowels opened, from mild purgation to intense purgation,
depending on the opinion of the physician as to how
vigorous he must expel the "poison." Calomel was a
standard item. This is mercuric chloride and was used as a
cathartic and diuretic. They liked to use calomel because
it kept the kidneys opened as well as the bowels and they
would frequently use it to the point of toxicity which
would be measured by the degree of ptyalism (salivation).
When the patient receiving calomel starting salivating a

12

great deal, the dosage was usually reduced. The calomel
also produced swelling of the gums and frequently looseness
of the teeth. Other purgatives frequently used were senna,
castor oil, aloe, jalap, magnesia. The specific agent or
purgation was chosen relative to the desired amount of
purgation, some being mild, others intermediate, others
strong.

A sinapism was a type of poultice or cataplasm of
which mustard formed the basis which was used for exciting
redness and acting as a counter irritant. It was prepared
by mixing flour 6f mustard and vinegar together to the due
consistency. It was applied to the soles of the feet of
patients in coma or on any patient who was exceptionally
sick or delirious and it was also used on the painful
parts in rheumatism.

Some of Rush's contemporaries did not agree with his
system of medicine and believed that his bleeding and
purging were excessive but he was such a reknown patriot,
such a forceful and energetic person, such a prolific
writer, such a dogmatist, and he had such a large following
among those who had attended his lectures at the Medical
College and elsewhere, that his influence was widespread
and long lasting. Rush's methods continued to be practiced
with some modifications for several decades after his

13

death. The erosion of his system, which came about slowly,
was attributable to several factors. More students were
beginning to study in European centers and were learning to
distrust dogmatism. They brought back fresh new ideas
about how one disease could be distinguished from another.
A spirit of critical inquiry was beginning to replace blind
reliance on authority. Many physicians began to realize
that some diseases were self-limiting and would run their
course and subside without the benefit of a physician.
Also, public antagonism toward the harsh therapy of the
Rush School made many people reject orthodox physicians and
turn to quacks and cultists who employed gentler remedies.
This competition from irregular practitioners forced the
profession to examine more critically the rationale of its
therapeutic measures.

Independent minds were beginning to doubt the efficacy
of bleeding as it was practiced and to collect statistical
evidence to determine the question. Skoda in Vienna gave
a series of pneumonia cases no treatment at all and got
results as good or better than those who were treated with
bleeding. Louis in Paris claimed that the influence of
bleeding in pneumonia was much less than was supposed.
He studied about 2000 cases and had many post-mortems. He
applied statistical analysis to his patients comparing the

14

effects of treatment by venesection and treatment without
venesection. He found that there was no statistical
difference in morbidity or mortality. He made a similar
extensive study in typhoid fever and he proved the value
of statistics in medical work.

We wonder today how people had the fortitude to call
a doctor knowing that they would have to submit to the
harsh treatment employed by Rush and his many followers.
They did so because of the high mortality rate of the
diseases then prevalent, because the practices were
advocated by Rush, and because it was commonly believed
that without medical intervention the natural outcome of
disease was death.

The medical problems which physicians faced in 1803

were much different from those of today.

Infectious diseases were paramount. The death rate
among children was appalling. To be convinced of
this, one has only to walk through a cemetery of the
mid-nineteenth century and note the graves of those
who died before reaching their tenth year.°

Cholera, yellow fever, influenza, pneumonia, diphtheria,

measles, scarlet fever, typhoid, typhus, diarrheal

diseases, tuberculosis accounted for many of the deaths of

all age groups.

^Bordley and Harvey, p. 31.

15

Some of these infectious diseases occurred in epi-
demics, notably cholera, diphtheria, typhus, typhoid fever,
yellow fever, and small pox. The great epidemics of the
nineteenth century were,

to the people of those days, as mysterious as they

were terrifying. They came stealthily, spread

relentlessly, and killed without respect for age or

rank. It must have been obvious to intelligent

people that the doctors knew neither how to prevent

disease nor how to cure it. The best medical advice

was to flee the affected area with all possible

haste, and this practice was followed by most of

those possessing the means to do so. The sense of

helplessness was of course due to ignorance about

the cause of the disease and about how it was spread;

the terror of confronting a remorseless, invisible

7
enemy . '

Syphilis was not uncommon, but the mortality
from this disease is obscure, since the more serious
late manifestations were not then recognized.
Streptococcal infections in the form of erysipelas,
scarlet fever and childbed fever were common.
Though nothing is known about the incidence of
streptococcal and pneumococcal infections of the
respiratory tract, it may be presumed that it was
high. Malaria was prevalent in the southern states
and frequently had serious consequences in spite of
the availability of quinine.

Since the causes of infectious diseases were not
known and since it was difficult to distinguish one
from another, these diseases were treated in a more
or less similar manner. There is little doubt that
in many cases the treatment did more harm than good.^

In spite of the limitations, the nineteenth century

saw the profession gradually improving its knowledge in

'Bordley and Harvey, p. 31.
^Bordley and Harvey, p. 34.

16

breadth. Certain objective features of disease were known,
the art of careful observation has been cultivated, many
empirical remedies had been discovered, the courser
structure of man's body had been well worked out, and a
good beginning had been made in the knowledge of how the
machinery worked. But what disease really was, where it
was, how it was caused, had not even begun to be discussed
intelligently.

Empirical discoveries of helpful medications included
quinine for fever and malaria, digitalis for heart failure,
colchicine for gout, and opiates for pain. Smallpox
vaccine became available about 1800.

Most of the major medical discoveries in the nineteenth
century were being made in Europe but outstanding dis-
coveries were made in this country as well. John C. Otto
of Philadelphia in 1803 wrote the first account of hemo-
philia in which he described an investigation of a family
of "bleeders." In 1807 John Starns, of Saratoga County,
New York was the first to publish an account of the
physiological effects of ergot in which he reported both
its ability to stimulate and strengthen uterine contrac-
tions and its power to constrict small blood vessels. He
explained how ergot could be utilized to speed up child-
birth and to control postpartum hemorrhage. His

17

observations were soon confirmed by others, and, within a
short time, ergot was recognized as a valuable drug avail-
able to obstetricians. Ephraim McDowell, a frontier
physician of Danville, Kentucky, was the first in the world
to succeed in removing a diseased ovary in 1809, a remark-
able achievement in the early days of the nineteenth
century. In 1811 Elisha North of New London, Connecticut,
wrote a treatise on a malignant epidemic, commonly called
spotted fever. This work, based on personal observations
of more than two hundred patients in a single epidemic,
gave the first adequate description of cerebral spinal
fever (meningitis). North was among the first to emphasize
the importance of the clinical thermometer for the study
of fever. Laennec laid the foundation of modern clinical
medicine with his discovery of auscultation and the
publication of his work on auscultation in 1819. His
development of the stethoscope ushered in the era of
physical diagnosis. Laennec ' s book^ is among the eight or
ten greatest contributions to the science of medicine. In
1831 chloroform was discovered by Samuel Guthrie, a chemist,
It was not until 1847 that its anesthetic qualities were

^R. T. H. Laennec, M. D., A Treatise on the Diseases
of the Chest (London: T. and G. Underwood, 1821).

18

recognized and put to use by James Simpson, Professor of
obstetrics at Edinburgh. William Beaumont made a great
contribution by his experiments on the physiology of
digestion. He .published his classical work in 1833.
Richard Bright in 1836 opened a new chapter on the relation
of disease of the kidney to dropsy, Daniel Drake in 1840
was the first to write a clinical description of "milk
sickness." During the first half of the eighteenth century
this disease caused many deaths and much serious illness
among the frontiersmen of the middle west and actually
delayed the settlement of that area. A discovery of supreme
importance occurred at Massachusetts General Hospital,
October 16, 1846. On that day, William T. Morton, in a
public operating room, rendered a patient insensible with
ether and demonstrated the utility of surgical anesthesia.
The occasion was one of the most memorable in the history
of medicine. In 1850 Henry Bowditch of Boston introduced
thoracentesis, drawing off accumulation of fluid in the
chest. William Reid of Rochester, New York, in a series of
observations and experiments reported in 1851 and 1855,
laid down the principals for the reduction of dislocation
by simple manipulation. His methods were quickly accepted
and won for him an international reputation. The publica-
tion in 1858 of the research of Virchow on cellular

19

pathology removed the seats of disease from the tissues to
the individual elements, the cells.

Although the American discoveries and innovations
cited contributed to the progress of medicine, these were
not a part of a broad plan and did not result in the
creation of a foundation upon which a scientific structure
could be erected.

Therefore, this was in sharp contrast with the con-
sistent and progressive development of clinical diagnosis
and physiology in France, and of cellular pathology,
biochemistry, and physiology in Germany. The Europeans
were creating a firm base for modern medical science,
while the American contributions (anesthesia excepted) did
no more than fill in largely by chance, a few gaps in the
rising structure.

We must remember that the physicians of earlier times
were practicing within the framework of medical knowledge
as it was known at that time.

When we reflect that physicians of earlier
times saw the same diseases as we see, were
possessed of the same five senses, were equally
earnest and conscientious, and that about the same
proportion then as now were endowed with common
sense, it does not seem reasonable to look upon
them as being so incompetent and impractical as
often we are disposed to do.

We have the advantage of living in a period
when research into the material world has made trite
for us knowledge which was hidden from them. For

20

making our observations we have numerous instruments
of precision whereas they had to depend on judgment
alone.

Then, as now, speculation and hypothesis
supplemented exact knowledge.

Hypotheses are useful but it is important not
to accept them as demonstrated facts. There is little
doubt that some of the hypotheses accepted today
will seem very absurd to the science of the future.
The fact that a man has adhered to an erroneous
hypothesis by no means convicts him of being
incompetent . ^ ^

^^B. M. Randolph, M. D., '*rhe Blood Letting Controversy
in the Nineteenth Century," Annals of Medical History,
V. 7 (1935), 177.

CHAPTER II
MEDICAL PRACTICE IN RUTHERFORD COUNTY 1803-1860

When Rutherford County was founded in 1803, appropri-
ately educated physicians were a rarity, but the stock of
people who moved into this area were a pioneer breed and
perfectly willing to take their chances by acting as their
own physician. They exchanged medical recipes just as they
exchanged kitchen recipes. They had a recipe for virtually
every symptom one can imagine. Some were helpful, some
were not. When one v\7as found to give beneficial results,
it was shared with neighbors all around, for the pioneer
spirit dictated that each must help the other.

Most of the families, who were moving west at the
turn of the nineteenth century, possessed a medical book
which gave advice on almost every medical problem. As
they pushed farther west into the wilderness, medical care
simply was not available. They acted as their own
practitioners using such books as a guide. These books
occasionally were written by physicians and occasionally
they were written by quacks. One of the v/ell known books
used in this area was Gunn ' s Domestic Medicine. The book
discussed in plain language the diseases of men, women and
children and it contained descriptions of the medical

21

22

roots and herbs of the western and southern country and how
they were to be used in the cure of diseases. The latter
book was one of the better written books for this purpose.
Much superstition pervaded the populace about medical
illnesses. Many carried a buckeye in their pocket to
ward off rheumatism. Many would wear a bag of asafetida
attached to a string about the neck. The asafetida
supposedly protected against infectious diseases. They
would frequently use asafetida hung around a baby's neck
to protect the baby from infectious disease. A bag
supposedly protected the baby for six months. A man was
hanged in Murfreesboro in 1813. The rope used for the
execution was cut up and the small pieces passed out to
the spectators as talismans against human ills.-'- More
logically, the people kept on hand a variety of medications
and herbs with which they would prepare various teas,
salves, and poultices according to medical recipes col-
lected by the family over the years. The people frequently
depended more on their medical recipes than on trained
doctors. There were also people roaming all over the area
with absolutely no training in science, pushing themselves

■'■Carlton C. Sims, Editor, A History of Rutherford
County (Murfreesboro, TN. : Reprinted by Rutherford County
Historical Society, 1981), p. 130.

23

upon the public as cancer doctors, arthritis doctors, and
herb doctors, all sorts of quackery. There was no legal
regulation of any kind to prevent the business of
charlatans and quacks.

Surgery was limited to opening abscesses, removing
foreign bodies, setting fractures, closing cuts. Surgery
was still in a primitive state. They knew nothing about
the necessity for cleanliness in surgery. Infections
were devastating. It was not unusual for the surgeon with
unwashed hands to suture while he held the scalpel in his
teeth, frequently keeping the needles and thread fastened
to his coat lapel. The germ theory was not to be dis-
covered until the late nineteenth century.

The earliest physicians in this county were Doctors
T. Vernon about 1803, James Loudon Armstrong 1809,
William Ward 1811, Swepson Sims 1811, John Nash Reid 1810,
James Roane about 1812, Wilson Yandell, W. E. Butler,
W. T. Henderson, and Elisha B. Clark 1816-17. The dates
are approximate. These doctors were all trained under
the apprenticeship. Dr. Wilson Yandell was particularly
well trained and had three sons who became physicians.
Then, in the 1820s and early 1830s, included Dr. James
Maney, Frederick Edward Becton, Isaac C. Brown, Alfred
Hartwell, P. H. Mitchell, Patrick D. Neilson, George

24

Thompson, Henry Holmes Treadway, Samuel Watkins, John
Robertson Wilson, Lunsford Pitts Yandell, and Benjamin
Avent. Doctors Armstrong, Sims, and Wilson Yandell were
still practicing also.

The early medical practice in Rutherford County could
be typified by a letter Dr. James Roane wrote to a friend
who was caring for his cousin in Virginia. The letter
was written in 1817 and he stated that from the descrip-
tion the friend had given, his cousin's complaint was
probably "rheumatic" and he recommended that the friend
take about a half pint of blood and use a purgative in
preparation for the following: dissolve one ounce of soda
in a pint of strong decoction of seneka snake root and
take two tablespoons, evening and morning in water or in
some pleasant tea. He also advised wearing a warm plaster
between the shoulders.^ A part of every therapy for
virtually every disease was blood letting and purgatives
and emetics to rid the body of "poisons."

Dr. Lunsford Pitts Yandell, who started practicing
in Murfreesboro in 1826, wrote several papers which were
published in the Transylvania Journal of Medicine. A

^Letter from Dr. James Roane to David Campbell,
Abdingdon, VA. , Journal of the Tennessee Medical Associa-
tion, V. 75 (March, 1982), 225.

25

paper entitled "A Case of Purpura Haemorrhagica" was
published in 1828. The patient had pleurisy and pneumonia
symptoms. Dr. Yandell used venesection (blood-letting),
cathartics, and nauseating doses of antimony. It was
found necessary to repeat the bleeding more than once and
calomel in 10 grain doses was given for several nights in
succession followed by saline purgatives the next day.
He also used blisters and diaphoretic drugs. In due time
the patient developed severe diarrhea and opium was
resorted to. Later the patient began to show signs of
capillary hemorrhage from the mouth, ears and nostrils.
At that time they administered sulphuric acid and a gargle
made of borax. In a few days the patient rallied and
convalesced. Dr. Yandell attributed the bleeding to the
use of calomel. Dr. Yandell referred in his paper to
Laennec--ref erring to Laennec ' s observation in pneumonia
with the cylinder (early stethoscope) and the percussion
findings in the chest. Dr. Yandell also wrote a paper on
milk sickness which was published in the Transylvania
Journal of Medicine in 1828. He described the symptoms

Lunsford P. Yandell, M. D. , "A Case of Purpura
Hemorrhagica with Observations," Transylvania Journal of
Medicine and the Associate Sciences, V. 1 (1828), 237.

Lunsford P. Yandell, M. D. , "An Essay on Milk-
sickness," Transylvania Journal of Medicine and Associate
Sciences, V. 1 (1828), 309.

26

very clearly and stated that venesection was not a valuable
remedy for this particular entity, that cathartics were
deemed to be the most practical, calomel to be preferred.
He stated that the bowels must be kept soluble with castor
oil, salts or senna until complete health is restored. He
also advised blisters to the abdomen, especially if the
bleeding and the calomel had not allayed the vomiting. He
emphasized that it was frequently necessary to cover the
abdomen with blisters. On the whole, he stated that he
would rely mainly on venesection, mercury, epispastics
and effusions of cold water upon the extremities. In the
last part of the paper, he described the post mortum
examination of several cases, giving the pathological
findings .

The doctors believed that the decomposition of plant
and animal matter poisoned the air with "marsh miasmata"
giving rise to disease. The plant decomposition was
always best effected during the presence of warmth and
moisture which the physicians felt created rotted vegetable
matter which in turn contaminated people with various forms
of bilious disease, and they felt it was especially true
of areas which were frequently flooded by creeks, streams,
and rivers which laid down further deposits of decomposing
matter. Of course, their observations of topography were

27

at least partially correct, because in flooding these
areas, sewage contaminated the marshy areas and the water
supply was contaminated, therefore resulting in disease.
But these people did not know of the relationship of
sanitation to disease.

Dr. Samuel Hogg, who practiced mostly in Wilson
County, but who later bought a farm near Smyrna and
practiced in Rutherford County, wrote a letter to Dr. Samuel
Brown in which he discussed the history of the autumnal
fever of the year 1822 as it appeared in Wilson County,
which undoubtedly appeared in Rutherford County as well.
An epidemic prevailed that year, during the summer and
fall. The disease commenced in most cases with a chill,
pains in the extremities, soreness of all the muscles,
nausea, diarrhea, and pain in the area of the liver. He
stated that the skin was sometimes yellow. He described
the symptoms in minute detail. The patients were
treated with bleeding, cathartics, emetics, and the "bark"
(refers to the cinchona bark or similar quinine con-
taining bark). He used blisters to the region of the
stomach or liver, calomel was used freely, and opium to
induce rest. His letter was published by Dr. Samuel

28

Brown in the Western Journal of Medical and Physical
Sciences .

Murfreesboro was the capital of Tennessee from 1819
to 1826, a fact which undoubtedly influenced the influx
of talented and educated people. We were fortunate to
have in that period of our history a group of physicians
who were intelligent, honest and well-educated for their
day. It was they who began a movement to organize a
state medical society to improve the practice of medicine
in the state. It was their purpose to federate and
bring into one compact organization the entire medical
profession in the state of Tennessee and to unite with
similar associations in other states with a view to the
extension of medical knowledge and to the advancement of
medical science. The movement started in this county
by a meeting of interested physicians in 1829. We're
not sure who these physicians were but it stands to
reason that included in the group were the charter
members from Rutherford County in the state medical
association: Doctors James Maney, William R. Rucker,
Lunsford Pitts Yandell, Frederick E. Becton, and Samuel
Watkins . There were also undoubtedly other interested

Samuel Hogg, "A History of the Autumnal Fever of
the Year 1822," Western Journal of the Medical and
Physical Sciences, V, 2 (February, 1828),

29

physicians, probably from Davidson County and Wilson
County. It was entirely possible, although we do not
know, that this meeting was 'held at Oaklands, since
Dr. James Maney was one of the charter members of the
Tennessee State Medical Association. As a result of
this meeting, these doctors petitioned the legislature
to incorporate a medical society and it passed both
houses to become law on January 9, 1830, The act empow-
ered the society to elect a board of censors to issue or
to refuse a license to practice medicine in the state.
These board members would examine any prospective
applicant and decide whether or not he was sufficiently
trained to practice medicine. The act did not require,
however, that no one could practice medicine in the state
of Tennessee without a license. That was a fatal omission
and was not to be rectified until almost sixty years later
in 1889. So, even though the organization of a society
was a step in the right direction, there was no teeth
in the legislation to control the practice of medicine in
the state and during that period of time, the state con-
tinued to be a haven for all manner of quacks and charlatans.
The society repeatedly petitioned the legislature, unsuc-
cessfully over many years, to amend the act of incorporation

30

to require practitioners to be licensed. The society was
accused, on the other hand, of being self-serving in its
desire to control the practice of medicine. The public's
level of sophistication in such matters was such that it
mattered little to them whether a doctor was licensed or
not. Therefore, only a handful of Tennessee doctors
traveled the necessary horseback miles to be examined by
the society censors and become licensed. The society
persisted in its efforts and finally won the legislature's
cooperation. In 1889, the legislature passed a law which
required all practitioners of medicine to be licensed.

At the organizational meeting of the new state
medical association. Dr. James Roane, son of Governor
Archibald Roane, was chosen the first president of the
Medical Society of Tennessee and this gentleman practiced
in Murfreesboro for four years before he moved to
Nashville. Dr. Lunsford Pitts Yandell was elected the
first corresponding secretary of the state medical
association and he was a practitioner in Murfreesboro from
1826 to 1831. On the first board of censors was Dr. James
Maney. Doctors Frederick Becton and Lunsford Pitts
Yandell were on the committee charged to prepare and
present a code of medical ethics for the government of
the members of the society. At the first meeting of the

31

society, Dr. Roane, the president, appointed three
individuals of the society to read essays at the next
annual meeting in 1831. Of these three. Dr. Becton of
Murfreesboro was appointed to read an essay on medical
topography of disease in Rutherford County. The new
members from Rutherford County elected at the first
meeting were Doctors Alfred Hartwell, George Thompson,
John R. Wilson, Henry Holmes Treadway, William D. Gowen,
Henry Holmes, P. H. Mitchell, William M. Yandell, John
Claiborne Gooch, William L. Thompson, Thomas H, Read,
and Lafayette Ezell. Our physicians contributed admirably
to the development and organization of medicine in this
state from the outset and to medical education.

Dr. Lunsford Pitts Yandell was present at the 1831
meeting of the medical society in Tennessee to which he
had been elected corresponding secretary. His brother-in-
law from Murfreesboro, Dr. Frederick Becton, read a paper
on the medical topography of Rutherford County. There
were several points in the paper on which the two dis-
agreed rather pointedly and apparently some unpleasantness
was exchanged between the two doctors. ° Dr. Becton ' s

^Phillip M. Hamer, Editor, The Centennial History of
the Tennessee State Medical Association 1830-1930,
(Nashville, TN. : Tennessee State Medical Association,
1930), p. 37.

32

paper which he read at that meeting was published in the
Transylvania Journal of Medicine and the Associated
Sciences in 1832. He discussed in the paper the effect
of the marsh miasmata in causing diseases and expounded
several theories of his ov/n about how disease was
produced. He alluded to his observation that inhabitants
residing near the rivers on the low bank side are usually
more sickly than those who reside on the bluff side of
the stream. He referred to greater sickness among people
who were exposed to vicinities where stagnant water was
present in ponds or creeks. He referred to the type
buildings erected by the settlers of the county with
foundations or bottom logs on or near the ground. Chip
shavings and debris were left under the floors. The
sleepers upon which the flooring planks were laid were
close to the ground and, therefore, the rooms of these
homes were exposed to the decomposing matter. Additionally,
garbage was frequently decaying in the yard. He felt the
buildings should be raised with the dwelling houses and
kitchens some distance above the ground, removing all
vegetable substances from beneath the floors and out of

^Frederick E. Becton, M. D. , "An Essay on the Topo-
graphy and Diseases of Rutherford County, Tennessee,"
Transylvania Journal of Medicine and the Associate
Sciences, V. 5 (1832), 20.

33

the neighborhood of the yard, and leaving a free space for
ventilation under the houses. He alluded also to the
dietetic habits of the people, stating "we in Rutherford
County generally eat as if for a wager against time,
swallowing our food mashed, but not masticated, and of
course, scantily supplied saliva. Instead of applying
this useful adjuvant in digestion to its proper and
natural uses, it is spit up with tobacco juice, and the
food in the stomach must find its way to the coats of
that viscus floating in strong hot coffee." He treated
most of the diseases similarly, bleeding freely at the
beginning and subsequently by giving such doses of tarter
emetic as would produce free vomiting, and cathartics to
keep the bowels open. He also freely used cupping and
leeching as well as applying blisters.

The cholera epidemic visited Murfreesboro and the
Middle Tennessee area in 1833. The disease made its
appearance in June. The weather which had proceeded it
was intensely hot accompanied by frequent showers of rain.
The heat continued uninterruptedly for several weeks.
During this period, the epidemic raged with more or less
violence throughout the neighboring country. Dr. Henry
Yandell, a brother to Lunsford Pitts Yandell, wrote an
account of the epidemic as it appeared in Shelbyville.

34

The epidemic covered much of Middle Tennessee and would

probably typify the conditions of the epidemic in

Murfreesboro as well.

At once the whole population seemed to be invaded
by disease, scarcely an individual being found in
the place a day or two afterwards who was not more
or less indisposed. The premonitory diarrhea
generally preceded the more formidable symptoms but
its duration usually was brief, if not promptly
checked. The disease advanced after a few hours to
its more malignant stage. No class was exempt.
The wealthy and the poor, the temperant, the
intemperant, each furnished their share of victims.
Of the usual symptoms of the disease, vomiting was
uniformly present. When diarrhea came on simulta-
neously with this symptom, it rarely failed to
hurry the patient off in from two to eight hours.
For the first two days of its prevalence, few who
died lived beyond eight hours after their attack.
Out of a population of about 800, we lost thirty
the first day after its eruption. Its malignancy
was unabated on the second day, but, as many of
the citizens had fled, the number of deaths was
only about 15 or 20. In all, during its continuence,
one hundred and nine of our citizens perished. It
lingered in the town for about fourteen days when
the population returned to their homes, and since
that time uninterrupted health has prevailed. As
already remarked, the pestilence spread itself
throughout the surrounding country, several localities
being severely afflicted. In some families ten or
twelve died, and in Bedford County, it is supposed
that the number of deaths exceeded two hundred and
twenty. °

Dr. Yandell treated the disease with reliance chiefly

upon calomel. He was governed only by the effects

^Henry Yandell, M. D. , "An Account of Spasmodic
Colera, As It Appeared in Shelbyville, Tennessee, in the
Summer of 1833," Transylvania Journal of Medicine, V. 7
(1834), 5.

35

produced. He stated that the calomel alone seemed
competent to allay the gastric irritability and check the
watery passages. The description of the epidemic in
Shelbyville would certainly correlate with the descrip-
tion of the epidemic in Murf reesboro. Dr. James Roane
lost his life in Nashville of cholera in the 1833 epidemic.
The cholera epidemic visited again in 1835 with similar
results. Dr. Alfred Hartwell lost his life in that
epidemic .

A majority of the physicians in Rutherford County
joined the Tennessee Medical Society. Dr. George Thompson
was made one of its censors in 1838. Dr. John Wilson
participated in the 1838 meeting. Professor Yandell
returned from Lexington regularly to participate in the
meetings. Dr. Treadway was appointed to read a medical
essay.

Dr. John W. Richardson was elected president of the
Tennessee Medical Society in 1849. Dr. Richardson was a
prominant physician in Rutherford County. He wrote a
paper which was published in 1842 on the diseases of
Rutherford County. 9 In his paper he mentioned first

9john W. Richardson, M. D., "Remarks on the Diseases
That Appeared in Rutherford County, Tennessee, During the
Year 1841, and the Winter of 1841-2," Western Journal of
Medicine and Surgery, V. 6 (1842), 426.

36

Dr. John W. Richardson
President
Tennessee Medical Association
1848-1850

37

intermittent fever, stating that it existed almost continu-
ally. Measles prevailed extensively during the early part
of 1841. Whooping cough had prevailed for twelve months.
Parotitis (mumps) had been in the neighborhood for a year
and was still prevailing. He stated that it progressed
remarkably slow, remaining in some families for four and
even six months. He stated that it was attended with
more fever and more cerebral disturbance (encephalitis).
The summer and autumnal diseases were of the usual charac-
ter with intermitting and remitting fevers. In November,
an epidemic of influenza commenced. Many cases were
alarming, so extensive and severe were the bronchial
inflamation and pain. During the winter there were some
cases of pleurisy, a good many cases of pneumonia and
combinations of the two. Tonsillitis visited during the
winter. He commented that in January an epidemic visited
which was more unmanageable than any of the former and
more fatal than all of the whole of them combined. The
cases he described were those of meningitis. Of those
who survived, some were left deaf or blind.

The physicians practicing in the area in the 1840s
were J. J. Abernathy, Martin W. Armstrong (Milton),
Benjamin Ward Avent , William T. Baskette, Thomas Crutcher
Black (Walter Hill), Jonathan Bostick (Triune), James

Area Physicians During the 1840s

38

J. J. Abernathy
Martin W. Armstrong

(Milton)
Benjamin Ward Avent

(Murf reesboro)
Wm. T. Baskette

(Murf reesboro )
Thomas Crutcher Black

(Walter Hill)
Jonathan Bostick

(Triune )
James Hamilton Charlton

(La Vergne area)
George D. Crosthwait

(Florence)
John Claiborne Gooch

( Smyrna )
Samuel R. Gooch
James W. Gowen

(Cannon County)
William D. Gowen
Samuel Hogg

( Smyrna)

Reuben D. Hubbard
Daniel H. Johnson
James Maney

(Murf reesboro)
Francis J. Manning

(Fox Camp)
Robert C. Price
John W. Richardson

(Murf reesboro)
T. L. Rives

(Eagleville)
Samuel B. Robison
Dr. Rogers
William R. Rucker
Swepson Sims
George W. Thompson
Nimrod Whitefield Thompson
James Wade
John M. Watson
James Wendel

(Murf reesboro)

39

Hamilton Charlton, Nimrod W. Thompson, Jonathan C- Gooch,
George Thompson, James Wade, William R. Rucker, George D.
Crosthwaite, John M. Watson, James Maney, John W.
Richardson, Robert C. Price, R. D. Hubbard, Daniel H.
Johnson, Swepson Sims, F. J. Manning, Samuel B. Robison.

By virtue, undoubtedly, of Dr. Richardson's position
in the Tennessee Medical Society, the society convened in
Murfreesboro for three consecutive years, 1850, 1851, and
1852. The proceedings of the 1850 meeting follow:

Murfreesborough, Ten., Wednesday, April 3, 1850.

The Medical Society of Tennessee convened this
day, in Odd Fellow's Hall, according tb adjournment,
being its 21st annual session — the following members
present :

John W. Richardson, Rutherford County, Ten.

L. P. Yandell, Louisville, Ky.

F. H. Gordon, Lebanon, Ten.

B. W. Avent, Murfreesborough, Ten.

R. S. Wendell, Murfreesborough, Ten.

Thos. C. Black, Murfreesborough, Ten.

W. R. Rucker, Murfreesborough, Ten.

The President, Dr. Richardson, called the Society
to order, and requested the members present to
re-sign the Constitution.

The Secretary being absent, on motion. Dr. R. S.
Wendel was appointed Secretary pro tem.

On motion of Dr. Yandell the rule requiring
the nomination of members to lie over one day, was
suspended, and thereupon the following gentlemen were
proposed and duly elected members of the Society,

Dr. J. Abernathy, Dr. G. W. Burton, Dr. P. D.
McCulloch, of Murfreesborough; Dr. S. H. Woods,
Dr. L. W. Knight, Dr. D. H. Johnson, Dr. J. B.
Armstrong, Dr. G. M. Alsup, Dr. W. A. Smith, Dr. L. V.

40

Young, of Rutherford Co.; Dr. T. F. Waters, of Smith
Co.; Dr. Caldwell, of Shelbyville; Dr. C. T. New, of
Woodbury; Dr. G. L. Robertson, Dr. J. H. Li Hard, of
Wilson Co.; and Dr. Smith Bowlin, of Bedford Co.

On motion of Dr. Avent , the following gentlemen
were appointed a Committee to arrange the order of
business for to-morrow--Dr . B. W. Avent, Dr. F. H.
Gordon, Dr. J. J. Abernathy.

Dr. Gordon offered the following . resolutions ,
which were read, and on motion adopted:

Resolved, That the long established custom of
writing medical prescriptions in the Latin Language
should be abolished;

Resolved, That Natural Philosophy and Chemistry
have an intimate connection with Medicine, throwing
much light upon it, and ought therefore to be
included among the preliminary studies of Medical
Students ;

Resolved, That the chief cause of the common
complaint of the disrepute and degradation of the
Medical Profession is to be found in the faulty
elementary, or office medical education, and that
the desired elevation of the standards, the qualifi-
cations and exaltation of the Profession will never
be accomplished until suitable measures shall be
adopted to correct the cause;

On motion, the Society adjourned until 9 o'clock,
to-morrow morning.

Thursday Morning, 9 o'clock.

The Society met pursuant to adjournment.
Proceedings of last meeting read.

The Committee appointed at last meeting to
arrange the order of business for this day, reported
the following, which on motion, was received and
adopted:

1. Reading of Essays.

2. Report of Cases.

41

3. Orator's Address.

4. Election of Officers.

5. Motions and Unfinished Business.

6. Appointments for next Annual Meeting.

7. Select Place for next Annual Meeting of
Society.

8. President's Address.

Your Committee would suggest the propriety of
appointing a reporter to take down the remarks of
members on such medical subjects as may be discussed.

B. W. Avent,
F. H. Gordon,
J. J. Abernathy,

On motion, Dr. G. Burton was appointed Reporter.

The appointments of Delegates to the next
meeting of the American Medical Association to be
held in Cincinnati, in May next, being in order, the
following were duly elected:

Dr. Kelley and Dr. J. Lindsley, of Nashville;
Dr. F. H. Gordon, of Lebanon; Dr. J. W. Richardson
and Dr. L. P. Yandell, of Rutherford Co.; Dr. G. W.
Burton, Dr. B. W. Avent, and Dr. J. J. Abernathy, of
Murfreesborough; Dr. Thos . Lipscomb of Shelbyville;
Dr. R. G. White, of Pulaski; Dr. H. R. Robards , of
Memphis .

The Society then proceeded to the regular order
of business. Dr. J. B. Lindsley appointed at last
annual meeting to read an Essay on the Medical
Topography of Davidson County, being absent, was on
motion fined $10, for delinquency.

The following gentlemen appointed at last
meeting to report Cases, were also fined the sum of
$5 each for delinquency, viz: Dr. J. W. Percy,
Dr. R. M. Porter, Dr. S. H. Stout, Dr. W. P. Jones,
Dr. J. G. Barksdale, Dr. George Thompson, Dr. G. A.
J. Mayfield, Dr. S. S. Mayfield, and Dr. J. S. Parks.

Dr. Thomas Lipscomb also appointed to report
cases, excused his absense by letter, but presented
through the Corresponding Secretary, a paper on
Apoplexy, which on motion was received and read.

42

Dr. Avent read a paper on Traumatic Tetanus,
which was on motion received.

On motion the Society adjourned until l|
o'clock, P. M.

Thursday, l\ o'clock, P. M.

Society met pursuant to adjournment. On motion
the contribution fee was fixed at $2 the present
session.

The accounts of H. M. Watterson, B, R. McKennie
& Co. and Dr. W. Taylor amounting to $15, for
advertising the meeting of the Society, were pre-
sented, and on motion allowed and ordered to be
paid by the Treasurer.

Dr. R. S. Wendell read a case of Intermittent
Fever, complicated with convulsions, which on motion
was received.

Dr. Avent, Corresponding Secretary, read a
communication from Dr. J. King, declaring his inability
to attend and deliver the Oration assigned him at the
last meeting of the Society. On motion a fine of $10
was imposed.

Dr. Gordon read a paper on Tetanus caused by
puncturing a Sarcomatus Tumor, which on motion was
received.

The President announced as next in order the
election of Recording Secretary, the other officers
being elected for the term of two years from last
meeting; when Dr. R. S. Wendel was on ballot duly
and constitutionally elected to fill said office.

Dr. Gordon offered the following which was
adopted:

Whereas, The painful intelligence has reached
this Society of death of our distinguished friend and
associate. Dr. Benjamin R. Owen, of Lebanon, by
whose decease, our Society and the Medical Profes-
sion, have lost one of their brightest ornaments,
therefore

43

Resolved, That a committee of two be appointed
to present at our next meeting, suitable testimonials
of the worth of our friend and the loss sustained by
his decease.

The President appointed Drs. Gordon and Lillard
as committee.

The President narrated some interesting cases
showing the value of Enemata of solution of nitrate
of silver in dysentery.

On motion of Dr. Burton, it was resolved that
the President write out a report of the same to be
published as part of the proceedings.

The appointments for the next annual meeting
being in order, the President made the follov/ing —
Dr. F. H. Gordon, Orator; Dr. J. J. Abernathy, of
Murf reesborough and Dr. Tho ' s Lipscomb, of
Shelbyville, to read Essays; and Drs. Avent,
McCulloch, R. S. Wendel, and Burton, of Murf reesborough,
Drs. Alsup, Young, Knight, G. Thompson, Crosthwaite,
W. A. Smith, and Armstrong, of Rutherford Co.,
Dr. Waters of Smith Co., Dr. Robertson of Wilson Co.,
Drs. Barksdale and Caldwell of Shelbyville, Drs. S. S.
Mayfield and J. S. Park of Franklin, Drs. Percy,
Buchanan, Cheatham, Kelley, R. Martin, R. C. K.
Martin, Porter, King, Ford and Winston of Nashville
to Report Cases.

Dr. Avent offered the following resolution,
which was adopted:

Resolved, That Prof. L. P. Yandell, of the
University of Louisville, be requested to address
this Society at its next annual meeting.

Dr. Avent also offered the following resolution,
which was adopted--

Resolved, That the thanks of this Society be
tendered to Stranger's Refuge Lodge, No. 14, I.O.O.F.,
for the use of their Hall during the session of this
society.

Dr. Avent moved that a Committee of three by
appointed to prepare the proceedings of this Society

44

for publication, which was adopted, and Drs. Avent ,
R. S. Wendel and Burton appointed. On motion,
the President was added.

On motion, the President was requested to deliver
his address in the Methodist E. Church this evening,
at 7 1-2 .o'clock, and that the public be invited.

On motion, the Society adjourned until 1st
Wednesday in April, 1851, to meet at that time in
Murf reesborough .

JOHN W. RICHARDSON, President.

R. S. Wendel, Cor. Secretary. 10

Dr. Avent ' s presentation on traumatic tetanus

indicated that physicians recognized that these symptoms

occurred as a result of a wound. This particular case was

preceeded by a wound to the foot in which a portion of

splinter had remained. Dr. Avent described the symptoms

of tetanus admirably, describing the severe spasms of the

muscles and stated that when the patient was laid on his

back, the heels and posterior skull were the only part of

the patient that would touch the bed. He stated that the

jaws were not completely locked but were very rigid, and

swallowing was very difficult so that they were frequently

prevented from administering either food or medicine. It

was difficult for the patient to speak. The treatment

IQproceedings of the Twenty-First Annual Meeting of
the Tennessee Medical Society, Held at Murf reesborough,
April, 1850 (Published by the Tennessee Medical Society,
1850) .

45

agreed upon was calomel in small doses, morphine, enemas
composed of brandy and well prepared gruel to be adminis-
tered every six hours. The spine should be rubbed with a
strong volatile linament. Spirits of turpentine and
castor oil were to be employed as purgatives. The wound
was opened and the splinter extracted. The morphine was
the main medication that helped relieve the symptoms of
spasms. The patient did recover although it required
several weeks. •'•-'■

Dr. Wendell reported a case of fever accompanied by
gastroenteritis and convulsions in a man of age 35.
Dr. Wendell bled him freely from the arm which reduced
his pulse from an initial 120 per minute to nearly 90.
He then applied a cup to each temple but as their drawing
seemed to excite a great deal of pain, they were removed
without obtaining much blood. He gave the patient 15
grains of calomel and 2 grains of ipecac. He poured cold
water over his head for some several minutes and he
sponged the entire surface of the body with cold water
and directed the family to repeat the calomel and ipecac
in six hours and continue to use the cold water at
intervals. On the evening of the same day, Dr. Wendell

■^■^-Proceedings , April, 1850, p. 11

46

returned and found the patient to have a pulse of about
100. He repeated the bleeding until the pulse indicated
some change. He gave him a stimulating enema and
repeated the enema in one hour. He then administered a
dose of castor oil. The next morning he continued the use
of cold water. The patient was given a purgative of
castor oil and calomel combined which was used twice
during the day. Later in the day, he was given calomel,
opium, and ipecac, to be given every three hours until
ptyalism (salivation) was manifested. Cups were applied
to the whole length of the spine, both wet and dry, and
this was followed by a blister on the nape of the neck
extending up and over the occiput (lower part of the
posterior skull). The sublingual glands (salivary glands)
were rubbed with an unguent and a teaspoon of a mixture
of strichnine and alcohol was ordered three times a day.
The following day. Dr. Wendell discovered that ptyalism
had taken place. He then gave him a cathartic of equal
quantities of castor oil and turpentine. He found the
pulse to be very weak and the extremities cold. He then
placed a large blister over the stomach and one on each
wrist and he dry cupped the whole length of the spine.
When Dr. Wendell returned in the evening, the patient
had a severe convulsion following which another enema was

47

given. The next day, the patient began to rally and
improve slowly and in a few weeks, he entirely recovered. -^"^

In Dr. Richardson's paper on injections of nitrate of
silver in dysentery, he advised the use of nitrate of
silver in an enema to be administered for the relief of
the diarrhea. He had found that this was especially
useful in the various dysenteries . ■'-■^

It was customary for the president of the society to

deliver his address to the society as the last item of

the meeting. In Dr. Richardson's address to the society,

he admonished the physicians to read and study. He stated

that the science of medicine had grown wonderfully since

the apprenticeship and studies of most of the physicians

practicing at that time and he further stated that the

intelligent and industrious students have great advantages

over those who studied medicine twenty, thirty and forty

years ago. He emphasized that medicine v/as a progressive

science and by the very nature of things must continue to

be progressive. I quote from his address:

If those who studied medicine and commenced
the practice some thirty or forty years since have
not read a great deal, they are far behind in the

^^Proceedings, April, 1850, p. 15
■^-^Proceedings, April, 1850, p. 19

48

profession. Their old musty books have gone out of
print, and out of date. ^

He further counseled.

The advantages, then, to the older and younger
physicians in theii associations are much more
reciprocal than many, upon first view, will allow;
for a while the young are benefited by the counsel,
and practical experience of the old, the latter
in turn receive much that is new and important
from the former. ■'■^

Undoubtedly the meeting in Murfreesboro was a very
stimulating educational experience for the local physicians.
Other physicians in the community became interested in the
work of the Medical Society of Tennessee and joined the
society, among whom were Doctors Benjamin Avent, James
Wendell, Thomas C. Black, J, J. Abernathy, G. W. Burton,
P. D. McCullough, S. H. Woods, L. W. Knight, D. H. Johnson,
J. B. Armstrong, G. M. Alsup, W. A. Smith, L. V. Young.
Many of the physicians were probably stimulated to keep
better records of cases in anticipation of reporting or
publishing papers on their particular cases. Dr. Richard-
son admonished the physicians to keep a diary of
interesting cases to present to their colleagues. Com-
municating interesting cases in Dr. Richardson's mind was

^'^Proceedings, April, 1850, p. 23,
^^Proceedings, April, 1850, p. 24,

49

essential for educational progress. He found medical
associations to be fine opportunities for doctors to
present interesting cases to the profession where they
could be examined, closely criticized and published.

At the 1850 meeting in Murf reesboro. Dr. J. W.
Richardson, Dr. Yandell, Dr. G. W. Burton, Dr. B. W.
Avent, Dr. J. J. Abernathy were all appointed as
delegates from the Tennessee Medical Association to the
next meeting of the American Medical Association which
was to be held in Cincinnati the following May. The
American Medical Association had been formed in 1847; so,
early in the history of the national organization, Ruther-
ford County physicians were active in its proceedings.

In 1851 the state society again met in Murfreesboro
at which other Rutherford County physicians became
members: Doctors Crosthwaite, W. T. Baskette, L. V.
Young, W. A. Smith, E. D. Wheeler, J. M. Watson, S. B.
Robinson. Dr. Richardson was still president of the
society. Dr. Avent presented a paper to the society.
Doctors McCul lough, Crosthwaite, Young, Knight, Thompson,
Smith, and Armstrong all read essays. It was observed
in that meeting that efforts were under way to establish
a medical school in Tennessee and it was indeed in that
year that the Medical Department at the University of

50

Nashville was established. The society adopted the code
of ethics established by the American Medical Association.
That motion was made by Dr. Wendell of Murf reesboro, and
it was unanimously passed. At the 1851 meeting, Dr. J. M.
Watson was elected president for the next two years. He
was a practicing physician in Marf reesboro. Dr. B. W.
Avent of Murfreesboro was elected vice-president. Dr. R. S.
Wendell, recording secretary. Dr. E. D. Wneeler, corre-
sponding secretary, and Dr. J. J. Abarnathy, treasurer.
That year a clean sweep of the officers of the state
society was made by Rutherford County physicians. Doctors
Richardson, Avent, Wheeler, McCullough, Baskette, Wendell,
Robertson, Knight, Smith, Young, and Black of Rutherford
County were appointed to report cases for the next
meeting of 1852 which was also to be held in Murf reesboro. ■'^"

At the 1851 meeting Dr. Avent read a case of fungus
cerebri to which he appended the notes of the case treated
by Dr. J, W. Richardson. ^^ Dr. McCullough reported a case
of Cupture of the intestines caused by a fall from a horse

^^"Proceedings of the Medical Society of the State of
Tennessee," Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery,
V. 1 (1851), 73.

-"-^B. W. Avent, M. D. , "Fungus Cerebri," Nashville
Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 1 (1851), 65.

51

Dr. John M. Watson
President
Tennessee Medical Association
1851- 1853

52

and also a case of traumatic tetanus. Dr. Crosthwaite
reported a case of prolapsus vesicae. Dr. Armstrong
presented to the museum of the society a rare specimen of
lumbrici obtained from the liver of a dog. Dr. Young
read a case of rupture of the uterus on which Dr. Watson
made some remarks. Dr. Knight read a case of acute mania
following an attack of bilious fever which elicited some
remarks from Doctors Baskette and Watson. Dr. Thompson
reported a case of puerperal convulsions. Dr. Smith
reported a case of stricture of the bowels. Dr. Armstrong
reported a case of indigestion accompanied with extreme
emaciation.

The delegates appointed to the next meeting of the
American Medical Association included Dr. B. W. Avent of
Murfreesboro. The society resolved to instruct the dele-
gates to use their best influence to induce the American
Medical Association to urge the Congress of the United
States to appoint a Board of Health for the United States.
The duty of said board should be to publish the analysis of
all secret compounds proposed as remedies together with
the effects which said compounds are calculated to produce
upon the human system in health and disease. It was
further resolved that the delegates be instructed to use
their endeavors to procure from the American Medical

53

Association a memorial to the Congress of the United States
"praying that body not to grant patents for secret
compounds intended to be used as medicines."

The society noted with pleasure, not only the efforts
to organize a medical school in Nashville but also efforts
to start the publication of the Nashville Journal of
Medicine and Surgery on a regular basis. They recognized
the educational value of a journal to the local physicians.

When the Medical Society of Tennessee met in
Murfreesboro on May 5, 1852, the meeting was held in Odd
Fellows Hall and Dr. J. M. Watson of Murfreesboro pre-
sided as president. At that meeting it was resolved that
in the future a rule of the society would be to open for
discussion by the members any paper which was read to the
society, and, after each member had had an opportunity
to speak, the writer of the paper should have the liberty
to close the discussion. This represented an excellent
medium for the exchange of ideas and advancement of educa-
tion. This same format is used at most medical meetings
today. Attending the meeting from Rutherford County were
Doctors W. A. Smith, J. W. Richardson, S. B. Robi son.,
L. W. Knight, B. W. Avent, R. S. Wendell, E. D. Wheeler,
J. J. Abernathy, W. D. Baskette, and J. M. Watson, W. A.
Smith, P. D. McCul lough, and Thomas C. Black.

54

Dr. Medicus Ransom was admitted as a new member.

Dr. Richardson read a case of hour glass contraction
of the uterus. IS Dr. Abernathy read an essay on tetanus. •'-^
Dr. Avent read a paper on three cases of urinary calculi
with the operation of lithotomy on each. 20 Dr. Robison
reported a case of ovarian inflammation. ^1 Dr. Smith
reported a case of labor attended with laceration of the
perineum. 22 The next meeting of the State Medical Society
was scheduled for Nashville in 1853 and the meeting
adjourned. The meeting was written up in the Nashville
Journal of Medicine and Surgery and was described as
unusually interesting in that a much greater interest was
manifested by the members than from many years past.
They also said that the meeting was more numerously

ISjohn W. Richardson, M. D., "Hour Glass Contraction
of the Uterus," Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery,
V. 3 (1852), 66.

l^J. J. Abernathy, M. D. , "Essay on Tetanus,"
Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 3 (1852), 22,

20

B. W. Avent, M. D., "Three Cases of Stone in the

Bladder," Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery,

V. 3 (1852), 72.

21s. B. Robison, M. D., "Case of Inflammation of
Ovaria," Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 3
(1852), 77.

22w. A. Smith, M. D., "Case of Labor Attended with
Laceration of Perineum," Nashville Journal of Medicine and
Surgery, V. 3 (1852), 65.

55

attended and that the discussions were considerably more

animated. -•

The Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery was in
its second year of publication. It started its first
year the same year the medical school was established. It
should be also noted that Dr. J. M. Watson of Murfreesboro
had been elected as the head of the Department of
Obstetrics at the new medical school.

The Rutherford County Medical Society was organized
in Murfreesboro on June 1, 1852. Undoubtedly this was due
to the stimulation of the three consecutive meetings in
Murfreesboro by the Tennessee State Medical Association
and the very active participation in the State Medical
Society of Rutherford County physicians. Doctors B. W.
Avent, S. B. Robison, J. W. Richardson, Medicus Ransom,
B. H. Bilbro, R. S. Wendell, J. J. Abernathy, W. T.
Baskette, L. W. Knight, T. C. Black, W. C. Martin, R. J.
Powell, G. W. Burke, and H. H. Clayton were the founding
members. Dr. J. W. Richardson was elected president,
Dr. J. E. Wendell, vice-president. Dr. E. D. Wheeler,
recording secretary. Dr. S. B. Robison, corresponding

23"proceedings of the Twenty-third Annual Session of
the Medical Society of Tennessee, held at Murf reesborough,
May, 1852," Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 3
(1852).

56

secretary, and Dr. B. W. Avent , treasurer. The objects of
the society were stated to be "the discussion of the theory
and practice of medicine and the collateral sciences." The
code of ethics, of the recently organized American Medical
Association was adopted. The meetings were held in May
and November of each year. Cases were reported and dis-
cussed and essays read. Many of the essays and case
reports were published in the Nashville Journal of Medicine
and Surgery and in other medical periodicals . ^4

At the November 4, 1852, meeting of the Rutherford
County Medical Society, Dr. William T. Baskette read a
paper on cholera infantum. His treatment of the disease
was the usual emetics, purgatives, and the ubiquitous
calomel. He advised

If there be any evidences of cerebral irrita-
tion, such as delirium, photophobia, heat about
the head, redness of the eyes, etc., a few leeches
should be applied to the temples, or a cup or two
behind the ears, and warm stimulating embrocations
to the extremities. A towel wrung out of cold
water may be applied to the head at the same time.
When there is sufficient subduction of the
arterial excitement, and no abatement of the head
symptoms, the whole head ought to be shaved and a
large blister drawn over it.25

24

Hamer, p. 486.

^^william T. Baskette, M. D., "Cholera Infantum,"
The Southern Journal of the Medical and Physical Sciences,
V. 1 (1853), 82.

57

Dr. John W. Richardson was invited to give the com-
mencement address to the graduates of the University of
Nashville Medical Department February 24, 1853. He
expounded on the difficulties in the practice of medicine,
the great variety of diseases, the necessity for correct
interpretation of signs and symptoms, the proper choice
of treatment. He discoursed on many areas of problematical
practice.

. . . it requires immense labor. You had better
not engage in the practice of medicine at all if
you do not intend to worship at her altar. You
must study--read--think--observe closely, or the
science will suffer in your hands, and the sick
will suffer more. . . .

Gentlemen--the science of medicine, properly
studied, and the practice of medicine, faithfully
pursued, will give a man more knowledge--do more
to refine his morals and manners, and secure for
him more friends and better friends, than any
other human profession. No other science opens
such a field for reading and reflection, where a
man can do so much good, and make so much character.
Here are cases that challenge the skill of the most
gifted, objects for his charity, subjects for his
benevolence, and every inducement that can be
offered to make a man intelligent, virtuous, and
happy. ^"

When the Tennessee Medical Society met in Nashville on
May 4, 1853, Dr. J. M. Watson presided as president.

26john W. Richardson, M. D., "The Difficulties and
Responsibilities of the Physician," Nashville Journal of
Medicine and Surgery, V. 4 (1853), 129.

58

Doctors Wendel , Ransom, Abernathy, Avent , Wheeler, Knight

were present. Dr. Wheeler offered a tribute to the memory

of Dr. W. A. Smith of Rutherford County who had died since

the last meeting. The resolution was published with the

proceedings of the society and a copy transmitted to the

family of the deceased. ^^ Dr. Medicus Ransom reported a

case of paralysis.^" Dr. John M. Watson's presidential

address to the society was an eloquent review of the

advances in medicine, though perhaps he was a bit complacent

with the state of the art at that time.

. . . the chances of new and valuable discoveries
in the different departments of medicine are far,
very far, greater than in former ages. And though
there are many things which will live and perish
only with the world, yet other important means will
be discovered. The lancet, the leech, the cupping
glass, calomel, quinine, tartar emetic cannot be
superceded. Other medicines may rise and fall, and
be finally dispensed with, but these cannot.

But he did, nevertheless, attempt some visionary projections

into the future.

. . . more attention will, in all probability, here-
after be given to the means of preventing (diseases)

^'^Transactions of the Tennessee State Medical Society
at their Twenty-Fourth Annual Session, Convened at
Nashville, May 4, 1853 (Nashville: J. F. Morgan, 'l853).

2oM. Ransom, M. D., "Case of Cerebral Disease," The
Southern Journal of the Medical and Physical Sciences,
V. 1 (1853), 236.

59

than of curing them. . . . Hence we may soon look
out beyond occulists, dentists, lithotomists , for
pneumatologists , gastrologists , hepatologists ,
spermatologists , and, in short, a name and a doctor
for every part of the system, whose case and duty
it shall be to treat the diseases of one particular
organ in .an open, scientific way. 29

The professional and educational stimulus of the
Tennessee Medical Society and the Rutherford County
Medical Society on the physicians of the county was evident.
Many papers were reported and published during the decade of
the 1850s.

Dr. J. 0. Sharber, who practiced in Versailles,
reported a case of fatal uterine hemorrhage in a thirty-five
year old woman. An autopsy was performed and the hemorrhage
found to be the result of erosion of an artery from cancer
of the uterus. ^0

Dr. Taswell S. Smith reported a case of gun shot
wound of the head. Three wounds were noted by Dr. Smith
and treated in consultation with Dr. G. W. Burk. The
wounds were debrided, the integument drawn together and
retained with adhesive strips. A "nervous stimulant" was
administered initially, then one grain of calomel was

^^Transactions, 1853, pp. 27-28.

^^J. O. Sharber, M. D. , "Death from Exterior Uterine
Hemorrhage," Nashville Jounral of Medicine and Surgery,
V. 4 (1853), 259.

60

ordered every hour for six hours followed by saline
cathartics. On the second day the calomel doses were
ordered again and pushed to ptyalism, with "the view if
possible to prevent inflammation and promote absorption."
The patient recovered. ■^■'-

Dr . Medicus Ransom, at that time practicing in the
Salem area, reported two cases of trismus nascentium
(tetanus of the newborn). Such cases were so uniformly
fatal that frequently a doctor was not even called to
attend the infant. Dr. Ransom reported these two cases
because they both recovered. He had used internal
chloroform in the treatment of both cases which helped
relieve the muscle spasms. He also scarified the umbilicus
(almost always the portal of infection entry) and applied
poultices to it. He was impressed with the effects of
chloroform in treatment and encouraged the profession to
try it. 32

3lTaswell S. Smith, M. D., "Case of Sun Shot Wound
of the Brain," Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery,
V. 8 (1855), 495.

32iyi. Ransom, M. D. , "Cases of Trismus Nascentium,"
The Southern Journal of the Medical and Physical Sciences,
V. 3 (1855), 21.

61

Dr. William T. Baskette reported a case of congenital
absence of the uterus. 33

At the Rutherford County Medical Society meeting in
June, 1856, the society requested Dr. Samuel B. Robison
to take an account of the births, deaths, and marriages
in the county for the preceding year. He was the property
assessor for the county and could, therefore, gather the
medical statistics when assessing the properties. His
report covered the year from May 1, 1855, to May 1, 1856.
He reported to the society at a later meeting. The most
frequent causes of death were phthisis (tuberculosis),
scarlatina, cholera infantum, flux, pneumonia, croup, and
dropsy. The largest number of deaths was from flux, the
second largest from "unknown causes." Other fatal
illnesses included meningitis, tetanus, measles, pleurisy,
child-bed fever, congestive chills, stomatitis, whooping
cough, fits, old age, cancer, fever, and scrofula. He
was impressed with the large incidence of flux and
correlated the disease with the "miasma" emanating from
the water courses. 34

33william T. Baskette, M. D. , "A Case of Absence of the
Uterus in an Adult Female," The Southern Journal of the
Medical and Physical Sciences, V. 3 (1855), 157.

34s, B. Robison, M. D., "Statement of the Births and
Deaths of Rutherford County for One Year," Nashville
Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 13 (1857), 2.

62

An interesting case was reported by Dr. Benjamin W.
Avent describing an operation for tumor in which half the
lower jaw was removed. Dr. J. J. Abernathy had originally
removed part of the tumor, but it recurred. At the second
operation. Dr. Avent listed the doctors present who
assisted in the operation: Professor Buchanan (of the
University of Nashville Medical Department), Doctors
Baskette, Clayton, Robison, Wasson, Richardson, Keyes,
and Mr. Buchanan, a medical student. Dr. Baskette admin-
istered cholorform anesthesia. The surgery was described
in some detail. Cautery and ligation were used to control
bleeding. The patient recovered at the end of nine weeks.
I would suggest that the cautery used may have prevented
some of the inevitable post-operative infection . -^^

In 1858 the Rutherford County Medical Society wrote
the editors of the Nashville Journal of Medicine and
Surgery as follows:

RUTHERFORD COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY

Murf reesboro. May, 1858

Editors Nashville Medical Journal:

Dear Sirs: At the regular meeting of the
Rutherford County Medical Society, held in this

^^B. W. Avent, M. D. , "Resection, With the Disarticu-
lation of One Half the Inferior Maxilla," Nashville Journal
of Medicine and Surgery, V. 13 (1857), 27.

63

place on yesterday, 6th of May, the following
resolution was unanimously adopted :--

Resolved, That this Society adopt the Nashville
Journal of Medicine and Surgery as its organ, and
that the Editors of that journal be requested to
acknowledge the same, and to publish its proceedings,
with such other matter as the committee may deem
worthy of publication.

The undersigned. Committee of Publication, have
been directed to transmit a copy of the above
resolution to you, and to request your approval.

The Society holds its meeting semi-annually.

Respectfully,

B. W. Avent
T. S. Smith
L. M. Wasson

It certainly was a credit to the doctors in the

Rutherford County Medical Society that the letter was

published in the Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery

with an editorial comment which followed the letter:

We have already privately expressed our willing-
ness to publish the proceedings of this Society, and
promise our readers a series of interesting practical
articles from its members, among others, "On Croup,"
"On Intussusception," "On Veratrium Viride," &c,
S(C , &c .

No city in our State possesses an abler Faculty
than our sister city of Murf reesboro, nor any
county an abler one than Rutherford, which we think,
accounts for the fact of the large number of our
subscribers there. -^^

■^^Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 15

(1858), 86-87,

64

The meeting of the Rutherford County Medical Society
in May, 1858, must have been an all day affair, for
several papers were reported and later published. Dr. H. H,
Clayton reported some cases of trismus nascentium in which
he used topical applications of chloroform. He used three
parts of chloroform and nine of whiskey or diluted
alcohol, sprinkled on a poultice every 20 or 30 minutes
as long as the spasms lasted. The poultice covered the
entire abdomen. 37 qj^ , Avent read a paper on the use of
chloroform in mania. He reported the prompt relief of the
mania state from the inhalation of chloroform. 38 q^ . T. S.
Smith reported three cases of pneumonia treated with
veratrum veride (an alkaloid which reduces blood pressure).
He also used the usual procedures of bleeding, purging,
catharsis, and vomiting. He reasoned that the veratrum
reduced the frequency of the pulse, which was associated
with a lessening of the heat of the skin, thirst and pain,
and induction of free perspiration, all of which, he

37h. H. Clayton, M. D., "The Topical Application of
Chloroform in Trismus Nascentium," Nashville Journal of
Medicine and Surgery , V. 15 (1858).

38

B. W. Avent, M.D., "Chloroform in Mania," Nashville

Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 15 (1858), 188.

65

■3 Q

assumed, reduced the inflammation. ^ Dr. H. W. Winstead,
of Beech Grove, presented a case of epistaxis (nose bleed)
which was so profuse the patient, a male child of five,
almost exsanguinated. He used cold applications to the
head, face, and back of the neck, gave astringent injections
blew powdered alum into the nostrils, gave lead and opium,
resorted to plugging, all to no avail. The patient was
sinking from the loss of blood when the thought struck
Dr. Winstead that he had heard (whether from a brother of
the profession or some old woman he could not recall) that
bathing the scrotum in cold water would stop hemorrhage of
the nose. He then obtained a cloth wrung out in cold
water, completely enveloped the genitals in the cloth, and
the hemorrhage ceased. Dr. R. S. Wendell reported a
case of fatal intussusception. The diagnosis was made at
autopsy. Dr. L. M. Wasson read a paper on pseudo-
membranous croup. He advised against venesection in this

^^T. S. Smith, M. D., "Veratrum Veride as an Arterial
Sedative," Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery,
V. 15 (1858), 195.

"^Oh. W. Winstead, M. D., "Case of Profuse Epistaxis,"
Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 15 (1858),
358.

^•'■R. S. Wendell, M. D., "Case of Intussusception,"
Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 15 (1858),
193.

66

form of croup and relied chiefly on calomel, tartar emetic,
and nitrate of silver as a local remedy. '^^

Dr. Wasson gave an essay on syphilis at the meeting
of the county . society May 3, 1860.^-^

In 1860, by invitation. Dr. Benjamin W. Avent deliv-
ered the commencement address to the graduating class of
the Medical Department of the University of Nashville.
Dr. Avent was very active in state and county societies,
had written and published several medical papers, and was
generally respected as an outstanding physician of that
day.

The doctors obviously relied much on their mutual
sharing of cases at the medical meetings to arrive at
more successful and efficient means of treating various
disorders. The Rutherford County Medical Society had
regular meetings from its inception in 1852 through 1860.
It should be noted that an attempt at organizing a medical
society in Rutherford County occurred in 1848 and Dr. J. J.

^^L. M. Wasson, M. D., "Pseudo-Membranous Croup,"
Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 15 (1858),
184.

43l. M. Wasson, M. D., "An Essay on Syphilis as a
Cause of Scrofula," Nashville Journal of Medicine and
Surgery, V. 19 (1860), 101.

67

Abernathy was elected its president.'*'^ However, this
effort apparently failed. The records (minutes) of these
early years of the society have been lost.

^^Hamer, p. 136,

68

Area Physicians During the 1850s

J. J. Abernathy

(Murf reesboro )
C. C. Abernathy
Gideon M. Alsup

(Falls Creek)
J. B. Armstrong

(Cannon County)
Benjamin Ward Avent

(Murf reesboro)
John Baird

(Wilson County)
E. T. Barnett (ca. 1855)

(Millersburg)
Wm. T. Baskette

(Murf reesboro)
Robert Parker Bateman

(Nolensville)
James M. Bell

(Versailles 1855)
John Bella

(Fox Camp)
Berryman H. Bilbro

(Milton)
Samuel P. Black
Thos. C. Black

(Walter Hill)
Robert Blair

(Falls Creek)
Jonathan Bostick

(Triune)
Smith Bowl in

(Bell Buckle)
Alexander B. Buchanan

(La Vergne)
George W. Burk

(Falls Creek)
George W. Burton
Thomas R, Butler
Andrew Jackson Charlton

(La Vergne area 1855)
Ephraim Charlton

(Davidson County)
George Washington Charlton,

(Davidson Co. )
James Hamilton Charlton

(La Vergne area)

Joseph Charlton

(La Vergne area)
Edwin Childress

(Millersburg)
Wm. J. Clark

(Nolensville)
H. H. Clayton

(Murf reesboro)
George D. Crosthwaite

(Florence)
Joseph W. Davis

(Smyrna--La Vergne)
Preston K. Davis

(Fox Camp)
James H. Dickens

(Readyville)
Edward Donoho

(Milton)
Dabney Ewe 11

(Coffee County)
Lafayette Ezell

(Davidson County)
Uberdwell Ezell

(Fosterville)
Wm. W. Frazar
John Wesley Gaines

(Antioch)
John Gannaway

(Fairfield)
Joseph S, Gentry

(Chapel Hill)
John Claiborne Gooch

( Smyrna )
James W. Gowan

(Cannon County)
William D. Gowen

(Cannon County)
Thomas Graves

(Marshall County)
Isaac H. Gray

(Nolensvil le )
Addison P. Grinstead
Sr. (Treppardsville)
Allen Hall

(Fairfield)

69

Area Physicians During the 1850s (continued)

John W. Hall

(Hall's Hill)
Reuben D. Hubbard
(Wilson County)
Wiley Huff

(Barfield)
William M. Hutton

(Middleton)
John H. Ivie
M. H. Jackson
(Versailles )
Daniel H. Johnson
Clement Jordan

(Triune)
James E. Kendle

(Versailles )
George Currin Kinnard

(Eagleville area)
John C. Kirkpatrick

(Jefferson)
Lewis W. Knight

(Marfreesboro)
P. G- Leech

(Cannon County)
William H. Lytle
James Maney

(Murfreesboro)
Francis J. Manning

( Fox Camp )
James Edward Manson

(Blackman)
Robert W. Martin

(Milton)
William C. Martin
Phillip D. McCullough
John L. McKnight
Samuel A. McKnight
Samuel N. McMinn

(Wilson County)
Samuel Caldwell McWhirter

(Milton)
Jennings Moore

(Bedford County)
William N. Moore
John H. Morgan

(Fairfield)

Solomon G. Morton

(Davidson County)
George W. Mullins

(Jefferson)
Abner W. Nelson
Joseph H. Nelson

(La Vergne)
Charles T. New

(Woodbury)
James K. Norton

(Bedford County)
James B. Owen

(Williamson County)
Benjamin H. Paschall

(Williamson County)
D. Pate

(Williamson County)
Alex R. Pinkston

(Triune)
Green L. Poplin

(Bedford County)
Robert C. Price

(Brown's Mill)
Medicus Ransom

(Salem)
John W. Richardson

(Murfreesboro)
John H. Robinson

(Chapel Hill)
George Whitfield Robertson

(Big Spring)
Samuel B. Robison
William R. Rucker
Absalom W. Scales

(Triune)
James Turner Scales

(Triune)
J. W. Scales

(Triune)
Mark Hardin Scales

(Marshall County)
James Searcy

(Beech Grove)
J. Sharber
(Versailles)

70

Area Physicians During the 1850s (continued)

Jason B. Sheffield

(Marshall County)
D. Shegog

(Nolensville)
Walter Sims

(Wartrace )
Robert L. Singleton

(Fairfield)
Wm. A. Smith
Stephen Spain
John W. Steele
William D. Stone

(Bedford County)
George W. Thompson

(Jefferson)
Nimrod Whitefield Thompson
Samuel Wade
L. M. Wasson
John M. Watson

(Murf reesboro)

Sam Webb

(Williamson County)
James E. Wendel

(Murf reesboro)
Robert S. Wendel

(Murf reesboro)
E. D, Wheeler
Augustus H. White
William H. Wilson
John A. Wood

(Cannon County)
Stephen Henry Woods
William C. Work

( Fosterville )
Hillary H. Yeargan

(Barfield)
John S. Young

(Davidson County)
Lewis V. Young

(Fosterville)

CHAPTER III
THE STATE OF THE MEDICAL ART 1860-1920

During the first half of the nineteenth century, there
had been rapid progress in physiology, in pathology, in
histology and the sum of the progress led to a new clinical
medicine which was the beginning of medicine of the present
day. With the advent of knowledge in the basic sciences,
the laboratory became an essential tool of discovery and
instruction. Germany played a leading role in the new
development since it was only in Germany that there had
grown-up a large body of full time scientists. There were
professional physiologists and professional institutes of
physiology in Germany.

Such professional and professional institutes were
poised to create new vistas in the future of medicine.
These researchers were rejecting the vain speculation,
theorizing and dogmatism of the past. Their researches
were demonstrating that diseases and disorders of human
function were a logical progression of a pathological
process. The new emphasis, then, was on pathological
physiology rather than a purely anatomical approach. The
efforts in the area of pathological physiology created an
era of laboratory medicine. Researchers began concen-
trating on specific areas of medical science such as the

71

72

study of liver disease, experimentally investigating
pneumonia and kidney and heart diseases. A systematic
study of temperature change in disease was developed by
Carl Wunderlich in the 1860s. This study was one of
pathological physiology at its best. There were many
other specific studies on other disease states such as
diabetes, the mobility, secretion, and digestive abilities
of the stomach, the secretions of the glands, the heart in
various diseased states. Mickowski made the decisive
experiment in 1889 which proved that diabetes was due to
pancreatic disease. Much research was proceeding in
neurology. Laboratory studies were being developed such
as tests for blood urea, blood biliruben, blood sugar. The
use of such laboratory studies in physiology, experimental
pathology, and pharmacology certainly had a great contri-
bution to the increase of clinical knowledge, especially
diagnostic ability. The results, however, were gradual
rather than dramatic.

Even though all of this research was opening new doors
and creating new light and was certainly provoking the
enthusiasm of scientifically minded physicians, it still
did not kindle the imagination of the average practitioner
and the layman. To them, it was not improving their
knowledge as to the cause of disease and their experience

73

in the treatment of disease; so far the pragmatist,
something of immediate usefulness was desperately needed.
That dramatic event occurred with the discovery that
infectious diseases are caused by microorganisms . ■'■

It was in August 1857 that Pasteur sent his famous
paper on lactic acid fermentation to the Lille Scientific
Society and in December of the same year, he presented to
the Academy of Sciences, a paper on alcoholic fermentation
in which he concluded that the conversion of sugar into
alcohol and carbonic acid is correlavent to a phenomenon
of life. 2

Pasteur was early impressed with the analogies
between fermentation and putrefaction in the
infectious diseases, and, in 1863 he assured the
French emperor that his ambition was "to arrive
at the knowledge of the causes of putrid and
contagious diseases."^

The microscope had revealed a new world. The analogy

between disease and fermentation urged the suggestion:

what would be most desirable would be to push these studies

^Erwin H. Ackernecht, M. D. , A Short History of
Medicine (Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press,
1982), pp. 170-174.

^Rene Vallery-Radot , The Life of Pasteur (New York:
Doubleday, Page & Company, 1924), p. vii.

■^Vallery-Radot, p. ix.

74

far enough to prepare the road for a serious research into
the origin of various diseases. If the tiny living
organisms can produce changes in lactic and alcohol
fermentation, why should not the same tiny creatures make
the changes which occur in the body in the putrid and
suppurative diseases.

The first outcome of the researches of Pasteur upon
fermentation and spontaneous generation represented a trans-
formation in the practice of surgery which has probably
been one of the greatest boons ever conferred upon
humanity. It had long been recognized that occasionally a
wound would heal without the formation of pus but almost
invariably both spontaneous and operative wounds were
associated with the development of pus, frequently becoming
putrid, which we now term an infected wound. With the
infection the general system became involved and the
patient frequently died of blood poisoning. This was so
common, particularly in the old ill-equipped hospitals, in
the absence of knowledge of sepsis, that many surgeons
feared to operate.^ The general mortality in all surgical

'*Sir William Osier, Bart., M. D. , F. R. S., The
Evolution of Modern Medicine (New Haven, Conn.: Yale
University Press, 1929), pp. 208-209.

^Osler, p. 212.

75

cases was extremely high. A Young surgeon in Glasgow,
Dr. Joseph Lister, recognized the value of Pasteur's
experiments. Lister had done researches on inflammation
and had been led to suspect that putrefaction was the
cause of infection of wounds and that the primary cause
was not merely the gases of the air but something carried
by the air. Pasteur's work came as a revelation, and he
deduced that infection in wounds must be analogous to
putrefaction in wine. Lister then sought for means of
destroying the organism. He selected carbolic acid as a
disinfectant, using the antiseptic on wounds, dressings
and most especially washing hands in antiseptic solution
prior to surgery. Later, he developed a carbolic acid
spray to be used in the operating area. At first it
worked by hand, then by a pump and later by a steam
apparatus. He first used his antiseptic system in 1865
in a case of compound fracture of the leg. He published
his results in 1867, describing eleven cases, nine recov-
eries of life and limb, one amputation, and one death.
This was a milestone in the history of surgery. He laid
the foundation for aseptic surgery. At his death in 1912

^Douglas Guthrie, M. D., F. R. C. S. Ed., F. R. S. E.,
A History of Medicine (Philadelphia, Pa.: J. B. Lippincott
Company, 1946), pp. 323-325.

76

a eulogy appeared in the Royal College of Surgeons Report:

His gentle nature, imperturbable temper,
resolute will, indifference to ridicule, and
tolerance to hostile criticism combined to make
him one of the noblest of men. His work will last
for all time; humanity will bless him evermore and
his fame will be immortal.'

Inseparably linked with Pasteur in the creation of the

science of bacteriology is the work of Robert Koch. Koch's

first great discovery was his discovery of the anthrax

bacillus. Koch further developed media to culture bacteria

and new methods of fixing and staining bacteria that they

may be studied and identified under the microscope. These

great improvements in technique enabled Koch in 1879 to

identify the bacteria causing wound infection. He was

every inch a pure scientist. He developed scientific

postulates on the genesis of contagion. These postulates

were ( 1 ) the organism should be found in each case of the

disease, (2) it should not be found in other diseases,

(3) it should be isolated, (4) it should be cultured,

(5) it should, when inoculated, produce the same disease,

and (6) it should be recovered from the inoculated animal.

With the pioneering work of Pasteur, followed by Koch,

growth of the field of bacteriology exploded. The advances

in the 1870s and 1880s were breath-taking. A partial list

^Guthrie, p. 327.

77

of diseases whose causative agents were discovered during
the last decades of the nineteenth century and beginning
twentieth century illustrates the rapid rate of progress:
1875 Amoebic Dysentery (Loesch)

1879 Gonorrhea (Neisser)

1880 Typhoid Fever (Eberth, Gaffky)
Leprosy (Hansen)

Malaria (Laveran)

1882 Tuberculosis (Koch)
Glanders (Loeffler)

1883 Erysipelas (Fehleisen)
Cholera (Koch)

1884 Diphtheria (Klebs, Loeffler)
Tetanus (Nikolaier, Kitasato)
Pneumonia (Fraenkel)

1887 Epidemic Meningitis ( Weichselbaum)

Malta Fever (Bruce)
1892 Gas Gangrene (Welch)
1894 Plague (Yersin, Kitasato)

Botulism (van Ermengem)
1898 Bacillary Dysentery (Shiga)

1905 Syphilis (Schaudinn)

1906 Whooping Cough (Bordet)^

^Ackernecht, pp. 178-180

78

In the 1890s, it was realized by investigators,
especially Loeffler and Roux, that a number of diseases
were caused by organisms so small that they would pass
through the filters which would retain bacteria. The
filterable organisms were referred to by the investigators
as viruses. They were so small they could not be seen
under the ordinary microscope. A third group of organisms
occupying a position between the virus and the bacteria
was identified in the twentieth century and called
rickettsia. ^

With the advent of the research in the field of
bacteriology, means of prevention of the diseases caused
by the bacteria was of pressing importance. Research
efforts were directed toward this, giving rise to the
new fields of serology and immunology. In 1890 Behring
developed an effective diphtheria antitoxin which when
injected neutralized the toxin elaborated by the diphtheria
organism. Behring was the first to open the door to the
field of serum therapy, and his discovery considerably
reduced the mortality from one of the most murderous
children's diseases. ^^ In 1885 Pasteur devised a rabies
vaccine .

^Ackernecht, pp. 180-181
lOAckernecht, p. 181.

79

Although the new knowledge in bacteriology produced
enormous strides in medicine there was still no effective
means of preventing many epidemics and the mechanism of
contagion in these epidemics continued to be a mystery
until the demonstration of the part played by vectors or
intermediaries in the transmission of disease. It was
learned that human carriers were possible. It was also
recognized that animals could be carriers of parasitic
organisms and insects were also recognized as vectors.
Human carriers were recognized as being largely responsible
for the spread of diphtheria, cholera, meningitis, typhoid
fever, polimyelitis , and dysentery. It was known that
dogs carried rabies and certain worms. It was recognized
that the fly very often transported an infectious organism
from excrement to food. In 1897 Sir Ronald Ross discov-
ered that the malaria parasite was carried by the mosquito.
In 1897 Simond and Ogata showed that fleas carried plaaue.
In 1901 Walter Reed, Carroll, and Lazear demonstrated that
yellow fever was carried by the mosquito. In 1909
Charles Nicolle showed that typhus was transmitted by lice
which also carried trench fever and relapsing fever. The
discovery of the carrier opened the way for prevention of •
contagious diseases.

80

Such strides in the field of microbiology were
responsible for the replacement of the symptomatic and
empirical treatment of the early nineteenth century by
the new causal treatment and prevention. For the first
time, answers could finally be given to the question,
"What causes disease." The whole of medicine was
transformed. The field of public health mushroomed and
surgery was undergoing a complete rejuvenation.^^

With the advent of the germ theory and recognition
of the need for aseptic conditions, coupled with the
availability of anesthesia and medication for pain, the
surgeon's field rapidly progressed. Halstead introduced
the rubber glove and they were used for the first time
in surgery at JohnsHopkins Hospital in Baltimore, 1890.
With the advent of asepsis, the surgeons could now enter
the body cavities without the dreadful fear of certain
death due to infection. The period of appendectomy was
opened in 1885. Cholecystectomy was undertaken by J. M.
Sims in 1878. Repair of hernias, esophagus and stomach
operations, joints, vetebral column, head, previously
areas never to be invaded were now accessible to the
surgeon. The list goes on and on and the techniques were

l^Ackernecht, pp. 182-184.

81

rapidly improved. The procedure of using steam to
sterilize surgical instruments was developed in 1886 by
von Bergmann.

A new era was born. The new era, born of micro-
biology, initiated the rise of preventive medicine.

Sir William Osier once called the modern period
the age of preventative medicine. The truth of this
statement is obvious once it is realized that the
great accomplishment of modern medicine--the
dramatically increased life expectancy in Western
countries from forty years in 1850 to seventy years
in 1950 — is due much more to preventive than to
curative medicine. Miraculous and admirable as the
new antibiotics, for instance, may be, they have
never saved nearly as many lives as the rather
prosaic procedure of pasteurizing milk.^^

Certainly the advances in bacteriology emphasize the

necessity for individual hygiene and public hygiene. Snow

had already shown that cholera was a water borne disease.

Budd had also shown that typhoid was a water borne disease

and these demonstrations were prebacteriological ; so the

sanitary movement had already begun prior to so many

discoveries in bacteriology. But bacteriology led to

unprecedented advances in preventive medicine.

Direct attack against certain diseases could
now replace haphazard measures. The incidence of
typhoid fever and dyphtheria could be rapidly
reduced through control of the water and milk
supplies, through control of carriers, and through

■^^Ackernecht , p. 210

82

immunization. After the identification of the
mosquito as the carrier of yellow fever, William
Crawford Gorgas, was able to carry out his spec-
tacularly successful campaigns against yellow fever
in Cuba and Panama, which won him world fame.
Parallel discoveries made possible the effective
control of malaria. The first great campaigns
against malaria were directed by Sr. Ronald Ross,
the discoverer of the transmission of malaria by
mosquitoes. Gorgas, too, played his part in malaria
control. As a whole the fight against water-borne
diseases has been more successful than that against
air-borne diseases . •'■-'

Improvements in sewage disposal, pure water supplies,
attention to personal hygiene and hygienic preparation and
storage of foods received increasing attention.

The formal education of doctors, however, was lagging
behind the brilliant discoveries in science. The American
Medical Association had been founded in 1847 and was
constantly pushing toward improvement of medical education.
It fought to establish a code of medical ethics, promoted
health measures, and generally sought to improve the
professional status of physicians. The developments in
medicine itself was the largest force demanding reforms
and improvements in medical education. The first medical
school to lead the reform movement was associated with Lind
University in Chicago (presently Northwestern University).
In 1859 Lind raised its entrance requirements and

l^Ackernecht , p. 214

lengthened its academic year to five months. The school
received no support in its fight to raise educational
standards until 1871 when Harvard instituted a three year
graded course, a nine month academic year, and written and
oral examinations. Within a few years, Pennsylvania,
Syracuse and Michigan swung into line.

Then, in 1893, the Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine was established. A remarkable faculty was
assembled there including William H. Welch, William Osier,
William S. Halstead and other outstanding professors.
This university drastically reshaped American medical
education and set a pattern which persists today. From
its inception Hopkins required a college degree as a
prerequisite for admission, provided a four year graded
curriculum, made extensive use of laboratories for
teaching purposes, and integrated the hospital and college
facilities to provide clinical training to advanced
students. The institution flourished, and, within a few
years, its students and professors were carrying the
Hopkins' system to all parts of the United States.

The Carnegie Foundation employed Abraham Flexner, a
man who had studied American higher education, to survey
the field of medical education. Flexner 's report was a
damning indictment of medical education. In 1904 the AMA

84

created a permanent committee on education which two years
later became the AMA council on medical education. The
council had begun to classify schools on an A, B, C basis,
evaluations which played a role in standardizing medical
education. The Carnegie Foundation brought foundation
money to the better schools, and, by improving them,
forced the weaker schools out of business. ^^

Another outstanding discovery at the end of the
nineteenth century was X-rays by Dr. Wilhelm Roentgen. The
field of radiology was thus born. Originally the X-rays
were applied only in the diagnosis of fractures and of
foreign bodies but soon the scope of X-ray examination
was extended.

The intravenous infusion of physiological salt solu-
tion came into use in the 1890s as a result of the
effective sterilization of needles, tubing and solution.
This immediately had a dramatic effect on the mortality of
the various dysenteries which had been attended by severe
dehydration.

The need for blood transfusions had been recognized
for years but also was recognized as being unsafe. It was

^^Albert S. Lyons, M. D. , F. A. C. S., and R. Joseph
Petrucelli, II, M. D. , Medicine An Illustrated History
(New York, N.Y. : Harry N. Abrams , Inc., Publishers, 1978),
pp. 534-537.

85

not until 1901 when Landsteiner of Vienna discovered three
main blood groups. A fourth group was discovered by
DeCastello and Sturli in 1902. Then in 1909 Jansky of
Prague defined and designated by letters the four main
blood groups that we recognize today; A, B, AB, and 0.
Landsteiner ' s discovery of the blood groups solved the
riddle of why some transfusions were successful while
others were fatal . It now became apparent that to avoid
such reactions, it was necessary to transfuse an individual
with blood that matched his own blood group. Blood trans-
fusions were used extensively for the treatment of the
wounded in World War I but it was not until the latter part
of the war that the citrate method of anticoagulation was
sufficiently developed and standardized. Prior to using
citrate in blood, a common problem was the coagulation of
blood in the tubing or in the needle. With citrated blood
the blood could be stored in bottles and administered when
necessary. The introduction of intravenous fluids and
blood for transfusion was a giant step forward in the
treatment of various medical and surgical problems.

By 1920, the avenue of approach to modern medicine
was being well paved. The elaboration of the germ theory,
the development of aseptic surgery, the rise of preventive
medicine and development of antitoxin, the development of

86

intravenous fluids and availability of blood transfusions,
as well as the advancement in the quality of medical
education formed the foundation for the enormous strides
witnessed in the twentieth century.

CHAPTER IV
MEDICAL PRACTICE IN RUTHERFORD COUNTY 1860-1920

The Medical Society of Tennessee met in Murfreesboro
in 1861. Benjamin Ward Avent was elected its president
but he had little opportunity to preside over the society
for the storm clouds of war were gathering. After forty
years of increasing bitterness and misunderstanding between
the North and the South a division seemed inevitable. A
movement for secession of the southern states began in
1860, and in December of that year the first southern state,
South Carolina, seceded. In February, 1861, the Confederate
States of America was formed but there were only seven
states as members at that time. Tennessee showed little
enthusiasm for South Carolina's position and remained loyal
to the union as evidenced by her vote for the constitu-
tional candidate, John Bell, in 1860, instead of the pro-
slavery candidate, Breckenridge. Rutherford County also
cast its vote for Bell. Furthermore, Tennessee did not
believe that the election of Lincoln was sufficient ground
for secession, and took the lead in trying to effect a
compromise. In January, 1861, the Legislature submitted
the question of secession to the people and the people voted
against secession, but the firing on Fort Sumter changed
the situation. On May 6, 1861, the Legislature passed an
act to organize and equip a provisional force. On the same

87

Dr. Benjamin W. Avent

President

Tennessee Medical Association

1861-1863

and
1877-1878

89

day, it voted to resubmit the question of secession to the

people. This time the state voted for secession by over a

two to one margin. There was an overwhelming vote for

secession in Rutherford County.-'- Fort Sumter made war

inevitable and President Lincoln's call for troops revealed

that war was to be carried into the South. In June

Tennessee formally withdrew from the Union and was the last

state to secede. Dr. Avent was appointed by Governor

Harris as the Surgeon General of the Provisional Army of

Tennessee, and he continued in that position until

Tennessee's army was turned over to the Confederacy .2

An unheralded but vital contribution to the
Provisional Army of Tennessee was the establishment
of the Medical Board of Tennessee and the office of
Surgeon General by Governor Harris. This department
was considered to be one of the best in the
South. Under the vigorous leadership of Surgeon
General B. W. Avent, a solid medical department was
founded. A tireless worker, Avent assigned surgeons
to each state regiment and established central
hospitals throughout Tennessee. ^

^Carlton C. Sims, Editor, A History of Rutherford
County (Murfreesboro, TN. : Reprinted by Rutherford County
Historical Society, 1981), pp. 41-42.

^Phillip M. Hamer, Editor, The Centennial History of
the Tennessee State Medical Association 1830-1930
(Nashville, TN: Tennessee State Medical Association,
1930), p. 137.

^Harris D. Riley, Jr. and Amos Christie, "Deaths and
Disabilities in the Provisional Army of Tennessee,"
Tennessee Historical Quarterly, V. 43 (1984), 149-150.

90

War fever was spreading in the area. A citizen of
Murfreesboro wired Nashville: "All excited and aroused.
All united. Secession flag waves over us. All for war."^

April 16, .1861 (Beech Grove)

This has been quite a cold day. The ground is
completely saturated with water. Crops will be late.
The war has begun. Fort Sumter was taken last
Saturday and Major Anderson was taken prisoner.
There is a general belief that a general war will
ensue between the sections. Blood has flowed and
the cry is becoming universal--Give us liberty or
give us death! The South has our sympathy and when
she falls we will be found within the ruins and
rubbish of that, our proud fabric of human liberty.^

Rutherford County is said to have furnished more men to
the cause of the Confederacy than any other county in the
state in proportion to its population. She furnished
infantrymen to twenty different regiments and cavalrymen
to more than a dozen regiments.^ The physicians also
rushed to the aid of the Confederacy. Thirty-one physicians
in the area provided their professional services to the
Confederacy. Nine other individuals fought for the Con-
federacy who became physicians after the war. Approximately
one-fourth of the physicians in the area were commissioned
into the Confederate Army.

^Sims, p. 42.

^William M. Hoover, M. D. , diary entry.

^Sims, p. 94.

91

Area Physicians Serving in Civil War

C. C. Abernathy

Surgeon
B. W. Avent

Surgeon-General

Prov. Army Tenn.

(Murf reesboro )
♦Thomas J. Bennett
Samuel P. Black

Ass't. Surgeon
James N. Bridges
H. H. Clayton

Surgeon

(Murf reesboro)
Robert W. Couch

Surgeon

(Wartrace)
♦John James Covington

(College Grove)
Benjamin F. Duggan

Surgeon

( Unionville)
John N. Dykes

Surgeon
Thomas J. Elam

Surgeon
Watson M. Gentry

Surgeon

(College Grove)
♦Nathaniel Gooch
James W. Gowen

Surgeon

( Auburntown)
G. W. Harris

Surgeon

(Walter Hill)
Robert B. Harris

Surgeon
♦Henry M. Hearn

(Woodbury )
William M. Hoover

Surgeon

(Beech Grove)
♦Robert N. Knox
Amasa W. Manire

Ass't. Surgeon

(Eagleville)

♦Pleasant H. McBride
(Beech Grove)
William H. McCord

Surgeon
Lyman B. McCrary

Surgeon

(Woodbury)
Thomas C. McCrary

Ass't. Surgeon

(Bell Buckle)
Allen p; McCul lough

(Milton)
Armstrong E. McKnight

Surgeon

(Porterfield)
James B. Murfree

Surgeon

(Murf reesboro)
♦Robert Owen

(College Grove)
John Patterson

Surgeon
George W. Robinson

Surgeon

(Big Spring)
Leonard N. Sanders

Ass't Surgeon

(Smyrna)
Samuel W. Scales

Surgeon

(Triune)
Ephraim A. Speer

Ass't Surgeon

(Readyville)
John W. Steele

Surgeon

(Deason)
Robert F. Tatum

Surgeon

(Woodbury)
H. Joseph Warmuth

Ass't. Surgeon

( Smyrna )
Robert S. Wendel

Surgeon

(Murf reesboro)

92

Area Physicians Serving in Civil War (continued)

B. N. White
William Whitson
Surgeon
(Fosterville)
♦Thomas W. Wood
(Woodbury)

♦Studied medicine after the war.

93

Governor Harris offered the Provisional Army of

Tennessee to Jefferson Davis on July 2, 1861, but the

transfer of the state army to the Confederacy did not

begin until July 31. Confederate officers had to travel

to each camp and outpost of the state troops to muster the

men into Confederate service. When the Provisional Army

of Tennessee was transferred to Confederate service, it

boasted twenty-four regiments, ten artillary batteries, an

engineer corps, quarter-master corps, a medical department,

and an ordnance bureau. '^ After Tennessee's army was turned

over to the Confederacy, Dr. Avent served as a surgeon in

the Confederate Army and he served successively as medical

director of the army corps of General A. S. Johnston and of

General Breckenridge. °

No area of Tennessee and probably no equal area
of the entire South can point to as many finger-
prints of the war as can Rutherford County. War came
time and time again, and not only to the doors, but
to the very firesides and dining tables of Rutherford
County families. The section west and northwest
of Murfreesboro bore the brunt of the burden,
though no area escaped the ravages of war.

Geographically, Rutherford County is in the
exact center of the state. For that reason, Murfrees-
boro and the surrounding county afforded a strategic
position in the control of the state. Moreover,
good roads radiated in every direction from the town,
and the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, a most

"^Riley, p. 138.
^Hamer, p. 137.

94

vital artery, bisected the county. The eyes of both
armies were upon Rutherford County. During the late
summer and fall of 1862, the 'Confederate Army hoped
to hold the county, and even in the early winter of
that year when Jefferson Davis, Commander-in-Chief
of the Confederate Army, visited the army at
Murfreesboro, the prospects for the reorganized and
heavily reinforced Confederate Army of Tennessee
looked rather good. General Braxton Bragg was in
charge of this army. This was the army that was to
fight the three-day Battle of Stones River against
the Union Army of General Rosecrans.^

With the fall of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson,

Nashville became vulnerable and was occupied by the Union

Army. When the Confederates withdrew from the Murfreesboro

area, the Union forces occupied Murfreesboro in the spring

of 1862. General Forrest's daring raid in July of 1862

brought Murfreesboro again into Confederate hands, but the

Union Army was still massed in the Nashville area, and in

December, 1862, began to move south toward Murfreesboro,

setting the stage for the Battle of Stones River. The

battle began December 31, 1862.

Provost Marshall John Fitch wrote what he saw
among the hosts of Union wounded: "Those who
witnessed surgical operations at the noted brick
house hospital will never forget those scenes.
They were the headquarters for cases requiring
amputation; and, at times, three tables were thus
in requisition. Human limbs and pieces of flesh

^Sims, p. 89.

95

cast outside the house, through the windows, would
fill a cart load. The floors ran rivers of blood,
and the surgeons and attendants resembled butchers
at work in the shambles. "10

Many witnesses testified to the uproar in the
town of Murf reesboro. "Confusion reigns supreme,"
wrote a wound rebel. "Thousands of prisoners and
wounded without number occupied the town which was
almost entirely set apart for a hospital for the
wounded and dying."

A hospital had been set up in a church visited
by a young Tennessean who had just been walking
over part of the battlefield. "Here I saw more
horrible sights, if possible," he reported, "than
I had already seen. The groans and cries of
suffering soldiers rang long in my ears." One
soldier obviously in agony made a vivid impression,
insistently calling out to him, begging that he take
a knife and cut a bullet out of his hand. At last,
a doctor came up, took out the bullet and dressed
the wound.

A lady who went into Murfreesboro in search of
her son wrote, "On entering town, what a sight met
my eyes! Prisoners entering every street, ambulances
bringing in the wounded, every place crowded with
the dying. The churches were full of wounded, where
the doctors were amputating legs and arms. "■'■■'■

There was not enough room for all the wounded.
Make-shift hospitals had been established in schools,
churches, hotels, and homes while in some cases the
wounded were simply stretched out in the halls or
on porches and sidewalks. ^^

10 James Lee McDonough, Stones River — Bloody Winter in
Tennessee (Knoxville, TN. : The University of Tennessee
Press, 1980), p. 158.

llMcDonough, p. 164.
^^McDonough, p. 20 3.

96

A hospital had been set up in the court house. The
wounded waited patiently for the overworked doctors to
examine their wounds. The doctors who remained in
Murfreesboro undoubtedly were all working feverishly to
help the wounded. The Confederate Army retreated and
Murfreesboro remained occupied by Federal troops the
remainder of the war.

Before the Battle of Stones River, while the Federals
were in control of Murfreesboro in 1862, they issued an
order forbidding anyone to engage in his business or pro-
fession unless he first took an oath of allegiance to the
Federal government. Not a lawyer, doctor, merchant,
undertaker, nor minister of the gospel would subscribe to
the oath. Mr. Sam Winston, a man of excessive wit and
humor, commented, "The time has come when a man can't get
a lawyer to defend his legal rights; a doctor to protect
his health; a druggest to sell him medicine; an undertaker
to bury him; nor a preacher to save him from hell."

Dr. William Baskette was arrested by the Federals for
treating Confederate soldiers, but was later released by
Dr. Moses, a Federal surgeon. After the Battle of Stones

13c. C. Henderson, The Story of Murfreesboro (Murfrees-
boro, TN.: The News-Banner Publishing Co., 1929), p. 81.

97

River, he was employed in Confederate hospitals, made their
surgeon-in-chief, and remained with the hospitals for about
six months. When in 1863 he was arrested for the third
time and sent to Fort McHenry as a prisoner of war, he was
released on parole, went to Georgia, returned to Tennessee
with Hood's army hoping to reach his family. Dr. Thomas C.
Black was also arrested by the Federals and was a prisoner
in the court house when General Forrest made his raid; he
was one of the prisoners freed by General Forrest.

The physicians from the area who were serving the
Confederate Army had their hands full. These physicians
were treating battle wounds, certainly, but of even more
consequence were the diseases which decimated the troops.
The overwhelming majority of deaths in the Civil War
resulted from the ravages of disease. Approximately three
out of every five Union and two out of every three Con-
federate deaths were caused by illness. There were eruptive
fevers, measles, scarlet fever, small pox, erysipelas and
others. Diphtheria appeared irregularly. The so-called
camp diseases were diarrhea, dysentery, malaria, and
typhoid fever. Of the contagious diseases, measles was the
most important from the standpoint of numbers, serious
complications, and easy communicability . During the early
months of the war, more disability was caused by measles

98

than any other disease, but typhoid fever, along with

dysentery and malaria, were the leading killer diseases

in the Civil War.

An important lesson soon learned in the Civil
War was that men from rural and up-country districts
suffered more from disease than did those from an
urban background. Since most southerners were rural
residents, they lived in relatively isolated environ-
ments and, hence, had not been exposed as frequently
to these diseases. This helps to explain why there
were so much disease within their ranks. . . .
Young soldiers from rural areas had not been exposed
to them and when they were crowded together in the
usual military environment, then troops became
fertile candidates for contagious infections.

Injury on the battlefield and surgery in the hospital

were followed by dangerous and frequently fatal secondary

infections. The most feared were erysipelas, pyemia, and

gangrene. Erysipelas and pyemia are usually caused by

streprococcal infections and these infections were highly

fatal. Despite such formidable handicaps, the southern

surgeons kept at their tasks, working diligently with what

they had available to help the wounded and sick.

The medical practitioners of the South gave
their lives and fortunes to their country, without
any prospect of military or political fame or
preferment. They searched the fields and forests
for remedies; they improvised surgical implements
from the common instruments of every day life; they
marched with the armies, rescued the wounded on the
battlefields, binding up the wounds, and preserving

■'•'^Riley, p. 146.

99

the shattered limbs of their countrymen; through
four long years [they] opposed their skill and
untiring energies to the ravages of war and
pestilence. ■'•^

The North had effectively blockaded the South. There-
fore, medical supplies were very difficult to obtain and
the medical personnel worked against terrible odds,
frequently having no medications to ease the suffering of
the soldiers. Later as the fortunes of the South waned
and the southern soldier was preyed upon by exhaustion,
exposure and the effects of an inadequate diet, disease
became rampant but even the hospitals frequently could not
provide adequate nutrition.

A raid against the ravages of disease and
injury in the southern armies was the Confederate
Medical Service. ... to the surgeons of the
medical corps is due the credit of maintaining troops
in the field. Their tasks were demanding and
difficult, requiring, in light of the seemingly
insurmountable obstacles which confronted them, a
nearly super human effort.^"

In our nation's history the Civil War was the bloodiest
conflict. The number of deaths in the Civil War, approxi-
mately 625,000 men. North and South, is greater than all
our other wars together. And when we realize that of these

■^^ James 0. Breeden, Joseph Jones, M. P., Scientist of
the Old South (Lexington, KY.: The University Press of
Kentucky, 1975), pp. 228-229.

16

Breeden, p. 227

100

deaths most were due to illnesses rather than battle
casualties, it emphasized the need for preventive medicine
which was to begin its development later in the century and
be available to lessen the casualties in future wars.

Dr. J. B. Murfree was the surgeon in charge of a Con-
federate hospital which had been established on the
campus of Emory and Henry College in Virginia near Salt-
ville. He experienced a brush with Champ Ferguson, the
infamous Confederate guerrilla. There had been a battle
near Saltville which the Confederates won, and in which
several prisoners were taken, among whom were many
wounded who were confined for treatment in Dr. Murfree 's
hospital. The Federal wounded were placed on the third
floor of a building, access to which was attained by a
stairway on either end of the building. The stairways
were each guarded by a Confederate sentry to prevent
escape of the Federal prisoner . Champ Ferguson and his
men rode in one day, hitched their horses, overpowered one
of the sentries and gained access to the Federal prisoner
area of the hospital. Champ was looking for a Lieutenant
Smith for whom he carried a grudge, the exact nature of
which was never determined. When he located Lieutenant

■"■^Riley, p. 139,

101

Smith, the latter was wounded, lying on a cot but conscious.
Champ approached him, drew his pistol, told him he was
going to kill him and shot him through the head. The
commotion was reported to Dr. Murfree by a nurse. Dr. Murfree
went immediately to the building and confronted Champ
Ferguson asking him and his men to leave the area immedi-
ately, that this was a Confederate hospital for the treat-
ment of the sick and wounded, and they had no business
there. Champ threatened to kill him and pulled his
revolver, aiming it directly at Dr. Murfree' s chest. Fate
intervened in that one of Champ's own men stepped between
Champ and Dr. Murfree, prompting Champ to desist in his
threat, and he left without harming Dr. Murfree. ^^

Dr. H. H. Clayton experienced at first hand the horrors
of Andersonville Prison. He was stationed there as a
prison surgeon. ^^ Andersonville had been established in
Georgia as a stockade for Federal prisoners. The Confed-
eracy at this time was sorely pressed on every side and
the southern leaders were simply unable to provide for
such a large number of prisoners. They had tried to
exchange them with the North but to no avail. Supplies

l^Thurman Sensing, Champ Ferguson Confederate Guerilla
(Nashville, Tenn.: Vanderbilt University Press, 1942),
pp. 178-180.

l^confederate Patriot Index, V. 1, 1894. Tennessee
Division United Daughters of the Confederacy.

102

were a problem because of the northern blockade. There

was a shortage of food, clothing, medication, bedding, a

situation which created the suffering and death experienced

at the prison.' At the end of the war outraged northerners

vehemently contended that Andersonville ' s unspeakable

horrors were the result of a cold-blooded conspiracy by

leading Confederates to murder helpless prisoners; on the

other hand, the southern apologists, although fewer in

number, vociferously countered attributing the suffering

and death to the prostrate state of the Confederacy.

The sick in the prison were housed in several
long sheds. They were two story but were open on
all sides. Those patients treated here lay upon
bare boards, or upon such ragged blankets as they
possessed without any bedding, not even straw. Pits
designed to serve as latrines had been dug within a
few feet of the lower floor but were seldom used
because of neglect and the debilitating effect of
scurvy, diarrhea, and dysentery.

Conditions in the hospital were perhaps even
more distressing. Situated on a five acre site,
it was plagued by all of the stockade's major
problems. The water supply, a stream also, had been
quickly turned into an immense cesspool. The
ensuing stench was exacerbated by the proximity of
the stockade, for the marsh into which its filth
laden stream emptied lay nearby.

More than two thousand patients and attendants
had been crowded into this confined area with pre-
dictable results. There was such a shortage of
space that many of the sick were forced to pitch
their tents within a few yards of the stream, even
that portion used for a privy. Shelter was grossly
inadequate. In general the patients were poorly
supplied with old and ragged tents but some of them

103

had neither protection against the elements nor
bunks and lay upon the ground oftentimes without a
blanket. 20

Dr. Joseph Jones, Confederate surgeon, was sent to

Andersonville to study the various diseased states. He

was outraged by the almost absolute neglect of the

personal cleanliness of the sick by the prison. An

extreme shortage of medical officers worsened the plight

of the sick. The surgeon in charge found it virtually

impossible to induce physicians to come to Andersonville,

Jones attributed this situation to a variety of factors:

The absence of necessary facilities, the
consequent unsatisfactory results of practice and
distressing nature of the duty, the remoteness of
the area, the pressing medical problems in other
parts of Georgia created by Sherman's invasion, the
scarcity of physicians in the Confederacy, and
finally, the nature of the conflict, which tended
to excite such prejudices as would disincline
medical officers from voluntarily seeking service
amongst the captive enemies. Those that did come
frequently became so thoroughly discouraged that
they endeavored to get transfers to other fields
of labor, preferring the hardships and exposures
of service at the front. Those who braved the
obstacles and stayed were often unable to perform
their duties because overwork and exhalations from
the sick and filth disabled them. This was
especially true of the surgeons serving in the
stockades . ^l

20

Breeden, pp. 183-184.

^^Breeden, p. 185

104

So, it would appear that Dr. Clayton must have endured
a very miserable service attending the sick at Anderson-
ville. Amid such conditions he probably suffered some of
the diseases himself.

In a lighter vein Dr. C. C. Abernathy and Dr. John
Bridges became friends in the service; both were surgeons.
Dr. Abernathy induced Dr. Bridges to come to Rutherford
County to practice at the end of the war. While working
together at a Confederate hospital examining patients'
wounds, one soldier had a gunshot wound in the knee and
Dr. Abernathy was examining him for the presence of
"laudable pus." The doctors judged the seriousness of
infection by the odor of the pus emitted from the wound.
A disagreeable odor usually meant the development of
gangrene, attended by certain death. Dr. Abernathy asked
Dr. Bridges, who had red hair and a full red beard, to
examine the wound. When Dr. Bridges bent down to smell
the wound, his beard was contaminated by the exuding pus
along with the contaminating maggots which provided some
humorous relief from the tedious and tense work of

o 9

attending the sick.

The guns fell silent at Appomattox in 1865 and peace
was restored. This senseless fratricidal struggle

^^Related by the late Dr. Robert Abernathy, great
grandson of Dr. C. C. Abernathy, at an interview in 1982.

105

resulted in the loss of over 600,000 lives during the war
itself and untold thousands undoubtedly died later from
disease or injury incurred during the war which pushed
the death toll, considerably higher. Allan Nevins has
written, "We lost not only those men, but their children,
and their children's children. We have lost the books
they might have written, the scientific discoveries they
might have made, the inventions they might have perfected.
Such a loss defies measurement . "^-^

At the war's end the Rutherford County physicians and
area physicians returned to their homes to pick up the
pieces and try to start anew, but some were permanently
scarred from the ravages of disease and some were not to
return. Dr. George Whitfield Robinson, who practiced in
Big Spring, served as a captain in the war. He was
wounded and captured but not imprisoned. He helped in the
enemy hospital. His wound became infected and he died
in 1863 in Kentucky. His body was brought as far as
Lebanon under military escort, then turned over to his
wife who brought him home in a wagon and buried him in
the family cemetery. ^4

2-^Allen Nevins, "The Glorious and the Terrible,"
Saturday Review, V. 44 (September 2, 1961), 46-47.

^^Margaret M. Powell, "Big Springs," Rutherford
County Historical Society, Publication No. 22 (Winter,
1984), p. 37.

106

When the Civil War had dragged out its years of
destruction of human life and property, and Tennessee
found herself still a state of the United States and
not of the Confederacy, the physicians of the state,
many of whom had given four years of their life to
military service, took up again the work of organiz-
ing their profession into an instrument that would
serve both them and their public. ^^

Dr. B. W. Avent, president of the state society at
the beginning of the war, resumed his practice in Murfrees-
boro at the end of the war. He issued a call to the
Medical Society of Tennessee to meet in Nashville April,
1866. Reorganization of the medical society thus began.
The state medical society called for the reorganization of
the local medical societies that medicine might once again
continue its organized work. The Rutherford County Medical
Society must have reorganized soon after the end of the
war. Dr. John W. Richardson gave a paper before the
Rutherford County Medical Society on May 2, 1867. The
paper is interesting because it shows the advancement in
medical thinking toward treatment of disease. Dr. Richard-
son's paper was entitled "Indications for Stimulants"; he
emphasized the importance of using such medication as a
stimulant to the various systems of the body along with
anodynes for the relief of pain and adequate nutrition,

25Hamer, p. 73.

107

all of which should support the patient in disease to a

much better extent than the older means of therapy.

When I was an office student, (More than
thirty-five years ago) , I was often sent around by
my Preceptor to visit his patients, with a standing
order to bleed those who had fever, provided they
had not already been bled; and if they had been
bled, the fever still being high, to bleed them
again. Did it cure them? It did not. Did it
relieve--break up the fever? I think not. Well,
what did it do? It "weakened" them--sometimes very
much; and the theory was, by this kind of treatment
you lessened the chances of inflammation. How then
did we proceed? We bled, puked, purged, and
starved our fever patients, and all others with
phlegmasiae and local inflammations, until they
looked like they would die from debility, poverty
and exhaustion. When coming to the conclusion that
there was no danger now of exciting inflammation,
and knowing not what other medicines to give, we
commenced with wine, barks, bitter tonics, mineral
acids, and something to eat, when they began to
improve, unless they had been run so far down that
stimulants would have no effect.

I will not say to you, "Don't bleed at all,"
but I do say, "When the skin is pale, circulation
weakened and the patient nearly exhausted, try the
other plan. I guess you will never repent it."

Dr. Richardson discussed in the paper the treatment of

convulsions, the treatment of pain, of certain nervous

diseases and fevers, and said, "Give them stimulants and

nourishing diet and make them sleep; if these don't save

them, nothing will." He commented in the paper that most

of the physicians had abandoned the practice of bleeding

in patients with fever since about 1844 or 1845 but certain

other types of illnesses apparently continued to be

treated by bleeding. He further discourses:

108

And whereas, the rule of thirty-five years ago
was to bleed, puke, purge and starve — the rule now
is to feed your patients, puke them only when you
want to empty the stomach of some offending matter--
purge them only so as to obviate fullness and
constipation of the intestinal canal, and give them
stimulants and anodynes as medicine. Prostration
attends our fevers from the beginning. I ask, is
it good treatment, to further debilitate a patient
who has already great lassitude and cannot be kept
in an erect posture without syncope?^^

The Tennessee Medical Society met in convention in
Nashville in April, 1868. The president. Dr. Lipscombf
appointed Dr. John W. Richardson, Dr. C. C. Abernathy, and
Dr. B. W. Avent to be among the eighteen delegates from
the Tennessee society to the American Medical Association
which was to be held in Washington, D. C, in May, 1868.27

Dr. Samuel B. Robison read a paper before the Ruther-
ford County Medical Society in 1869 on cholera infantum
in which he describes the symptoms of the disease and the
treatment, once again resorting to the ubiquitous calomel
as recommended treatment in combination with ipecac. His
reasoning for the use of calomel was to stimulate the liver,

During the unchecked violence of the disease,
all food taken is either ejected by the stomach, or
passes through the bowels in a short time totally

26john W. Richardson, M. D. , "Indications for
Stimulants," Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery,
V. 3 (1868), 65.

27iiTennessee Medical Society Proceedings," Nashville
Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 3 (1868), 479.

109

undigested, having undergone no other change than
that of extreme acidulation. These facts are
demonstrable in almost all cases of the disease.
Now, I would ask the question: If the liver is
acting at all, why is there not some bile in the
stools? And if the fact is apparent that the liver
is not acting, then the question arises, has the
diseased state of the bowels suspended the action
of the liver? If not, may we not readily conclude
that a suspension of the liver's action has become
the prime cause of the derangement of the bowels?
From this fact, of itself, that a restoration of the
biliary secretion relieves all the derangement of
the bowels. With this array of facts before us,
the only rational plan of treatment is plainly
suggested; bringing about a healthy action in the
liver, and the disease is at once arrested. 2°

He used the calomel in doses sufficient to produce
bilious discharges, so it would seem that although new
insights were developing in therepeutic medicine, some old
ideas stubbornly held their place.

The controversies centered around venesection
stimulated debates at meetings as well as in the scientific
literature. Dr. C. C. Abernathy, who formerly practiced
in Murfreesboro but who was a native of Giles County and
practiced there most of his professional career, submitted
an article on blood-letting for publication in 1871. It
was read before the Tennessee State Medical Society that
year. It was his opinion that venesection still had its
place in the therapy of disease.

28samuel B. Robison, M. D. "Cholera Infantum,"
Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 4 (1869),
573.

110

Twenty-five years ago an argument in support
of venesection as a potent and efficient remedial
agent would have been regarded by the majority
of the profession a work of supererogation.

Now however, what was then esteemed as
"principies remedia" in the reduction of inflama-
tion, is discarded by a large and respectable
number of the profession, and has the seal of
condemnation stamped upon it. Into such disrepute
has it fallen, that he who advocates it hazards
the risk of being branded as old fogy, or esteemed
a plodder in his chosen profession. . . .

I regard the almost general abandonment of
the lancet as a great public calamity. I believe
that untold numbers of precious lives have been
lost for want of timely and judicious blood-
letting, and myriads more are doomed to fill
premature graves unless we retrace our steps and
start anew in the right direction.

He suggested the profession should imitate the

examples of Armstrong, Eberle, Chapman, Stokes, Physic,

Wood and other great "lights" in the profession (late

eighteenth century and early nineteenth century

physicians who were prominent as medical educators and

advocated the lancet). He also referred to the work of

Austin Flint (one of the pioneers in physical diagnosis

of heart disease) and others who opposed venesection.

Dr. Abernathy further discoursed:

Our physical surroundings change, and men
change, but principles are immutable. If vene-
section was ever right, it is right now. The
greatest men of the world have advocated and
practiced it. Let us see if they were right.
Under what circumstances is venesection indicated?

Ill

Area Physicians During the 1860s

J. J. Abernathy

(Murf reesboro)
James E. Arnette

(Cannon County)
Edward Austin ■

(Woodbury)
Benjamin Ward Avent .

(Murf reesboro)
John Baird

(Murf reesboro)
Wm. T. Baskette

(Murf reesboro)
J. K. Bedford

(Murf reesboro)
B. H. Bilbro

(Milton)
Jesse Bivins

(Murf reesboro)
Samuel P. Black
Thos. C, Black

(Walter Hill)
Jonathan Bostick

( Triune )
Thomas King Bostick

(Milton)
Smith Bowlin

(Bell Buckle)
Alexander B. Buchanan

(La Vergne)
William G. Burrows

(or Burrus)
Dr. Chamberlain

(La Vergne)
Marion Chandler
Ephraim Charlton

(Davidson County)
George Washington Charlton,

(La Vergne)
James Hamilton Charlton
Joseph Charlton
Edwin Childress

(Millersburg)
W. F, Chrisman

(Nolensville)
John W. Clary

(Unionville )

Henry Huey Clayton

( Murf reesboro )
Walter Preston Coleman

(La Vergne)
Wm. Cowden Cook

(Murf reesboro)
John B. Copeland

(Nolensville)
Joseph W. Davis

(Smyrna — La Vergne)
James H. Dickens

(Readyville)
Thomas J. Elam
John S. Fletcher

(Murf reesboro)
W. R. Freeman

(Murf reesboro)
John Wesley Gaines

( Antioch)
John Gannaway

(Fairfield)
Watson Meredith Gentry

(College Grove)
James W. Gowen

( Auburntown)
Elias Tidwell Gray

(Versailles )
Isaac H. Gray

(Nolensville)
Addison P. Grinstead

(Treppardsville )
C. W. Hale

(Cannon County)
John W. Hall

(Hall's Hill)
Robert B. Harris
Jr. (Jefferson)
Joseph Hase
Eugene Henderson
A. A. Hendrix

(Murf reesboro)
William Murphree Hoover

(Beech Grove)
Ruben D. Hubbard

(Auburntown)

112

Area Physicians During the 1860s (continued)

William Hughes

(Bell Buckle)
William M. Button

(Middleton)
R. W. January., Sr.
Clement Jordan

(Triune)
J. W. King

(Murfreesboro)
Lewis W. Knight
William H. Lytle

(Murfreesboro)
James Maney

(Murfreesboro)
Amasa W. Manire

(Eagleville)
Phillip H. Manier

(Fairfield)
James Edward Manson

(Blackman)
J. H. Martin
Robert W. Martin

(Milton)
William C. Martin
Wm. Harrison McCord

(Eagleville)
Lyman Beecher McCrary

(Woodbury )
Thomas Chapman McCrary

(Bell Buckle)
Allen Posey McCullough

(Marshall County)
Armstrong Eagleton McKnight

(Milton)
Joseph M. McLean
George W. McWhirter

( Auburntown )
E. S. Milton

( Fosterville)
John H. Morgan

(Murfreesboro)
James B. Murfree, Sr.

(Murfreesboro)
Joseph B. Muse

(Fairfield)
Joseph H. Nelson

( La Vergne )

Samuel. B- Nelson

(La Vergne)
Charles T. New

(Woodbury)
G. Osborn, Jr.

(Wartrace)
John Patterson
Wm. Squires Posey
Medicus Ransom
J. Ransom

(Versailles )
John W. Richardson
Thomas Skidmore Richardson

(Eagleville)
Wm. Temple Richardson
John R. Rickman

(Wilson County)
Higdon J. Robertson

(Jefferson)
George Whitfield Robinson

(Big Spring)
Samuel B. Robison
William R, Rucker
Leonard Newton Sanders
James Searcy

(Beech Grove)
Henry Shacklet

(Davidson County)
J. Sharber

(Versailles )
Robert G. Shaw

(Bedford County)
Walter Sims

(Wartrace)
Robert Smith

(Davidson County)
Taswell Sidney Smith

(Murfreesboro)
John B. Snel lings

(Wartrace )
John M. Stenson

(Bell Buckle)
A. Stoville

( Beech Grove )
Charles Finley Sutton

(Bell Buckle)

113

Area Physicians During the 1860s (continued)

Robert Fountain Tatum, Sr.

(Woodbury )
Edmund J. Taylor

(Bradyville)
Nimrod Whitefield Thompson
Sam W. Thompson

(Wartrace)
James R. Turner

(Marshall County)
Henry Joseph Warmuth

( Smyrna )
L. V. Warren
L. M. Wasson

(Murf reesboro )
J. L, Webb
Sam Webb

(Williamson County)
James Wendel

(Murf reesboro)
Robert S. Wendel

(Murf reesboro)

E. D. Wheeler

( Murf reesboro )
T. D. Whitaker

(Marshall County)
John J. White

(Davidson County)
Samuel K. Whitson

(Fairfield)
William Whitson

( Fosterville )
H. R. Williams

(La Vergne)
Harrison Whitfield Winstead

(Nolensville )
A. T. Wood

( Murf reesboro )
Stephen Henry Woods

(Bradyville)
William C. Work

( Fosterville )
Hillary H. Yeargan

114

When those organs or tissues most essential to
life have become the seat of active inflammation
or congestion. In what way does blood-letting
relieve inflammation? First, by reducing the
force of the heart's action. Second, by relieving
the turgescence of the bloodvessels of the
inflamed part. Third, by diminishing the fibrine,
which is largely increased beyond its normal
proportion to the other constituents of the blood.
Fourth, by exciting the action of the absorbents,
and thereby removing the morbid products of the
inflammation. Fifth, and lastly, by stimulating
indirectly, the depressed nerve centres to resume
their natural control of the system at large.

He believed that the withdrawal of blood promoted
the removal by absorption of "morbid" products which were
detrimental to life, especially the products of inflamma-
tion. He pointed to the fact that in pleuritis (pleurisy),
a very painful condition, venesection relieved the pain
and allowed the patient to breathe more freely. He also
observed that venesection was helpful in certain types of
fever. He concluded:

The opprobium which rests upon it is neither
sustained by convincing argument nor actual
experience, the opinions of Rokitansky, Aitken,
Niemeyer, Flint, to the contrary, not withstanding."^^

Dr. J. F. Fryar of Triune wrote the Nashville

Journal of Medicine and Surgery in 1871 criticizing the

views of a Doctor King who had written an article on the

determining cause of labor at full term which had been

29c. C. Abernathy, M. D., "Blood-Letting, " Nashville
Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 7 (1871), 200.

115

published in the American Journal of Obstetrics. Dr. Fryar
found fault with some of Dr. King's reasoning and went on
to expound on the influences of solar phenomena in
determining the onset of labor. He felt that more informa-
tion would be obtained if we made a comparison of statis-
tical records and astronomical calculations which would
give us the relation of the earth to the sun, moon, and
other planets at any given time; such would give a more
definite idea of the primary cause of labor at full term.^^
Many physicians of that day held to the notion that labor
started with various phases of the moon.

Dr. John Richardson was particularly interested in
puerperal convulsions (convulsions which develop at the
time of delivery). He did a nice piece of statistical work
on this. He distributed about four hundred circulars, and
placed notices in several medical journals requesting the
cooperation of physicians who had seen these type cases.
He had 54 physician contributors with 297 cases reported
and found that primiparas (first pregnancy) encountered
the convulsions almost three to one as compared to the
multiparas (had had previous pregnancies). Also convul-
sion before delivery was almost three to one to convulsion

30j. F. Fryar, M. D. , "Determining Causes," Nashville
Journal of Medicine and Surgery ," V. 8 (1871), 3.

116

after delivery. The mortality rate in the mothers was
almost 60 percent and the mortality rate of the infant
also was close to 60 percent. He requested the doctors to
furnish him with their methods of treatment and he stated
that the prominent idea with the profession was that the
convulsions were caused by "hyperemia" of the brain and
consequently the lancet was freely used to alleviate this.
He commented, however, that many physicians have almost
entirely discarded the lancet as a means of arresting the
convulsions and were directing their attention to a difffer-
ent class of treatment. He did not go into his preferred
treatment of the condition.

Dr. C. C. Abernathy was elected president of the Tennessee
Medical Association for 1873-74 and was serving in that
capacity when Middle Tennessee experienced another cholera
epidemic in the summer of 1873. It was spread from Memphis
to Nashville and thence into Rutherford County and the
surrounding counties. Nashville was particularly hard hit
and there were several cases in Murfreesboro but the
epidemic did not reach the proportions in Rutherford County
as it did in 1833 and 1835. The epidemic was spread

31 John W, Richardson, M. D. , "Puerperal Convulsions,"
Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 10 (1872), 21

117

Dr. Charles C. Abernathy
President
Tennessee Medical Association
1873-1974

118

primarily by the people visiting Nashville for the Nashville
Industrial Exposition. It was in full swing in May 1873.
Hundreds of people were contaminated by the drinking water.
They in turn, spread the disease to outlying communities.
It reached Murfreesboro on June 1.^^

Dr. P. C. Coleman reported a case of head wound to the
Rutherford County Medical Society in May, 1874. The patient
was a teenager who had received a blow from a rock, and the
wound apparently was sufficient to have produced contusion
of the brain, for the patient developed convulsions, and,
according to Dr. Coleman, had a total of one hundred convul-
sions before he gradually began to improve. Doctors Neely
and Black saw the patient in consultation with Dr. Coleman.
Interestingly, .the treatment used was a purgative since his
bowels had not operated. It was observed that the patient
had a very full and hard pulse; the doctors, therefore,
agreed to bleed him freely and they observed that he seemed
to be relieved in some respects but continued to have
convulsions all night. They tried chloroform but this did
not control the convulsions. After he was bled the treat-
ment consisted simply in keeping his bowels opened and the

32john B. Thomison, John B. , M. D. , "The Middle
Tennessee Cholera Epidemic of 1873," Journal of the
Tennessee Medical Association, V. 68 (1975), 887.

119

use of chloral hydrate to produce sleep. The patient
recovered spontaneously,.'

Dr. James Brickell Murfree had become a member of the
Medical Society of Tennessee in 1860 and in that same year
was elected its secretary and treasurer. After the war he
resumed his active participation in the state society and
was honored by being selected its president in 1874-75.

Dr. J. W. Davis of Smyrna reported a case of depressed
skull fracture in which he, assisted by Doctors Harris and
Weakley, made an incision over the wound after anesthetizing
the patient with chloroform. He raised the scalp well
back over the sound side, made a trephine hole in the bone,
pulled the disk of bone out, and, with an elevator manipu-
lated into the trephine area, elevated the depressed
portion of bone to its proper place. They then took
stitches in the scalp, leaving a small opening for the
escape of blood and matter. Following treatment cold water
dressings were used, then poultices until suppuration set
in. Then "dry clay dust" was used. The internal treat-
ment was two small doses of calomel the first night, and

■^■^P. C. Coleman, M. D. , "A Case of Contused Wound of
the Head, Followed by Convulsions," Nashville Journal of
Medicine and Surgery, V. 14 (1874), 345.

120

Dr. James B. Murfree, Sr ,

President

Tennessee Medical Association

1874-1875

121

after that just enough morphine to subdue pain and obtain
rest. The patient recovered. -^^

Dr. J. B. Murfree wrote a paper on diphtheria which
he read before the Medical Society of the State of Tennessee
in April, 1874. In the paper he referred to an epidemic of
diphtheria which occurred in Rutherford County from the
summer of 1873 until March, 1874. He stated that it pre-
vailed very extensively over about one half the county. He
knew of 210 cases of which there were 34 deaths. He
obtained statistics from other doctors in the area.
Dr. Medicus Ransom reported 20 cases. Dr. H. H. Clayton
30 cases. Dr. J. F. Byrn 8 cases. Dr. J. B. Murfree himself
had 37 cases. Dr. J. H. Dickens in Readyville had 20
cases and Dr. J. N. Bridges had 95 cases. Dr. Bridges
practiced in the Readyville area also; so the epidemic
must have been more concentrated in that section of the
county. Diphtheria is associated with the formation of a
membrane in the throat. When this membrane invades the
larynx and trachea, frequently the patient will suffocate.
Dr. Murfree stated:

There is no known cause which we can assign
for diphtheria other than ordinary contagion. It
has been observed to prevail at all seasons of the

■^^J. W. Davis, M. D. , "A Case of Punctured Fracture
of Skull Trephined Successfully," Nashville Journal of
Medicine and Surgery, V. 14 (1874), 342.

122

year but generally it is more frequent during the
fall and winter months and less frequent in the
spring and summer.

The diphtheria organism had not been identified at
that time. It is interesting that Dr. Murfree indicated
the treatment to be an attempt to sustain the vital forces
by tonics, stimulants and nutrition. He stated that the
aim should not be to try to cure the disease by specific
medications since the cause was not known. He gave his
patients iron, quinine, mineral acids, wine, brandy, eggs,
milk, soups, etc. He also painted the throat with
carbolic acid twice a day. In some who progressed to the
croup phase he performed tracheotomy for relief of the
breathing.

Dr. H. J. Warmuth of Smyrna read a paper on imperforate
anus with total absence of the lower bowel to the Rutherford
County Medical Society. In the paper he obtained a consult
from Dr. Crosthwait. They attempted an operation but it was
not successful.

When Dr. James B. Murfree addressed the Tennessee
Medical Society in 1875 as its president, he referred to

^ J. B. Murfree, M. D. , "Diphtheria," Nashville Journal
of Medicine and Surgery, V. 14 (1874), 160.

36

H. J. Warmuth, M. D. , "Imperforate Anus with Total

Absence of Lower Bowel," Nashville Journal of Medicine

and Surgery, V. 14 (1874), 214.

123

the improvements which have been made in instruments and

appliances that brought a decided advance in the practice

of surgery, and he stated that the practice of medicine

had undergone a revolution that was amazing and that the

change was not one simply of mode but was a change which

was attended with happy results.

This advance in our knowledge in practice of the
medical sciences is not the result of time alone but
is founded upon the earnest, studious investigations
which have been carried on in all parts of the world.
A discovery here, and another there, though minute in
themselves, yet when taken together and aggregated,
make a long step forward in advancing our knowledge.
Perhaps to the discoveries and observations which
have been made in Pathology, more than to any other
department, is due to the change in our treatment
of disease.

The invention of instruments, which ingenious
minds have made, greatly enhance our treatment of
diseases, for in many instances they serve as aids
to a correct diagnosis, and all rational treatment
must be founded upon our knowledge of the immediate
pathological condition.

The grandest improvement in the science of
medicine, to my mind, is the marked and increasing
tendency to conservatism in the treatment of disease.
By conservatism in the practice of medicine we
understand to be that plan or system by which we
can the soonest, and with safety, relieve the human
system of disease with the least expenditure or
sacrifice of individual vitality. It is that plan
of treatment which, while it aims to remove diseased
action, yet at the same time it sustains the power of
life. In the practice of conservatism we refrain
from employing hurtful remedies, when we are satisfied
that the disease under treatment will subside without
active interference. A large proportion of the
diseases which come under our care have a regular

124

course to pursue/ many of them being self-limiting,
and their tendency is to a restoration of health. '

It certainly was a marked change from the perturbative
means of treatment during the earlier part of that century.
The means of treatment of all illnesses generally made the
patient miserable and he suffered untold misery under the
harshness of the therapies; whereas the new conservatism
referred to by Dr. Murfree was designed to make the patient
comfortable, to improve his nourishment, support him in
every way possible, and, generally, the results of such
treatment were far superior to the old methods.

In 1875 a medical society was formed in Smyrna.

Mr. Walter King Hoover has in his possession the original

minute book and Mr. King quotes from those minutes in his

book on the history of Smyrna.

"The object of this society shall be to unite
the medical men of Smyrna district and neighborhood
into a society for mutual recognition, fellowship,
the advancement and diffusion of medical knowledge
and the adoption and promotion of all measures that
will tend to the relief of suffering, and the
protection of the lives of the community." Their
first meeting was held in Dr. B. B. Gracy ' s office
which was a small frame building located at Division
Street, at Front Street. The doctors affixing
their signatures to these proceedings were

37 Address of President James B. Murfree, Transaction
of the Medical Society of the State of Tennessee (1875).

125

J. W. Davis, President W. H. Manier

George D, Crosthwait, B. B. Gracy

Vice-president C. W. Patterson

H. J. Warmuth, Secretary J. S. Waldron

B. F. Guill J. S. Sneed

Thomas J. Bennett J. E. Sherrill
G. W. Crosthwait

The minutes of this society ran for three years and
Mr. Hoover found no evidence that it operated after
that. 38

In 1877 at the Tennessee Medical Association meeting
in Nashville there were twenty-three delegates from the
Smyrna Medical Society. ^^ In 1879 at the state meeting
the Smyrna Medical Society was also represented. Dr. J. W.
Davis, who was elected president of the newly organized
medical society, gave his inaugural address to that society
on August 9, 1877. Therefore, since he referred in the
body of the paper they had honored him one year ago by
electing him president, it would appear that the Smyrna
Medical Society was formed in 1876 rather than 1875.'^'^
This is further supported by Dr. G. D. Crosthwait 's
presidential address to the Smyrna Medical Society in 1878
in which he comments, "At the close of the second year of

^^walter King Hoover, A History of the Town of Smyrna,
Tennessee (Nashville, TN. : McQuiddy Printing Co., 1969),
p. 384.

•^^Hamer, pp. 76-77,

'^^J. W. Davis, M. D. , "M. D. — Medicinae Doctor — What
He Must Know, and How He Ought to Act," Nashville Journal
of Medicine and Surgery, V. 20 (1877), 160.

126

our organization, we may reasonably congratulate ourselves
on having made some progress towards the attainment of its
objects." It would therefore seem that 1876 was the date
of origin of the Smyrna Medical Society. ^■'-

It would seem logical that the physicians in the
Smyrna-La Vergne area would want to organize and have their
own society. Transportation and communication were many
times a problem in those days, and it would have been very
difficult for these physicians to travel to Murfreesboro
to attend the medical meeting without taking a whole day
off from their practice. The same was true of the
physicians in Cannon County. These physicians frequently
attended the meetings of the Rutherford County Medical
Society but it was time consuming from the standpoint of
transportation. As transportation improved over the years
it was much easier for these physicians to take part in
the regular proceedings of the Rutherford County Medical
Society.

Meanwhile the Rutherford County Medical Society was
quite viable. In 1877 Dr. P. C. Coleman read a paper
before the society on cholera infantum recommending

'*^G. D. Crosthwait, M. D. , "Address to Smyrna Medical
Society, 1878," Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery,
V. 22 (1878), 102.

127

treatment by calomel, placing a synopism over the
epigastrium should the vomiting prove obstinate, and the
use of opium to arrest the exhausting diarrhea. He recom-
mended attention to the diet, ventilation, light and mild
exercise, thus getting away from the old concept of
confining patients in a dark room with closed door and
absolute rest.^^ d^ . James H. Dickens read a paper on
malaria to the Rutherford County Medical Society in 1877
in which he discussed the knowledge of the profession as to
the association of the disease with marshy areas in the
late spring and summer. The profession had observed that
one did not find this disease in higher elevations. He
also observed that when the season was particularly dry
and devoid of rain, the incidence of malaria was much
less. They had observed a great deal about the occurrence
of the disease in relation to geographical conditions but
they still did not know the vector. '*3

It should be noted that Dr. J. J. Abernathy was
elected president of the Tennessee Medical Association in
1876. He served the year 1876 to 1877. At that time he

-P. C. Coleman, M. D. , "Cholera Infantum," Nashville

42]
Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 20 (1877), 6.

43james H. Dickens, M. D., "Malaria," Nashville Journal
of Medicine and Surgery, V. 20 (1877), 51.

128

was practicing in Decherd. He had previously practiced in
Murf reesboro.

In 1877 at the end of Dr. Abernathy's tenure of
office. Dr. Benjamin W. Avent was elected president again.
Dr. Avent had moved to Memphis in 1866 to become professor
of surgery in the Memphis Medical College. He had
practiced in Murfreesboro prior to that for many years and
had distinguished himself as an outstanding physician and
surgeon.

Dr. Avent delivered his presidential address to the

Medical Society of the State of Tennessee on April 2, 1879,

The paper was a discussion of the use of stimulants in

the treatment of disease; he also reviewed the development

of the various theories of the production of disease and

pathological states.

It is worthy of notice that in no period in
the history of medicine has there been so much
labor expended in searching after the great prin-
ciples of Physiology and Pathology, as at the
present; and it may be truthfully added, that at
no period has there been such complete ignoring
of standard remedial agents. It has certainly
caused the abandonment of the practices of
routinism in the treatment of acute disease. It
has put a quietus to that heroic administration
of medicine so common even a few years ago. It
has caused us to dispense with the lancet, and
has almost completely upset the so-called anti-
phlogistic treatment. It has limited to a great
extent the use of mercurials, and has set aside
the theory once so prominent, that acute
inflammation necessarily implies a sthenic diathesis.
And finally, it has forced the substitution of

129

nervous and arterial sedatives with support and
stimulation in the treatment, even, of active
disease, for depletion and starvation. '^^

Dr. Avent ' s address was to be his last active

participation .at a meeting of the state society. He

returned to Memphis to his duties as professor of Surgery

and private practice, only to encounter in the summer of

1878 one of the worst epidemics in the history of the

United States at his very doorstep. Yellow fever had

been feared for generations. The doctors of 1878 did

not know the cause of yellow fever. They had studied the

geography of the disease and knew that yellow fever was

"river borne." Doctors observed that cool weather always

brought an end to the epidemic and they had noticed that

the spread of the disease seemed to have something to do

with the wind currents. Unknowingly, they described

precisely the conditions under which mosquitoes thrive,

but it was not to be until 1900 that the vector of

yellow fever was found to be the mosquito. Large

epidemics of yellow fever had occurred on or near the

North Atlantic Coast and on the Gulf Coast. Severe

epidemics had affected Philadelphia, New York, Mobile, New

^^B. W. Avent, M. D., "Indications for the Use of
Stimulants in the Treatment of Disease," Address of the
President, Transactions of the Medical Society of the
State of Tennessee, 1898, p. 14.

130

Orleans, Pensacola, and cities as far north as St. Louis
and Cincinnati had felt its sting. The contagion spread
up the Mississippi River from New Orleans, having origi-
nated in the West Indies. The first cases were experienced
in Memphis in August. Twenty-five thousand people fled
the city in panic, fleeing to other cities, primarily to
Louisville, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Nashville, and
Chattanooga. The remaining population was exposed to the
ravages of the epidemic. As the epidemic began to rage
in Memphis, the plight of the city became known and
donations of money as well as food and medical supplies
began to reach Memphis. Volunteer aid was forthcoming
from all over the nation, liurse corps, doctors, relief
organizations all were brought into action in an attempt
to care for the sick. The epidemic raged on until
October 29 when the Memphis Board of Health declared the
epidemic at an end and the refugees were informed that it
was safe to return. The final estimate was that there
were 17,600 cases of yellow fever in Memphis out of a
population of about 20,000 with 5,150 deaths. The fever
did not spare the physicians. There were 93 physicians
who died in the epidemic of whom 63 were Tennessee
physicians and Dr. Benjamin W. Avent , who stayed on duty
in his city, was one of the victims. Also Dr. John Hicks

131

of Murfreesboro, who volunteered his services in the
epidemic, succumbed to yellow fever on September 17. There
were 693 cases of yellow fever in Chattanooga during the
same epidemic of which 197 patients died. There was one
case in Beech Grove and one case in Murfreesboro, both of
whom died. There were 96 cases in Davidson County,
eighteen of whom died. 45

Dr. J. s. Bass, a black physician practicing in
Murfreesboro, donated his services to the people of
Chattanooga during the yellow fever epidemic.

J. T. Hill, correspondent to the Nashville
Daily American reported: "Dr. Bass, a colored
physician, arrived from Murfreesboro today
(October 11) and goes to work at once."

Hill reported October 18th that "Dr. Bass, the
colored physician from Murfreesboro is doing
excellent service, and has made a host of friends,
in and out of the profession."

In the Twelfth Annual Report of the Freedman ' s
Aid Society in 1879 it was reported that for
Bass's "faithful and efficient labor he received
the hardy thanks of the medical profession of
that place, and on his return to his home at

45s. R. Bruesch, Ph. D. , M. D., "Yellow Fever in
Tennessee m 1878," Part I, Journal of the Tennessee
Medical Association. V. 71, No. 12, p. 887; Simon R
?Q^r^^' ^^' °" ^' ^•' "Yellow Fever in Tennessee in
i«78. Part II, Journal of the Tennessee Medical Associa-

tion, V. 72, No. 2, p. 91; Simon R. Bruesch, Ph. D. ,

M. D., "Yellow Fever in Tennessee in 1878," Part III
Journal of the Tennessee Medical Association, v 72 '
No. 3, p. 193. "

132

Murfreesboro he was met at the depot by the mayor
and prominent physicians and a public reception'
tendered him."^^

Dr. George W. Overall graduated from medical college
in 1875 and located in Murfreesboro where he practiced
for three years. He moved to Memphis in 1878 just prior
to the onset of the epidemic and was there treating
patients during the epidemic. Dr. Overall wrote a letter
to Dr. J. B. Murfree in which he detailed all the symptoms
of yellow fever and the treatment he administered them.
Dr. Overall had done a preceptorship under Doctors Clayton
and Murfree prior to going to medical school . The letter
was written September 12, 1878. At the time he said he
had lost 15 cases but had turned out about 150 or 200. He
also stated in the letter that he was very tired and very
much exhausted. He was one of the physicians who survived
the epidemic. ^^

When Dr. Avent was asked by a friend what he was doing
to avoid contracting the disease, he replied, "Nothing but
trusting in God, and trying to do my duty." When Dr. Avent

'^^Jim Leonhirth, "The Black Presence in Rutherford
County," Griffith! , published by the Rutherford County
Bicentennial Commission, Robert E. Corlew, Chairman, 1976.

^"^G. W. Overall, M, D., "Letter to Dr. J, B. Murfree,
Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 22 (1878),
149.

133

was asked what he knew of the yellow fever he replied, "I
only know that it is the pestilence that walketh in dark-
ness, and the destruction that visiteth at noonday. "^8
Dr. J. B. Murfree wrote an eloquent memorial tribute to
Dr. Avent which was published in the transactions of the
state society in 1879.^9

At the state meeting in 1879, the delegates from the
Smyrna Medical Society were Dr. B. B. Gracy and Dr. C. W.
Patterson. Also attending from Smyrna were Dr. H. J.
Warmuth and Dr. J. W. Davis and Dr. G. W. Crosthwait. The
Smyrna Medical Society obviously was still quite active at
that time. It should be noted in passing, that Dr. J. W.
Davis and Dr. H. J. Warmuth were especially active in the
state organization and both published several papers during
their careers. The delegates from the Rutherford County
Medical Society were Dr. William Freeman and Dr. J. H.
Washington. A memorial sketch was presented by Dr. J. B.
Murfree of the late Dr. J. B. Hicks, of Murfreesboro
who died in Memphis of yellow fever. The biographical
sketch of the late Dr. B. W. Avent v/as also presented.

48Hamer, p. 138.

49j. B. Murfree, M. D., "In Memoriam--B. W. Avent,
M. D.," Transactions Medical Society of the State of
Tennessee ( 1879) , p. 179.

134

Area Physicians During the 1870s

John W. Acuff

(Bell Buckle)
James E. Arnette

(Cannon County)
James Barton

(Cannon County)
Thomas J. Bennett

( Smyrna — Triune )
Samuel P. Black
Thos. C. Black

(Walter Hill)
Robert C. Boyle

(Midland)
Smith Bowl in

(Bell Buckle)
James N. Bridges

(Readyville)
Robert Buchanan

(Near Eagleville,

Williamson County)
Joshua Marion Coffee Burger

(Wartrace)
T. J. Burnett
William G. Burrows

(or Burrus )
James F. Byrn

( Murf reesboro )
Marion Chandler
Ephraim Charlton

(Davidson County)
James Hamilton Charlton

(La Vergne area)
Joseph Charlton

(La Vergne area)
Edwin Childress
Wm. J. Clark

(Nolensville)
John W. Clary

(Unionville)
Wm. F. Clary

(Bell Buckle)
Henry Huey Clayton

(Murf reesboro)
Preston C. Coleman

Walter Preston Coleman

(La Vergne area)
Wm. Cowden Cook

(Murf reesboro)
George D. Crosthwait

(Florence )
Joseph W. Davis

(Smyrna — La Vergne)
Preston K. Davis

(Davidson County)
James H. Dickens

(Readyville)
James M. Dill
Charles Donoho

(Williamson County)
Benjamin F. Duggan

(Unionville )
F. M. Duke

(Wartrace)
Thomas J. Elam
Richard W. Fain
John S. Fletcher

(Wartrace )
James Fozrar
W. R. Freeman

(Bell Buckle)
T. J. Frizzell

(Bell Buckle)
J. F. Fryar

(Triune )
John Wesley Gaines

( Antioch )
John Gannaway

(Fairfield)
Brainard B. Gracy

( Smyrna)
Elias Tidwell Gray

(Versailles )
Isaac H. Gray

(Nolensville )
Addison P. Grinstead

( Treppardsville)
Benjamin Franklin Guill
John W. Hall

(Hall's Hill)

135

Area Physicians During the 1870s (continued)

Robert R. Hall

(Blackman)
Robert B. Harris

(Jefferson)
Henry Marion Hearn

(Woodbury)
John B. Hicks
William Murphree Hoover

(Beech Grove)
William M- Hutton

(Bedford County)
Garner M. Jordan

(Triune )
Samuel Tolbert F. Kirkpat

(Triune)
Lewis W. Knight
J. H. Lillard
James Maney

(Murf reesboro)
Amasa W. Manire

(Eagleville)
John Wesley Mankin

(Beech Grove)
James Edward Manson

(Blackman)
Robert W. Martin

(Milton)
J. W. McCleary

(Rover)
Wm. Harrison McCord

(Eagleville)
Lyman Beecher McCrary

(Woodbury)
Thomas Chapman McCrary

(Bell Buckle)
Allen Posey McCul lough

(Milton)
Joseph M. McLean
Samuel N. McMinn

(Wilson County)
J. G. Mickle

Elbert S. Miller

(Bedford County near

Fostervillle )
E. S. Miller, Jr.

(Fosterville )
John H. Morton

(Williamson County)
William A. Mulky
James B. Murfree, Sr.

(Murf reesboro)
Joseph B. Muse

(Fairfield)
M. Edward Nealy
rick (Walter Hill)
C. C. Neal

(Williamson County)
Samuel B. Nelson

(La Vergne)
Charles T. New

(Woodbury)
M. W. Newson

(Bedford County)
Andrew Norvell

(Coffee County)
George W. Overall
Urban G. Owen

(College Grove)
B. H. Paschall

(Williamson County)
John Patterson
George Pinkard
J. S. Poynor

( Smyrna)
Medicus Ransom
John W. Richardson

(Murf reesboro)
Higdon J. Robertson
John H. Robinson

(Chapel Hill)
James Joshua Rucker

(Blackman)

136

Area Physicians During the 1870s (continued)

John J. Rucker
Leonidas D. Russell
James Searcy

(Beech Grove)
Thomas G. Shannon

(Nolensville )
Forsyth Smalling
Ephraim A. Speer

(Readyville)
Robert Fountain Tatum, Sr.

(Woodbury )
John S. Taylor
Elijah D. Thompson

(Marshall County)
Nimrod Whitefield Thompson
Robert Jetton Turner
William M. Turner

(Marshall County)
John S. Waldron

(Smyrna--La Vergne)
Henry Joseph Warmuth

( Smyrna )
J. L. Webb

(College Grove)

James E. Wendel

(Murf reesboro)
Robert S. Wendel

(Murf reesboro )
J. Wesley

(Bedford County)
T. D. Whitaker

(Marshall County)
Bartholomew Newton White, Sr

(Murf reesboro )
John J. White

(Davidson County)
H. R. Williams

(Williamson County)
Harrison Whitfield Winstead

(Nolensville)
John A. Wood

(Woodbury)
Thomas Walter Wood

(Woodbury)
Hillary H. Yeargan
Ridley Zackery

(Wilson County)

137

The vice-president of the state society, at that time, was
Dr. H. J. Warmuth of Smyrna. Dr. Murfree of Murfreesboro
read a paper on treatment of urethral strictures.
Doctors Warmuth and Murfree were selected as delegates to
the American Medical Association,^*^

In the 1880s the physicians in the area continued to
support the state organization and were active in their
county society. Dr. J. W. Davis of Smyrna wrote a letter
to the Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery commenting
on an article he had seen in the January issue of 1884
in which a doctor in Humboldt sought to discredit the germ
theory in the production of malaria. Dr. Davis defended
the germ theory, an indication that the new discoveries in
medicine were filtering into the communities here from
the researches abroad. ^■'■

The state society had always supported efforts toward
improvement in medical education. At its 1878 meeting
the society congratulated the profession upon the forma-
tion of the American Association of Medical Colleges, an

^QTransactions of the Medical Society of the State
of Tennessee, 1879.

^Ij. W. Davis, M. D., "Malaria," Nashville Journal of
Medicine and Surgery, V. 33 (1884), 154.

138

association that looked to the advancement of medical educa-
tion in the United States and the establishment of a common
policy among medical schools. The reform that the organiza-
tion had recommended was the establishment of a three year
course for medical students.

This was wholly objectionable to such men as
Dr. J. W. Davis of Smyrna who, in 1881, proposed
that the Medical Society of Tennessee recommend to
the medical colleges "to go back to the old rule of
two terms, or two courses of lectures, and to give
the degree of M. D. upon the merits and qualifica-
tions of candidates, and not upon the number of
years he may have been able to spend about town
and colleges." Action on this proposal was
deferred until the following year when Dr. Davis
addressed the society in support of it. A man
should be given the M. D. degree he thought whenever
he was qualified, and there was no need to lengthen
the time that must be spent with preceptor or in
college; many talented young men were financially
unable to spend three years in study and their
places were filled by drones whose money enabled
them to stay in college. After all, he argued,
"the real study of medicine is at the bedside;"
there was need for more doctors; the poor must have
medicine as well as the rich, and it must be cheap;
"a man of fine acquirements" would not "go out into
these out-of-the-way places and settle down to the
practice of medicine," and it was accordingly
desirable to graduate honorable men with fair
capacity for those humble places. This speech
provoked an animated discussion but the society
refused to adopt the proposal that Dr. Davis had
made. -'■^

The state society continued insistently from its
beginnings in 1830 to urge the importance of a licensing

^^Hamer, pp. 92-93.

139

law controlling the medical practice in Tennessee. They

continued to press the issue. A proposed bill was

reported at the meeting in 1888 and was endorsed by the

society. A committee of seven was directed to bring

the bill before the legislature. In that body the bill

met opposition as usual. It was first defeated, then it

was reconsidered, and finally it was passed and approved

by the governor on April 4, 1889.

In announcing this result to the medical society
at its annual meeting a few weeks later. Dr. Cain,
the president, said that too much praise could not
be given to the members of the general assembly for
their good judgment in passing the bill despite
bitter opposition from within and without the
profession.

This "Act to regulate the Practice of Medicine
and Surgery in Tennessee" provided that there should
be appointed by the governor a State Board of
Medical Examiners to be composed of two physicians
from each grand division of the state. On this
board there should be representation of "the three
schools of medicine, namely. Allopath, Homeopath,
and Eclectic." Any physician engaged in the
practice of his profession in Tennessee at the time
of the passage of the act was required to make proof
of that fact to the clerk of the county court who
would then issue to him a certificate entitling him
to continue to practice. Any person who should
wish to begin the practice of medicine in Tennessee
was to be required to obtain a certificate from the
board in either of two ways: (1) He must present a
diploma from a medical college "in good standing,"
the board being required to recognize any college
recognized by the "National Medical Association,"
or (2) He must pass a satisfactory examination
before the board on anatomy, physiology, chemistry,
pathology, surgery, obstetrics, and therapeutics.
All certificates were required to be registered

140

in the office of the clerk of the county court.
Anyone practicing without a certificate could be
punished by a fine only. Any itinerant vendor of
any drug, nostrum, or application for the treat-
ment of disease or injury was to be fined not less
than $100. The act did not apply to midwives.^^

The governor sought the assistance of the state
society in appointing the physicians to the board. He
appointed Dr. J. B. Murfree to the first board who was
elected its president.

The physicians of the county took their medical
diplomas to the county court clerk's office where they were
recorded and the physician was given a certificate by the
county court clerk certifying that he was properly trained
and was therefore licensed to practice medicine in this
state. I have seen one such certificate issued to Dr.
Armstrong Eagleton McKnight by the county court clerk in
1889 after he had shown his diploma from the University of
Nashville. Dr. McKnight practiced in the Milton-Porterf ield
area.

As transportation improved greater communication and
exchange of ideas were inevitable among the members of
the profession and more medical societies were formed.
The Tri-state Medical Society was formed representing

^^Hamer, pp. 100-101.

141

Area Physicians During the 1880s

John W. Acuff

(Bell Buckle)
James E. Arnette
(Cannon County)
James Barton

(Cannon County)
John S. Bass

(Murfreesboro)
Thomas J. Bennett
( Smyrna — Triune )
W. C. Bilbro, Sr.

(Murfreesboro)
Robert C. Bogle

(Fosterville — Midland)
M. H. Bonner

(Murfreesboro)
Smith Bowlin

(Bell Buckle)
James N. Bridges

(Readyville)
J. H. Bryan
Andrew Jackson Burkitt

(Smyrna — La Vergne)
William G. Burrows

(or Burrus )
James F. Byrn

(Murfreesboro)
Alexander Cams

(Cannon County)
James M. Chadwick

(Beech Grove)
Ephraim Charlton

(Davidson County)
James Hamilton Charlton

(La Vergne area)
John W. Clary
(Unionville)
Wm. Franklin Clary

(Bell Buckle)
C. C. Clayton
Henry Huey Clayton

(Murfreesboro)
S. B. Cobb
Preston C. Coleman
John James Covington
(College Grove)

F. P. Crockett
George D. Crosthwait

(Florence)
George W. Crosthwait

(Florence )
James Peyton Curlee

(Bradyville)
Joseph W. Davis

(Smyrna — La Vergne)
James H. Dickens

(Readyville)
James M. Dill
Charles Donoho

(Williamson Co. )
Benjamin F. Duggan

(Unionville)
F. M. Duke

(Wartrace)
John Netherland Dykes

(Versailles)
Thomas J. Elam
John Everett

(Cannon County)
John R. Fletcher

(Wartrace)
George Flowers

(Cannon County)
W. R, Freeman

(Bell Buckle)
T. J. Frizzell

(Bell Buckle)
John Wesley Gaines

(Antioch)
John Gannaway
(Fairfield)
R. A. Gentry

(Williamson County)
Brainard B. Gracy

(Smyrna)
Elias Tidwell Gray

(Versailles)
Madison G. Green

(Nolensville )
Isaac H. Gray

(Nolensville)
Samuel Carver Grigg

Area Physicians During the 1880s (continued)

142

Addison P. Grinstead

( Treppardsvil le )
Moses T. Griswell

(Wartrace)
Benjamin Franklin Guill

(Wilson County)
John W. Hall

(Hall's Hill)
Joseph David Hall
Robert R. Hall

(Blackman)
Robert B. Harris

(Jefferson)
Henry Marion Hearn

(Woodbury)
Samuel Hoover
W. C. Hoover

(Bedford County)
William Murphree Hoover

(Beech Grove)
Dewitt Clinton Huff

(Christiana)
William M. Button

(Bedford County)
Horton Blount Hyde

(Eagleville)
Garner M. Jordon

(Triune)
Robert F. Keyes

(Eagleville)
John 0. Kirkpatrick
Samuel Tolbert F.

Kirkpatrick

(Triune )
Lewis W. Knight
Robert N. Knox
George Leonard Landis

( Unionville )
Bailey Peyton Lester

(Woodbury)
Nathaniel M. Lewis

( Florence )
James Polk Lyon
William H. Lytle
Amasa W, Manire

( Eagleville )

Phillip H. Manier

(Wartrace)
William Manire

(Eagleville)
John Wesley Mankin

(Beech Grove)
James Edward Manson

( Blackman )
J. D. Martin

(Coffee County)
Robert W. Martin

(Milton)
J. B. McClellan

(Murf reesboro)
Pleasant H. McBride

(Noah)
Wm. A. McCord

(Holt's Corner)
Wm. Harrison McCord

(Eagleville)
Lyman Beecher McCrary

(Woodbury)
Thomas Chapman McCrary

(Bell Buckle)
Allen Posey McCullough

(Milton)
Thomas McGahey

(Williamson County)
Armstrong Eagleton McKnight

(Milton)
Joseph M. McLean

(Midland)
Thomas M, McMurray

(Nolensville )
Elbert S. Miller

(Fosterville)
Lorenzo Dow Miller

(Murf reesboro)
W. J. Miller

(Fosterville)
Robert Moon

( Unionville)
H. A. Mosely

(Wartrace)
Thomas B. Mosley

(Fairfield)

143

Area Physicians During the 1880s (continued)

James B. Murfree, Sr.
John W. Murray

( Wartrace )
M. Edward Nealy

(La Vergne) .
Samuel B. Nelson

( La Vergne )
Simon Nesbitt

(Bradyville)
M. W. Newson

(Bedford County)
James K. Norvell

(Beech Grove)
James B. Owen

(Williamson County)
Urban G. Owen

(College Grove)
Benj. H. Paschall

(Williamson County)
Charles W. Patterson

(La Vergne)
John Patterson
Jason Hazard Patton

(Triune )
Alex R. Pinkston

(Triune )
T. W. Preston

(Wilson County)
Medicus Ransom
Robert William Read
Absalom H. Reems

(Cannon County)
Higdon J. Robertson
Aaron B. Robinson

(Chapel Hill)
W. D. Robinson
James J. Rucker

(Salem)
John J. Rucker
Minus L. Rucker

(Wilson County)
Hardin N. Scales

(Versailles )
J. E. Sherrill

(Wilson County)

W. H. Sims

(Wartrace)
William Sparkman

(Cannon County)
Ephraim A. Speer

(Readyville )
J. B. Spickard

(Wilson County)
Swann

(Milton)
Ed Swanson

(Marshall County)
Robert Fountain Tatum Sr.

(Woodbury )
John Templeton

(Coffee County)
Elijah D. Thompson

(Marshall County)
Nimrod Whitefield Thompson
James T. Turney

( Auburntown )
John W. Wade

(Bedford County)
Samuel Wade
John Walden
John S. Waldron

(Smyrna--La Vergne)
G. W. Word
Henry Joseph Warmuth

{ Smyrna)
John H. Washington
Francis L. Weaver

(Davidson County)
James E. Wendel

(Murf reesboro)
Robert S. Wendel

( Murf reesboro )
T. D. Whitaker

(Marshall County)
B. N. White, Sr.

(Murf reesboro)
John Howland White

(Jordan's Valley)
Samuel K. Whitson

(Fairfield — Wartrace )

Area Physicians During the 1880s (continued)

144

William Whitson

(Jordan's Valley)
James Williams

(Marshall County)
Harrison Whitf.ield Winstead

(Nolensville )
Charles Witt Womack

(Chapel Hill)

Thomas W. Wood

(Deason)
Stephen Henry Woods
Hillary H. Yeargan
William Eleazer Youree

145

doctors from Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. At its
meeting in Chattanooga October 15, 1890, Dr. J. B. Murfree
presented a paper on uterine fibroma. They were per-
forming hysterectomies under aseptic conditions for the
larger fibroid tumors. ^4 qj- , Murfree presented a paper on
intestinal obstruction to the Tennessee Medical Society
in 1892 in which he recommended laparotomy (the laying
open of the abdominal cavity, finding and relieving the
strangulation) as the only rational hope of saving the
life of the patient when the usual means of relief have
failed. 55

Dr. Murfree was invited to give the commencement

address to the graduating class of the Medical Department

of the University of Nashville and Vanderbilt University

in March, 1892. In his address he referred to

. . . the grand achievements and the wonderful
progress made in the etiology and treatment of
disease, in the improvement and perfecting of the
technique of surgical operations, the fruitful
discovery of material medicines, and the invention
of instruments and appliances. . . . The patient,
untiring search after the prime cause of disease

54j. B. Murfree, M. D., "Uterine Fibroma," Nashville
Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 69 (1891), 145,

55j. B. Murfree, M. D. , "Intestinal Obstruction,"
Transactions of Medical Society of the State of Tennessee
(1892), 94. —

146

has extended so far into the occult precincts of
morbid processes as to demonstrate a physical cause
of disease. The microscope extends the realm of
pathological anatomy to the limits of the invisible
world.

The. recent science of bacteriology has dis-
covered and demonstrated a great multitude and a
great variety of microbes, the incipient and the
invisible germs of disease, and has revealed the
fact that each specific disease has a specific
germ.

Dr. Murfree touched on the necessity of better
medical education stating that the students should have a
higher education and that the curriculum in medical
colleges should be lengthened and improved. He further
insisted that the scholastic education of the young men
designed to enter the medical profession should be
increased. He was gratified to see progress toward the
tendency of a higher grade of scholastic education among
those entering medical colleges and looked forv;ard to
liberally educated medical students and systematic medical
education throughout the land.^"

Asepsis in surgery had increased the success of
surgery enormously and was very much in evidence in the
1890s. Dr. Murfree referred to the necessity of asepsis
in the private practice of obstetrics in a paper which he

^^J. B. Murfree, M. D. , "Charge to the Graduating
Class," Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 71
(1892), 145.

147

read at the Tri-states Medical Society held in Chattanooga
in 1893.

It is unnecessary in this connection to
discuss the germ theory, but whether accepted or
rejected, all will agree that the want of cleanli-
ness in the lying-in room is a prolific source of
puerperal diseases.

He describes in some detail the techniques used in

57
obstetrical deliveries for the purpose of asepsis.

Dr. H. J. Warmuth gave a paper on postpartum

hemorrhage to the state society in 1893. He described a

case that he and Dr. Gracy of Smyrna attended. He found

the woman to be edematous. Much albumen was in the urine.

She was mentally confused (a case of eclampsia which these

doctors recognized even then). Dr. Warmuth injected

veratrum viridis (a drug which reduces the blood pressure)

and morphine into her arm. Dr. Gracy administered

chloroform and the child was delivered with the help of

forceps. The patient developed a severe postpartum

hemorrhage. Dr. Warmuth injected ergotine hypodermical ly ,

simultaneously applying manual pressure over the uterus.

This abated the hemorrhage and the woman and child made a

57j, B. Murfree, M. D., "The Necessity of Asepsis
in Private Obstetrical Practice," Nashville Journal of
Medicine and Surgery, V. 74 (1893), p. 193.

148

good recovery. 58 it's interesting that the symptoms of
eclampsia were recognized and a drug used to reduce the
blood pressure at a time when blood pressure measurement
was not yet utilized in practice. It should also be
noted that there were disease states in which blood
pressure obviously was markedly elevated and in whom the
practice of venesection at times might have been life-saving,

The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee,
established a medical department in 1892. Dr. J. B.
Murfree was offered and accepted the position of professor
of surgery at that institution, a position he held from
1893 until shortly before his death in 1912. He was
invited to give the commencement address to the graduating
doctors of the University of the South in 1894; in that
address he continued to urge progressive medical
education. 59

The field of nutrition and dietetics was just begin-
ning to be developed. Dr. W. C. Bilbro gave a paper at
the state society in 1895 on nutrition in which he

58j. H. Warmuth, M. D., "Post-Partum Hemorrhage,"
Transactions of the Medical Society of the State of
Tennessee (1893), p. 167.

59j. B. Murfree, M. D., "What Is Life?" Nashville
Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 76 (1894), 151.

149

discussed the necessity for a certain percentage of
proteins, fat, and carbohydrates as well as minerals and
suggested proportional parts of each as a balanced diet.
They had not developed the concept of calories but
generally were beginning to understand the general make-up
of a balanced diet.^^

They were doing radical mastectomies in the 1890s
and Dr. Warmuth read a paper at the state society
detailing the operation and describing one particular
operation on his patient in which Doctors Crosthwait and
Gracy assisted. Dr. Gracy administered chloroform
anesthesia. The operation included the excision of the
breast, removing the major chest muscles down to the rib
cage, and dissection of the lymph nodes in the axilla. ■'-

The Middle Tennessee Medical Association was organized
in Nashville September 20, 1894. It was to be composed of
physicians in the central part of the state and would meet
once or twice a year at various towns in Middle Tennessee.
The Rutherford County physicians were active in this society

^^W. C. Bilbro, M. D., "What Shall We Feed Our
Patients?" Transactions of the Medical Scoiety of the State
of Tennessee (1895), p. 297.

^Ij. H. Warmuth, M. D. "The Radical Operation for
Cancer of the Breast," Transactions of the Medical Society
of the State of Tennessee (1896), p. 210.

150

as well as in the state society and their own county
medical society. In 1895 Dr. Murfree presented a paper to
the Middle Tennessee Medical Society entitled "The
Surgical Treatment of Pleural Effusions"^2 and presented
another paper to that society in 1896 entitled "Placenta
Previa. "^-^ Dr. Murfree was elected president of that
organization in 1898 and gave an eloquent presidential
address to the organization which met that year in Dixon,
Tennessee, on May 19 and 20. His address was entitled
"The Doctor. "64

Dr. C. B. Heimark established a practice in Eagleville
about 1895. He built up a good practice there and the
people seemed to like him. It was noted that he began
making regular night trips to Nashville in a wagon hauling
a mysterious load. He would change horses in Nashville
and return before morning ready to go about his usual
business of medical practice. This activity went on for

62j. B. Murfree, M. D., "The Surgical Treatment of
Pleural Effusions," Nashville Journal of Medicine and
Surgery, V. 79 (1896), 199.

"^J. B. Murfree, M. D., "Placenta Previa," Nashville
Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 80 (1896), 103.

64j. B. Murfree, M. D., "The Doctor," Nashville
Journal of Medicine and Surgery, V. 84 (1898), 9.

151

some time. The people of Eagleville became suspicious
when it was revealed that grave robbing was going on in
the community. State authorities were informed and an
investigation traced some of the stolen bodies. Two
bodies were traced to Burlington, Vermont, in a box that
was labeled "books." The bodies were returned to Murfrees-
boro by train, and hearses carried them back to Eagleville;
they were then reburied. The investigation revealed that
an eastern concern had contracted to pay Dr. Heimark $45
for each body delivered to them. Supposedly the bodies
were resold to medical schools in the east to be used by
students in anatomy classes for dissection. In all three
bodies were stolen. Dr. Heimark was arrested. The grand
jury indicted him in February, 1898. He was fined $150
and sentenced to six months in jail. He paid the fine,
served the sentence, then left the county. In the AMA
Directory, Volume I, 1906, he was listed as residing and
practicing medicine in Battle Lake, Minnesota.

An interesting paper was presented to the state
society by Dr. W. F. Clary of Bell Buckle in 1897 des-
cribing the preferred treatment of typhoid fever. The

65Minnie Fairfield Dyer, The History of Eagleville
(Privately Published, 1972), pp. 8-9.

Area Physicians During the 1890s

152

John W. Acuff

(Bell Buckle)
James Barton

(Cannon County)
John S. Bass

(Murf reesboro )
Thomas J. Bennett

( Smyrna--Triune )
Robert C. Bicknell

(Murf reesboro)
W. C. Bilbro

(Murf reesboro)
Robert C. Bogle

(Fosterville — Midland)
M. H. Bonner

(Murf reesboro)
James N. Bridges

(Readyville)
James F. Byrn

(Murf reesboro )
James M. Chadwick

(Beech Grove)
Ephraim Charlton

(Davidson County)
Wm. Franklin Clary

(Bell Buckle)
John James Covington

(College Grove)
George W. Crosthwait

( Florence )
James Peyton Curlee

(Bradyville)
Joseph W. Davis

(Smyrna--La Vergne )
James H. Dickens

(Readyvil le )
James M. Dill
John F. Dismukes

(Porterf ield)
Benjamin F. Duggan

(Unionville)
Solon S. Duggan

( Unionvil le )
F. M. Duke

( Wartrace )

John N. Dykes

(Versailles )
E. M. Eaton
J. E. Elam
Thomas J. Elam
John A. Ewing

(La Vergne)
Clarence N. Ferguson

(Chapel Hill)
John R, Fletcher

(Wartrace )
W- R. Freeman

(Bell Buckle)
John Wesley Gaines

( Antioch)
John Gannaway

(Fairfield)
Brainard B. Gracy

( Smyrna )
Elias Tidwell Gray

(Versailles )
Samuel Carver Grigg
Moses T. Griswell

(Wartrace )
Benjamin Franklin Guill

(Wilson County)
Joseph David Hall

(Kittrell)
Robert B. Harris

( Jefferson )
Henry Marion Hearn

(Woodbury)
Charles B. Heimark

(Eagleville)
W. E. Hibbett

( Smyrna )
William Murphree Hoover

( Beech Grove )
Dewitt Clinton Huff

(Christiana)
Enoch H. Jones

(Murf reesboro )
Garner M. Jordan

( Triune )

Area Physicians During the 1890s (continued)

153

Robert N. Knox
George Leonard Landis

( Unionvil le )
Bailey Peyton Lester

(Woodbury )
Nathaniel M. Lewis

(Florence )
Amasa W. Manire

(Eagleville)
John Wesley Mankin

(Beech Grove)
Robert W. Martin

(Milton)
Pleasant H. McBride

(Noah)
J. B. McClellan

(Murf reesboro )
Lyman Beecher McCrary

(Woodbury )
Allen Posey McCul lough

(Milton)
Armstrong Eagleton McKnight

(Milton)
Bennett Rucker McKnight

(Auburntown) .
Thomas M. McMurray

( Nolensville )
Lorenzo Dow Miller

(Bradyville)
Robert Moon

(Unionville )
James W. Morton

(Chapel Hill)
James B. Murfree, Sr.

(Murf reesboro )
James B. Murfree, Jr.

(Murf reesboro )
M. Edward Nealy

(Walter Hill)
James K. Nor Veil

(Beech Grove)
D. F. Orr

(Midland)

W. M. Orr

(Midland)
Urban G. Owen

(College Grove)
George C. Paschall

(Williamson County)
Thomas Ivan Poplin

(Midland)
Medicus Ransom
Robert William Read
James Joshua Rucker

(Salem)
Minus L. Rucker

(Wilson County)
Robley Edward Sanders

(Walter Hill)
Ephraim A. Speer

( Readyville )
James A. Speer
Robert Fountain Tatum, Sr .

(Woodbury )
Nimrod Whitefield Thompson
James T. Turney

(Auburntown )
John S. Waldron

(Smyrna--La Vergne)
Henry Joseph Warmuth

( Smyrna )
James E. Wendel

(Murf reesboro)
Robert S. Wendel

(Murf reesboro)
B. N. White, Sr.

(Murf reesboro)
John Howland White

(Jordan's .Valley)
Harrison Whitfield Winstead

(Williamson County)
Thomas W. Wood

( Deason )
Stephen Henry Woods
William E. Youree

154

treatment, that of hydrotherapy, was described by Dr. Brandt
of Germany in the 1860s; most of the medical schools in
the country had adopted it as the treatment of choice. The
patient with typhoid always had a high fever; he was
immersed in a tub of cold water for periods of up to
fifteen or twenty minutes, three and four times a day for
the control of the fever, more often if the fever warranted
it. He stated in the paper that no drug or method of
treatment was presently known by which the enteric fever
could be aborted, but it could be controlled by the cold
baths. He wrote that blood-letting, emetics, purgatives,
astringents, turpentines, silver nitrate, mineral acids
and antiseptics had all been used in the past but were not
warranted in present treatment, stating "the greater
number of these agents have no longer even a historical
interest . """

When the Middle Tennessee Medical Association met in
Murfreesboro in May, 1904, Dr. J. B. Murfree was designated
by the Rutherford County Medical Society to give the
welcoming address to the visiting doctors. Dr. E. H. Jones
of Murfreesboro read a paper to the group entitled

^^W. F. Clary, M. D., "Treatment of Enteric or Typhoid
Fever According to the Method of Brandt," Transactions of
the Medical Society of the State of Tennessee (1897), 76.

155

"Gastro-Intestinal Disorders in Children." He primarily
discussed the summer diarrheas in infants attributing the
cause of these illnesses to bacterial contamination of
milk, at least' on many occasions. He prescribed saline
enemas which, he physiologically reasoned, replaces some
of the lost constituents of the blood. The doctors were
beginning to realize that dehydration was a major part
of the morbidity of diarrheal disease.

In 1902 the Medical Society of the State of Tennessee
changed its name to The Tennessee State Medical Association
and established a new constitution and a new set of by-laws
to go into effect immediately. The new constitution and
by-laws provided that the transformed state organization
should be a federation of county medical societies that
should hold charters from the association. The members of
the association were to be the members of the county
society or, to put it in another way, only those physicians
in the state who were or should become members of county
societies could attain membership in the state association.
The county societies were required to receive a charter
from the state association and to adopt principles of

E. H. Jones, M. D., "Gastro-Intestional Disorders in
Children," Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery,
V. 96 (1904), 717.

156

organizations not in conflict with the state organization's
constitution and by-laws and the county society was to
have the right to send delegates in proportion to its
membership to the House of Delegates of the Tennessee State
Medical Association. In that year the Rutherford County
Medical Society received its charter from the Tennessee
State Medical Association, a charter which has remained
in effect to the present day.^^

By the turn of the century medicine in Rutherford
County was experiencing the excitement of the new dis-
coveries in medicine, most especially that which was
brought about by the germ theory. Already the subjects of
microbiology and bacteriology were being taught at the
medical schools in Nashville. So the dissemination of the
exciting new medical knowledge acquired in the last part
of the nineteenth century had reached our area and was
already being utilized in the local practice of medicine.
In addition the discovery of the germ theory initiated an
interest in public health. The epidemics of cholera and
yellow fever in the seventies had goaded the legislature
to action and the State Board of Health was established
in 1877. That board undertook to do something about

^^Hamer, pp. 119-120

157

controlling the epidemic diseases and they set about to
get boards of health established in the towns and cities
within the state. The Murfreesboro Board of Health was
organized during 1877 with a membership as follows:
James B. Murfree, M. D. , president, C. B. Huggins, Sr.,
secretary, H. H. Clayton, M. D. , health officer, Medicus
Ransom, M. D. , Robert S. Wendell, M. D., and J. B. Palmer.
In 1885 the general assembly passed a law creating county
boards of health to be composed of the county judge, the
county court clerk, the county health officer. Soon there-
after the Rutherford County Board of Health was formed
with James B. Murfree, M. D., president, John Woods,
chairman of the County Court, W. B. Robinson, Clerk of the
County Court. ^^

Dr. E. H. Jones read a paper before the Middle
Tennessee Medical Association November 17, 1904, on
obstetrical practice in which he emphasized the many safe-
guards and danger signals in obstetrical practice. In
this paper he mentioned that everyone knew it was impos-
sible to completely sterilize the hands; therefore, all
examinations should be done with sterile gloves. Although
Halstead was the first to use gloves in aseptic surgery

^^Sims, pp. 141-142,

158

in the 1890s, the news spread quickly and they were being
used in Rutherford County in 1904.70

Dr. Jones read a paper on pellagra at the Tennessee
State Medical Association in April, 1911. The cause of
pellagra at the time was unknown, but it was theorized that
it might be produced as a result of spoiled grain. They
recognized sufficient relationship between the development
of the cases and the diets of the patients to associate the
disease with some type of dietary problem. He reported a
case he had seen whose diet had been largely of corn, mush
and milk. Dr. Jones did not mention changing the patient's
diet, but treated him with arsenic, iron, and strychnia;
so, of course, that type of treatment did not correct the
deficiency state. They did not know about vitamin defi-
ciencies at that time and they did not know whether the
disease was communicable or not. This disease was very
prevalent in the south during the early nineteen
hundreds J'-

Dr. S. S. Duggan, a practitioner in Eagleville, read,
before the Rutherford County Medical Society on August 30,

^^E. H. Jones, M. D., "Obstetrical Maxims Epitomized
and Emphasized," Nashville Journal of Medicine and
Surgery, V. 97 (1905), 1.

7^E. H. Jones, M. D. , "Pellagra, With Report of a
Case," Journal of the Tennessee State Medical Association,
V. 4 (1911), 97.

159

Area Physicians 1900-1910

John W. Acuff

(Bell Buckle)
John S. Bass

(Murf reesboro )
Thomas J. Bennett

( Smyrna--Triune )
W. C, Bilbro

(Milton)
L. A. Brothers

( Fosterville )
James F. Byrn

(Murf reesboro)
James M. Chadwick

(Beech Grove)
Ephraim Charlton

(Davidson County)
W. F. Clary

(Bell Buckle)
William Collett
J. J. Covington

(College Grove)
G. W. Crosthwait

(Florence )
James P. Cur lee

(Bradyville)
Dr . Denny
James M. Dill

(Dilton)
John F. Dismukes

(Porterf ield)
George T. Drennan

(Bell Buckle)
J. C. Drennan

(Woodbury)
S . S . Duggan

(Eagleville)
John N. Dykes

(Christiana )
V. K, Earthman

(Murf reesboro)
Thomas J. Elam
Sam E. Estes

(Walter Hill)
Dr. Evans
John A. Ewing

(La Vergne)

George C. Fisher

(Unionville )
Robert J. Fisher

(Unionville )
Edgar C. Freas

( Lascassas )
W. R. Freeman

(Bell Buckle)
John Gannaway

(Fairfield)
Lemuel B. Gilbert

(Woodbury)
David R. Gooch

(Nolensville)
B. B. Gracy

( Smyrna )
Charles R. Graham
Elias T. Gray

(Versailles )
S. C. Grigg
M. H. Grimmett

(Wilson County)
M. T. Griswell

( Wartrace )
Leon B. Hagley
J. D. Hall

(Kittrell)
G. C. Hardin

(Murf reesboro )
J. T. Harris
J. P. Hickman

(Murf reesboro )
E, M. Holmes
John L. Hoover

(Beech Grove)
DeWitt T. Hough
J. R. Hudson

(Major )
D. C. Huff

( Christiana )
A. J. Jamison

(Murf reesboro)
J. H. Jernigan

(Cannon County)
Luther R. Johnson

(Murf reesboro )

Area Physicians 1900-1910 (continued!

160

Enoch H. Jones

(Murf reesboro)
G. M. Jordon

(Triune )
J. C. Kelton .

(Lascassas )
I. H. King

(Murf reesboro)
Robert N. Knox
George L. Landis

(Unionville )
B. P. Lester

(Woodbury)
N. M. Lewis

(Florence )
James P. Lyon
A. W. Manire

(Eaglevil le )
R. W. Martin

(Milton)
James L. Mason

(Beech Brove)
James E. Mayes

( Almaville )
J. B. McClellan

(Murf reesboro)
Lyman B. McCrary

(Woodbury )
A. P. McCul lough
A. E. McKnight

(Milton)
Bennett R. McKnight

( Auburntown )
Thomas M. McMurray

( Nolensville )
L. D. Miller

(Murf reesboro)
Thomas A. Mitchell

(Eagleville)
Robert Moon

(Eagleville)
W. A. Moon

(Bell Buckle)
James W. Morton

(Chapel Hill)

J. B. Murfree, Jr.

(Murf reesboro)
J. B. Murfree, Sr.

(Murf reesboro )
Charles E. Myers

( Smyrna )
Richard Neal
M. E. Nealy

(Walter Hill)
Boone E. Noblitt

( Wartrace )
James K. Norvell

(Beech Grove)
Houston Odom

(Auburntown)
W. M. Orr

(Midland)
J. C. Overall

Urban G. Owen

(College Grove)
W. T. Owen

(College Grove)
G. C. Paschall

(Williamson County)
A. R. Pinkston

(Triune )
Rufus Pitts

(Murf reesboro)
Thomas I. Poplin

(Midland)
M. D. Ratcliff

(Auburntown)
R. W. Read
H. C. Rees
John R. Rickman

(Chapel Hill)
Jefferson Robinson

(Versailles )
J. J. Rucker

(Salem)
M. L. Rucker

(Wilson County)
Charles H. Russell

(Nolensville )
Robley E. Sanders

(Walter Hill)

161

Area Physicians 1900-1910 (continued)

W. J. Sanders
William H. Sedgewick

(Midland)
S. B. Smith

(Salem)
John Simpson

(Wartrace)
John W. Sneed

( Antioch)
E. A. Speer

(Readyville )
D. L. Strader

(Almaville)
James T. Summers

(Walter Hill)
G. W. Taylor
J, S. Taylor

(Puckett)
John Templeton

(Wartrace )
James P. Temple

(Fosterville )
W. T. Thach

(Bell Buckle)
George W. Todd

(Rucker )
James T. Turney

( Auburntown )

R. C. Van Hook
Parks Vaughan
R. D. Vaughn

(Walter Hill)
E. B. Vaughn
J. C. Waddy

(Murf reesboro)
Charles E. Walker

(Antioch)
John L. Walker

(Wartrace )
B. N. White, Jr.

(Murf reesboro )
Garrett White

(Chapel Hill)
John H. White

(Bell Buckle)
S. K. Whitson

(Wartrace )
H. W. Winstead

(Williamson County)
Thomas W. Wood

( Deason)
Stephen H. Woods
Dr. Woodson
William E. Youree

162

1911, a paper on dystocia. This paper was published in
the Journal of the Tennessee State Medical Association.^^

The Rutherford County Medical Society was meeting
regularly and the meetings were held in an office of one
of the physician members. The society was meeting
monthly and at each meeting some instructive cases were
reported and usually an essay was read in addition to the
usual business of the society. At the meeting in
November, 1912, medical legislation was the subject under
general discussion. At that time the county society
proceedings were being published in the Journal of the
Tennessee State Medical Association if the secretary of
the county society would be good enough to send the
journal the minutes of the meetings. At the October,

1912, meeting of the local society. Dr. E. H. Jones gave
a paper on endometritis and Dr. W. C. Bilbro gave a paper
on bradycardia. At the meeting in February, 1913,

Dr. Matt B. Murfree, Sr. read an essay on meningitis and
at the meeting in March, 1913, Dr. J. C. Overall of
Lascassas read an essay on pleurisy. At other sessions in
1913 Dr. S. B. Duggan of Eagleville read an essay on

'^S. S. Duggan, M. D., "Dystocia," Journal of the
Tennessee State Medical Association, V. 5 (1912), 405.

163

fracture of the elbow and Dr. Bart White, Jr. reported an
interesting case of hematuria. At the February, 1914
meeting Dr. E. M. Holmes and Dr. B. N. White, Jr., reported
cases of appendicitis. In December, 1914, Dr. White,
secretary of the local society, wrote the Journal of the
Tennessee State Medical Association as follows: "There
are twenty-four members enrolled, the society is active,
attendance at meetings good, and fraternal feeling
excellent." In May, 1916, the subject for discussion was
arteriosclerosis. At the meeting in October, 1916,
Dr. A. E. Goodloe read a paper on rheumatism.

The county society had an annual outing at the fair-
grounds near Murfreesboro on July 4, 1917. A number of
invited guests were present, among them Doctors 0. N.
Bryan and E. M. Sanders of Nashville who contributed to
the scientific program. The members of the society came
with their families and their baskets and had an old-
fashioned good time together. This annual outing had
come to be a feature which was looked forward to with
great pleasure each year and had undoubtedly done a great
deal to help make the society a stronger and better
organization.

Several doctors from the area served in World War I.
The doctors were accustomed to civilian practice and had

164

to undergo military training to equip them €or military
duty. They in turn trained the enlisted personnel to
prepare them for service in the medical departments.
Repeated physical examinations of all enlisted men were
necessary to eliminate the physically unfit. All the
soldiers were immunized against typhoid and small pox.
They were responsible for sanitation of camps, ships, as
well as all of the medical needs of the sick and the
wounded. The physicians had a great deal more to work
with in World War I than they had in the Civil War.
Preventive medicine was better understood and better
precautions in sanitation and immunization were under-
taken. Wounds were treated with the new surgical aseptic
conditions. Blood was available for transfusions and
intravenous fluids were available which markedly reduced
the number of deaths.

On the battlefield, when a man fell in the front
line, he received his first dressing from his comrade or
an emergency dressing that the soldier had on his person.
Then regimental stretcher bearers would attend the wound
and, if it was serious, the wound was attended by a
regimental surgeon whose aid post would be as near as
possible to the fighting line. No surgery was done at

165

the regimental aid post. The wound was dressed and
hemorrhage was controlled as far as possible, and, if
necessary, a vessel would be ligated. The wounded
soldier, after receiving aid at the regimental aid post,
was carried back farther to the advanced dressing stations
or advanced aid posts by ambulance bearers. The ambulance
then conveyed the seriously wounded to one of the field
hospitals. There the patients were carefully examined
and whatever necessary was done. In the field hospitals
anti-tetanus serum was given and the necessary surgery
was performed. He was then transferred to the evacua-
tion hospital. ^^ Dr. W. T. Robison served ten months of
duty with field hospitals in France. Dr. D. C. Haggard
of Unionville also served in France. Dr. M. B. Murfree,
Sr., was on field hospital duty in France.

The war started April, 1917, and ended November,
1918. Measles and its complications presented one of the
major problems in the army camps. Once again the raw
country boys, previously unexposed to the common conta-
gious diseases and therefore lacking immunity, were thrown
with the inevitable diseases to which they had not been

^^ajor W. J. Bell, M. R. C, "Surgery on the Battle-
field," Journal of the Tennessee State Medical Association,
V. 11 (1918), 61.

Area Physicians 1910-1920

166

J . F . Adams

(Bradyville)
E. B. Allen

(Murfreesboro)
J. S. Allen
W. C. Bilbro

(Milton)
L. A. Brothers

(Fosterville)
V. S. Campbell

(Murfreesboro)
W. F. Clary

(Bell Buckle)
John R. Charlton

(La Vergne area)
G. W. Charlton III

(Antioch)
J. J. Covington

(College Grove)
W. J. M. Covington

(College Grove)
S. C. Craig
G. W. Crosthwait

( Florence)
James P. Curlee

(Bradyville)
James M. Dill

(Dilton)
John F. Dismukes

(Porterf ield)
S. S. Duggan

( Eagleville )
Thomas C- Dunn

(Murfreesboro)
J. N. Dykes

(Christiana)
V. K. Earthman

(Murfreesboro)
Sam E. Estes

(Walter Hill)
John A. Ewing

(La Vergne)
George C. Fisher

( Unionville)
Robert J. Fisher

(Unionville)

John J. Garrett

(Rockvale)
R. C. Garrett

(Eagleville)
David R. Gooch

(Nolensville)

A. E. Goodloe
(Murfreesboro)

B. B. Gracy
( Smyrna )

Elias T. Gray

(Versailles)
S. C. Grigg
J. D. Hall

(Kittrell)
John Henry Hamilton

( Smyrna )
G. C. Hardin

(Murfreesboro)
F. C. Hargis

C. C. Harris
J. P. Hickman

(Murfreesboro )
John L. Hoover

(Beech Grove)
J. R. Hudson

(Walter Hill)

D. C. Huff
(Christiana)

A. J. Jamison
(Murfreesboro)

Edward 0. Jenkins

(Smyrna)
Enoch H. Jones

(Murfreesboro )
J, C- Kelton

( Lascassas )
George L. Landis

(Unionville)

B. P. Lester
(Woodbury)

Henry Lee
N. M. Lewis

(Florence)
A. W. Manire

(Eagleville)

167

Area Physicians 1910-1920 (continued)

W. D. Martin

( Smyrna )
James E. Mayes

( Almaville )
J. B. McClellan
(Murf reesboro)
Lyman B. McCrary

(Woodbury)
Henry L. McGee

(Milton)
Bennett R. McKnight

( Auburntown)
L. D, Miller

(Bradyville)
D. D. Moncrief

(Chapel Hill)
James P. Moon
J. Robert Moon
(Eagleville)
William A. Moon
(Bell Buckle)
C. H. Morgan

(Rucker )
James W. Morton
(Chapel Hill)
Mathias B. Murfree

(Murf reesboro)
J. B. Murfree, Sr.

(Murf reesboro)
Chester E. Myers

(Unionville )
M. E. Nealy

(Walter Hill)
James K. Norvell
(Beech Grove)
J. C. Overall
W. T. Owen

(College Grove)
Arthur Otis Parker

(Auburntown)
Ernest W. Patton

(Wartrace)
Jack F. Perkins
(Beech Grove)

Rufus Pitts

(Murf reesboro)
Thomas I. Poplin

(Midland)
Robert W. Read
W. T. Robison

(Murf reesboro)
J. J. Rucker

(Salem)
John J. Rucker
Robley E. Sanders

(Walter Hill)
W, J, Sanders
J. A, Scott

(Murf reesboro)
Asa D. Sharp

(Murf reesboro)
J. M. Shipp

(Readyville)
S. B. Smith

(Salem)
John W. Sneed

( Antioch)
James T. Summers

(Walter Hill)
J. S. Taylor

(Puckett)
James P. Temple
(Fosterville)
Leland A. Thompson

(Bell Buckle)
C. E. Tubb
E, B. Vaughan
R. D. Vaughan

(Walter Hill)
John L. Walker

(Wartrace)
B. N. White, Jr.
(Murf reesboro)
Garrett White

(Chapel Hill)
E. L, Williams
(Eagleville)

168

Area Physicians 1910-1920 (continued)

T. H. Wood J. B. Woodruff

(Bell Buckle) William E. Youree

Thomas W. Wood
(Deason)

169

exposed. There were also large outbreaks of mumps and
meningitis. Pneumonia was a very prevalent disease.
During the autumn of 1918, influenza entered the picture
with a terrible epidemic.'^'* Dr. B. N. White, Jr. was
cited for meritorious service at Camp Forest, Georgia,
where he was working in the communicable disease section
of the hospital. In this war, also, the deaths from
diseases exceeded those from wounds but the high mortality
from disease occurred chiefly in the camps in the United
States and was attributable, in large part, to the
influenza epidemic of 1918. Had it not been for that
epidemic the death rate from disease in. the military forces
would have been considerably lower.

The 1918 pandemic of influenza reached Middle
Tennessee in early September and ended the middle of
November. In the Middle Tennessee counties about one
person in four contracted the disease and about one person
in every three hundred died of it. The deaths were
usually due to pneumonia. In some areas all public
places were closed until the epidemic had subsided. In
Middle Tennessee a considerable number of prominent

V4Bordley and Harvey, pp. 112-113

170

citizens including doctors died .of the disease. It was
said that most cases were fearful of dying. The epidemic
was indeed severe, but not when compared to some of the
other epidemics endured such as the cholera epidemics
of 1833, 1835, and 1873, and the yellow fever epidemic in
Memphis of 1878. Medically speaking, we are only
slightly better off in our relationship to influenza today
than the world was in 1918. Our advantage is in the
posssibility of treatment of complications- and in the
production of artificial immunity. By November 1, the
influenza situation in Middle Tennessee was such that the
schools and public places were again opened. When the
long World War ended some ten days later, the Middle
Tennessee area was able to celebrate a double armistice. 75

75john B. Thomison, M. D., "The 1918 Influenza
Epidemic in Nashville," Journal of the Tennessee Medical
Association, V. 71 (1978).

171

Area Physicians Serving as Medical Officers
During World War I

Jesse F. Adams

(Bradyville)
B. F. Donahue

(Fosterville).
Snethan B. Duggan

(Eagleville)
Vernon K. Earthman

(Murf reesboro)
Aareiel E. Goodlee

(Murf reesboro)
Daniel C. Haggard

(Unionville)
George E. Horton

(Wartrace )
D. D. Moncrief

(Chapel Hill)

Orville B. Moon

(Bell Buckle)
Mathias B. Murfree

(Murf reesboro)
J. A. Nunn

(College Grove)
Asa D. Sharp

(Murf reesboro)
B. N. White

(Murf reesboro)
S. W. Williams

(Cannon County)
H. C. Wysong

(Beech Grove)

CHAPTER V
STATE OF THE MEDICAL ART 1920-1980

When World War I came to a close the European nations
found themselves economically and socially depressed. The
war ended Europe's preeminence in medical research
especially Germany. As a result of the economic and social
devastation, a "brain drain" of eminent scientists occurred
with the migration of many great men to the United States.
These men became established in various university centers
and along with our own developing scientists, developed
brilliant research centers which were to surprise and
benefit all the world with their startling discoveries.

Even more scientists immigrated to the United States
just prior to and after World War II. Abraham Flexner's
work in the evaluation of all the medical schools at the
turn of the century was a great step toward the future
development of research centers and the advancement of
scientific knowledge. He published his report in 1911,
and, as result of the report, charitable foundations, such
as the Rockefeller and Carnegie, supported the institu-
tions of merit with millions of dollars. This resulted in
the closing of inferior institutions and the development of
the superior ones. In the state of Tennessee it resulted

172

173

in the closing of the University of Nashville and several
other medical schools which were existent in the state, and
served the development of the three institutions we see
today; Vanderbilt University, The University of Tennessee,
and Meharry.

A gradual increase in requirements for medical school
admission was seen during the 1920s; by 1930 two years of
college pre-medical education were required for entrance to
medical school and the medical school curriculum had been
increased to four years. As the scientific knowledge began
to mushroom, it became very apparent that an appropriately
educated physician must have greater education. The pre-
medical requirements by the 1940s had increased to three
years and today most institutions prefer a bachelor's degree
before admission to medical school; uniformly, all medical
schools have a four year curriculum before granting an
M. D. The concept of internship and residency training
in hospitals was developed in the late nineteenth century
especially at John Hopkins and gradually was embraced by
all the other good institutions. This resulted in the
development of internship requirements following gradua-
tion before one could be licensed to practice medicine by
any of the several states.

As the knowledge in medicine advanced the practitioner
in general medicine found it difficult to remain abreast

174

of all the finer details in each discipline of medicine and
surgery. This led, then, to the development of special-
ization, and the various disciplines found themselves
fragmented into subdisciplines , such that today an enormous
specialization in the medical field is appreciated.

The development of medicine over the last sixty-odd
years has been along two major lines; specialism and pre-
ventive medicine. These are not divergent branches of
progress but have brought about advancement in all that is
implied in the term "preventive medicine."

With the development of better research centers medical
discoveries increased in pace. One of the great contri-
butions to medicine in 1921 was contributed by Doctors
Banting and Best with their successful isolation of insulin.
Prior to 1920 the only treatment for diabetes was strict
control of the diet with severe limitation of carbohydrate
intake. In spite of the most rigid dietary adherence the
disease frequently was fatal. Young diabetics rarely
survived for more than a few years. The first insulin
injection was given to a young boy in a Toronto hospital
in 1922. The Eli Lilly Company undertook the commercial
production of insulin in 1922.

Research in genetics was in progress and the chromo-
some theory of heredity was postulated by the American

175

biologist, Thomas Hunt Morgan, in 1921. Vitamin E was
discovered in 1922. Vitamin B in pure form was isolated
in 1926 by Jansen and Donath. The theory of the gene was
propounded by .Thomas Morgan in 1926, and Doctors Murphy and
Minot treated pernicious anemia with liver extract success-
fully in 1926. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in
1928. In 1929 Vitamin K was discovered by the Danish
biochemist Henrik Dam. Yellow fever vaccine was developed
in 1930 by Max Theiler. A Swiss chemist, Paul Karrer,
isolated Vitamin A in 1931, Fritz Mietzsch and Josef
Klarer demonstrated the antibiotic effect of sulfanilamide
in 1932. Vitamin D was discovered in 1932. Reichstein
synthesized pure Vitamin C in 1933. Vitamin B2 was recog-
nized by Doctors Kuhn, Szent-Gyorgyi and von Jauregg in
1933. Vitamin E was chemically identified by Karter,
Salomon, and Fritzsche in 1938, and Vitamin Eg was isolated
in 1938. The Rh factor in human blood was discovered by
Philip Levine and Rufus Stetson in 1939.

In addition to the great discoveries in the chemical
and physiology laboratories as listed above, much research
was going on in the field of physics, and important
developments in the field of surgical techniques. The
American surgeon, Harvey Gushing, developed new techniques
in brain surgery during the 1920s. The ultra-centrifuge

176

was developed by Theodor Svedberg in 1923. Wilhelm Einthoven
received the Nobel Prize in medicine for pioneering work in
electrocardiography in 1924. The "iron lung" was developed
by Drinker and Shaw in 1927. The cyclotron was being
developed by Lawrence in 1930. This contributed toward the
introduction of enormous advances in nuclear medicine in
later years. Alexis Carrel developed an artificial heart
in 1936. The first electron microscope was demonstrated
by the Radio Corporation of America in Camden, New Jersey,
in 1940. Intensive atomic research was begun in 1941 as
the "Manhattan Project" and Enrico Fermi split the atom in
1942. J. Andre-Thomas devised a heart-lung machine for
heart operations in 1951. Radio-active isotopes were
first used in medicine and industry in 1952.

The optical microwave laser was constructed in 1960.
Michael DeBakey first used an artificial heart to take over
the circulation of a patient's blood during heart surgery
in 1963, and Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the world's
first human heart transplant operation in Cape Town, South
Africa, in 1967. The heart pacemaker was first implanted
in 1970 to correct a condition called "heart block." The
first "test tube baby" was born in England in 1978.-'-

■'■Bernard Grun, The Timetables of History (New York,
N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, 1979).

177

It is important, when discussing the developments in
the twentieth century, to realize that in each of these
areas, basic research had already started many years prior
to the final discovery, and, in many cases basic scientific
research had started in the early nineteenth century. A
whole field of science rarely develops over-night. It is
usually developed through a series of classical experi-
ments over a long time frame involving the talents and
efforts of many scientists. As an example, modern gastro-
enterology could be said to have been born on June 6, 1822,
when Dr. William Beaumont treated the severe wound of Alexis
St. Martin which left his stomach permanently exposed
through the abdominal wall. Dr. Beaumont's classic series
of experiments proved the presence of hydrochloric acid
in the gastric juice. So the developments have usually
been stepwise, the startling new discoveries having been
predicated on the researches of many people in the past.

Specialization has spread continuously. The American
Medical Directory now lists sixty-six specialties, the last
two of which are aero-space medicine and emergency medicine.
A few of these fields will be chosen to illustrate the
remarkable advances of the twentieth century.

In the field of human genetics research has steadily
advanced. Intensive research on inborn or genetic errors

178

started in the 1940s. As a result of such researches, the

cause of Down's Syndrome (or Mongolism) is now recognized

as a genetic error. In the late 1960s techniques were

developed for prenatally diagnosing genetic diseases by

culturing cells obtained from the amniotic fluid. This

has permitted the detection of abnormal fetuses. Recent

experimental work indicates that someday it may even be

possible to introduce genetic material into defective cells

so that they might essentially cure themselves.

Immunology actually began it's history at the end of

the nineteenth century and is one of the building stones

of preventive medicine. The present century has seen the

introduction of large scale vaccinations against diphtheria,

tetanus, small pox, polio, whooping cough, typhus, cholera,

measles, mumps, influenza, and most recently, hepatitis B.

Allergic reactions were recognized.

At the end of World War II, immunology entered
a phase which eventually permitted a molecular bio-
logical explanation for many of the immune phe-
nomena associated with infectious diseases and
which showed that many other biological activities,
not directly related to infectious diseases, actually
have an immunological basis. In the 1930s it had
been discovered that the factors in blood which
carry out the immune activity are in the gamma globulin
fraction of the blood serum. Later studies showed
these factors to be protein molecules, called
immunoglobulins, which are capable of a wide range

179

of interacting functions (e.g., with polio virus,
tetanus toxin, diphtheria toxin, ragweed pollen).^

In the first part of the twentieth century the viruses
could only be studied by observing the effect on the
organisms they infected. They were too small to be seen
by the ordinary microscope. With the invention of the
electron microscope it was possible to examine the structure
of viruses in greater detail and to study their relation-
ships and reactions within the cells they infected. Methods
were developed for growing cells in culture media called
"tissue culture." This permitted the development of
knowledge regarding the genetics in mutation of viruses.
The practical results from all this research have had
beneficial effects on the health of mankind second only to
the discovery of antibiotics. The development of the
polio vaccine, rubella vaccine (German measles), measles
vaccine, hepatitis B etc., are examples of the benefits.

In the field of cancer more and more information is
being developed but we are still far from all the answers;
however, in the process of this research we have developed
a totally new field called oncology, which specializes

^Albert S. Lyons, M. D. , F. A. C. S., and R. Joseph
Petrucelli, II, M. D. , Medicine An Illustrated History
(New York, N.Y.: Harry N. Abrams , Inc., Publishers, 1978),
p. 579.

180

in cancer treatment. The tools of research and therapy used
in oncology are radiation and chemotherapy.

In the fields of diagnosis and therapy radiation has
been useful not only in the theraputic treatment of cancer,
but it has also been a powerful tool in the diagnosis of
disease. X-ray facilities in hospitals and offices have
become centers of diagnostic activity. Tuberculosis became
detectable earlier and cancers were found more readily at
stages when they could be surgically removed. Early in
the 1920s methods of visualizing the gall bladder and
kidneys by X-ray were developed using contrast media.
These workers and others took the first step toward the
visualization of blood vessels, heart and other structures
by techniques which used X-ray. A new concept developed
in the early 1970s: a diagnosis by computer processing
of many beams of radiation cast into the body from differ-
ent directions (computerized axial tomography or CAT-SCAN),
which provided insight into the interior of the body far
exceeding the capabilities of the conventional X-ray
facilities. The use of radio-active isotopes for purposes
of "scanning" has been developed and may show abnormalities

in the lungs, tumors in the brain, growths in bone, masses

3
in the thyroid, liver, and other organs.

Lyons and Petrucelli, pp. 587-588.

181

Penicillin and sulfanilamides were used successfully

in the treatment of bacterial disease in the early 40s.

After World War II the field of antibiotic research advanced

rapidly with the introduction of streptomycin, tetracyclines,

chloramphenical . Today we have available a host of

antibiotics to cover most of the vast spectrum of bacterial

disease.

As new substances were used, bacterial targets
developed resistance so researchers have had to
enter an ever-quickening race to stay ahead of the
adaptation by germs to each new drug. Furthermore
antibacterial agents are limited by the inherent
toxicity and newly acquired allergies and sensi-
tivities of [some] patients to the antibiotics.'*

High blood pressure was known late in the nineteenth

century and efforts to measure it were started by various

researchers in Europe, The first blood pressure manometer

was developed in Germany but it was cumbersome and not

accurate. Late in the 1890s an Italian physician improved

the manometer, making it much more accurate and less

cumbersome. Dr. Harvey Gushing, returning to America

from a trip in Europe, brought one of these instruments

back and started measuring blood pressure for the first

time in America in 1905. Rapidly following this, the use

of a blood pressure measuring instrument became a part of

^Lyons and Petrucelli, p. 590

182

routine examinations. Then problems of elevation in blood
pressure started to be intensively investigated. Various
medications were tried to reduce blood pressure. In the
late 1920s the surgeons developed a surgical procedure
called sympathectomy which reduced the blood pressure
in patients who had severe blood pressure disease (the
so-called malignant hypertension). Gradually drugs have
been introduced which have been effective in reducing the
blood pressure. Now a whole host of these medications
are available which allow the hypertensive patient to
control his problem permitting him to lead a productive,
near normal life.

With the advent of preventive measures in the control
of epidemics the deaths from infectious disease began a
decline. As a result the life expectancy of the population
began to increase. As the age of the population
increased other diseases began to occupy a more prevalent
position in the cause of mortality. Whereas a hundred
years ago infectious diseases were overwhelmingly the most
prevalent cause of death, today we find cancer and
cardiovascular disease. Research efforts into these two
areas have been immense but they continue to be the major
causes of death in our population excluding trauma from
accidents. To choose one of these areas in illustrating

183

the advances in medicine from 1920 to 1980 cardiovascular
disease offers ample illustration.

Einthoven's experiments demonstrated a correlation
between occlusion of coronary arteries in animals and the
development of abnormal changes on the electrocardiogram.
These experiments led to modern electrocardiography; the
physician can now see certain changes suspect of cardio-
vascular disease; and he can frequently identify the
changes of acute heart attack due to coronary occlusion.
It also allowed development of knowledge in conduction
defects (rhythm disturbances) of the heart. The field of
cardiology, therefore, was enormously aided by the develop-
ment of the electrocardiogram. Each year more than 1.5
million Americans suffer heart attacks, a large percentage
of whom die. In most instances these attacks are due to
coronary insufficiency or occlusion and many of the deaths
are sudden. This led to the realization that the sudden
deaths were due to rhythm disturbances produced by faulty
blood supply to the heart muscle; this knowledge in turn
lead gradually to the development of the concept of a
Coronary Care Unit (heart unit). The innovators and
researchers realized that if some means could be developed
to constantly monitor a coronary patient's heart rate and
rhythm, it might be possible to prevent many of the fatal

184

rhythm disturbances. The concept of counter electric shock
had been developed years previously; electric shock was
known to be capable of producing a fatal arrhythmia; but
it also was known that countershock could restore a normal
beat in some hearts with fatal arrhythmia. Gradually
these concepts were improved and today's modern coronary
care unit is the result. Simultaneously the concept of
cardiopulmonary resuscitation was developed; now artificial
resuscitating measures for breathing and circulation can
be instituted early in the course of respiratory or heart
arrest. These new concepts have considerably reduced the
mortality in cardiovascular disease.

Further, in the field of surgery the development of
the heart-lung machine allowed the surgeons to do open-
heart surgery with insertion of artificial heart valves to
replace defective ones (most of which occurred as the
result of rheumatic fever or congenital defects) which
otherwise could have been fatal early in life. With the
development of contrast media studies in X-ray, arterio-
graphic studies were developed which allowed the practi-
tioner to see the actual arteries and to note the
obstruction of blood supply not only to the heart but
also to other such as the brain or extremities or the
abdominal viscera. Once a technique was devised to

185

demonstrate the area of obstruction it was only a matter of
course for the surgeons to develop a process by which the
obstruction could be by-passed. The development of today's
coronary by-p^ss surgery and by-pass procedures in other
areas of the body was a natural result.

When Barnard transplanted the first human heart in
1967, the medical community and lay population alike
developed feverish excitement over the future potentiality.
As the researches in the field of immunology began to
develop drugs which could suppress the immune system (which
was frequently rejecting the donor tissues) more and more
transplant procedures became available and were far more
successful. Today, in addition to heart transplants,
surgeons are performing successful kidney transplants,
liver transplants, heart-lung transplants, bone marrow
transplants .

To produce all of these wonders of modern medicine
has required the intermeshing and cooperation of many
scientific disciplines, each complimenting the other, and
cooperating to build a scientific framework of knowledge
and technique which have allowed the development of
unbelievable progress in the treatment of human disease.

Today's modern hospital with all its improved
diagnostic facilities, treatment expertise, qualified

186

professional personnel, and supurb ancillary and supporting
facilities and personnel is a far cry from the treatment
centers earlier in the century. Further, the education of
not only the physician, but also the other professional
people involved in health care, has been markedly improved,
and, in fact, demanded by the profession and public alike.
A big contribution to the improvement in medical care has
been due to improved education of the public toward medical
problems; the effectiveness of the various communication
media as well as the educational efforts on the part of
organized medicine has contributed greatly to this end.
The communication media has been very active in informing
the lay public about medical developments over the years,
teaching them about the developments of new medications,
new diagnostic procedures, how to handle various medical
crises, all of which has led to a much more informed and
sophisticated lay population toward medical matters.

One must also consider the improved communication and
transportation available to the modern public. With the
improvements in these areas, we now enjoy a superb ambulance
capability with resuscitation units and trained resuscita-
tion personnel on the units which allow transportation of
the acute patient from the site he was stricken to the
hospital, supporting him during transport by professional

187

personnel. Further, these units while en route are in
communication with emergency room units, whose physicians
can give appropriate medical advice allowing the ambulance
personnel to a:dminister many support measures to the patient
until he reaches the hospital. Now heliports are being
developed in the larger medical centers for the purpose of
rapidly evacuating acutely ill patients to the hospital.

The list of new medicines available for therapy in
various disease states, the new surgical and medical pro-
cedures available, the ever increasing knowledge in all the
areas of medicine is mind boggling. Undoubtedly these
unprecedented advances have made the modern physician more
satisfied with his work than perhaps the earlier physicians
were. More tools and understanding are available to the
modern physician. The same is true with the lay public.
They obviously are much more satisfied with the treatment
received today than were the people a hundred years ago.

Nevertheless, to put all this into perspective we must
still realize that we have no cure for arthritis, no cure
for the problem of aging, no cure for all of the forms of
cancer, no cure for many diseases of the central nervous
system. And we must also realize that with the cure of so
many diseases of the past resulting in the consequent
prolongation of the average life expectancy by decades, we

have developed other social and therefore other medical

problems which command the attention and efforts of modern

man — the problem of drug abuse, alcoholism, mental stress,

the appalling • loss of life through accidents, and the

enormous load put on hospitals and surgeons to treat the

trauma resulting from accidents. It certainly seems that

as old problems are solved, new and frequently more

formidable problems present themselves as a new and ever

increasing threat.

Today the doctors ' powers

. . . to prevent and control disease have grovm out
of all recognition. If scientific progress can
be kept at present levels--which is no foregone
conclusion but needs untiring and intelligent
efforts; if the social gap can be bridged between
medical knowledge and its availability to the
majority of the community; if civilization is able
to survive the catastrophies which threaten it;
then most of the history of medicine so far may
be hardly more than "prehistory" to future historians
and doctors. Yet their debt to their predecessors
will be as immeasurable as is ours to the anonymous
caveman who once in the dim past discovered the use
of fire.^

^Erwin H. Ackernecht, M. D., A Short History of
Medicine (Baltimore, Md . : John Hopkins University Press,
1982), p. 240.

CHAPTER VI
MEDICAL PRACTICE IN RUTHERFORD COUNTY 1920-1980

Rutherford County Medical Society remained organized
but did not hold the usual regular meetings during World
War I because so many of the doctors were in the military
service, but in 1920 reorganization was effected. The
society met in February of 1920 and elected Dr. M. B.
Murfree, Sr., president. Dr. J. M. Shipp of Readyville
vice-president, Dr. J. A. Scott secretary-treasurer;
Dr. Murfree and Dr. V. S. Campbell were chosen as delegate
and alternate delegate respectively to the state conven-
tion. Following the reorganization the medical associa-
tion met regularily and was thoroughly active. The meetings
were held in the basement of the Central Christian Church
and at each meeting the ladies of the church served the
society lunch.

At the December 1 meeting 1920 of the Rutherford
County Medical Society the entire December program was
devoted to the subject of cancer with several case reports.
At the meeting of May 4, 1921, Dr. J. F. Adams of Brady-
ville presented a paper "What the Country Doctor Can Do."

In the fall, 1922, the Middle Tennessee Medical
Society met in Murf reesboro. Committee on arrangements
were Doctors Robison, Murfree, and Scott. The meeting was

189

190

held in the Elks Club but the public meeting was held in
the auditorium of Middle Tennessee State Normal and a
banquet was held for the members at Middle Tennessee State
Normal. Dr. J. F. Adams of Bradyville gave some case
reports at the meeting and Doctor M. B. McCrary of Woodbury
gave a paper on pellagra.^

During the 1920s, at least up until the time
Rutherford Hospital was built, the basic health care
delivery system changed little over the methods used during
the first twenty years of the century. However, immuniza-
tions had been developed and were being used for the
purpose of prevention. The doctors still practiced much of
the medicine and surgery in the homes of the patients,
traveling widely into the county. Doctors Robinson,
Murfree, and J. F. Adams did most of the surgery in the
area, most of which was done in the home of the patient,
usually on the kitchen table, but, if extensive surgery
was involved, they sent the patient to a Nashville hospi-
tal. Sometimes a Nashville physician would journey to
Murfreesboro to assist a local physician in surgery at
the patient's home. Obstetrical deliveries at that time
were done almost all in the home, elaborate preparation

■'-Mayne B. McCrary, M. D., "Pellagra," Journal of
Tennessee State Medical Association, V. 15 (1923), 529

191

being made to insure antisepsis so far as possible.
Instruments were being sterilized and the doctors wore
sterilized gloves for surgical procedures and obstetrical
deliveries. They carried sterile packs with them into
the homes, having been prepared at their offices, but
occasionally the instruments would be sterilized in the
home. Most of the doctors in the 1920s had automobiles,
but in the country some still used the buggy, and in some
cases horseback. Many of the physicians had a driver
because they weren't too adept at managing the new "motor
machines . "

Communication between Murfreesboro and Nashville was
improved, allowing reasonable access to Nashville hospitals
except in certain emergencies. The Nashville , ^ Ghatbanopga
and St. Louis railroad served Murfreesboro and Nashville.
There were five trains daily between Nashville and
Murfreesboro. The hard surface road between Nashville and
Murfreesboro was said to be the best road in the state,
and regular bus service four times each day and a touring
car service every hour from Nashville to Murfreesboro was
in service. There were no hospitals in the county and no
laboratory facilities available. When laboratory tests
were required, the doctors used the state laboratory in
Nashville. From a public health standpoint there was no

192

real organized public health program in the county in the
early twenties. Rutherford County had only four regis-
tered nurses and three practical nurses in addition to the
Red Cross nurse, Miss Ferguson. There were sixteen mid-
wives practicing in the county, all untrained. There was
no regular organized clinic work in the county and no
efforts had been made by the local health authorities
along the line of venereal disease control. The county
certainly needed an active public health program and the
county was in desperate need of hospital facilities.

The Red Cross Chapter was organized during World
War I and headed by Mr . S. B. Christy Jr., a local
business man. Whatever real public health work was done
from then until the establishment of a public health
program was done by the Red Cross under the efficient
public health nurse. Miss Maude Ferguson. The work was
financed by the local chapter of the Red Cross with an
annual appropriation by the city of Murf reesboro . Miss
Ferguson developed a public health program that included
physical examinations of school children and a generous
amount of public health education. She had the loyal
support of a number of physicians and dentists who gave
generously of their time and services to assist her.
The county court appropriated and provided a health

193

budget for the county. A part time health officer was
appointed by the county court which appropriated $700
annually for his salary and incidental expenses. The
major portion- of his activities consisted of visits to
patients at the county farm and county jail. A County
Board of Health was in existence but no health work of an
organized nature was carried on by this organization.
There also was a City Board of Health early in the 1920s
and there was a part time health officer who was given a
salary of $300 a year. His duties consisted chiefly of
treating the sick in the city jail.

There was a very high tuberculosis death rate in
Rutherford County during the twenties, an exceedingly
high mortality from typhoid fever and a moderate infant
mortality rate. The water supply of Murfreesboro during
the early twenties, although chlorinated, needed filtra-
tion. There were abundant areas of public health need.
The general health standards of the community were found
lacking. Many homes within the city limits had no toilet
facilities. Commercial farms and factories had ignored
sanitary conditions. There was an unusually high inci-
dence of pellagra, hookworm, venereal disease. There
was an inadequate sewerage system. Miss Ferguson, of the
Red Cross, learned of the Commonwealth Fund in New York

194

Area Physicians During the 1920s

J . F . Adams

( Bradyvi lie — Woodbury )
E. B. Allen

(Murf reesboro)
J. S. Allen

(Murf reesboro)
H. Ashley

(Noah)
J. B. Black

(Murf reesboro)
T. J. Bratton

(Woodbury)
L. A. Brothers

(Fosterville)
V. S. Campbell

(Murf reesboro)
Lennora S. Carter

(Murtreesboro)
J. W. Cartwright

(Christiana)
M. L. Connell

(Wartrace)
W. J. M. Covington

(College Grove)
Albert M. Cross

(Woodbury)
G. W. Crosthwait

(Florence)
Charles R. Crow

(Bumpus Mills)
N. H. Culbertson

(Chapel Hill)
E. A. Davis

(Murf reesboro)
C. W. Dickey

(Nolensville )
J. F. Dismukes

(Milton)
J. H. Dyer

(Wartrace )
V. K. Earthman

(Murf reesboro)
W. T. Eatherly

(Chapel Hill)
W. J. Engles

( Smyrna )

Sam E. Estes
(Walter Hill)

W. R. Estes
(Auburntown)

J. A. Ewing
(La Vergne)

C. N. Ferguson
(Chapel Hill)

J. K. Freeman

(Bell Buckle)
W. H. Garner

(Murf reesboro)
J. J. Garrett

(Rockvale)
R. C. Garrett

(Eagleville)

D. R. Gooch
(Nolensville)

A. N. Gordon
(Fosterville)

J. R. Gott

(Murf reesboro)

B. B. Gracy
( Smyrna )

W. W. Graham

(College Grove)
J. D. Hall

(Readyville)
H. E. Handley

(Murf reesboro)
James R. Hamilton

(Murf reesboro)
John H. Hamilton

( Smyrna )
G. C. Hardin

(Murf reesboro )
F. C. Hargis

( Lascassas )
J. T. Harris

(Walter Hill)
J. P. Hickman

(Murf reesboro )
J. L. Hoover

(Beech Grove)
D. C. Huff

(Christiana)

195

Area Physicians During the 1920s (continued)

J. D. Huff
(Readyville)

A. J. Jamison
(Murfreesboro)

J. T. Johnson .

(College Grove)
J. E. Jones

(Murfreesboro)
J. C. Kelton

(Lascassas )
W. C. Kirkland

(Wartrace)
G. L. Landis

(Unionville)
Harry Lee

(Walter Hill)
J. H. Lemore

(Murfreesboro)
J. S. Lowry

( Smyrna )
J. B. McClellan

(Murfreesboro)
M. B. McCrary

(Woodbury)
H. L. McGee

(Milton)

B. R, McKnight
( Auburntown)

D. D. Moncrief

(Chapel Hill)
J. P. Moon

(College Grove)
J. R. Moon

(Eagleville)
W. A. Moon

(Bell Buckle)
M. B. Murfree, Sr

(Murfreesboro)
H. S. Mustard

(Murfreesboro)
Bristol Nelson

(Murfreesboro)
0. G. Nelson

(Murfreesboro)
B. L. Ousley

(Christiana)

W

R

J. C. Overall

(Murfreesboro)
G. C. Paschall

( Arrington )
James A. Paty

(Bell Buckle)
J. G. Robinson
(College Grove)
T. Robison
(Murfreesboro)
J. Rucker
(Overall)
E. Sanders
(Walter Hill)

A. Scott
(Murfreesboro)

M. Shipp
(Readyville)

H. Smith
(Beech Grove)

B. Smith
(Overall )

M. Smoot
(Woodbury)

H. Sneed
(Milton)

W. Sneed
( Antioch)

W. Summers
(Walter Hill)

P. Taylor
(Wartrace)

S. Taylor
(Almaville)

E. Tubb
(Murfreesboro)

C. Van Hook, Sr
(Norene )

John L. Walker

(Wartrace)
J. I. Waring

(Murfreesboro)
B. N. White, Jr.

(Murfreesboro)
Garrett White

(Chapel Hill)

R

196

Area Physicians During the 1920s (continued)

L. Wiles
(Halls Hill)

W. Williams
(Gassaway )

L. Williams
(Eagleville)

B. Woodruff
(Murf reesboro)

Dexter Woods

(Murf reesboro)
T . H . Woods

(Bell Buckle)
H. C. Wysong

(Beech Grove)
W. E. Youree

(Readyville )

197

City and its interest in establishing child health
demonstrations. Mr. Christy, Red Cross head, contacted
the Commonwealth Fund, hoping to influence them to estab-
lish such a program in Rutherford County. This led to a
consideration of Rutherford County for establishment of a
Child Health Demonstration Unit financed by the fund.
Dr. S. J. Crumbine was sent by the Commonwealth Fund to
investigate the possibilities in Rutherford County. He
worked in the area for some time, preparing an elaborate
report to take back to the Commonwealth Fund. He listed
all the resources of the area, considered the possible
support systems of the clubs and organizations, local
physicians and dentists, prepared an extensive evaluation
of the health in the county, studied the public school
system and its needs from a health standpoint, and worked
carefully with the State Health Department to insure
their interest, should the fund establish one if its
demonstrations in Tennessee. He evaluated the various
support systems that existed in Nashville such as labora-
tories, hospitals, the State Health Department, the
medical schools, and the nursing schools. On June 10,
1923, Dr. Crumbine, in company with some state health
officials, motored to Murfreesboro from Nashville and met
with several interested citizens and officials. An

198

official meeting was held at the Woman's Club in the
afternoon at which Judge John E. Richardson of the city
court presided. Mr. S. B. Christy introduced Dr , Crumbine
who outlined the plan of demonstration. His associate,
Dr. DeSaussure, gave a short talk on public health.
Dr. Bishop, the state health officer, gave a very earnest
talk in which he asked "What can we do to deserve this
demonstration?" Miss Ferguson of the Red Cross talked of
the great benefit to Tennessee should the demonstration
be established here. Dr. B. M. White, Jr. spoke for the
doctors stating that the citizens of Rutherford County
would grant every request of the demonstration committee
because all the requests were just and he felt that a
County Health Unit should be established here. There was
firm support from the medical community. Dr. S. B. Smith,
the county health officer, reported that the people were
realizing the need for a health demonstration and that he
would personally support it in every way he could.
Dr. W. T. Robison spoke for the need of the demonstration.
Many other interested citizens spoke in support. Mr.
Christy moved that a Public Health Association be formed.
The motion was carried at the meeting and the following
were elected by acclamation: Mr. S. B. Christy, presi-
dent; Dr. White, vice-president, Mrs. Edgar McAdoo,

199

secretary; and Mr. S. L. Ledbetter, treasurer. The
president then appointed an executive committee to consist
of the president, the secretary, and the following
members: Mr. .Richard Stickney, Mr. J. K. Marshall, and
Mr. Richard Moon. Dr. Crumbine wrote up all of the
material and sent elaborate reports back to the Common-
wealth Fund with his personal impression that "If a rural
community is to be selected for the demonstration,
Rutherford County should receive serious consideration. "^
Rutherford County was selected and the demonstration
began in 1924. The Commonwealth Fund maintained the
objective that adequate health service in the community
or county could only be obtained by providing facilities
for well-ordered clinical service as well as for an
effectively organized health department. The two should
work cooperatively and it was with this objective that
they started the demonstration. The demonstration was
a five year program to develop a pattern of health
organization which could be used in all southern com-
munities. Dr. Harry S. Mustard was the first director.
Other staff included a pediatrician, health educator.

^S. J. Crumbine, M. D., A Study of Rutherford County,
Tennessee, unpublished manuscript, prepared for the
Commonwealth Fund, New York, N. Y, 1923.

200

sanitarian, laboratory technican and five public health
nurses. Miss Maude F'erguson was appointed the Director of
Nursing.

The child health demonstration committee developed a
concept of public health and a framework for putting it
into effect which was carried forth from its beginnings to
the present day, improving services all along the way. The
concept was based on teamwork among the officials of the
community, the doctors, the dentists, the teachers,
mothers, fathers, and the children themselves. They
developed fifteen health committees scattered over the
county which did a great deal for the welfare of the mothers
and babies in their own neighborhood. Some of those com-
mittees were connected with parent-teacher associations.
The Rutherford County Medical Society gave the child health
demonstration its official approval, and its individual
members, like progressive doctors should, turned their
attention more and more to keeping children well in
addition to curing them when they were sick. Children in
the schools were taught from day to day the way to be
healthy. They went about their work of improving sani-
tation throughout the county. An effort was made to have
sanitary toilets built at every school outside the sewered
area of Murf reesboro. They knew that insanitary privies

201

Rutherford County Health Department

1924

The county health department and the child health
demonstration established offices and clinic and
laboratory facilities in this building on N. Spring
Street in 1924.

202

polluted the surface soil with human waste and this would
surely pollute nearby wells and lead to many of the
diseases such as typhoid and summer diarrhea complaints
among those who drank the water. A sanitary privy built
at a school could be conveniently observed and copied by
home owners and tenants in the neighborhood.

Immunization was encouraged and programs of vaccina-
tion were developed for small pox, diphtheria, and typhoid
fever among the children. They influenced Murfreesboro
to adopt an ordinance which required dairymen to maintain
certain standards of purity of milk which was supplied for
use in the city. Nurses visited expectant mothers to help
them prepare for childbirth under a doctor's guidance
and the nurses made visits to mothers of very young
babies to help them care for their children through the
difficult first weeks of life. A pediatrician (the first
one provided by the Commonwealth Fund was Doctor Waring)
conducted well-baby centers in Murfreesboro and at various
points in the county to which mothers could bring their
babies and children who were still below school age. The
pediatrician would examine the child, and tell the mother,
if he found a medical condition, that the child should
be taken to their family physician. He gave general
advice regarding feeding and healthful care. He examined

203

school children, about a third of all the children in the
schools every year, so that each child would be examined
once in three years to find out whether they were devel-
oping as they. should, watching for signs of conditions
that needed the attention of the family doctor or dentist.
Nurses would help at the examinations of these children
and would visit the parents in their homes afterward to
make sure that the doctor's advice was understood and
followed as completely as possible. After three years of
the demonstration it was noted statistically that of the
476 babies who received health demonstration care, 15 died
(1 out of 32). Of the 250 babies not under the demonstra-
tion program 35 died (1 out of 7 ) .

The object of the school medical examinations was not
only to keep track of the child's progress in health but
also to find in time the physical handicaps and dangers
which might seriously interfere with a child's school work
and later life. They developed what was called a blue
ribbon program. This was developed as an educational
program in the schools which motivated the children to
eliminate handicaps found at health examinations by going
to their family doctor or dentist to have the conditions
corrected. One such youngster in Lavergne one year won
his blue ribbon only after getting glasses, having his

204

tonsils treated, his teeth fixed, and improving his
posture; every one of these changes for the better would
pay him dividends long after the blue ribbon was forgotten.
Children were taught good health habits by their teachers
with the help of a health educator supplied for the time
by the child health demonstration. They learned what
foods constitute a healthy diet. They learned what baths,
fresh air, and plenty of sleep do for health and generally
how to make every day count in building up strength and
vigor. In some small schools where there were no wash
basins, the children developed the habit of pouring water
over each others hands at the edge of the school porch
so that they might be clean before they eat. Outside one
small school youngsters drank out of folded paper cups so
as to avoid "exchanging germs."

The health education did not stop at the schools.
The women who were organized into the fifteen local health
committees were themselves studying what a neighborhood
could do to promote its own health.

The demonstration unit developed a venereal disease
clinic. They built five tents, floored and screened,
which were used in the county to enable those who had
tuberculosis to live out doors (at that time fresh air was
considered the best treatment for tuberculosis). They

205

developed systems of vital statistics, keeping record of
births, deaths and certain illnesses. In Murfreesboro a
laboratory was provided so that milk and water supplies
might be tested for purity. 3

The child health demonstration ended January, 1929.
When the health demonstration was completed. Dr. H. S.
Mustard prepared a final report for the Commonwealth
Fund on the demonstration. The success of the demonstra-
tion was evident; very striking results were attained in
lowering the death rates among mothers and infants. The
city and county were prompted to appropriate funds for the
maintenance of a permanent Rutherford County Health
Department. The demonstration had attracted the attention
of foreign countries and many visitors from such places
as Turkey, Norway, Mexico, Canada, and many other foreign
countries, as well as visitors from many states in this
country came to observe the work here. All were very
impressed with the excellent work that was carried on in
the county. In 1930 a report was published by the American
Public Health Association showing that the Rutherford
County Health Department received the highest score of

■^They're Pioneers (Murfreesboro, TN: Rutherford
County Child Health Deminstration Committee, 1927).

206

any rural county in the country. For some time the
Tennessee State Health Department had recognized the high
type of public health promoted here and had been sending
physicians and nurses to this county for field training
under the direction of the local health department.
Dr. J. B. Black, who had been with the health department
as a health officer since 1927, became the director of the
Rutherford County Health Department when Dr. Mustard
ended the demonstration. As a result of the success of
the demonstration the Commonwealth Fund of New York
notified Mr.S.i B» Christy that the Board of Directors of
that charitable organization had appropriated $75,000 for
a building to house the Rutherford County Health Depart-
ment. The building was to be given to Rutherford County,
since the authorities of Rutherford County had shown a
willingness to help themselves by appropriating suffi-
cent funds for the maintenance of its well organized
Health Department.^

The site for construction of the new Health Depart-
ment was chosen to be the corner of North Church and East
Lytle Street, It was the site of the old Cannon home.

'^The Home Journal, Murf reesboro, Tennessee, June 17,
1930.

207

Rutherford County Health Department

1931

The Cortunonwealth Fund of New York City presented
the building to Rutherford County during dedication
ceremonies October 5, 1931.

208

Application for a charter for the Rutherford County Health
Corporation, the holding company for the Rutherford County
Health Department, was made and granted in 1930. The
officers of the new corporation were S. B. Christy, presi-
dent; A. L. Smith, C. M. Haynes, Julian Lytle, T. E. Hord,
A. T. Elmore, and S. E. McElroy.^ The Health Department
building was completed in 1931 and was presented to Ruther-
ford County by the Commonwealth Fund of New York in formal
dedication ceremonies October 5, 1931. S. B. Christy,
chairman of the board of directors of the Health Depart-
ment, presided over the occasion which was held in the
auditorium of the new building and attended by members of
the county court and several hundred others. The first
speaker was Collier Crichlow, city commissioner, who was
followed by Dr. H. S. Mustard. Dr. E. L. Bishop, State
Health Commissioner, was next introduced and delivered
a short but fitting talk on health work in Tennessee.
Mr. Barry Smith of New York, director of the Commonwealth
Fund, made the main address of the occasion, presenting
the building to the county, and Mr. Christy accepted the
building on behalf of the county. ^

^The Home Journal, Murf reesboro, Tennessee,
November 21, 19 30.

^Daily News Journal, Murf reesboro, Tennessee,
October 5, 1931.

209

A disturbance arose in the Rutherford County Medical

Society in the mid 1920s over the alleged unethical conduct

of certain of its members. The controversy which ensued

raged for some time and without any apparent hope of

settlement. Finally on June 21, 1926 a group of the

members from Rutherford and Cannon County met and organized

the Stones River Academy of Medicine. The newly organized

doctors wrote the Tennessee State Medical Association

through the district counselor and sent the charter,

requesting that it be revoked and a new one issued to the

newly organized Stones River Academy of Medicine.

TO: THE HOUSE OF DELIGATES OF TENNESSEE STATE
MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

. . . at its annual session April, 1926, in Memphis:
We the undersigned Physicians of Rutherford County,
state of Tennessee, all of whom are reputable and
legally registered and practicing non-sectarian
medicine, respectfully petition that your honorable
body issue to the undersigned a charter for organi-
zation and operation as the "RUTHERFORD COUNTY
MEDICAL SOCIETY.""^

At that time Dr. J. P. Taylor of Wartrace was the
counselor for the fifth district. He carried the informa-
tion to the state medical association counsel who con-
sidered the request and rejected it. Dr. Taylor then wrote
Dr. Scott,

^From the files of the Rutherford County and Stones
River Academy of Medicine.

210

I am returning under separate cover the charter
of the Rutherford County Medical Society in accord-
ance with the decision of the counsel of the
Tennessee State Medical Association. This action
was taken by the counsel for the reason that there
were no definite facts assigned that seemed to
justify its revocation.

We hope that whatever differences might have
existed in your society that tended to disrupt its
harmony have been or can be composed so that your
society can go on in the spirit of fraternity
cooperating with each other to your mutual good
and to the good of organized medicine generally.

If for any reason you are not in a position to
turn this charter over to your society, kindly
return it to me.

With assurances of my very highest regards, I
beg to remain, yours fraternally, J. P. Taylor,
Counselor, Fifth District.

A news item appeared in the June issue of the State

Journal :

A group of physicians residing in Rutherford
County met recently and organized the Stones River
Academy of Medicine. Meetings will be held on the
second Wednesday of each month. The scientific
program, which is now in preparation, will be pre-
ceeded by a luncheon. The following were present
and became charter members of the Academy: Doctors
V. S. Campbell, B. N. White, J. C. Overall, J. R.
Gott, W. T. Robison, J. C. Kelton, J. M. Shipp,
A. J. Jamison, M. B. Murfree, J. F. Adams, S. W.
Williams, J. A. Scott, and J. I. Waring. Election
of officers resulted in the selection of Dr. J. C.
Overall, president; Dr. J. M. Shipp, vice-president;
and Dr. J. I. Waring, secretary-treasurer.^

Q Journal Tennessee State Medical Association, V. li
(1926), 52.

211

Then in the July issue of the state journal the

following news item was printed:

The Rutherford County Medical Society was
reorganized July 7 with a full membership composed
of the following: J. F. Adams, M. D. , Woodbury;
A. N. Gordon, M. D. , Fosterville; J. C. Kelton, M. D. ,
Lascassas; M. B. McCrary, M. D. , Woodbury; B. R.
McKnight, M. D. , Auburntown; B. L. Ousley, M. D. ,
Christiana; S. B. Smith, M. D., Overall; E. B.
Allen, M. D.; J. S. Allen, M. D. ; V. S. Campbell,
M. D.; A. J. Jamison, M. D. ; M. B. Murfree, M. D. ;
J. C. Overall, M. D.; W. T. Robison, M. D.; J. A.
Scott, M. D.; B. N. White, M. D. ; S. L. Wiles, M. D.;
J. R. Gott, M. D.; all of Murf reesboro. ^

So it would seem that most of the doctors remained in

both societies. The new organization was not affiliated

with the state association but it met once each month,

gave scientific programs and carried on all the regular

business of the profession. In its by-laws barriers were

set up to prevent the induction of undesirable members.

In the meantime the Rutherford County Medical
Society was meeting only once a year to elect
officers. On the ground that the county society
was acting in conflict with the letter and spirit
of the constitution and by-laws of the Tennessee
Medical Association, a majority of the members
asked the House of Delegates through the counselor
having jurisdiction time after time to revoke the
existing charter and grant one to the group known
as the Stones River Academy of Medicine. Finally
after the House of Delegates was convinced that
the controversy with the local members of the
profession could not be satisfactorily adjusted.

"journal Tennessee State Medical Association, V. 11
(1926), 90.

212

it revoked the old charter and granted one on
August 7, 1932 to the Rutherford County and
Stones River Academy of Medicine. 10

The Stones River Academy of Medicine changed its name
to the Rutherford County and Stones River Academy of
Medicine prior to the issuing of the new charter. With
the issue of the new charter, the old Rutherford County
Medical Society ceased to exist and the new society has
been in continuous operation to the present time.

Dr. Harry S. Mustard, director of the child health

demonstration and the county health officer during the

years of the demonstration, was concerned over the lack of

facilities for hospital care in the county.

In June, 1924, Mr. Barry C. Smith, director of
the Commonwealth Fund's child health demonstrations
arrived in Murfreesboro to survey the Rutherford
County demonstration. During this visit
Dr. Mustard suggested to Mr. Smith that a small
hopsital would be complimentary to the demonstration
and further suggested that the Commonwealth Fund
might provide for the cost of undertaking such a
project. Not disinterested, Mr. Smith advised
Dr. Mustard to further survey the situation and then
put his proposal in writing. The following
excerpt is from Dr. Mustard's letter, dated June 24,
1924.

Dr. Mustard to Mr. Smith

Since your visit to Murfreesboro, I have
cautiously surveyed the situation and have come to
the conclusion that there is a real need for a

lOcarlton C. Sims, A History of Rutherford County
(Murfreesboro, TN. : Reprinted by Rutherford County
Historical Society, 1981).

213

modern hospital in Murf reesboro. I have felt that
the matter must of necessity be approached with
great caution, and with this in mind have not con-
templated any move for a few months. However, the
local clubs have commenced to agitate "hospital,"
their idea being to raise enough money by public
subscription to convert some fairly commodious
residence for hospital purposes. They have been
moving rather fast, and under the circumstances I
have felt that it would be wise to guide their
efforts to some extent. Consequently, I have talked
to Mr. Christy (Simeon B. Christy) and Mr. Todd
(Andrew L. Todd), both of whom you know, and one
of the solid practicing physicians (Dr. William T.
Robison) and have told them as I see it, the
hospital problem here should be tackled from the
standpoint of maintenance, and have further told
them in the strictest confidence that if it were
so approached I should be glad to write to you on
the possibility that the Commonwealth Fund might be
interested in a hospital proposition in the south. H

From this beginning Mr. Christy became very involved
in correspondence to the Commonwealth Fund, and, in the
summer of 1925 the Commonwealth Fund committed itself to
the building and equipping of the hospital. The completed
cost of construction was $161,620 all of which was pro-
vided by the Commonwealth Fund. The formal opening of the
hospital was held on May 2, 1927, and the first patient
was admitted at 7:30 A. M. on the following morning. It
was chartered as a general welfare private corporation with
the name Rutherford Hospital, Incorporated. The physicians
and surgeons of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County met at

11 James R. Arnhart, A History of the Development of
Rutherford Hospital, unpublished manuscript.

214

■»teiA .v^'vxktift^''

Rutherford Hospital
Opening Day
May 2, 1927

215

the new Rutherford Hospital on April 15, 1927, to perfect
a staff organization and to discuss the matters appertain-
ing thereto. The organization elected staff officers:
Dr. W. T. Robison, chief of staff; Dr. A. N. Gordon,
assistant chief; Dr. J. A. Scott, staff secretary. A
committee was named to draft rules and regulations to be

IT

submitted at a later meeting.

Miss Mary F. Petitte, R. N. , P.H.N. , was appointed
permanent superintendant in charge. She came to Murfrees-
boro from New York. The original board of directors
chartered under the laws of Tennessee were T. R. Whitus,
John E. Richardson, A. D. McKnight, Wiley H. Robinson,
Mary E. Marshall, Andrew L. Todd, Howard Henderson, J. P.
Gordon, S. B. Christy, Mrs. Jim Haynes, George M. Darrow,
George Youree, John M. Butler, and S. F. Houston. The
board of directors appointed an administrative board of
five composed of the following: S. B. Christy, John M.
Butler, S. F. Houston, A. L. Todd, and A. D. McKnight.

All physicians, to be considered eligible for
appointment to the staff were required to qualify under
the minimum standards of the American College of
Surgeons and must be actively practicing in Rutherford

12

News Banner, Murf reesboro, Tennessee, April 16, 1927,

216

County. Staff appointment was determined by the adminis-
trative board. The minimum standards were: (1) that
physicians and surgeons privileged to practice in the
hospital be organized as a definite group or staff; (2)
that membership upon the staff be restricted to physicians
and surgeons who are: (a) full graduates of medicine in
good standing and legally licensed to practice in their
respective states; (b) competent in their respective
fields; and (c) worthy in character and in matters of pro-
fessional ethics; (3) that the staff initiate, and, with
the approval of the governing board of the hospital , adopt
rules, reguations, and policies governing the professional
work of the hospital; that these rules, regulations and
policies specifically provide: (a) that staff meetings be
held at least once a month; (b) that the staff review
and analyze at regular intervals their experience in the
various departments of the hospital; (4) that accurate and
complete records be written for all patients and filed in
an accessible manner in the hospital; (5) that diagnosis
and therapeutic facilities under competent supervision be
available for the study, diagnosis, and treatment of
patients, these to include: (a) a clinical laboratory
providing chemical, bacteriological, serological, and

217

pathological services; (b) an X-ray department providing
radiographic and fluoroscopic services. ^^

The first baby born at Rutherford Hospital was Mary
Alice Robison,' the daughter of the head of the official
staff of the new hospital. Dr. W. T. Robison and Mrs.
Robison.l'* The hospital received accreditation by the
American College of Surgeons in 1929. ^^

The Stones River Academy of Medicine began meeting in
the hospital in 1927, the hospital providing a room for
their meetings; they had their monthly meetings in that
facility for many years.

The people of Rutherford County owe a great debt to
the Commonwealth Fund of New York. In addition to pro-
viding the public health department building and initiating
the public health program through the child demonstration,
it provided Rutherford County's first hospital, giving
all of it to the county; in addition the Fund helped the
general medical community in every way it could while it
was actively involved in the medical affairs of Rutherford

^^News Banner, Murf reesboro, Tennessee, May 2, 1927.

l^News Banner, Murf reesboro, Tennessee, May 23, 1927.

^^The Home Journal, Murf reesboro, Tennessee, April 29,
1930.

218

County. The Fund provided fellowships for many of our
doctors to leave their practice and take post-graduate
training. In 1929 they provided training to Dr. V. Sumpter
Campbell, sending him to Harvard Medical College for four
months post-graduate work. A dozen or more Rutherford
County physicians and dentists received fellowships from
the Commonwealth Fund, some of whom were Dr. Jamison,
Dr. J. R. Gott, Dr. J. C. Kelton, Dr. J. C. Overall,
Dr. J. A. Scott, Dr. J. M. Shipp of Smyrna, Dr. S. L.
Wiles, Dr. B. N. White, Jr. These scholarships were from
two to four months long, studying at some of the best
medical centers in the east. Dr. Campbell's work was in
internal medicine; Dr. Jamison's in urology; Dr. Scott's
in eye, ear, nose, and throat; Dr. Kelton' s in obstetrics;
Dr. Overall's in radiology; Dr. Gott ' s in pediatrics;
Dr. White's work was in eye, ear, nose, and throat. The
fund paid all of the doctor's expenses while he was away
from his practice.

Considering the enormous benefit this charitable
organization gave to Rutherford County, it would be appro-
priate to know something of the history of the foundation.

The Commonwealth Fund was established in
1918 by Anna M. Harkness, widow of Stephen V.
Harkness, who had been a partner in the founding
of the Standard Oil Company. Their son, Edward S.
Harkness, the first president of the fund, added
substantially to its endowment. The Fund from the

219

beginning has had deep roots in a commitment to
medicine and health care services as early as
1921. Its first activity in this area was support-
ing innovative approaches to improving the psy-
chological and physical welfare of children. It
established demonstration child guidance clinics
in which .psychiatrists, psychologists and social
workers treated children with emotional and
behavioral problems and worked to enlist the coopera-
tion of parents, teachers, social workers, physicians
and judges. In later years the Fund promoted child
guidance work in communities throughout the country.
It also financed fellowships in child psychiatry,
child psychology, and psychiatric social work, and
ran its own child guidance training institute from
1927-1933.

Between 1922 and 1929 the Fund set up and
supported rural and small town demonstrations of
infant and child health and health education
services. Experience with these and the child
guidance demonstrations indicated a need to prevent
illness and disease by improving the social and
physical environment. The Fund worked closely with
state and county departments of health to strengthen
their supervisory and technical services responsible
for sanitation, maternal and child health, and
health education in rural areas. It also provided
post-graduate fellowships for physicians already
established in these areas, and for medical students
who agreed to settle there to practice medicine, as
well as support for new academic courses in pre-
ventive medicine and public health.

Concerned about the lack of both health care
facilities and personnel in rural America in 1926
the Fund began a program of matching grants for the
construction of rural hospitals. These were to
provide not only regular hospital services but also
public health, nursing and professional training.
In total fifteen hospitals were built. The program
ended in 1946 with the passage of the Hill-Burton
Act.

From its early years through the 1950s, the
Fund made grants for medical research. Between
1937 and 1967 the Fund's program of advanced fellow-
ships in the health field enabled professors and

220

Area Physicians During the 1930s

J. F. Adams

(Woodbury)
Ralph Adams

(Woodbury)
John A. Alexander

(Murfreesboro)
E. B, Allen

(Murfreesboro)
J. S. Allen

(Lascassas )
J. B. Black

(Murfreesboro)
T. J. Bratton

(Woodbury)
L. A. Brothers

(Fosterville)
V. S. Campbell

(Murfreesboro)
Lennora S. Carter

(Murfreesboro)
John Cason

(Murfreesboro)
M. L. Connell

(Wartrace)
W. J. M. Covington

(College Grove)
N. H. Culbertson

(Chapel Hill)
E. A. Davis

(Murfreesboro)
William N. Dawson

(Murfreesboro)
William M. Dedman

(Murfreesboro )
C. W. Dickey

( Nolensville )
V. K. Earthman

(Murfreesboro)
W. C. Eggleston

(Chapel Hill)
Sam E. Estes

(Walter Hill)
J. K. Freeman

(Bell Buckle)
W. H. Garner

(Murfreesboro)

R. C. Garrett

(Eagleville)
A. N. Gordon

(Fosterville)
J. R. Gott

(Murfreesboro)

J. D. Hall

(Readyville)
George C. Hardin
(Murfreesboro)
F. C. Hargis
(Wartrace)
*Richard L. Harris
(Murfreesboro — VA)
H. H. Hudson

(Murfreesboro)
A. J. Jamison

(Murfreesboro)
J. E. Jones

(Murfreesboro)
J. C. Kelton

(Lascassas )
Lois Kennedy

(Murfreesboro)
Harry Lee

(Walter Hill)
J , S . Lowry

(Smyrna)
Eva Lin Malone

(Murfreesboro)
J. B. McClellan
(Murfreesboro)
M. B. McCrary

(Woodbury)
H. L. McGee

(Milton)
B. R. McKnight
(Auburntown)

A. S. Moffett
W. P. Moore

(College Grove)
Donald P. Morris

(Murfreesboro)
M. B. Murfree, Sr.

(Murfreesboro)

B. L. Ousley
(Christiana)

221

Area Physicians During the 1930s (continued)

W

W

J.

J. C. Overall

(Murf reesboro)
B. W. Rawlins

(Murf reesboro )
T. Robison .

(Murf reesboro)
V. Sanford

(Murf reesboro)
A. Scott

(Murf reesboro)
J. M. Shipp

( Smyrna )
S. B. Smith

(Overall)
J. W. Sneed

( Antioch)
W. Summers

(Walter Hill)
J. P. Taylor

(Wartrace)

J.

W. K. Tilley

( Murf reesboro )
J. R. Tyner

(Murf reesboro)
R. C. Van Hook, Jr.

(Auburntown)
R. C. Van Hook, Sr,

(Norene)
B. N. White, Jr.

(Murf reesboro)
W. L. Whitehurst

(Murf reesboro)
S. L. Wiles

(Halls Hill)
E. L. Williams

(Eagleville)
Dexter Woods

(Murf reesboro)
T. H. Woods

(Bell Buckle)

*Only those Veterans Administration Hospital physicians
who affiliated with the Rutherford County Stones River
Academy of Medicine are listed.

222

and researchers, both American and foreign, to
improve their qualifications, engage in research
and writing and work with institutions in the
United States and abroad. Between 1954 and 1961
the Fund also made special grants to help nurses
qualify for the masters or doctors degree.

Since World War II Considerable fund support
has gone for the education of physicians and other
health personnel. Grants to medical schools allowed
them to reexamine and reorganize premedical and
medical education, integrate behavioral and social
science courses in the medical school curriculum
and educate more students from minority groups.

Just as it had turned its attention to
inequities between urban and rural health care in
earlier decades, in the early 1970s the Fund began
to address the fact that not all Americans had equal
access to the great technological advances made in
medicine. It supported programs in university
medical centers to improve systems for providing
health care for the poor. It also worked with
community based organizations and agencies to expand
health care in needy areas and in a few instances,
with medical schools, to establish health maintenance
organizations (HMO's). Research supported by the
fund during this period helped identify child abuse
as a problem involving the whole family and promoted
a medical approach toward solving it.

In the 1970s the Fund financed programs
encouraging medical schools and arts and science
facilities at major universities to collaborate in
revising and linking more closely the premedical
and preclinical phases of the physician's educa-
tion. These programs have explored the role of the
humanities in social and behavioral sciences in the
education of physicians. They have also examined
how the entire natural and basic medical sciences
faculties of the university could be used most
effectively in teaching future physicians at both
the college and professional school levels. The
final awards for these programs were made in 1981. ■*•"

■'-^The Commonwealth Fund (New York, N. Y. : Harkness
House, 1981), pp. 13-14.

Area Physicians During the 1940s

223

C. E. Adams

(Woodbury)
J . F . Adams

(Woodbury)
J. L. Ames

( Auburntown)
W. E. Anison

(Woodbury)
W. S. Barham

( Mur f reesboro )
Wendell Bennett

(Woodbury)
*William M. Bevis

(Murf reesboro- -VA)
J. B. Black

(Murf reesboro)
T. J. Bratton

(Woodbury)
J. T. Boykin

(Murf reesboro)
V. S. Campbell

(Murf reesboro)
Harvey W. Carter

(Murf reesboro)
John F. Cason

(Murf reesboro)
M. L. Connell

(Wartrace)

A. L. Cooper
(Chapel Hill)

B. S. Davison
(Murf reesboro)

C. W. Dickey
(Nolensville )

Price H. Duff

(Murf reesboro)
V. K. Earthman

( Murf reesboro )
Sam E. Estes

(Walter Hill)
J. K, Freeman

(Bell Buckle)
George Goodall

( Smyrna )

Gilbert Gordon

( Murf reesboro )
J. R. Gott

(Murf reesboro)
*Richard L. Harris

(Murf reesboro — VA)
G. A. Hatcher

(College Grove)
R. D. Hollowell

(Murf reesboro)
M. D. Ingram, Jr.

(Woodbury)

A. J. Jamison
(Murf reesboro)

J. K. Kaufman

(Murf reesboro )
J. C. Kelton

(Lascassas )
Lois Kennedy

( Murf reesboro )
E. S. Leek

(Bell Buckle)
J. S. Lowry

( Smyrna )
Dr. McCarthy

(Murf reesboro)
M. B. McCrary

(Woodbury)
S. K. Molnar

(Murf reesboro)
*George B. Moore

(Murf reesboro- -VA)
M. B. Murfree, Jr.

(Murf reesboro)
M. B. Murfree, Sr.

(Murf reesboro)
Walter Norem

( Murf reesboro )
E . P . Odom

(Murf reesboro)
J. C. Overall

(Murf reesboro )

B. W. Rawlins
(Murf reesboro)

224

Area Physicians During the 1940s (continued)

W. T. Robison

(Murf reesboro)
W. V. Sanford

(Murf reesboro)
J. A, Scott

(Murf reesboro)
J. M. Shipp

( Smyrna )
S. B. Smith

(Overall )
John W, Sneed

{ Antioch)
R. E, Strain

(Murf reesboro)

J. W. Summers

(Walter Hill)
J. H. Tilley

(Murf reesboro )
R. C. Van Hook, Jr,

( Auburntown)
R. C. Van Hook, Sr,

( Norene)
B. N. White III

(Murf reesboro )
S. L. Wiles

( Murf reesboro )
Wanda Willig

(Murf reesboro)

*Only those Veterans Administration Hospital physicians
who affiliated with the Rutherford County Stones River
Academy of Medicine are listed.

225

Another educational innovation sponsored by the
Commonwealth Fund was an annual medical institute held at
Rutherford Hospital. The Commonwealth Fund would hold this
institute for .two or three days, inviting the surrounding
area doctors to come in for a post-graduate program. The
Commonwealth Fund would have invited outstanding physicians
from major medical centers in the country to conduct the
program. This provided needed post-graduate education to
the physicians in our county and surrounding counties.

The Cannon County physicians have always been an
integral part of the activities of our local medical
society except for a very short time early in this century
when they tried to establish their own Cannon County
Medical Society, but it only lasted about two or three
years and was not a viable organization. There has been
great professional interchange between the physicians of
Rutherford County and Cannon County. Dr. J. F. Adams,
an outstanding physician in Cannon County and a member of
the Rutherford County and Stones River Academy of Medicine,
built the Good Samaritan Hospital in Woodbury which
opened for patients in 1934. Initially it had twenty-five
beds and six bassinets.

Dr. Adams had been operating the well known Adam's
Hospital in Woodbury since 1924. In that hospital he

226

performed more than a thousand major operations, winning a
wide reputation as a successful surgeon. In the new
hospital. Dr. Adams had associated with him- his son.
Dr. Ralph Adams. Miss Mary Riley Cook, who was connected
with the Adams Hospital for ten years, was the head nurse. ■•■'

It was learned in 1935 that the Veteran's Administra-
tion planned to build a neuro-psychiatric hospital in the
Middle Tennessee area. Murfreesboro worked hard to be
selected as the site for this hospital. Headlines in the
Daily News Journal, Thursday, November 19, 1936, were
"Veteran's N-P Hospital To Be Located Here." President
Roosevelt had given approval to the plan placing the
structure in this city.-*-^ The hospital was to be a very
large institution, initially with over 600 beds which
would employ a great number of people in Rutherford County.
The hospital buildings were completed in 1939 and the first
patients arrived in February, 1940. ■'■^ At the time the
hospital opened for patients, there were 249 employees . ^"^

■'-^Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro Tennessee, October 8,
1934.

■*-°Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, Tennessee,
November 19, 19 36.

-'•"Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, Tennessee,
February 7, 1940.

^"Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, Tennessee,
February 8, 1940.

227

This was an immense boost to the economy of Rutherford
County. Also the Veteran's Regional Bureau was moved to
the hospital January 3, 1940.21 The hospital brought
personnel from other areas which enriched the professional,
social, and cultural life of the city. Three of the local
doctors aided the facility by part-time service in the
hospital: Doctors Overall, W. T. Robison, J. A. Scott. 22
By March 1940 the hospital had 389 patients. 23 The annual
payroll was a half million dollars annually. 24

Not long after the excitement of opening the Veteran's
Hospital came the depressing news of Pearl Harbor and we
were once again plunged into war. Selective service
systems were set up across the land with local physicians
usually heading them. Dr. M. B. Murfree, Sr. served as
examining physician for the local selective service board. 25
He handled the job impartially and effectively. None

^-^Daily News Journal, Murf reesboro, Tennessee,
January 2, 1940.

^^Daily News Journal, Murf reesboro, Tennessee,
February 4, 1940.

o o

^-^Daily News Journal, Murf reesboro, Tennessee,
March 21, 1940.

Daily News Journal, Murf reesboro, Tennessee,
March 28, 1940.

2 5

Daily News Journal, Murf reesboro, Tennessee,
August 29, 1941.

228

of the doctors who were currently practicing in the county
were taken into the service but the younger physicians
who were in training and who would locate here after the
war were medical officers in World War II. Included in
this group were Doctors James T. Boykin, B. S. Davison,
Gilbert Gordon, J. K. Kaufman, Matt B. Murfree, Jr., E. P.
Odom, W. W. Shacklett, and B. N. White III. Major James
Boykin was awarded the Bronze Star in France for meritori-
ous service in connection with military operations against
the enemy during the period of October 1 to December 31,
1944. The text of the official award reads as follows:

The Bronze Star is awarded to James T. Boykin,
Major, Headquarters Special Troops who distin-
guished himself by meritorious service in con-
nection with military operations against the enemy
during the period 1 October 1944 to 31 December
1944 in the European Theatre of Operations. Through-
out this period Major Boykin performed his duties
as Special Troops Medical Officer in an excep-
tionally meritorious manner. With complete dis-
regard for personal safety, he repeatedly worked
under enemy fire to administer medical treatment
to wounded personnel. His expert judgment in
treating minor ailments eliminated the necessity of
evacuating many men to the clearing station. Major
Boykin' s technical skill, aggressive initiative and
devotion to duty have been at all times a credit to
himself and to the armed forces of the United
States.

By Command of General Craig26

26Daily News Journal, Murf reesboro, Tennessee
May 2, 1945.

229

Dr. M. B. Murfree, Jr. was inducted into the army in
1943. He was overseas for two years. He was in the
Battle of the Bulge, Battle of the Ardennes, the Crossing
of the Rhine and received three meritorious awards. ^^

Dr. Eugene Odom's unit, the 321st Medical Battalion
with the 96th Infantry Division, received a Gold Star for
its excellent work during the Okinawa campaign. Captain
Odom served as a medical officer with the 321st Medical
Battalion during both the Leyte and Okinawa campaigns. 28

Dr. Shacklett served sixteen months in the U. S. Navy,
He was chief medical officer on an LST while in the
service. 29

Dr. White served in the Middle East at Cairo, Egypt,
in Palestine, in Eritrea and was for two years in Persia.
During that period he served with the 113th General and
the 21st Station Hospital. He was later transferred to
the Mediterranean Theatre of operations and served in
Italy with the 64th and the 24th General Hospitals. He
returned to the United States in October, 1945.-^^

27interview with the late Dr. M. B. Murfree, Jr.,
1983.

2 8

Daily News Journal, Murf reesboro, Tennessee,

November 11, 1945.

29

Daily News Journal, Murf reesboro, Tennessee,

April 5, 1950.

Daily News Journal, Murf reesboro, Tennessee,
February 7, 1946.

230

Dr. B. S. Davison served 5 years in the U. S. Army as
a physician during World War II, 2| years of which were
served in the Pacific Theater. He was on Guadalcanal and
Bougainville. .

Dr. Gordon served over two years in Trinidad, British
West Indies .

Sewart Air Force Base was built in 1942. To serve its
personnel, the Air Force established hospital facilities
on the base. The physicians serving the hospital were all
Air Force officers. Only one. Dr. Richard Fenno, was ever
a part of the local medical society.

After the war there was an influx of new doctors into
the county and city--three of whom already had family
medical ties in the community. Dr. B. N. White III was a
third generation physician. Dr. Matt B. Murfree, Jr. was a
third generation physician, and Dr. Gilbert Gordon was a
second generation physician. The post-war era brought a
population expansion of large magnitude throughout the
country. Rutherford County shared this growth.

The ever increasing hospital patient load as a result
of increases in the population created a crisis for Ruther-
ford Hospital. Plans for an addition to the hospital were
formulated. The new construction doubled the capacity of
the hospital with the addition of 33 beds, 20 bassinets.

Area Physicians During the 1950s

231

Carl Adams

(Murf reesboro)
J. F. Adams

(Woodbury)
W. S. Barham

(Murf reesboro )
Bebe A. Bass

(Wartrace )
Joseph D. Berkley

(Murf reesboro)
*William M. Bevis

Murf reesboro--VA )
J, B. Black

(Murf reesboro )
J. T. Boykin

(Murf reesboro )
Arthur L. Brooks

(Murf reesboro )
W. A. Bryant

(Woodbury)
John E. Carlton

(Murf reesboro )
J. F. Cason

( Murf reesboro )
Edwin W. Cocke

(Murf reesboro--VA)
Amos L. Coffee

(Woodbury)
M. L. Connell

(Wartrace )
B. L. Davison

(Murf reesboro)
Wm. W. Douglas

( Smyrna )
J. H. Dyer

(Wartrace )
Paul Estes

(Murf reesboro )
J. K. Freeman

(Bell Buckle
R. James Garrison

( Murf reesboro )
S. C. Garrison

(Murf reesboro)

George Goodall

( Smyrna )
Gilbert Gordon

(Murf reesboro )
H. E. Handley

( Murf reesboro )
George Hatcher

(College Grove)
S. H. Hay

(Murf reesboro )
R. D. HollovN/ell

(Murf reesboro)

A. J. Jamison
(Murf reesboro)

Ralph Jones

(Eagleville)
J. K. Kaufman

(Murf reesboro )
Lois Kennedy

(Murf reesboro )
Alexander M. McLarty

(Woodbury)
James Lee Moore

( Smyrna )
M. B. Murfree, Jr.

(Murf reesboro )
Russell E. Myers

(Woodbury )
Eugene Odom

(Murf reesboro)
James Payne

(Murf reesboro)

B. W. Rawlins
(Murf reesboro )

Charles H. Robinson

(Eagleville)
Charles K. Roth

Murf reesboro)

C. B. Roundtree, Jr.
(Eagleville)

J. A. Scott

( Murf reesboro )

W. W. Shacklett
(Murf reesboro)

232

Area Physicians During the 1950s (continued)

J. M. Shipp Dr. Waldren

(Smyrna) (Eagleville)

James H. Smith J. G. Waldrop

(Murf reesboro) (Eagleville)

John W. Sneed B. N. White III

(Antioch) (Murf reesboro)

W. R. C. Stewart, Jr S. L. Wiles

(Eagleville) (Murf reesboro)

J. W. Tenpenny Robert Wooldridge

(Murf reesboro) (Smyrna)

*Only those Veterans Administration Hospital physicians
who affiliated with the Rutherford County Stones River
Academy of Medicine are listed.

233

new nursery with quarters for premature and isolation

cases, new heating plant, a laundry, new waiting and

emergency room, larger and improved kitchen, new pediatric

ward, and other improvements. The new wing was completed

in 1952. The hospital's needs continued to grow and in

1953, another addition was planned.

The doctors returning from World War II brought new

and innovative methods to the practice of medicine in

Rutherford County. They instituted changes in the hospital

as well as in private practice. Many are unaware of

. . . the radical change in the management of patients
that occurred after World War II. Prior to the war,
prolonged bed rest had been a very important feature
of therapy. Patients undergoing the common types
of surgical operations were kept at complete bed rest
for long periods: appendectomy, 10 days; hernia
repair, 14 days; gall bladder surgery, 14 to 18
days; hysterectomy, 14 to 18 days. The long stay in
bed necessitated a long period of hospitalization:
about two weeks for appendectomies and three to four
weeks for cholecystectomies (removal of gall bladder)
and hysterectomies. After returning home the patient
had to devote another three to six weeks getting into
shape before resuming his usual activities. The
routine of the obstetrician was similar to that of
the surgeon. After delivery the mother remained
at strict bed rest for two to three weeks and in the
hospital for three to four weeks; after returning
home activities were very slowly resumed over a period
of six to eight weeks. Bed rest also was prescribed
generously for medical patients after febrile ill-
nesses and for those with tuberculosis, myocardial
infarction, and many other conditions . ■^■'■

^^James Bordley, III. M. D., and A. McGehee Harvey,
M . D . , Two Centuries of American Medicine 1776-1976
(Philadelphia, Pa.: W. B. Saunders Company, 1976),
p. 756.

234

On June 15, 1944 at the annual session of the American
Medical Association, the section on experimental medicine
and therapeutics held a symposium on "the abuse of rest in
the treatment of disease." The papers presented in this
symposium were published in the Journal of the American
Medical Association and attracted much attention. The
studies indicated that early ambulation provided better or
at least equal results to prolonged bed rest. Early con-
trolled ambulation seemed to offer many advantages without
imposing any disadvantages. The difficult problem was to
convince patients that early ambulation was to their
advantage. All of their lives they had been conditioned
to the traditional doctrine that prolonged bed rest is
necessary after surgery and they were hesitant about
accepting any other point of view. Obstetrical patients
exhibited an even stronger resistance to change. The
change in attitude resulted in shorter hospital stays
and therefore an increase in the availability of hospital
beds for the sick to say nothing of the savings in the cost
of medical care.-^^

With the advent of the newer techniques in medical
care, the day of the country practitioner faded and

^^Bordley and Harvey, pp. 759-761

235

disappeared. The last country doctor in Rutherford County
was Doctor Sidney B. Smith, for many years the county
health doctor; he maintained an active country practice
in and about Salem and Overall. He died in 1953. From
the early thirties as each of the older physicians in the
smaller country communities died, they were not replaced,
and the gradual concentration of medical practice to the
centers v/here hospitals were located was much in evidence.
It became apparent that only in hospitals can one receive
the full benefit of the massive technical facilities that
are required for the application of the advances in medical
science and technology. In the first three decades of the
twentieth century, most of the babies were still being born
at home in Rutherford County, but today almost all births
take place in our hospital.

Dr. Carl Adams had been trained in general and chest
surgery, practiced for a few years with his father in
Woodbury, then came to Murfreesboro in 1949 and opened an
office initially in the Rawlings building. He practiced a
few months there until he moved into a building at 105 North
Spring Street. Dr. S. C. Garrison joined him later in 1949
and together they brought the theory of group practice into
Rutherford County. Group practice was becoming popularized
in other sections of the country. Owing to the great

236

progress that had been made in the prevention and treatment
of disease during the past century, they felt that no single
practitioner, and, in fact, no small group of practitioners
could absorb all the information and master all of the
techniques required to provide the best type of medical
care that modern methods could afford. This was perhaps
the most important reason for the growing popularity of
group practice in which a number of physicians, surgeons
and other personnel could work together for the preven-
tion and treatment of disease. Doctors Adams and Garrison
called their enterprise "The Murfreesboro Medical Clinic."
In the ensuing years there was a regular procession of
physicians who joined their practice. Dr. S. C. Garrison
is an internist. They were joined by Dr. James Garrison,
a pediatrician in 1957. They built a new building at
420 North University across the street from the hospital
and moved into that building in November, 1957. In the
ensuing years the specialty of obstetrics and gynecology
was added and the departments of pediatrics, internal
medicine and surgery expanded. X-ray facilities and
laboratory facilities were added. The clinic continued
to grow and they moved to a newly constructed building on
North Highland in 1976. The organization now has eighteen
physicians including the specialties of internal medicine.

237

Area Physicians During the 1960s

Carl Adams

(Murf reesboro)
William T. Anderson

( Smyrna )
Joseph C. Bailey

(Murf reesboro)
W. S. Barham

(Murf reesboro)
J. B. Black

(Murf reesboro)
Chester J, Boulris

(Smyrna)
J. T. Boykin

(Murf reesboro)
John M. Bryan

(Murf reesboro)
W. A. Bryant

(Woodbury)
J. F. Cason

(Murf reesboro)
William E. Coopwood

(Murf reesboro)
J. C. Corban

( Smyrna )
John T. Cunningham

(Murf reesboro)
B. S. Davison

(Murf reesboro )
Marvin E. Deck

(Murf reesboro)
David T. Dodd

(Murf reesboro)
Paul Estes

(Murf reesboro )
*Richard Fenno

(Sewart AFB)
Francis M. Fesmire

(Murf reesboro )
R. J. Garrison

(Murf reesboro)
S. C. Garrison

(Murf reesboro)
Gilbert Gordon

(Murf reesboro)

George Goodall

( Smyrna )
R. E. Green

(Murf reesboro)
Stanley Greenberg

( Smyrna )
Robert H. Hackman

( Smyrna — Murf reesboro)
James E. Hampton

(Murf reesboro)
A. E. Harvey

(Murf reesboro)
Sam Hay

(Murf reesboro )
J. C. Hibbett

( Smyrna)
R. D. Hollowell

(Murf reesboro)
Kenneth D. Hunt

(Murf reesboro)
J. Capers Jones

(Murf reesboro)
J. K. Kaufman

(Murf reesboro)
Lois Kennedy

(Murf reesboro)
Joseph E. J. King

(Murf reesboro)
Joseph C. Knight

(Murf reesboro)
Robert T. Knight

(Murf reesboro)
Donald L. Le Quire

(Murf reesboro )
Charles W. Lewis

(Murf reesboro)
Fred R. Lovelace

(Murf reesboro)
**John T. Mason

(Murf reesboro- -VA)
R. W. McMullen

(Woodbury)
Ralph Moore

(Woodbury )

238

Area Physicians During the 1960s (continued)

M. B. Murfree, Jr.

(Murf reesboro )
Russell E. Myers

(Woodbury)
E. P. Odom

( Murf reesboro )
Sam H. Patterson

(Murf reesboro )
James Payne

(Murf reesboro )
Socrates Pinto

( Smyrna )
Robert G. Ransom

(Murf reesboro )

B. W. Rawlins
(Murf reesboro )

Creighton Rhea
(Murf reesboro)

C. B. Roundtree, Jr,
(Eagleville)

Robert S. Sanders
(Murf reesboro )

W. B. Sanders
( Smyrna )

William M. Savage

(Murf reesboro)
William Shacklett

(Murf reesboro )
Charles Smith

(Murf reesboro )
Theodore G. Smith

(Murf reesboro)
W. Radford Smith

(Murf reesboro)
J. W. Tenpenny

(Murf reesboro)
E. C. Tolbert

(Murf reesboro )
Raymond E. Turek

(Smyrna)
Leonard Victor

(Murf reesboro)
Olin Williams, Jr,

(Murf reesboro)
J. Howard Young

(Murf reesboro)

*Only those Sewart Air Force Base Hospital physicians
who affiliated with the Rutherford County Stones River
Academy of Medicine are listed.

**Only those Veterans Administration Hospital physicians
who affiliated with the Rutherford County Stones River
Academy of Medicine are listed.

239

pediatrics, ophthalmology, surgery, gastro-enterology ,
obstetrics and gynecology, and urology. The clinic has been
and is a viable force in Rutherford County for the practice
of modern medicine both in the practitioner's office and
in the hospital.

The independent practitioners flourished, too. In
addition to the family practitioners, there were surgeons,
radiologists, pathologists, ophthalmologists, specialists
in ear, nose and throat, psychiatrists, anesthesiologists,
urologists, pediatricians, all adding to quality medicine
in Murf reesboro .

After World War II medical innovations rapidly
increased. The Rutherford County and Stones River Academy
of Medicine approved the Red Cross donor program in 1948
and the local hospital has been fully participant in the
blood program of the Red Cross since that date. The
Academy approved the Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in
November 1951. In 1953 the Academy approved fluoridation
of the city water supply. At its meeting of September,
1962, the Academy voted unanimously to sponsor, direct,
and support an immunization program against polio using
the Sabin oral vaccine. In the fall of 1963 the mass
immunization for polio was held. Over 22,000 people were
given vaccine in Rutherford County and over 4,000 people
in Cannon County. Many organizations assisted in making

240

this such a successful mass immunization program, among
which were: Association of Pharmacists, Nursing Associa-
tion, Murfreesboro Secretarial Association, Lion's Club,
Murfreesboro Kiwanis Club, Stones River Kiwanis Club,
Exchange Club, J. C's, Bradley P. T. A., Eagleville P. T.
A., Smyrna P. T. A. and the Rutherford Hospital Auxiliary.
The South also experienced a new "industrial revolu-
tion" after World War II. The southern states were rapidly
industrialized. Rutherford County witnessed the develop-
ment of many industries within its borders which brought
new jobs to the county and an immigration of people from
other areas of the country. As the population grew the
demands for medical service also grew. The hospital has
had several additions over the past few years, growing to
meet the demand for medical care. Many new physicians
have entered practice in the county and have brought more
specialization to the area. By 1980 there were sixty-one
physicians practicing in the area who were members of the
Rutherford County Stones River Academy of Medicine. The
hospital was a modern plant with modern facilities and
many of the latest medical capabilities. Many new medical
buildings had been built in Murfreesboro by the local
physicians for the purpose of modern private practice.
Most of these buildings were located in the general area

241

of the hospital. In 1980 Murfreesboro and Rutherford
County found themselves with a medical delivery system
which in proportion to population was second to none in the
state.

Area Physicians During the 1970s

242

J. P. Abernathy

(Murf reesboro)
Carl E. Adams

(Murf reesboro)
Harold T. Akin

(Murf reesboro )
John H. Alexander

(Murf reesboro)
*James T. Allen

(Murf reesboro--VA)
W. S. Barham

(Murf reesboro )
Joseph C. Bailey

(Murf reesboro )
Richard B. Bell

(Murf reesboro)
Dominador C. Blanco, Jr.

( Smyrna )
Floyd P. Bond

(Murf reesboro)
J. T. Boykin

(Murf reesboro)
James T. Box

(Murf reesboro)
Gary B. Bryant .

(Woodbury )
•Rodney C. Bryant

(Woodbury )
W. A. Bryant

(Woodbury )
Henry K, Butler, Jr.

(Murf reesboro )
Jerry N. Campbell

(Murf reesboro )
S. Frank Carter III

(Murf reesboro)
J. C. Corban

(Smyrna)
John T. Cunningham

(Murf reesboro)
B. S. Davison

(Murf reesboro)
Marvin E. Deck

( Smyrna)
John H. Dixon

(Murf reesboro)

David T. Dodd

(Murf reesboro )
Paul C. Estes

(Murf reesboro)
Francis M. Fesmire

(Murf reesboro)
Pedro Galvez

( Smyrna )
James W. Garner, Jr.

(Murf reesboro)
R. J. Garrison

(Murf reesboro)
S. C. Garrison, Jr.

(Murf reesboro )
Sidney L. Gilbert

( Murf reesboro )
M. E. Glasscock

(Murf reesboro )
George Goodall

( Smyrna )
Charles E. Goodman, Jr.

(Murf reesboro)
T. Gilbert Gordon, Sr.

(Murf reesboro)
R. E. Green

( Murf reesboro )
Robert H. Hackman

(Murf reesboro )
A. E. Harvey

( Murf reesboro )
Sam H. Hay

(Murf reesboro )
Charles A. Heffington, Jr,

(Murf reesboro )
George S. Hester

(Murf reesboro )
Joseph C. Hibbett, Jr.

( Smyrna )
R. D. Hollowell

(Murf reesboro)
David L. Hudson

(Murf reesboro)
Kenneth D. Hunt

(Murf reesboro)
*Norton H. Hutchison

( Murf reesboro--VA)

243

Area Physicians During the 1970s (continued)

Oscar T. Johns

(Murf reesboro )
J. Capers Jones

(Murf reesboro )
J. K. Kaufman

(Murf reesboro)
Douglas W. Kendall

(Murf reesboro)
Robert L. Kendall

(Murf reesboro)
Lois Kennedy

(Murf reesboro )
Joseph C. Knight

(Murf reesboro )
Robert T. Knight

(Murf reesboro)
Seung Hoo Lee

(Murf reesboro)
Charles W. Lewis

(Murf reesboro)
Fred R. Lovelace

(Murf reesboro)
Kenneth D. Macknet

(Murf reesboro)
M. B. Murfree, Jr.

(Murf reesboro)
Frederick J. Myers
R. E, Myers

(Woodbury )
James A. Nunnery

( Murf reesboro )
E. P. Odom

(Murf reesboro)

Stephen G. Odom

(Murf reesboro )
Karlanders Otterland

( Smyrna )
Socrates Pinto

( Smyrna )
Jerry E. Puckett

( Murf reesboro )
Robert G. Ransom

(Murf reesboro)
L. L. Reuhland

(Woodbury)
Creighton Rhea

( Murf reesboro )
Robert S. Sanders

(Murf reesboro)
*Charles W. Sensenbach

(Murf reesboro--VA)
William W. Shacklett

(Murf reesboro)
Ben A. Shelton

(Murf reesboro )
Charles D. Smith

(Murf reesboro )
George W. Smith

(Murf reesboro)
H. Millard Smith

(Woodbury)
W. R. Smith

(Murf reesboro )
James A. Starrett

( Murf reesboro )

244

Area Physicians During the 1970s (continued!

J. W. Tenpenny

(Murf reesboro )
E. C. Tolbert

(Murf reesboro)
Robert P. Tuma

(Murf reesboro )
Raymond E. Turek

(Smyrna)
Tom A. Turner

(Murf reesboro)
B. P. Turpin, Jr ,

(Murf reesboro)
J. Van Blaricum

(Woodbury)

Leonard Victor

(Murf reesboro)
Barton W. Warner

(Murf reesboro )
Olin Williams

(Murf reesboro )
Terry James Witt

(Murf reesboro)
Herbert R. Wolf

(Woodbury )

J. Howard Young
(Murf reesboro)

*Only those Veterans Administration Hospital physicians
who affiliated with the Rutherford County Stones River
Academy of Medicine are listed.

CHAPTER VII
THE BLACK PROFESSIONAL PRESENCE IN RUTHERFORD COUNTY

The history of the black in the South is not a pretty
story. He has been subjected to social, political, and
legal oppressions with all the attending injustices and
indignities. The strict caste system which prevailed in
the South resulted in inferior educational opportunities,
inferior housing, poor health care, and few jobs beyond
those of a menial nature. In 1875 the General Assembly
of Tennessee gave operators of hotels and eating places
sanction to refuse service to anyone. Six years later
it enacted the first "Jim Crow" law, requiring railroads
to provide separate cars for black passengers. The poll
tax, closed primaries, and other suffrage restrictions,
discouraged thousands of black Tennesseans from voting.
As their political influence declined blacks had no means
for resisting further deterioration in their social and
economic status.

Such social ostracism prevailed that the white man
looked at the color of the skin before evaluating a man's
abilities. As the black physicians graduated, entered
practice, emerged among the leaders in southern black
communities during the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries, their individual achievements were often

245

246

considerable; however, like black Americans generally they
faced the severest oppression since slavery. He was denied
staff privileges at hospitals, denied admission to the
local, state, and national medical societies, denied
service at restaurants, hotels, and motels, was segregated
in transportation facilities; the list goes on and on.

As in the large society, racial separation was the rule
in health care. Black people were excluded from public
hospitals, admitted only to separate inferior wards or
served through dispensaries. The most terrible effect of
this racial caste system in medicine was seen in the
differential morbidity and mortality between whites and
blacks. The death rate for blacks in some communities was
50 percent greater than that for whites and for children
under five years, the difference was as much as 90 percent
greater in some communities.

Rutherford County and its medical community supported
the segregation system. Black physicians were specifically
denied admission to the Rutherford County Medical Society
by the by-laws of that organization which limited admis-
sion to the white race. The latter phrase was eliminated
in the by-laws of the Stones River Academy of Medicine in
1927. The board of censors of the society, nonetheless,
could and did limit admission to the white physician.

247

Rutherford Hospital did not allow black physicians on
its staff. The black physician was required to refer his
patients to a white physician for treatment in the hospital.
Such patients were segregated from the whites, and placed
usually in a large ward with other black patients.

Yet, the black physicians who have practiced here were
mostly well-trained physicians who certainly deserved the
professional respect of the medical community. Virtually
all the black physicians were graduates of Meharry Medical
College in Nashville. Meharry has always enjoyed a fine
reputation. The Meharry Medical College was organized in
1876 as the medical department of Central Tennessee
College. A dental building was added in 1886 and a phar-
maceutical building in 1889.

During the first years of the operation of
the medical school applicants for admission were
required "to be 18 years of age and to pass
written examinations in the common English
branches." The scholastic year was five months in
length and the course of study was arranged to be
completed in two years. An additional term was
added to the course in 1882, but provision was made
that the first year of the three now required
might be spent under the supervision of some
practicing physician and the other two spent in
the medical college. At this time the student was
first required to have some knowledge of Latin
and the natural sciences.

The medical course at the beginning of the
nineties was arranged to cover three sessions of
twenty weeks each and students were to enjoy the
clinical privileges of the city hospital on the

248

same terms as the students of other medical schools
in Nashville. Applicants for admission were
required to be at least 18 years of age, of good
moral character and they must pass examinations in
arithmetic, geography, grammar, reading, writing,
spelling and elementary physics. Candidates for
graduation were required to be 21 years of age, must
have attended three courses of lectures of not less
than twenty weeks each in a regular medical college,
the last of which must have been at Meharry, must
have passed satisfactorily examinations in all
branches laid down in the course, including outlines
of Bible history and doctrine and must have pre-
sented an acceptable original thesis on some medical
subject. By 1892 the student body had increased
until it exceeded 100 and the faculty had been
sufficiently augmented to meet the increased demands.
At this time the fourth year was added to the course
of study and requirements became generally more
stringent. In 1902 two years of high school work
were required for admittance into the medical school
and three years later, a full four year course became
a prerequisite. Ten years later in 1915, a pre-
medical course in a college of acceptable rating was
first required for entrance and at that time the
length of the school term was extended to eight
months. Since then the college has been recognized
and is now recognized as a class A college. It has
been coeducational from the beginning. 1

Abraham Flexner's survey of medical colleges published
in 1910 recommended Meharry as one of the three medical
schools in the state of Tennessee which was worth saving.

Like their white colleagues black practitioners
sought the fraternity, fellowship, and recognition that
medical society membership offered. As diseases ravaged

^Philip M. Hamer, The Centennial History of the
Tennessee State Medical Association 1830-1930 (Nashville,
Tennessee: Tennessee State Medical Association, 1930),
pp. 401-402.

249

black communities, black physicians especially needed the
exchange of scientific information available at society
gatherings and in society journals. Black doctors believed
that through organization they could raise public con-
fidence in their abilities. Creation of institutions
managed by and serving black people exclusively was part
of the resistance by black practitioners to segregation.
They built and then directed their own medical schools,
hospitals, and professional organizations, often with the
support of white benefactors and friends. One of these
undertakings, of course, was the Meharry Medical College.^

In 1880 three years after he became Meharry 's first
graduate. Dr. James Monroe Jamison and others among the
eighteen black physicians practicing in the state, founded
the Tennessee Colored Medical Association. The first black
medical journal in the United States was published at
Jackson from 1892 to 1894. The black physician sustained
the hope of an alternative for them to the American
Medical Association since its doors was closed to their
admission. At the Cotton States Exposition in Atlanta
in 1895 this was accomplished. It was originally called

^James Summerville, "Formation of a Black Medical
Profession in Tennessee, 1880-1920," Journal of the
Tennessee Medical Association, V. 76 (1983), 644.

250

the American Medical Association of Colored Physicians,
Surgeons, Dentists and Pharmacists, and subsequently became
the National Medical Association. Many of the officers of
the NMA including its first president, Dr. Robert Fulton
Boyd of Nashville, were Meharry alumni.

Like the AMA the NMA encouraged the spread of local
and state societies. On August 20, 1903, thirty-four
physicians, dentists, and pharmacists convened in Nashville
and founded the Negro Medical Congress of Tennessee. Its
purposes described in the constitution were to "discuss,
advise and adopt the best means to disseminate hygienic
measures for our people and for mutual help for our fellow
laborers." By 1915 this state association of black
practitioners was known by its permanent name. The Volunteer
State Medical Association. This organization remains in
existence to this day as does the National Medical
Association . ^

Medical societies offered black physicians from rural
Tennessee the only opportunity to obtain continuing post-
graduate training. By 1920 daily clinics were a part of
every annual meeting of the state society.^

-"Summerville, p. 645
'^Summerville, p. 646

251

The Volunteer State Medical Association met in

Murfreesboro for its annual meeting sometime in the early

thirties. The following news item appeared in the Daily

News Journal . .

The Volunteer State Medical Association con-
sisting of the colored physicians, dentists, and
pharmacists of the state will meet here Thursday,
June 18. Dr. S. A. Curren of Knoxville, a
Murfreesboro boy and son of John Curren, local Negro
business man, is the president of this body.

The highlight of this meeting will be a Public
Health program which will be held at Holloway High
School at 8 P.M. The public is cordially invited to
attend this meeting which will be featured by health
talks by Doctors J. B. Black and J. E. Jones,
reading by Mrs. Maggie Cheers and music by local
talent under the direction of Mrs. J. E. Jones.

The local committee is composed of Doctors
E. A. Davis, G. C. Hardin, J. E. Jones, T. C. Wynee,

and J. R. Patterson.^

Dr. Eugene A. Davis, a black practitioner in Murfrees-
boro for many years, graduated from Meharry in 1918,
initially practiced in Charleston, West Virginia, then
came to Murfreesboro and started practicing in 1925. He
was president of the Volunteer State Medical Association
one year in the middle thirties and was a member of its
executive committee. From 1936 to 1939, he was president
of the Meharry Alumni Association, was on its executive

^Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, ca . 1934

252

Dr. Eugene A. Davis
President
Volunteer State Medical Association
(ca. 1936)

253

committee, and was the associate director for southeastern

Tennessee .

Dr. John A. Alexander graduated from Meharry in 1931

and located in Murfreesboro in 1932.

Dr. J. A. Alexander, colored physician and
surgeon of Nashville, will locate in Murfreesboro
in Dr. G. C. Hardin's building.

Dr. Alexander is a graduate of Meharry Medical
School in Nashville. He has completed twelve months
internship at City Hospital No. 2 at St. Louis,
Missouri. He is well prepared to give service.^

Dr. Alexander obviously realized the limitations on his

practice in Murfreesboro. He must have felt the need to

take care of his own patients in a hospital setting.

Since he was barred from admission to the staff of

Rutherford Hospital, he started a movement to build a

hospital for blacks in Murfreesboro.

Work will begin soon on the new Negro hospital
which is being built by Dr. J. A. Alexander, Negro
doctor of this city who will practice in the new
institution.

The hospital which will be on High Street across
from Holloway High School will give the appearance
of a residence from the outside being constructed
of Tennessee stone.

The inside will have four private rooms, two
four bed wards, four clinic rooms, laundry, a

"Daily News Journal , Murfreesboro, Tennessee,
Thursday, July 28, 1932.

254

recreation room, administration offices, and

operating room. Near the building will be a home

for the doctors' families and nurses. The rooms

will be equipped with the most modern equipment?

But the hospital was never built.

Dr. A. T. Wood, graduate of Cambridge University,
England, came to Murfreesboro in 1867 and established his
practice at the corner of Lytle and Academy Streets. In
addition to his medical practice he was active in politics
and was a delegate to the State Republican Convention in
1868. Wood recommended legal aid services for the newly
freed slaves but the idea failed to met the endorsement of
others. He was, at one time, a missionary to Africa.
When he was practicing in Nashville, in the year after the
Civil War, he placed advertisements in the newspaper
urging blacks to "patronize (their) own physicians" and
identified himself as "a graduate of Cambridge University,
late missionary to Africa, and a member of the Indiana
Conference." His name does not appear in Venn's Alumni
Canterbriqienses or on supplementary lists in the uni-
versity archives. It is not known how long he remained in
Murfreesboro . ^

^Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, Tennessee,
Thursday, February 28, 1935.

Sjames Summerville, Educating Black Doctors: A
History of Meharry Medical College (University, Alabama:
The University of Alabama Press, 1983), p. 12.

255

Dr. John Silas Bass graduated at Meharry in 1878, the
second commencement that Meharry held. Its first commence-
ment was in 1877 when they graduated one student. Dr. Bass
was one of three students graduated at the second com-
mencement. At the commencement he delivered an address on
"Our Aim as Physicians."

The question is often asked: "Why do more colored
people die in a given period than whites?" Simply
because they more frequently violate the laws of
health. "Why are they more liable to violate these
laws?" Because they have been deprived of men of
their race capable of teaching these laws and urging
the necessity of observing them. I know that there
is a class who say that we will gradually die out,
but the medical department of Central Tennessee
College is engaged in preparing physicians who in a
few years will prove that assertion to be false by
decreasing the mortality which is now so great among
our people."

He came to Murfreesboro to practice and established himself

a hero in the same year by volunteering to fight the

yellow fever epidemic in Chattanooga.

It is not known how long Dr. Bass practiced in
Murfreesboro but he was here during the 1900 census.

Dr. John B. McClellan graduated from Meharry in 1880
and set up his practice in Murfreesboro where he remained
during his entire professional career. In 1928 an article
appeared in the Murfreesboro Union:

^summerville. Educating Black Doctors: A History of
Meharry Medical College, p. 22.

256

Dr. John Baptist McClellan, one of the pioneer
physicians of the South, of the Meharry College in
the year 1880, having been engaged in and around
Murfreesboro in his chosen profession 48 years.
There are but fev/ doctors living who were here 48
years ago. When Dr. McClellan first engaged in the
practice of medicine colored people were as afraid of
Negro doctor's medicine as they were of rattlesnakes.

Long since that time a vast difference exists
among the colored race. The doctor lives peacefully
at his home 460 East State Street, yet engaged in
his chosen profession.

He states that he is "not miserably rich, but
happily poor."-^^

Another article appeared in the Murfreesboro Union in 1950

On February 22, 1878, when Meharry 's first
commencement exercises were held, Dr. McClellan as
a senior student at Central Tennessee College was
planning to enter the medical school in September.
He did and two years later (the time required then
to get a medical degree at Meharry) he was John
Baptist McClellan, M. D. Since that momentous day
Dr. McClellan has practiced medicine in the Murfrees-
boro community.

It is a tribute to his service, to the people
of Murfreesboro, and his profession that the adminis-
trative committee of Meharry on Commencement day
presented Dr. McClellan with a citation that reads:

"To John Baptist McClellan, M. D., as a testimony
of the esteem in which he is generally held and
because of his contribution to the betterment of the
health of his fellow man. "■'■•'-

10

The Murfreesboro Union, Murfreesboro, Tennessee,

Saturday, October 13, 1928.

■*-^The Murfreesboro Union, Murfreesboro, Tennessee,
Saturday, October 14, 1950.

257

Dr. McClellan collaborated with another graduate of
Meharry in writing a history of Meharry entitled "Holman's
Historical Highlights." Dr. Holman was also a graduate of
Meharry and was on the teaching staff there for many years.
Dr. McClellan retired at the age of 80 and died at age 96
in Murf reesboro.

Dr. George C, Hardin graduated from Meharry in 1900
and came to Murf reesboro to open his practice. He practiced
in Murf reesboro until his death in 1932. He was one of the
leaders of the black community. He built a medical building
on Vine Street which still stands.

Dr. J. C. Waddy, a graduate of Meharry in 1904, came
to Murf reesboro and practiced for about two years, then
moved to Greensboro, North Carolina.

Dr. John Paschal Hickman graduated from Meharry in
1908, came to Murf reesboro after graduation, and practiced
here until about 1927 when he moved back to Nashville and
practiced there until his death.

There was a Dr. I. H. King practicing in Murf reesboro
in 1909, having graduated from Meharry in 1908. He stayed
only a short time.

Dr. Luther R. Johnson graduated from Meharry in 1908
and practiced in Murf reesboro for about two years. He was
a classmate of Dr. J. P. Hickman and Dr. I. H. King. They
probably came to Murf reesboro together. All three were

258

practicing here in 1909. He did not stay long and was not
listed in Murfreesboro when the AMA Directory of 1912 was
published.

Dr. John .Henry Hamilton practiced in Smyrna. He
graduated from Meharry in 1909 and was listed in the AMA
Directory as practicing in Smyrna in 1912. He remained in
the Smyrna area practicing until about 1925 when he moved to
Louisville, Kentucky.

Dr. J. V. Lemore had an office at 215| Vine Street in

1921. It is not known what year he came to Murfreesboro to

practice. He is not listed as a graduate of Meharry. This

research revealed no information regarding his educational

background. He apparently had an extensive practice.

Several prescriptions are on record written by him during

the early twenties. In 1923 he was convicted of manslaughter

charged with performing an abortion, and was sentenced to

serve for a term in the penitentiary. An article appeared

in the state medical society journal as follows:

A Negro physician of Murfreesboro, Tennessee
was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to
five years in the penitentiary for the alleged offense
of performing a criminal abortion on a v;hite woman.
If all the talk that is heard concerning the white
physicians performing the same operation is half true
there should be other doctors answering to a number
instead of a name . '^

1 T

-^•^ Journal of the Tennessee State Medical Association,
V. 16 (1923), 271.

259

Dr. Lemore served his term in the penitentiary and practiced
medicine in Nashville after his release.

Dr. Eugene A. Davis graduated from Meharry in 1918.
He originally practiced in Charleston, VJest Virginia, then
came to Murfreesboro in about 1925 where he practiced until
his death in 1942. He was very active in the organizations
for black physicians. He also was active in scouting and
was chairman of the "Murfreesboro Negro Division of the
Boy Scout Council of America."

Dr. James Edward Jones graduated from Meharry in 1926,
and started practicing in Murfreesboro the same year. His
office was on Maple Street and his residence was on
Academy Street. He served on the executive committee of
the Meharry Alumni Association from 1937 tD 1939. He
practiced here for many years, and, in the early forties
moved to Texas.

Lennora Smallwood Carter graduated from Meharry in 1928
and opened her office in Murfreesboro for the practice of
medicine after graduation. She had the distinction of
being the first female practitioner of medicine in Ruther-
ford County. An article appeared in the Murfreesboro
Union:

Dr. L. S. Carter, the first woman physician
to locate in Murfreesboro, is doing a noble practice.

260

Dr. Lennora S. Carter
First Female Physician in Rutherford County
(1927)

261

She has made a number of friends who wish for her
continued success in the medical field. ■'-■^

The article was a front page article with a photograph of
Dr. Carter.

Dr. Vernal W. Cambridge graduated from Meharry in
1940, came to Murfreesboro and practiced a few years, then
moved to Michigan.

Dr. Clarence N. Copeland, Jr. graduated from Meharry
in 1952 and practiced here for a short time.

The Civil Rights Movement which began in the fifties
was beginning to be felt throughout the South. It was in
the height of this movement that Dr. William E. Coopwood
made a decision to come to Murfreesboro and open his
practice. He had been doing general practice in Nashville
and assisted in the care of Dr. Patterson, a Murfreesboro
dentist, who was recuperating from an illness at a black
hospital in Nashville. Dr. Patterson influenced Dr. Coop-
wood to consider coming to Murfreesboro to practice. He
made the decision to come to Murfreesboro and moved here
in July, 1961. He applied for staff privileges at Rutherford
Hospital which were granted and confirmed by a letter to
him from Mr. James R. Arnhart dated July 21, 1961. He had

-*--^The Murfreesboro Union, Murfreesboro, Tennessee,
Saturday, October 13, 1928.

262

Dr. William E. Coopwood

First Black Physician on the Rutherford

Hospital Medical Staff

(1961)

First Black Physician Admitted to the Rutherford

County and Stones River Academy of Medicine

(1962)

263

been approved by the recommendation of the credentials
committee and the executive committe of the medical staff
and was officially appointed to the active staff with
privileges in general practice, effective July 20, 1961.
Dr. Coopwood is the first black physician to ever be
accepted on the staff of the local hospital. In September,
1961, he received a letter of invitation from the hospital
to join the hospital's executive board at a luncheon at
Sullivan's Restaurant, the purpose of which was to provide
an opportunity for the new doctors, who had become medical
staff members during the past year, to meet with the
hospital executive board. Dr. Coopwood attended the
luncheon and was accepted graciously and cordially at a
time when the local restaurants were still segregated.
Dr. Coopwood applied for admission to the Rutherford County
Stones River Academy of Medicine and he was elected to
membership at the meeting of January, 1962. He v/as the
first black physician to ever be elected to the local
academy of medicine. Dr. Coopwood practiced in Murfreesboro
from 1961 to 1966. During this time he was received with
respect from the local physicians. They recognized his
training and accepted him as a peer.

Each doctor on the staff of the hospital is required
to take emergency room duty in rotation. Dr. Coopwood

264

chose to take emergency room duty on the medical service.
He was asked by the medical service to see only black
patients when he was on duty. This was one of only a few
episodes of a racist nature which he experienced while
practicing here.

The black population in Murfreesboro and throughout
the South were mainly people who had menial jobs and
little income, who therefore found it difficult to pay a
physician for office visits. Although Dr. Coopwood had a
reasonable income through his practice, he realized that he
could not possibly educate his children as he wanted them
educated on the kind of income he was receiving in
Murfreesboro from his practice. He therefore elected to
leave general practice and join the staff at Veteran's
Administration Hospital in Murfreesboro where he was
guaranteed a salary which was better than he was receiving
in medical practice. He remained at the Veteran's Admis-
tration Hospital from 1966 to 1967. He then entered a
residency at Vanderbilt University in psychiatry in July,
1967, and finished that residency in 1970. Today he
practices in Nashville as a Board Certified Psychiatrist.-'-^

1984.

■'-'* Interview with Dr. William E. Coopwood, October,

265

It would seem logical that many of the black physicians
who came to Murfreesboro and stayed such a short while had
the same experience financially that Dr. Coopwood did. The
Civil Rights Law of 1964 guaranteed equal rights for blacks
in the fields of voting, public accommodations, public
facilities, public education, programs receiving federal
aid, and employment. After 1964 the industries began to
hire the local blacks as required by law. Their income at
that time was increased and they could better afford to
pay their bills but prior to that time much of the black
practitioner's practice in Murfreesboro would have been
charitable .

When Dr. Coopwood left Murfreesboro there were no black
physicians here until Dr. George W. Smith came in 1979. He
was trained at Meharry, graduating in 1975; he did a
preventive medicine and family practice residency at George
Hubbard Hospital of Meharry Medical College from 1975 to
1979. He received staff privileges and was also accepted
into the county organization the same year. He was joined
in practice by Dr. Dennis Carter in 1983. Dr. Carter also
completed a residency in family medicine at Meharry.

Dr. Donald Bruce and Dr. Alvin Singh, each of whom
finished a residency in obstretrics and gynecology at
Meharry, joined the medical staff in 1981. In 1984

266

Dr. Robert J. Smith became a member of the medical staff at
the hospital as a board certified surgeon.

Although it has taken many years for the black
physician to take his rightful place of respect by his peers
in medicine, he today enjoys the same privileges and rights
in his pursuit of medical practice as do all the other
physicians .

CHAPTER VIII
CONTEMPORARY MEDICAL PRACTICE IN RUTHERFORD COUNTY

The overwhelming crescendo of progress in all aspects
of medicine has not been lost in Rutherford County. A
rapid spread of specialization has touched our community
and we now are fortunate to have practitioners in general ,
vascular, and thoracic surgery; internal medicine; obstet-
rics and gynecology; pediatrics; radiology; nuclear medicine;
pathology; oncology; dermatology; orthopedic surgery;
ophthalmology; otology, rhinology, and laryngology; gastro-
enterology; urology; cardiology; emergency medicine; and
family practice. All practice their art in an exceptionally
modern 289 bed hospital staffed by 560 employees under the
capable leadership of James R. Arnhart, the administrator.
The doctors make every effort to keep abreast in the
modern developments in their field by attending post-
graduate meetings and developing continuing education
programs within the confines of the departmental meetings
at the hospital, the hospital staff meetings, and the
county medical society.

The Middle Tennessee Medical Center (formerly Ruther-
ford Hospital ) provides a complete x-ray department under
the direction of radiologists. The x-ray department

267

268

encompasses ultrasound and nuclear medicine facilities, a
vascular digital computer, and computerized axial tomography
(CAT Scan). Its pathology department and laboratory is
under the direction of two full time pathologists. A very
complete laboratory facility functions. A pharmacy is
maintained under the direction of a licensed pharmacist.
There is an intensive care unit and a coronary care unit;
these units are equipped and staffed so as to insure
efficient care in critical phases of illness. Nurses in
these units have received post-graduate training in critical
care, and the patients are constantly monitored visually
and many on a computerized monitor. There is a physical
therapy department under the direction of a registered
physical therapist. The hospital provides an emergency
room with twenty-four hour coverage by physicians special-
izing in emergency medicine. The gastrointestinal laboratory
provides instruments for the accurate study and diagnosis
of gastrointestinal disease. The echocardiographic
laboratory utilizes sound waves to provide images of the
heart and its function through the use of the ultrasound
technique. The hospital is approved by the Joint Commis-
sion on Accreditation of Hospitals and is a member of the
American Hospital Association, Tennessee Hospital
Association, Middle Tennessee Hospital Council.

269

Middle Tennessee Medical Center

1984
(Formerly Rutherford Hospital)

270

"For the Welfare of Mankind" — these are the words which
are engraven in stone over the front doors of the hospital .
How well this inscription has been lived up to by the
institution since its establishment in 1927 by the Common-
wealth Fund of New York. It is written into a record of
fifty seven years service that all may read. Much local
history is woven into this record, the history of thousands
of Rutherford countians , both the sick and the well, who
have passed through the doors beneath the stone inscription.
The dedication of the medical staff, the nursing staff,
the employees and the administration has meshed to produce
an outstanding institution of which all Rutherford countains
can be proud.

The county has an excellent Public Health Department
run by the capable expertise of Dr. Robert Sanders. They
have a large staff of full time nurses, health officers,
and assistants, and provide in-home service as well as
clinic service.

Five licensed nursing homes are operating in the
county to provide the ever increasing geriatric care for
the elderly. One of these homes provides a skilled care
wing and a wing in rehabilitative therapy.

Smyrna has a hospital which was opened to the public
in June, 1966, originally a 25 bed institution. In 1977

271

an addition was built expanding the hospital by 30 beds,
making a total of 55. They do no obstetrics at Smyrna
Hospital but they do general acute care and they are
equipped to dci major surgery. An emergency room is
maintained in which a doctor is on call twenty-four hours
a day. The hospital is not accredited by the Joint
Commission on Hospital Accreditation but has made applica-
tion for their accreditation. The hospital is approved
for medicare and medicaid.

A new dialysis center has just opened in Murfreesboro
which can provide dialysis for the kidney patients who
previously were required to travel to Nashville three times
a week for their dialysis therapy. This center operates
on an out-patient basis but cooperates with the hospital
who may send in-patients for dialysis if such becomes
necessary. A nephrologist from Nashville is in charge but
a local internist has been delegated to oversee the day
by day operation. This center is a valuable addition to
medical care in our county.

An oncology center was opened in November, 1984, by
Dr. Al-Abdullah, a radiation oncologist; the center has
the capability of radiation therapy for cancer. Heretofore
patients could only obtain this service in Nashville.

Area Physicians 1980 — 1984

272

J. Paul Abernathy

(Murf reesboro)
Carl E. Adams

(Murf reesboro)
Harold T. Akin

(Murf reesboro)
Al-Abdullah, M. Sahib A,

(Murf reesboro)
James T. Allen

(Murf reesboro )
John H. Alexander

(Murf reesboro)
Susan T. Andrews

(Murf reesboro )
Joseph C. Bailey

(Murf reesboro )
W. Stanley Barham

(Murf reesboro )
Timothy J. Beasley

(Murf reesboro)
R. Bryan Bell

(Murf reesboro )
James L. Boerner

(Murf reesboro )
F. P. Bond

(Murf reesboro )
Joseph E. Boone, Jr.

(Murf reesboro)
James T. Box

(Murf reesboro)
Donald Bruce

(Murf reesboro )
W. Arthur Bryant

(Woodbury )
Rodney C. Bryant

(Woodbury )
Sally H. Bullock

(Murf reesboro)
Henry K. Butler, Jr.

(Murf reesboro)
Jerry N. Campbell

(Murf reesboro)
Dennis C. Carter

(Murf reesboro)
S. Frank Carter III

(Murf reesboro)

John T. Cunningham

(Murf reesboro )
Bernard S. Davison

(Murf reesboro )
John H. Dixon

(Murf reesboro )
David T. Dodd

(Murf reesboro )
*Paul C. Estes

(Murf reesboro- -VA)
James W. Garner, Jr.

(Murf reesboro )
Sidney C. Garrison, Jr.

(Murf reesboro)
R. James Garrison

(Murf reesboro )
Sidney L. Gilbert

(Murf reesboro )
Charles E. Goodman, Jr.

(Murf reesboro )
*Richard E. Green

( Murf reesboro--VA)
Robert H. Hackman

(Murf reesboro )
A. E. Harvey

(Murf reesboro)
Samuel H. Hay

(Murf reesboro)
Charles A. Heffington, Jr ,

(Murf reesboro)
George S. Hester

(Murf reesboro )
Robert D. Hollov/ell

(Murf reesboro)
David L. Hudson

(Murf reesboro )
Kenneth D. Hunt

(Murf reesboro)
*Norton H. Hutchison

(Murf reesboro- -VA)
William J. Jekot

( Murf reesboro )
0. Thomas Johns

(Murf reesboro)
J. Kenneth Kaufman

(Murf reesboro)

273

Area Physicians 1980 — 1984 (continued)

Douglas W. Kendall

(Murf reesboro)
Robert L. Kendall

(Murf reesboro)
Joseph C. Knight

(Murf reesboro)
Robert T. Knight

(Murf reesboro)
Elizabeth LaRoche

(Murf reesboro)
Seung H. Lee

(Murf reesboro)
Charles W. Lewis

(Murf reesboro)
Fred R. Lovelace

(Murf reesboro)
E. Ray Lowery, Jr.

(Murf reesboro)
Matt B. Murfree, Jr ,

(Murf reesboro)
David T. McKnight

(Murf reesboro)
Russell E. Myers

(Woodbury)
Frederick J. Myers

(Woodbury )
James A. Nunnery

(Murf reesboro)
Eugene P. Odom

(Murf reesboro)
Stephen G. Odom

( Murf reesboro )
Socrates Pinto

(Smyrna)
Jerry E. Puckett

( Smyrna )
Robert G. Ransom

(Murf reesboro )
Richard A. Rogers

(Murf reesboro)
Leon L, Reuhland

(Woodbury)
Randall C. Rickard

(Murf reesboro )
Daniel Rudd

(Murf reesboro )

Robert S. Sanders

(Murf reesboro)
Sudha Saraswat

( Smyrna )
Suresh C. Saraswat

(Murf reesboro)
William W. Shacklett

(Murf reesboro)
Alvin R. Singh

(Murf reesboro )
W. Radford Smith

(Murf reesboro )
Charles D. Smith

(Murf reesboro)
George W. Smith

(Murf reesboro )
Robert T. Smith

(Murf reesboro)
James A. Starrett

(Murf reesboro )
W. Wade Sutton

(Murf reesboro )
E. C. Tolbert

(Murf reesboro)
*James W. Tenpenny

(Murf reesboro--VA)
Robert P. Tuma

(Murf reesboro)
Raymond E. Turek

( Smyrna)
Thomas D. Turner

(Murf reesboro)
B. Paul Turpin, Jr.

(Murf reesboro)
Barton W. Warner

(Murf reesboro )
Wayne Westmoreland

(Murf reesboro)
Olin 0. Williams

(Murf reesboro )
Terry J. Witt

(Murf reesboro)
Herbert R. Wolf

(Woodbury)
J. Howard Young, Jr.

(Murf reesboro )

*Only those Veterans Administration Hospital physicians
who affiliated with the Rutherford County Stones River
Academy of Medicine are listed.

274

The in-home health services which are available now
allow nurses to evaluate and treat patients in their homes
who otherwise would need to travel to the physician's
office via ambulance for treatment. This also allows closer
monitoring of the patient's progress which they report to
the patient's physician. The nurses are professionally
trained and can recognize problems which might need the
attention of the physician.

With the new concept of hospice care more active in
Rutherford County, the terminal patients can remain at
home and receive support and therapy through this organiza-
tion; this allows the patient to receive the comfort and
support of his family in familiar surroundings during the
terminal stages of his disease.

The Rutherford County Ambulance Service, with its
professionally trained people in emergency care and cardio-
pulmonary resuscitation, works in tandem with the modern
emergency room capabilities of the Middle Tennessee Medical
Center where a physician specializing in emergency medicine
can relay advice to the ambulance personnel via two way
radio while the ambulance is in route to the hospital.

There are still some areas of medicine and surgery in
which the physician in Rutherford County must still refer
the patient to a larger center in Nashville but Rutherford

275

County's medical community has been so progressive in
developing and applying modern medical techniques that the
vast majority of medical problems can receive proper
treatment in their own community.

The modern health care delivery system enjoyed today
in Rutherford County has been the result of cooperation
and dedication on the part of hundreds of medically oriented
people; the doctors, the hospital administration, the
nursing service, the public health department, the
ancillary medical services, and social service workers have
all cooperated over the years to produce an outstanding
system. This system will not be static. It must, by its
very nature, constantly change as the knowledge in medicine
changes, and adapt itself to new concepts, advancing
technical capabilities, and will be driven continually to
keep abreast of the advancements in medicine. With such
direction Rutherford County's medical community will con-
tinue to advance as the field of medicine advances.

American scientists and clinical investigators are at
the forefront in the advances in medicine, occupying a
position of major importance in education and training for
both practice and research. The American public health
workers and medical practitioners successfully apply the
discoveries of such researchers for the prevention and
treatment of disease.

276

So what lies ahead?

Soon this century's ideas and activities will
be reviewed by the next century's historians and
scientists — with occasional admiration, we hope ;
with amused tolerance, perhaps; with astonished
dismay, in all likelihood. But we need feel no
embarrassment, because each period will take its turn
being evaluated by its successors. We enter the
future facing backward, seeing all the road on which
we have just traveled. We would do well to view
today's medicine as merely a marker from the past and
future. ■'■

^Albert S. Lyons, M. D. , and R. Joseph Petrucelli II,
M. D., Medicine — An Illustrated History (New York, N. Y. :
Harry N. Abrams , Inc., 1978).

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Sims, C. C. A History of Rutherford County. Murf reesboro,
TN: Reprinted by The Rutherford County Historical
Society, 1981.

Smith, Taswell S., M. D. "Case of Gun Shot Wound of the
Brain." Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery.
V. 8 (1855), 495.

"Veratrum Veride as an Arterial Sedative."

Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery. V. 15
(1858), 195.

Smith, W. A., M. D. "Case of Labor Attended with

Laceration of Perineum. " Nashville Journal of
Medicine and Surgery. V. 3 (1852), 65.

Summerville, James. Educating Black Doctors: A History
of Meharry Medical College. University, Alabama:
The University of Alabama Press, 1983.

"Formation of a Black Medical Profession in

Tennessee, 1880-1920." Journal of the Tennessee
Medical Association. V. 76 (1983).

285

Tennessee Medical Society Proceedings. Nashville Journal
of Medicine and Surgery. V. 3 (1868), 479.

They're Pioneers. Published by Rutherford County Child

Health Demonstration Committee, Murf reesboro, TN, 1927

Thomison, John B., M. D. "The Middle Tennessee Cholera

Epidemic of 1873." Journal of the Tennessee Medical
Association. V. 68 (1975).

"The 1918 Influenza Epidemic in Nashville."
Journal of the Tennessee Medical Association.
V. 71 (1978), 261.

Transactions of the Medical Society of the State of
Tennessee, 1879.

Transactions of the Tennessee State Medical Society at
Their Twenty-Fourth Annual Session, Convened at
Nashville, May 4, 1853. Nashville, TN : J. F.
Morgan, 1853.

Vallery-Radot, Rene. The Life of Pasteur. Garden City,
NY: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1924.

Virchow, Rudolf. Cellular Pathology. Birmingham, Ala.:
The Classics of Medicine Library, 1978.

Warmuth, H. J., M. D. "Imperforate Anus with Total
Absence of Lower Bowel." Nashville Journal of
Medicine and Surgery. V. 14 (1874), 214.

. "Post-Partum Hemorrhage." Transactions of the

Medical Society of the State of Tennessee. 1893,
p. 167.

"The Radical Operation for Cancer of the

Breast." Transactions of the Medical Society of the
State of Tennessee. 1896, p. 210.

Wasson, L. M. , M. D. "An Essay on Syphilis as a Cause
of Scrofula." Nashville Journal of Medicine and
Surgery. V. 19 (1860), 101.

. "Pseudo-Membranous Croup." Nashville Journal

of Medicine and Surgery. V. 15 (1858), 184.

286

Wendell, R. S., M. D. "Case of Intussusception." Nashville
Journal of Medicine and Surgery. V. 15 (1858), 193.

Winstead, H. W. , M. D. "Case of Profuse Epistaxis."

Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery. V. 15
(1858), 358.

Yandell, Henry, M. D. "An Account of Spasmodic Cholera,
As It Appeared in Shelbyville, Tennessee, in the
Summer of 183 3." Transylvania Journal of Medicine.
V. 7 (1834), 5.

Yandell, Lunsford P., M. D. "A Case of Purpura Hemorrhagica
with Observations . " Transylvania Journal of Medicine
and the Associate Sciences. V. 1 (1828), 237.

"An Essay on Milk-Sickness." Transylvania

Journal of Medicine and Associate Sciences. V. 1
(1828), 309.

Maps

Carter, W. M. Map of Marshall County, 1899.

Foster, Wilbur. Map of Davidson County, 1871.

Map of Bedford County. Philadelphia, PA: D. G. Beers
and Co. , 1878.

Map of Rutherford County. Philadelphia, PA: D. G. Beers
and Co. , 1878.

Map of Williamson County. Philadelphia, PA: D. G. Beers
and Co. , 1878,

Map of Wilson County, 1907.

Microfilm Sources

Census Records

Bedford County, Tennessee, United States Census Records,
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900.

287

Cannon County, Tennessee, United States Census Records,
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900.

Coffee County, Tennessee, United States Census Records,
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900.

Davidson County, Tennessee, United States Census Records,
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900.

Marshall County, Tennessee, United States Census Records,
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900.

Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States Census
Records, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900.

Williamson County, Tennessee, United States Census Records,
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900.

Wilson County, Tennessee, United States Census Records,
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900.

Newspapers

Daily News Journal, Murf reesboro, Tennessee, 1931-1960.

Home Journal , Murf reesboro , Tennessee, January 4, 1929 to
December 31, 1929.

The Murf reesboro Union, Murf reesboro, Tennessee,
Saturday, October 13, 1928.

The Murfreesboro Union, Murf reesboro, Tennessee,
Saturday, October 14, 1950.

News Banner, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, April, 1927 to
February, 1931.

INDEX

Numbers following names refer to pages

Hos
Dr.
190
22 3

Abernathy ,

91, 104,

116, 117
Abernathy,

38, 39,

49, 50,

62, 67,
Abernathy ,

242, 272
Acuff, Dr.

ISl, 152
Adams , Dr .

231, 235

272
Adams '
Adams ,

189,

220,
Adams , Dr .
Akins, Dr.

272
Alabama, 1
Al-Abdulla

A., 271,
Alexander ,

220, 253
Alexander ,

242, 272
Allen, Dr.

211, 220
Allen, Dr.

211, 220
Allen, Dr.

272
Al lisona,
Almaville,

167, 195
Alsup, Dr.

48, 68
Ames, Dr.
Anderson ,

Dr.- C. C. , 68
108, 109,

Dr. J. J., 37,
40, 41, 43, 48,
53, 54, 55, 58,
68, 111, 127, 128

Dr. J. Paul,

John W. , 134, .
, 159

Carl E. , 223,
, 236, 237, 242,

pital , 225 , 226
J. F. , 166, 171,
, 194, 210, 211,
, 225, 226, 231
Ralph, 220, 226
Harold T. , 242,

45

h. Dr. M. Sahib

272

Dr . John A. ,

Dr. John H. ,

E. B., 166, 194,

J. S., 166, 194,

James T. , 242,

1, 2
2, 160, 161,

G. M., 39, 43,

J. L., 223
Major, 90

Anderson, Dr. William T. ,

237
Andersonville Prison, 101,

102, 103
Andrews, Dr. Susan T., 272
Anison, Dr. W. E., 223
Antioch, 1, 111, 134, 141,

152, 161, 166, 167, 195,

221, 224, 232
Armstrong (George), 110
Armstrong, Dr , J. B., 39, 43,

48, 49, 52, 68
Armstrong, Dr. James Loudon,

23, 24
Armstrong, Dr. Martin W. , 37,

38
Arnette, Dr. James E., Ill, 134,

141
Arnhart, James R. , 267
Arrington, 2, 195
Ashley, Dr, H. , 194
Atlanta (GA, ) , 249
Auburntown, 1, 2, 91, 111, 112,

143, 153, 160, 161, 167, 194,

195, 211, 220, 221, 223, 224
Austin, Edward, 111
Avent, Dr. Benjamin Ward, 24,

37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43,

44, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54,

55, 56, 58, 62, 63, 64, 66,
89, 91, 93, 106,
129, 130, 132,

68, 87, !
108, 111, 12i
133

Bailey, Dr. Joseph C, 237, 242,

272
Baird, Dr. John, 68, 111
Baltimore, 80
Barham, Dr. W. S,, 223, 231,

237, 242, 272
Barksdale, Dr. J. G. , 41, 43

288

289

Barnard, Dr. Christiaan,

176, 185
Barnett, Dr. E. T., 68
Barton, Dr. James, 134,

141, 152
Baskette, Dr. William T.,

37, 38, 49, -50, 52, 53,

55, 56, 61, 62, 68,

96, 111
Bass, Dr. Bebe A., 231
Bass, Dr. J. S., 131, 141,

152, 159, 255
Bateman, Dr. Robert Parker,

68
Battle Lake (Minn.), 151
Beasley, Dr. Timothy J.,

272
Beaumont, Dr. William,

18, 177
Becton, Dr. Frederick

Edward, 23, 28, 30, 31
Bedford County, 1, 2, 34,

40, 135, 136, 142, 143
Bedford, Dr. J. K. , 111
Beech Grove, 1, 2, 65,

90, 91, 111, 112, 131,
135, 136, 141, 142, 143,
152, 153, 159, 160, 166,

167, 171, 194, 195, 196
Bell Buckle, 1, 2, 91, 111,

112, 134, 141, 151, 152,
159, 160, 161, 166, 167,

168, 171, 194, 195, 196,
220, 221, 223, 231

Bell, Dr. James M. , 68

Bell, John, 87

Bell, Dr. Richard B., 242,

272
Bella, Dr. John, 68
Bennett, Dr. Thomas J.,

91, 125, 134, 141, 152,
159

Bennett, Dr. Wendell, 22 3
Berkley, Dr. Joseph 0.,

231
Beirs, Dr. William M, ,

223, 231

148, 152, 159, 162, 166
Bishop, Dr. E. L., 198, 20
Bivins, Dr. Jesse, 111
Black, Dr. J. B., 194, 206

220, 223, 231, 237, 251
Black, Dr. Samuel P., 68,

111, 134
Black, Dr. Thomas Crutcher

38, 39, 48, 50, 53, 55,

97, 111, 118, 134
Blackman, 112, 135, 142
Blair, Dr. Robert, 68

91,

, 37,
68,

242

Boone, Dr. Joseph E. , Jr.,
Bostick, Dr. Jonathan, III

37, 38, 68
Boston, 18
Bougainville, 230
Boulris, Dr. Chester J., 2
Bowlin, Dr. Smith, 40, 68,

134, 141
Box, Dr. James T., 242, 27;
Boyd, Dr. Robert F., 250
Boykin, Dr. J. T. , 223, 22i

231, 237, 242

37
ill.

189, 190, 194
Bragg, Gen. Braxton, 94
Brand(t), Dr. Ernst, 15

Rra1-1-rin. Dr. T_ .T . IQd

tsranairj, ur . trnst, i54
Bratton, Dr. T. J., 194,

223
Breckenridge , 87
Bridges, Dr. James N. ,

121, 134, 141, 152
Brooks, Dr. Arthur L.,
Brothers, Dr. L. A

194, 220

91,

231
159,

, 143,
171,

20,

104,
166,

290

Brown, Dr. Isaac C, 23
Brown, Dr. Samuel, 27, 28
Bruce, Dr. Donald, 265,

272
Bryan, Dr. J. H., 141
Bryan, Dr. John M. , 237
Bryan, Dr. 0. N. , 163
Bryant, Dr. Rodney C. ,

242, 272
Bryant, Dr. W. A., 231,

237, 242, 272
Buchanan, Dr., 43, 6 2
Buchanan, Dr. Alexander B.,

68, 111
Buchanan, Dr. Robert

134
Bullock, Dr. Sally H., 272
Bumpus Mills, 194
Burger, Dr. Joshua M. C.

134
Burke, Dr. G. W. , 55,

59, 68
Burkitt, Dr. Andrew J., 141
Burlington (Vt.), 151
Burnett, Dr. T. J., 134
Burrows, Dr. William G. ,

111, 134, 141
Burrus (see Burrows)
Burton, Dr. G. W. , 39, 41,

43, 44, 48, 49, 68
Butler, Dr. Henry K., Jr.,

242, 272
Butler, John M. , 215
Butler, Dr. Thomas R., 68
Butler, Dr. W. E., 23
Byrn, Dr. J. F., 121, 134,

141, 152, 159

Cain, Dr. (John S. ) , 139
Cainsville, 1 , 2
Cairo (Egypt), 229
Caldwell, Dr., 40, 43
Cambridge University, 254
Cambridge, Dr. Vernal W. ,

261
Campbell, Dr. Jerry, 242,

272

Campbell, Dr. V. S., 166, 189,

194, 210, 211, 218, 220, 223
Camp Forest, 169
Cannon County, 1, 2, 38, 111,

126, 134, 141, 143, 152, 159,

171, 209, 225, 239
Carlton, Dr. John E., 231
Carnegie Foundation, 83, 84,

172
Cams, Dr. Alexander, 141
Carter, Dr. Dennis C, 265,

272
Carter, Dr. Harvey W. , 223
Carter, Dr. Lennora S., 194,

220, 259, 260, 261
Carter, Dr. S. Frank III, 242,

272
Cartwright, Dr. J. W. , 194
Cason, Or. John F., 220, 223,

231, 237
Central Tennessee College, 247,

255, 256
Chadwick, Dr. James M. , 141,

152, 159
Chamberlain, Dr., Ill
Chandler, Dr. Marion, 111, 134
Chapel Hill, 1, 2, 135, 143,

144, 152, 153, 160, 161, 167,
171, 194, 195, 220, 223

Chapman (Nathaniel), 110
Charleston (W. Va . ) , 251, 259
Charlton, Dr. Andrew Jackson, 68
Charlton, Dr. Ephraim, 68, 111,

134, 141, 152, 159
Charlton, Dr. George Washington,

Sr., 68, 111
Charlton, Dr. G. W. Ill, 166
Charlton, Dr. James Hamilton, 38,

39, 68, 111, 134, 141
Charlton, Dr. John R. , 166
Charlton, Dr. Joseph, 68, 111,

134
Chattanooga (Tenn.), 130, 131,

145, 147, 255
Cheatham, Dr . , 43
Cheers, Mrs. Maggie, 251

291

Childress, Dr. Edwin,

68, 111, 134
Chrisman, Dr. W. F., Ill
Christiana, 2, 142, 152,

159, 166, 194, 195, 211,

220
Christy, S. B. Jr., 192,

197, 198, 206, 208, 213,

215
Cincinnati (Ohio), 41, 49,

130
Clark, Dr. Elisha B., 23
Clark, Dr. William J., 68,

134
Clary, Dr. John W. , 111,

134, 141
Clary, Dr. William F., 141,

151, 152, 159, 166
Clayton, Dr. C. C, 141
Clayton, Dr. H. H., 55,

62, 64, 68, 91, 101, 104,

111, 121, 132, 134, 141,

157
Cobb, Dr. S. B. , 141
Cocke, Dr. Edwin W. , 231
Coffee, Dr. Amos L., 231
Coffee County, 1, 2, 135,

142, 143
Coleman, Dr. P. C, 118,

126, 134, 141
Coleman, Dr. Walter P.,

Ill, 134
College Grove, 1, 2, 91,

111, 135, 136, 141, 143,

152, 153, 159, 160, 166,
167, 171, 194, 195, 220,
223, 231

College of Philadelphia, 6
Collett, Dr. Williarr, "159
Commonwealth Fund of New
York, 193, 197, 199, 202,
2o5, 206, 207, 208, 212,
213, 217, 218, 219, 222,
225, 270
Connell, Dr. M. L. , 194,
220, 223, 231

Cook, Mary Riley, 226
Cook, Dr. William C, 111, 134
Cooper, Dr. A. L. , 223
Coopwood, Dr. William E., 2 37,

261, 262, 263, 264, 265
Copeland, Dr. Clarence N., Jr,

261
Copeland, Dr. John B., Ill
Corban, Dr. J. C, 237, 242
Couch, Dr. Robert W. , 91
Covington, Dr. John James, 91,

141, 152, 159, 166
Covington, Dr. W. J. M. , 166,

194, 220
Craig, General, 228
Craig, Dr. S. C. , 166
Crichlow, Collier, 208
Crockett, Dr. F. P., 141
Cross, Dr. Albert M. , 194
Crosthwait (e) , Dr. George D.,

38, 39, 43, 49, 52, 68, 122,

125, 134, 141
Crosthwait, Dr. G. W. , 125,

133, 141, 152,, 159, 166, _ 194
Crow, Dr. Charles R. , 194
Crumbine, Dr. S. J., 197, 198,

199
Cuba, 82

Culbertson, Dr. N. H., 194, 220
Cullen, William, 6
Cunningham, Dr. John T., 237,

242, 272
Curlee, 1, 2
Curlee, Dr. James P., 141, 152,

159, 166
Curren, John, 251
Curren, Dr. S. A. , 251
Gushing, Dr. Harvey, 175, 181

Danville (Kentucky), 17
Darrow, George M. , 215
Dartmouth, 7

Davidson County, 1, 2, 29,
111, 112, 113, 131, 134,

136, 141, 143, 152, 159
Davis, Dr. E. A., 194, 220,

251, 252, 259

292

Davis, Jefferson, 93,
Davis, Dr. Joseph W. ,

111, 119, 125, 133,

137, 138, 141, 152
Davis, Dr. Preston K.,

134
Davison, Dr. B. S., 22

228, 230, 231, 237,

272
Dawson, Dr. William N.
Deason, 1, 2, 91, 144,

153, 161, 168
DeBakey, Dr. Michael,
De Saussure, Dr., 198
Deck, Dr. Marvin E., 2

242

94

68,

134,

68,

3,

242,

, 220

176

37,

, 220

68,
141,

, 220,

4,

152,

Dedman, Dr. William M.
Denny, Dr . , 159
Dickens, Dr. James H.,

Ill, 121, 127, 134,

152
Dickey, Dr. C. W. , 194

223
Dill, Dr. James M. , 13

141, 152, 159, 166
Dilton, 159, 166
Dismukes, Dr. John F.,

159, 166, 194
Dixon (Tenn. ) , 150
Dixon, Dr. John H., 24
Dodd, Dr. David T., 2 3

242, 272
Donoho, Dr. Charles, 134,

141
Donoho, Dr. Edward, 68
Donahue, Dr. B. P., 171
Douglas, Dr. William W. ,

231
Drake, Daniel, 18
Drennan, Dr. George T.
Drennan, Dr. J. C, 15
Duff, Dr. Price H. , 22
Duggan, Dr. Benjamin F

91, 134, 141, 152
Duggan, Dr. S. B., 162
Duggan, Dr. Solon S.,

158, 159, 166

2, 272
7,

, 159

9

3

, 171
152,

Duke, Dr. F. M. , 134, 141, 152
Dunn, Dr. Thomas C. , 166
Dyer, Dr. J. H., 194, 231
Dykes, Dr. John N. , 91, 141,
152, 159, 166

Eagleville, 2, 38, 91, 112, 134,
135, 142, 150, 151, 152, 153,
158, 159, 160, 162, 166, 167,
171, 194, 195, 196, 220, 221,
231, 232, 238

Earthman, Dr. V. K., 159, 166,
171, 194, 220, 223

Eaton, Dr. E. M. , 152

Eatherly, Dr. W. T., 194

Eberle (John), 110

Edinburgh, 6, 18

Eggleston, Dr. W. C, 220

Einthoven, Dr. Wilhelm, 176, 183

Elam, Dr. J. E., 152

Elam, Dr. Thomas J., 91, 111,
134, 141, 152, 159

Elmore, A. T. , 208

Emory and Henry College, 100

England, 6, 176

Engles, Dr. W. J., 194

Eritrea, 229

Estes, Dr. Paul, 231, 237, 242,
272

Estes, Dr. Sam E. , 159, 166,
194, 220, 223

Estes, Dr. W. R. , 194

Evans, Dr . , 159

Everett, Dr. John, 141

Ewell, Dr. Dabney, 68

Ewing, Dr. John A., 152, 159,
166, 194

Ezel, Dr. LaFayette, 31, 68

Ezell, Dr. Uberdwell, 68

Fain, Dr. Richard W..-. 134
Fairfield, 1, 2, 111, 112, 113,

134, 135, 141, 142, 143, 152,

159
Fenno, Dr. Richard, 230, 237
Ferguson, Champ, 100, 101

293

Ferguson, Dr. Clarence N.,

152, 194
Ferguson, Miss Maude, 192,

193, 198, 200
Fesmire, Dr. Francis M. ,

237, 242
Fisher, Dr. George C, 159,

166
Fisher, Dr. Robert J., 159,

166
Fitch, John, 94
Fleming, Dr. Alexander,

175
Fletcher, Dr. John R., Ill,

134, 141, 152
Flexner, Abraham, 83, 172,

248
Flint, Austin, 110, 114
Florence, 38, 134, 141,

142, 152, 153, 159, 160,

166, 194
Flowers, Dr. George, 141
Ford, Dr . , 43
Forrest, General, 94, 97
Fort Donelson, 94
Fort Henry, 94
Fort McHenry, 97
Fort Sumter, 87, 89, 90
Fosterville, 2, 92, 112,

113, 135, 141, 142, 152,

159, 161, 166, 167, 171,

194, 211, 220
Fox Camp, 3 8

Fozrar, Dr. James, 134
France, 19, 165, 228
Frazar, Dr. William W. , 68
Freas, Dr. Edgar C, 159
Freeman, Dr. J. K., 194,

220, 223, 231
Freeman, Dr. W. R., Ill,

133, 134, 141, 152, 159
Frizzell, Dr. T. J., 134,

141
Fryar, Dr. J. F. , 114,

115, 134

Gassaway, 196

Gaines, Dr. John Wesley, 68, 111,

134, 141, 152
Galvez, Dr. Pedro, 242
Gannaway, Dr. John, 68,

141, 152, 159

Garner, Dr.

272
Garner, Dr.
Garrett, Dr.
Garrett, Dr,

James W. , J

W. H., 194,
John J. , 1
R. C, 166
Garrison, Fielding, 8
Garrison, Dr. R. James,

237, 242, 272
Garrison, Dr. S. C, Jr

235, 236, 237, 242, 2
Gentry, Dr. Joseph S.,
Gentry, Dr. R. A. , 141
Gentry, Dr. Watson M. ,
George Hubbard Hospital
Georgia, 97, 101, 103,
Germany, 71, 154, 172,
Gilbert, Dr. Lemuel B.,
Gilbert, Dr. Sidney L. ,
Giles County, 109
Glasscock, Dr. M. E., 2
Gooch, Dr. David R., 15

194
Gooch, Dr ,

38, 39,
Gooch, Dr
Gooch, Dr ,

111, 134,
r., 242,

John Claibor
68
Nathaniel, 9
Samuel R. , 3
Goodall, Dr. George, 22

237, 242
Goodloe, Dr. A. E., 163

171
Good Samaritan Hospital
Goodman, Dr. Charles E.

242, 272
Gordon, Dr. A.

215, 220
Gordon, Dr. F.

42, 43
Gordon, J. P. ,
Gordon, Dr. T.

N., 194,

H., 39,

215
Gilbert,

220
66, 194

, 194, 220

231, 236,

., 231,

72

68

91, 111
, 265
145, 169
181

159

242, 272

42

9, 166,

ne , 31 ,

1
8
3, 231,

, 166,

, 225
, Jr. ,

211,

40, 41,

223,
228, 230, 231, 237, 242

294

Graham, Dr ,
Graham, Dr.
Graves, Dr ,

Gorgas, William Crawford,

82
Gossburg, 1
Gott, Dr. J. R., 194, 210,

211, 218, 220, 223
Gowen, Dr. James W. , 38,

68, 91, 111
Gowen, Dr. William D., 31,

38
Gracy, Dr. B. B. , 124,

125, 133, 134, 141, 147,
149, 152, 159, 166, 194

Charles R. , 159
W. W. , 194
Thomas, 6 8
Gray, Dr. Elias T. , 111,

134, 141, 152, 159, 166
Gray, Dr. Isaac H., 68,

lllr 134, 141
Green, Dr. Madison G. , 141
Green, Dr. Richard E., 237,

242, 272
Greenberg, Dr. Stanley, 237
Greensboro (N. C-), 257
Grigg, Dr. Samuel C, 141,

152, 159, 166
Grimmett, Dr. M. H., 159
Grinstead, Dr. Addison P.,

68, 111, 134, 142
Griswell, Dr. Moses T., 142,

152, 159
Guadalcanal, 230
Guill, Dr. B. F., 125, 134,

142, 152
Gum, 2
Gunn, 21
Guthrie, samuel, 17

Hackman, Dr. Robert H.,

237, 242, 272
Haggard, Dr. D. C, 165,

171
Hagley, Dr. Leon, 159
Hale, Dr. C. W. , 111
Hall, Dr. Allen, 68
Hall, Dr. John W. , 69, 111,

134, 142

Hall, Dr. Joseph D., 142, 15

159, 166, 194, 220
Hall, Dr. Robert R. , 135, 1<
Hal 1 ' ?5 Hi 1 1 . 111. 1 ^d 1 ^19

80, 83,

142, 152,

__. .., .42

Hall's Hill, 111, 134, 142

196, 221
Halstead, Dr. William S.,

157

Hamilton, Dr. James R. , 194
Hamilton, Dr. John Henry, 166,

194, 258
Hampton, Dr. James E. , 2 37
Handley, Dr. H. E. , 194, 231
Hardin, Dr. G. C, 159, 166,

220, 251, 253, 257
Hargis, Dr. F. C, 166,

194

Harkness, Anna, 218
Harkness, Edward S., 218
Harkness, Stephen V., 218
Harris, Dr. C. C, 166
Harris, Dr. G. W. , 91
Harris, Governor, 89, 93
Harris, Dr. J. T. , 159, 194

194,
220

Harris, Dr. Richard L. , 220, 22;
Harris, Dr. Robert B., 91, 111,

119, 135, 142, 152
Hartwell, Dr. Alfred, 23, 31, 31
Harvard, 7, 83, 218
Harvey, Dr. A. E., 237, 242, 27:

ncjiuweii, UL . Rirrea, ^j, Ji
Harvard, 7, 83, 218
Harvey, Dr. A. E., 237, 242,
Hase, Dr. Joseph, 111
Hatcher, Dr. G. A., 223, 231
Hay, Dr. S. H., 231, 237, 242,
Haynes, C. M. , 208

5
2

272

Mrs. Jim, 215

91, 135

Hay.

Haynes, C. M. , 208
Haynes, Mrs. Jim, ^.
Hearn, Dr. Henry M. ,

142, 152
Heffington, Dr. Charles A., Jr.,

242, 272
Heimark, Dr. C. B., 150, 151, 152
Henderson, Dr. Eugene, 111
Henderson, Howard, 215
Henderson, Dr. W. T., 23
Hendrix, Dr. A. A., Ill
Hester, Dr. George S., 242,
Hibbett, Dr. J. C, 237, 242

Hihh(^-t-1-. Dr- W P 152

Hibbett, Dr. J. C, 237, 242

Hibbett, Dr. W. E., 152

Hickman, Dr. J. P., 159, 166,
194. 257

272

Hickman, Dr. J. P., 159, 166,
194, 257
Lcks, Dr. John B., 130, 133, 135

295

Hill, J. T., 131

Hogg, Dr. Samuel, 27, 38

Hollowell, Dr. R. D.,

223, 231, 237, 242, 272
Holman, :Dr . , "257
Holmes, Dr. E. M. , 159,

163
Holmes, Dr. Henry, 31
Holtland, 1
Holt's Corner, 142
Hood, General, 97
Hoover, Dr. John L., 159,

166, 194
Hoover, Dr. Samuel, 142
Hoover, Walter King,

124, 125
Hoover, Dr. William M. ,

91, 111, 135, 142, 152
Hord, T. E., 208
Horton, Dr. George E. ,

171
Hough, Dr. De Witt, T.,

159
Houston, S. F. , 215
Hubbard, Reuben D. , 38,

39, 69, 111
Hudson, Dr. David L. ,

242,

272

Hudson, Dr

. H. H

., 220

Hudson, Dr

. J. R

., 159,

166

Huff,

Dr. 1

Dewitt

c.

142,

152

, 159,

166,

r

194

Huff,

Dr. .

J. D. ,

195

Huff,

Dr. Wiley,

69

Huggins, C

. B., !

3r . ,

157

Hughes

;, Dr

. Will:

lam.

112

Hunt,

Dr. ]

Kenneth D. ,

237,

242

, 272

Hutchison,

Dr. N

. H. ,

242,

272

Hutton, Dr

. Will:

lam M. ,

69,

112,

135, :

142

Hyde,

Dr. 1

Norton

B.,

142

Ingram, Dr. M.

Italy, 229

Ivie, Dr. John H

D., Jr., 223
69

Jackson (Tenn.), 249
Jackson, Dr. M. H., 68
Jamison, Dr. A. J., 159

195, 210, 211, 218, 2

231
Jamison, Dr. James M. ,
January, Dr. R. W. , Sr.
Jefferson, 111, 112, 13

152
Jekot, Dr. William J.,
Jenkins, Dr. Edward 0.,
Jernigan, Dr. J. H., 15
Johns Hopkins Hospital,

83, 173
Johns, Dr. 0. T., 243,
Johnson, Dr. Daniel H.,

39, 48, 69
Johnson, Dr
Johnson, Dr
257

Johnston, Gen. A. S., 9
Jones, Dr. Enoch H., 15

157, 158, 160, 162, 1
Jones, Dr. J. Capers, 2
Jones, Dr. J. E. , 195 ,

, 166,
20, 223,

249
, 112
5, 142,

272

166
9

80,

272
38,

J. T., 195
Luther R. ,

159,

2, 154,

66

37, 243

220,

251,
Jones ,

259
Dr.

Joseph, 103

Jones, Dr. Ralph, 231
Jones, Dr. W. P. , 41
Jordan, Dr. Clement, 69, 112
Jordan, Dr. Garner M. , 135,

142, 152, 160
Jordan's Valley, 143, 144, 153

Kaufman, Dr. J. K., 223, 228,

231, 237, 243, 272
Kelley, Dr., 41, 43
Kelton, Dr. J. C, 160, 166,

195, 210, 211, 218, 220, 223
Kendall, Dr. Douglas W. , 243, 273
Kendall, Dr. Robert L., 243, 273

296

Kendle, Dr. James E. , 69
Kennedy, Dr. Lois M. ,

220, 223, 231, 237, 243
Kentucky, 105
Keyes, Dr. Robert F., 62,

142
Kimbro, 1

King, Dr. I. H. , 160, 257
King, Dr. J. W. , 42, 43,

112
King, Dr. Joseph E. J., 237
King's College, 7
Kinnard, Dr. George Currin,

69
Kirkland, 1, 2
Kirkland, Dr. W. C, 195
Kirkpatrick, Dr. John C,

69
Kirkpatrick, Dr. John 0.,

142
Kirkpatrick, Dr. Samuel

T. P., 135, 142
Kittrell, 152, 159, 166
Knight, Dr. Joseph C,

237, 243, 273
Knight, Dr. L. W. , 39,

43, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53,

55, 58, 69, 112, 135,

142
Knight, Dr. Robert T.,

237, 243, 273
Knox, Dr. Robert N. , 91,

142, 153, 160
Knoxville (Tenn.), 251
Koch, Robert, 76, 77

Laennec, R. T. H., 17,

25
Landis, Dr. George L. ,

142, 153, 160, 166,

195
La Roche, Dr. Elizabeth,

273
Lascassas, 2, 159, 160,

162, 166, 194, 195,

211, 220, 223

La Vergne, 2, 38, 1
126, 134, 135, 13

152, 153, 159, 16
Lebanon, 39, 41, 4 2
Ledbetter, S. L. , 1
Lee, Dr. Harry, 195
Lee, Dr. Henry, 166
Lee, Dr. Seung Hoo,
Leech, Dr. P. G. , 6
Leek, Dr. E. S., 22
Lemore, Dr . J. H. ,

259
Le Quire, Dr. Donal
Lester, Dr. Bailey

153, 160, 166
Lewis, Dr. Charles

273
Lewis ,
153,

Dr. Nathanie
160, 166
Lexington (Ky.), 7
Leyte, 229
Lillard, Dr. J. H. ,
Lincoln, President,
Lind University, 82
Lindsley, Dr. J., 4
Lipscomb, Dr. Thoma
Lister, Dr. Joseph,
London, 6

Louisville ( Ky . ) , 3
Lovelace, Dr. Fred

243, 273
Lowery, Dr. E. Ray,
Lowry , Dr . J . S . , 1

223
Lyon, Dr. James P.,
Lytle, Julian, 208
Lytle, Dr. William

142

11, 112, 113,

6, 141, 143,

6, 194, 203

, 105

99

, 220

243, 273
9
3
195, 258,

d L. , 237
P., 142,

W., 237, 243,

1 M. , 142,

40, 43, 135
87, 89

s, 41, 43, lOi
75

9, 130, 258
R., 237,

Jr., 273
95, 220,

142, 160

H., 69, 112,

Macknet, Dr. K. D., 243
Malone, Dr. Eva Lin, 220
Major, 159
Maney, Dr. James, 23, 28, 29,

30, 38, 39, 69, 112, 135
Manier, Dr. Phillip H., 112, 142
Manier, Dr. V-J. H., 125, 142

297

Manire, Dr. Amasa W. , 91,

112, 135, 142, 153, 160,

166
Mankin, Dr. John W. , 135,

142, 153
Manning, Dr. Francis J.,

38, 39, 69
Manson, Dr. James Edward,

69, 112, 135, 142
Marshall County, 1, 2,

112, 113, 136, 143, 144
Marshall, J. K., 199
Marshall, Mary E. , 215
Martin, Dr. J. D., 142
Martin, Dr. J. H. , 112
Martin, Dr. R. , 43
Martin, Dr. R. C. K., 43
Martin, Dr. Robert W. ,

69, 112, 135, 142,

153, 160
Martin, Dr. W. C. , 55,

69, 112
Martin, Dr. W. D., 167
Mason, Dr. James L, 160
Mason, Dr. John T., 237
Massachusetts General

Hospital , 18
Mayes, Dr. James E.,

160, 167
Mayfield, Dr. G. A.,

41
Mayfield, Dr. S., 41, 43
McAdoo, Mrs. Edgar, 198
McBride, Dr. Pleasant H. ,

91, 142, 153
McCarthey, Dr., 223
McCleary, Dr. J. W. , 135
McClellan, Dr. J. B. ,

142, 153, 160, 167,

195, 220, 255, 256,

257
McCord, Dr. William A., 142
McCord, Dr. William H. ,

91, 112, 135, 142
McCrary, Dr. Lyman B., 91,

112, 135, 142, 153, 160,

167
McCrary, Dr. M. B., 190,

195, 211, 220, 223

McCrary, Dr. Thomas C, 91, 112,

135, 142
McCullough, Dr. Allen P., 91,

112, 135, 142, 153, 160
McCullough, Dr. P. D., 39, 43,

48, 49, 50, 53, 69
McDowell, Ephriam, 17
McElroy, S. E. , 208
McGahey, Dr. Thomas, 142
McGee, Dr. Henry L., 167, 195,

220
McKnight, A. D., 215
McKnight, Dr. Armstrong E. ,

91, 112, 140, 142, 153, 160
McKnight, Dr. Bennett R., 153,

160, 167, 195, 211, 220
McKnight, Dr. David T., 273
McKnight, Dr. John L., 69
McKnight, Dr. Samuel A., 69
McLarty, Dr. A. M. , 231
McLean, Dr. Joseph M. , 112,

135, 142
McMinn, Dr. Samuel N., 69, 135
McMullen, Dr. R. W. , 237
McMurray, Dr. Thomas M. , 142,

153, 160
McWhirter, Dr. Samuel Caldwell,

69, 112
Meharry Medical College, 173,

247, 248, 249, 250, 251, 253,

255, 256, 257, 258, 259,

261, 265
Memphis, 41, 116, 128, 129,

130, 133, 170, 209
Memphis Medical College, 128
Mickle, Dr. J. G. , 135
Middle Tennessee Medical Center,

267, 269, 274
Middleton, 112
Midland, 2, 134, 141, 142, 152,

153, 160, 161, 167
Miller, Dr. Elbert S., 135, 142
Miller, Dr. E. S., Jr., 135
Miller, Dr. Lorenzo D., 142,

153, 160, 167
Miller, Dr. W. J., 14 2
Millersburg, 111
Milton, 2, 37, 38, 91, 111, 112,

135, 140, 142, 143, 153, 159,
160, 166, 167, 194, 195, 220

298

Milton, Dr. E, S., 112
Mitchell, Dr. P. H.,

23, 31
Mitchell, Dr. Thomas A.,

160
Mobile, 129

Moffett, Dr. A. S. , 220
Molnar, Dr. S. K., 223
Moncrief, Dr. D. D. ,

167, 171, 195
Moon, Dr. James P.,

167, 195
Moon, Dr. J. Robert,

142, 153, 160, 167,

195
Moon, Dr. Orville B., 171
Moon, Richard, 199
Moon, Dr. W. A. , 160,

167, 195
Moore, Dr. George B., 223
Moore, Dr. James L. , 231
Moore, Dr. Jennings, 69
Moore, Dr. Ralph, 237
Moore, Dr. W. P., 220
Morgan, Dr. C. H., 167
Morgan, John, 6
Morgan, Dr. John H., 69,

112
Morris, Dr.
Morton, Dr.

153, 160,
Morton, Dr.
Morton, Dr.
Morton, William T
Mosely, Dr. H. A.

Donald P. , 220
James W. ,
167

John H. , 135
Solomon G. , 69
18
142

Moses , Dr . , 96
Mosley, Dr. Thomas B., 142
Mulky, Dr. William A., 135
Mullins, Dr. George W. , 69
Murfree, Dr. James B., Jr.

153, 160

Murfree, Dr. James B., Sr.,
91, 100, 101, 112, 119,
120, 121, 122, 124, 132,
133, 135, 137, 140, 143,
145, 146, 148, 150, 153,

154, 157, 160, 167

Murfree, Dr. Matt B.

228, 229, 230, 231

273

Murfree, Dr. Matt B.

165, 167, 171, 189

210, 211, 220, 223

Murf reesboro, 1, 2, 2

30, 31, 33, 34, 35

41, 43, 44, 48, 49

55, 63, 87, 90, 91

95, 96, 106, 109,

113, 116, 118, 126

132, 133, 134, 135

141, 142, 143, 151

159, 160, 161, 163

171, 189, 190, 191

194, 195, 196, 197

205, 211, 212, 213

221, 223, 224, 226

235, 237, 238, 240

243, 244, 251, 253

256, 257, 258, 259

264, 265, 271, 272

Murfreesboro Medical

Murray, Dr. John W. ,

Muse, Dr. Joseph B.,

Mustard, Dr. H. S. , 1

205, 206, 208, 212
Myers, Dr. Charles E.
Myers, Dr. Chester E.
Myers, Dr. F. J., 243
Myers, Dr. Russell E.
237, 243, 273

Jr., 223,
238, 243,

Sr.,
190,
227

2, 24
38,
50,
93,

11, 1
128,
136,
152,
166,
192,
200,
215,
231,
241,
254,
261,
273

Clini

143

112,

95, 1

162,
195,

, 28,

39,

52, 53,

94,,

12,

131,

137,

153,

167,

193,

202,

220,

232,

242,

255,

263,

c, 236

135
99,

160
167
273
231,

Nashville, 30, 35, 41, 43, 50,
53, 54, 90, 106, 108, 116,
118, 130, 150, 156, 190, 191,
197, 247, 248, 250, 253, 254,
259, 261, 264, 271

Neal, Dr. C. C, 135

Neal, Dr. Richard, 160

Nealy, Dr. M. Edward, 118, 135,
143, 153, 160, 167

Neilson, Dr. Patrick D. , 23

Nelson, Dr. Abner W. , 69

299

Nelson, Dr. Bristol, 195
Nelson, Dr. Joseph H.,

69 , 112
Nelson, Dr. 0. G., 195
Nelson, Dr. Samuel B.,

112, 135, 143
Nesbitt, Dr. Simon, 143
Nevins, Allan, 105
New, Dr. C. T., 40, 69,

112, 135

New London (Conn.), 17
New Orleans, 130
New York, 129, 215
Newson, Dr . M. W. ,

135, 143
Noah, 1, 142, 153, 194
Nobbitt, Dr. Boone E.,

160
Nolensville, 1, 2, 111,

113, 134, 136, 141,

142, 144, 153, 160,
166, 194, 220, 223

Norem, Dr. Walter, 223
Norene, 1, 2, 195, 221,

224
North, Elisha, 17
Norvell, Dr. Andrew, 135
Norvell, Dr. James K.,

143, 153, 160, 167
Northwestern University,

82
Norton, Dr. James K., 6 9
Nunn, Dr. J. A., 171
Nunnery, Dr. James A.,

243, 273

Oakland, 2 9

Odom, Dr. E. P., 22 3,

228, 229, 231, 237,

243, 273
Odom, Dr. Houston, 160
Odom, Dr. Stephen G.,

243, 273
Okinawa, 229
Oneyville, 1
Orr, Dr. D. F., 153
Orr, Dr. W. M. , 153, 160

Osborn, Dr. G. , Jr., 112
Osier, Sir William, 81, 83
Otterland, Dr. Karlanders, 243
Otto, John C. , 16

Ousley, Dr. B. L. , 195, 211, 220
Overall, 2, 195, 211, 221, 224,

235
Overall, Dr. George W. , 132, 135
Overall, Dr. J. C, 160, 162,

167, 195, 210, 211, 218, 221,

223, 227
Owen, Dr. Benjamin R. , 42
Owen, Dr. James B., 69, 143
Owen, Dr. Robert, 91
Owen, Dr. Urban G. , 135, 143,

153, 160
Owen, Dr. W. T. , 160, 167

Palmer, J. B. , 157
Palestine, 229
Panama, 8 2

Paris, 13
Parker, Arthur 0., 167
Parks, Dr. J. S., 41, 43
Paschall, Dr. Benjamin H.,

69, 135, 143
Paschall, Dr. George C, 153,

160, 195
Pasteur, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78
Pate, Dr. D., 69
Patterson, Dr. C. W. , 125,

133, 143
Patterson, Dr
Patterson, Dr

135, 143
Patterson, Dr. Sam H., 238
Patton, Dr, Ernest W. , 167
Patton, Dr. Jason H., 143
Paty, Dr. James A., 195
Payne, Dr. James, 231, 237
Pensacola (Fla.), 130
Percy, Dr. J. W. , 41, 43

J
John

R., 251, 261
, 91, 112,

Pensacola (Fla.), 130

Percy, Dr. J. W. , 41, 43

Perkins, Dr. Jack F., 167
Persia, 229

Petitte, Mary F. , 215

Philadelphia, 16, 129

Physick (Philip), 110

300

Pinkard, Dr. George, 135
Pinkston, Dr. Alex R. , 69,

143, 160
Pinto, Dr. Socrates, 238,

243, 273
Pitts, Dr. Rufus, 160, 167
Poplin, Dr. Green L., 69
Poplin, Dr. Thomas I.,

153, 160, 167
Porter, Dr. R. M., 41, 43
Porterfield, 1, 91, 140,

152, 159, 166
Posey, Dr. William S., 112
Powell, Dr. R. J., 5 5
Poynor, Dr. J. S. , 135
Preston, Dr. T. W. , 143
Price, Dr. Robert C,

38, 39, 69
Puckett, 161, 167
Puckett, Dr. Jerry E.,

243, 273
Pulaski, 41

Ransom, Dr. J. , 112
Ransom, Dr. Medicus, 54,

55, 58, 60, 69, 112,

121, 135, 143, 153, 157
Ransom, Dr. Robert G.,

238, 243, 273
Ratcliff, Dr. M. D., 160
Rawlins, Dr. B. W. ,

221, 223, 231, 237
Read, Dr. Robert W. , 143,

153, 160, 167
Read, Thomas H. , 31
Readyville, 1, 2, 91,

111, 121, 134, 136,

141, 143, 152, 153, 161,

167, 189, 194, 195, 196,

220
Reams, Dr. Absalom H., 143
Rees, Dr. H. C, 160
Reid, Dr. John Nash, 23
Reid, William, 18
Reuhland, Dr. L. L.,

243, 273

Rhea, Dr. Creighton, 238, 243
Richardson, Judge John E. ,

198, 215
Richardson, Dr. John W. , 35, 36,

38, 39, 41, 44, 47, 48, 49,
50, 53, 54, 55, 57, 62, 69,
106, 107, 108, 112, 115, 135

Richardson, Dr. Thomas S., 112
Richardson, Dr. William T. , 112
Rickard, Dr. Randell C, 273
Rickman, Dr. John R. , 112, 160
Rives , Dr. T. L. , 38
Roane, Governor Archibald, 30
Roane, Dr. James, 23, 24, 30,

31, 35
Robards, Dr. H. R. , 41
Robertson, Dr. G. L., 40, 43
Robertson, Dr. George Whitfield,

69, 105
Robertson, Dr. Higdon J., 112,

135, 143
Robertson, Dr. Samuel B., 38,

39, 49, 50, 53, 54, 55, 61,
62, 69, 108, 112

Robinson, Dr. Aaron B., 143

Robinson, Dr. Charles H., 231

Robinson, Dr. George W. , 91,
112

Robinson, Dr. J. G., 195

Robinson, Dr. Jefferson, 160

Robinson, Dr. John H., 69, 135

Robinson, W. B., 157

Robinson, Dr. W. D., 143

Robinson, Wiley H., 215

Robison, Mary Alice, 217

Robison, Dr. W. T., 165, 167,
189, 190, 195, 198, 210, 211,
213, 215, 217, 221, 224, 227

Rochester (N. Y. ) , 18

Rockefeller Foundation, 172

Rockvale, 2, 166, 194

Rogers, Dr . , 38

Rogers, Dr. Richard A., 273

Rokitansky (Carl), 114

Rosecrans, General, 94

Ross, Sir Ronald, 79, 82

301

Roth, Dr. Charles K., 231
Roundtree, Dr. C. B. , Jr.,

231, 238
Rover, 1, 2, 135
Rucker, 161, 167
Rucker, Dr. James Joshua,

135, 143, 15-3, 160, 167,

195
Rucker, Dr ,

143, 167
Rucker, Dr ,

153, 160
Rucker, Dr

John J . , 136,
Minus L. , 143,

William R,

28,

38, 39, 69, 112

Rudd, Dr. J. Daniel, 273

Rush, Benjamin, 6, 7, 8,
12, 14

Russell, Dr. Charles H.,
160

Russell, Dr. Leonidas, D.,
136

Rutherford County, 1, 2, 5,
21, 27, 28, 31, 33, 35,
40, 41, 43, 49, 50, 58,
63, 87, 89, 90, 93, 105,
116, 121, 156, 158, 189,
192, 193, 197, 198, 199,
206, 207, 209, 212, 213,
215, 217, 218, 225, 226,
227, 230, 233, 235, 239,
240, 241, 245, 246, 259,
267, 270, 274, 275

Rutherford County Health
Department, 201, 205,
206, 207, 208

Rutherford Hospital, 190,
213, 214, 215, 217, 225,
230, 247, 253, 261, 262,
267, 269

St. Louis (Mo. ) , 130, 253

Salem, 143, 153, 160, 161,

167, 235

Saltville (Va.), 100

238,
153,

167

Sanders, Dr. E. M. , 163
Sanders, Dr. Leonard N., 91,

112
Sanders, Dr. Robert S.

243, 270, 273
Sanders, Dr. Robley, E

160, 167, 195
Sanders, Dr. W. B., 238
Sanders, Dr. W. J., 161, 167
Sanford, Dr. W. V., 221, 224
Saraswat, Dr. Sudha, 273
Saraswat, Dr. Suresh C, 273

C^.r^rrc^ Hr- W. M. , 238

Absalom W. , 69
Hardin N. , 143
James Turner, 69
J. W. , 69
Mark Hardin, 69
Samuel W. , 91

Savage , Dr

Scales, Dr ,

Scales, Dr ,

Scales, Dr ,

Scales, Dr.

Scales, Dr.

Scales, Dr. Samuel W. , 91

Scott, Dr. J. A., 167, 189,

195, 209, 210, 211, 215, 218,

221, 224, 227, 231
Searcy, Dr. James, 69, 112,

136
Sedgewick, Dr. William H., 161

- , , _ /-■ V.7 1/1-3

Sensenbach, Dr. C. W. , 243
Sewanee (Tenn.), 148
Sewart Air Force Base, 230,

238
Shacklet, Dr. Henry, 112
Shacklett, Dr. W. W. , 228, 22'

231, 238, 243, 273
Shannon, Dr. Thomas G. , 136
Sharber, Dr. J. 0., 59, 69, i:
Sharp, Dr. Asa D., 167, 171
Shaw, Dr. Robert G., 112
Sheffield, Dr. Jason B., 70
Shegog, Dr. D. , 70
Shelbyville, 33, 35, 40, 41,
Shelton, Dr. Ben A., 243
Sherrill, Dr. J. E., 125, 143

oK-;..^^ r-i-v- T K/i 1 a 1 TOO

12

0

41, 43

M., 167, 189,

221, 224, 232

1 o

195, 210, 218, 221,
impson, James, 18
impson. Dr. John, 160
ims, J. M. , 80

302

Sims, Dr. Swepson, 23,

24, 38, 39
Sims, Dr. Walter H., 70,

112, 143
Singh, Dr. Alvin R. ,

265, 273
Singleton, Dr ,■ Robert L.,

70
Smalling, Dr. Forsyth,

136
Smith, A. L. , 208
Smith, Barry C, 208,

212
Smith, Dr. Charles D.,

238, 243, 273
Smith County, 40, 43
Smith, Dr. George W. ,

243, 265, 273
Smith, Dr. H. M. , 243
Smith, Lt., 100, 101
Smith, Dr. J. H. , 195,

232
Smith, Dr. Robert, 112,

273
Smith, Dr. Robert J.,

266
Smith, Dr. S. B. , 161,
167, 195, 198, 211,
221, 224, 235
Smith, Dr. Taswell S.,

59, 63, 64, 112
Smith, Dr. Theodore G.,

238
Smith, Dr. W. A., 39, 43,
48, 49, 50, 52, 53,
54, 58, 70
Smith, Dr. W. Radford,

238, 243, 273
Smoot, Dr. T. M. , 195
Smyrna, 2, 27, 38, 91,

111, 113, 119, 122, 124,
126, 134, 135, 136, 137,
138, 141, 143, 147, 152,
153, 159, 160, 166, 167,
194, 195, 218, 220, 221,
223, 224, 231, 232, 237,
238, 242, 243, 244, 258,
270, 273

Smyrna Hospital, 271
Sneed, Dr. D. H. , 195
Sneed, Dr. J. S. , 125
Sneed, Dr. John W. , 161, 167,

195, 221, 224, 232
Snellings, Dr. John B. , 112
South Carolina, 87
Spain, Dr. Stephen, 70
Sparkman, Dr. William, 143
Speer, Dr. Ephriam A. , 91, 136,

143, 153, 161
Speer, Dr. James A., 153
Spickard, Dr. J. B., 143
Starns, John, 16

Starrett, Dr. James A., 243, 273
Steele, Dr. John W. , 70, 91
Stenson, Dr. John M. , 112
Stewart, Dr. W. R. C, Jr., 232
Stickney, Richard, 199
Stokes (William), 110
Stone, Dr. William D., 70
Stout, Dr. S. H., 41
Stoville, Dr. A., 112
Strader, Dr. D. L. , 161
Strain, Dr. R. E., 224
Summers, Dr. J. W. , 195, 221,

224
Summers, Dr. James T., 161, 167
Sutton, Dr. Charles P., 112
Sutton, Dr. W. Wade, 273
Swann, Dr . , 143
Swanson, Dr. Ed, 143

Tatum, Dr. Robert F. , Sr., 91,

113, 136, 143, 153
Taylor, Dr. Edmund J., 113
Taylor, Dr. G. W. , 161
Taylor, Dr. J. P., 195, 209,

210, 221
Taylor, Dr. John S., 136, 161,

167, 195
Thompson, Dr. Elizah D., 136
Taylor, Dr. W. , 42
Temple, Dr. James P., 161, 167
Templeton, Dr. John, 143, 161
Tenpenny, Dr. J. W. , 232, 238,

244, 273

303

Wil liam L, ,

. H., 224
K., 221
xoaa , Aiiux ew u. , 213/ 215
Todd, Dr. George W. , 161
"^""■^""^ ^- ^ ^ 238,

Thach, Dr. W. T. , 161
Thompson, Dr. Elijah D. ,

143
Thompson, Dr. George W. ,

24, 31, 35, 38, 39, 41,

43f 49i^ -52;.-700
Thompson, Dr. Leland A.,

167
Thompson, Dr. Nimrod

Whitefield, 38, 39,

113, 136, 143, 153
Thompson, Dr. Sam W. ,

113
Thompson, Dr.

31
Tilley, Dr. J
Tilley, Dr. W.
Todd, Andrew L
Todd, Dr. George W
Tolbert, Dr. E. C

244, 273
Transylvania University

Medical School, 7
Treadway, Dr. Henry Holmes,

24, 31, 35
Treppardsville, 1, 111,

134, 142
Trinidad (B. W. I.), 230
Triune, 1, 2, 37, 38, 91,

111, 112, 134, 135,

141, 142, 143, 152, 159,

160
Tubb, Dr. C. E. , 167, 195
Tuma, Dr. Robert P., 24 4,

273
Turek, Dr. Raymond E. , 238,

244, 273
Turner, Dr. James R., 113
Turner, Dr. Robert J., 136
Turner, Dr. Thomas A.,

244, 273
Turner, Dr. William M. , 136
Turney, Dr. James T., 143,

153, 161
Turpin, Dr. B. P., Jr.,

244, 273
Tyner, Dr. J. R. , 221

Unionv

141,

165,

Univer

Univer

Univer

Univer

Univer

145,

Univer

7, 8

Univer

Univer

Univer

ille,
142,
166,
sity
sity
sity
sity
sity
173
sity
3

sity
sity
sity

1, 2, 91, 111, 134,
152, 153, 159, 160,
167, 171, 195

of Edinburgh, 6

of Louisville, 7

of Maryland, 7

of Michigan, 83

of Nashville, 7, 140,

of Pennsylvania, 6,

of the South, 148
of Syracuse, 83
of Tennessee, 173

Van Blaricum, Dr. J., 244

Van Hook, Dr. R. C, Jr., 221,

224
Van Hook, Dr. R. C, Sr . , 161,

195, 221, 224
Vanderbilt University, 145,

173, 264
Vaughn, Dr. E. B., 161, 167
Vaughan, Dr. Parks, 161
Vaughn, Dr. R. D. , 167
Vernon, Dr. T. , 23
Versailles, 59, 111, 112, 134,

141, 143, 152, 159, 160, 166
Vesta, 1
Veterans Administration Hospital,

221, 224, 226, 227, 232, 238,

244, 264
Victor, Dr.
Vienna, 13,
Vine, 1, 2
Virginia, 24, 100

Leonard, 2 38, 244
85

Waddy, Dr. J. C, 161, 257
Wade, Dr. James, 38, 3 9
Wade, Dr. John W. , 143
Wade, Dr. Samuel, 70, 143
Walden, Dr. John, 143
Waldren, Dr., 232
Waldron, Dr. J. S., 125, 136,

153
Waldrop, Dr. J. G. , 232
Walker, Dr. Charles E. , 161

304

Walker, Dr. John L. ,

161, 167, 195
Walter Hill, 2, 37, 38, 91,

111, 134, 135, 153, 159,

160, 161, 166, 167, 194,

195, 220, 221, 223, 224
Ward, Dr. William, 2 3
Waring, Dr. J. I., 195,

202, 210
Warmuth, Dr. H. Joseph, 91,

113, 122, 125, 133, 136,

137, 143, 147, 149, 153
Warner, Dr. Barton W. ,

244, 273
Warren, Dr. L. V., 113
Wartrace, 1, 2, 91, 112,

113, 134, 141, 142, 143,

152, 159, 160, 161, 167,

171, 194, 195, 209, 220,

221, 223, 231
Washington, D. C,
Washington, Dr. J.

133, 143
Wasson, Dr. L. M. ,

65, 66, 70, 113
Waters, Dr. T. F. ,
Watkins, Dr. Samuel, 24, 28
Watson, Dr. John M. , 38,

39, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53,

55, 57, 58, 70
Weakley, Dr. , 119
Weaver, Francis L. , 143
Webb, Dr. J. L., 113, 136
Webb, Dr. Sam, 70, 113
Welch, William H., 77, 83
Wendel, Dr. James, 38, 48,

55, 70, 113, 136, 143,

153
Wendel, Dr. Robert S., 39,

42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 50,

53, 55, 65, 70, 91, 113,

136, 143, 153, 157
Wesley, Dr. J., 136
Westmoreland, Dr. Wayne,

273
Wheeler, Dr. E. D., 49, 50,
53, 55, 58, 70, 113

108

H.,

62,

63,

40,

43

Whitaker, Dr. T. D. , 113, 136,

143
White, Dr. Augustus H., 70
White, Dr. B. N. Ill, 224,

229, 230, 232
White, Dr. B. N. , Jr., 163,

169, 171, 195, 198, 210,

218, 221
White, Dr. B. N. , Sr., 92,

143, 153, 161
White, Dr. Garrett, 161, 16

195
White, Dr. John Rowland, 14

153, 161
White, Dr. John J., 113, 13
White, Dr. R. G., 41
Whitehurst, Dr. W. L. , 221
Whitson, Dr. Samuel K., 113

143, 161
Whitson, Dr. William, 92, 1

144
Whitus, T. R., 215
Wiles, Dr. S. L. , 196, 211,

218, 221, 224, 232
Williams, Dr. E. L., 167, 1

228,

167,
211,

136,

V,

3,

6

H. R. , 113, 1
James, 144
Olin, Jr., 23

221
Williams, Dr
Williams, Dr
Williams, Dr

244, 273
Williams, Dr

210
Williamson County, 1, 2, 11

134, 135, 136, 141, 142,

153, 160, 161
Willig, Dr. Wanda, 224
Wilson County, 1, 2, 27, 29

40, 43, 112, 135, 136, 14

143, 152, 153, 159, 160
Wilson, Dr. John Robertson,

31, 35
Wilson, Dr. William H., 70
Winstead, Dr. H. W. , 65, 11

136, 144, 153, 161
Winston, Dr . , 4 3
Winston, Sam, 96
Witt, Dr. Terry J., 244, 27

13,

96,
36

S. W., 171, 196,

3,
143,

2,

24,

3,

305

Wolf, Dr. Herbert R. ,

244, 273
Womack, Dr. Charles W. ,

144
Wood, Dr. A. T., 113,

254
Wood, (Alexander), 110
Wood, Dr. John A., 70, 136
Wood, Dr. T. H., 168
Wood, Dr. Thomas W. , 92,

136, 144, 153, 161, 168
Woodbury, 1, 2, 40, 91, 92,

111, 112, 113, 135, 136,

142, 143, 152, 153, 159,

160, 166, 167, 190, 194,

195, 211, 220, 223, 225,

231, 235, 237, 238, 242,

243, 244, 272, 273
Woodruff, Dr. J. B. , 168,

196
Woods, Dr. Dexter, 196, 221
Woods, John, 157
Woods, Dr. Stephen H., 39,

48, 70, 113, 144, 153, 161
Woods, Dr. T. H., 196, 221
Woodson, Dr . , 161
Wooldridge, Dr. Robert, 232
Word, Dr. G. W. , 143
Work, Dr. William C, 70,

113
Wynee, Dr. T. C. , 251
Wysong, Dr. H. C, 171,

196

Young, Dr. John S., 70
Young, Dr. L. V., 40, 43, 48,

49, 50, 52, 70
Youree, George, 215
Youree, Dr. William E. , 144,

153, 161, 168, 196

Zackery, Dr. Ridley, 136

Yandell, Dr. Henry, 33, 34
Yandell, Dr. Lunsford Pitts,

24, 25, 28, 30, 31, 33, 35,

39, 41, 43, 49
Yandell, Dr. William M. , 31
Yandell, Dr. Wilson, 23, 24
Yeargan, Dr. Hillary H. , 70,

113, 136, 144
Young, Dr. J. Howard, 2 38,

244, 273

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