Following is an outline of a storyline, or possibly a collection of related short stories regarding a rural country doctor. Would love any input or suggestions. I am making seperate short stories on the life and interesting events of the doctor's life and career serving a small rural county in the first part of the 1900's.
The Country Horse & Buggy Doctor
Grandparents- I truly believe that my grandparents deserve the description of ‘grand’. This is the story of my great-grandfather life as his son, my grandfather has related to me through stories for as long as I can remember. There was a day when medical treatment and the physicians that provided it were more personal. Back in “the day” doctors knew every one of the patients personally as well as their family and medical history. There was such a doctor in my hometown of Crawfordville, Florida, which is the county seat of Wakulla County a coastal county in north central Florida. The country doctor of Wakulla County from 1906 to 1942 was Dr. Joseph Harper, my great-grandfather. Even though Dr. Harper passed away well before I was born, I am fortunate enough to know him through his son, my grandfather, who has shared his many memories of growing up in Wakulla County during the 1920s and 1930s, when his father was one of two doctors practicing in the county at that time.
In 1906 Dr. Joseph Harper stepped off the train in Wakulla County for the first time, coming to visit a friend who had invited him to go deer hunting. The account of this first hunting expedition has been passed on and I will share with you some of the highlights. Dr. Harper and his host hunted in the St. Marks area, tent camping at night. On the first night they were serenaded by the screams of a panther, which agitated the horses tied up nearby, adding to the cacophony; keeping them awake all night. The next day walking on a nearby trail they discovered a mound covered with limbs and leaves that had not been there the previous day. Being curious they removed the limbs to discover a freshly killed deer, presumably left there by the panther. Not wanting to disturb the deer further they replaced the limbs. Later that evening they again hear the panther screams coming from the area of the deer; apparently the panther was showing his displeasure when he discovered the men’s scent at the location of his deer.
After the death of his wife, Dr. Harper met, Ora, and they married in 1916, living in the home in Crawfordville where the lived and raised five sons in addition to Dr. Harper’s two sons from his previous marriage. My great-grandmother filled in for Dr. Harper for deliveries when he was called away on other medical cases; Mrs. Harper delivered two sets of twins in her time. It is recorded that by the time of his death in 1942, he had delivered over 7,000 children in county. In 1920’s Dr. Harper opened the first of two pharmacies to better serve the citizens of the county; the first was beside his home; and the second, just up the street, was slightly larger and also had a deli where he served his customers and neighbor’s lunch.
In the early part of the century, Dr. Harper could be found traveling the country roads in his horse and buggy to see his patients from one end of the county to the other. After invention of the Model “T” Ford, Dr. Harper bought one of these new fangled vehicles (and had to learn to drive), probably believing it would get him where he was going faster and easier. As it turned out, the Model T served him well on well maintained roads; but not well so much on the back roads as he would frequently get stuck in the mud or bogged down in a creek, and would have to be pulled out by a local neighbor with their horse or plow mule. So when he needed to go to the more rural parts of the county, which was most of the county, he would turn to his faithful horse and buggy to get him down some of those rutted roads, and able to ford the small, but numerous, creeks. My grandfather recalls many times of his father crossing creeks while standing in the seat holding his medical bag above his head and guiding his faithful horse, Dan, across to safety. Dan was a stubborn horse and would not let anyone else catch or ride him other than Dr. Harper; however there were times when Dr. Harper’s car was mired in mud and had to send word home to bring Dan to pull him out. These were the only times Dan allowed anyone else to halter him, somehow sensing that Dr. Harper needed his help.
My family is fortunate to have the medical journals kept by Dr. Harper; they are in old leather bound books, with brown and brittle pages, but you can get a glimpse in the daily life of a country doctor. He noted his daily activities; who he treated, for what ailment, and the payment received, if any. As was common at the time, payment was made for medical treatment, as a good many other services, in the form of food, either vegetables, or meat. Such was the time that he was paid his $10 delivery fee entirely in pennies (which the father had saved for nine months) and a sack of sweet potatoes. Another entry notes Dr. Harper delivered a baby girl, and the family had not money, but promised to pay as soon as they could. This being during the Great Depression cash was hard to come by, however they had promised to pay, and although it took ten years, they did return to Dr. Harper and pay the delivery fee in full.
He also was called frequently to Carrabelle, Florida, a neighboring coastal community, where he inspected all incoming ships for any contagious diseases the passengers may carry before releasing the ship to port. This duty gave him a ranking in the Navy as a medical officer.
My great-grandmother remained in the house, running a boarding house until her mid-80s, when she moved in with one of her sons. The Harper House still stands today as it did in my great-grandfather’s era; however it is currently a funeral home. Even though the house is not owned by our family it still stands as a reminder of another era and where we came from.
