Of course Roger will agree that the ordeal described below in 1903, has to be seen in a context of medical misdiagnosis and incompetence of some doctors, while the one that correctly diagnosed and treated the patient saved the day. This has been a constant in the history of medicine, from its primitive origins to the present. We are told by the statisticians that there is probably 800,000 cases of medical mistakes in prescriptions in the US, with one-tenth that amount in the case of Canada. Cases are also legion of Medical mistakes during surgery, which has led to widespread medical malpractice litigation in the US and to a lesser extent elsewhere. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roger McCracken" <sarsol@gippsnet.com.au> To: <CARIBBEAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2003 10:51 PM Subject: RE: Doctors of Physic and Surgery in the BWI This extract of a letter from Port of Spain, Trinidad dated December 1903 might add something to this subject. "We are just coming through a very trying and anxious time. Poor little Sheila had a fall from the steps and a day or two afterwards took ill with what we thought was the flue [sic]. We doctored her "a la creole" with rum & candle grease etc. but as she got no better we called in Pollonais who treated her for bronchitis & cured her. We told him she was complaining of pains in her left knee & thigh & told him of the fall but he pooh poohed the idea & gave us a harmless linament to rub her. She limped about the bed room for 2 days & took ill again. He came again with reluctance & said she had malaria. The pains in her leg continued very badly & she had a temp. all the time of 105o. Pollonais came once & never returned, and knowing he was in charge of the case, we could not call in another Dr. while he was supposed to be attending. Anyway, I could stand it no longer & called in Dr. Morolejo, who at once diagnosed it as paratyphoid "A" and "B" (2 sorts). The funny part was that altho' he was treating her for it, and the blood test showed she had it (according to Drs at least) yet he himself told me he was not sure she had it. Peggy told him about the fall (and also of another fall which she had outside, of which a policeman told her) but he also pooh poohed the idea of any dislocation & said that the leg was a case of infantile paralysis due to the typhoid & that she would have to be in splints for 2 years!! So he suggested a damned fool of a Dr. called Campbell - an apache - who had an electrical apparatus for treating paralysis & Peggy (being stunned at the news) did not tell him no, unitl when he returned 2 days after. But he said he had already made arrangements with Campbell to come & could not put him off. When the buffoon came he said "Oh, it's tuberculosis of the hip she has"etc. Etc. Even Morolejo himself refused to believe this. Amyway when Morolejo went down the Islands I left the case in Campbell's hands & Campbell did not turn up for 5 days although Sheila would screech for hours with pain. Peggy rang up his office and dispensed with his services. We called in Milne, who confirmed what Morolejo said, that is that she should be X-rayed. Unfortunately Dr. Arthur Reid was down the Islands also. But when he came up he X-rayed her leg & showed the greatest interest in the case. The X-ray showed what Peggy said was the metter all the time - a common dislocation of the hip; and Read gave us a long certificate showing that there was no disease at all of the bone, but a dislocation due to external injury. Next thing was an operation to put the leg in place. Drs. Scheult, Read & Milne performed it, but it was discovered that as such a length of time had elapsed, there had been "adhesions" i.e. A false joint was being formed, which the Drs were afraid to try and break down, because they might injure her bones, which, being an infant, were soft. The alternative was an operation with the knife, but they were loth to perform so delicate a job, which requires a specialist. So they suggested the "gradual extension" process, i.e. Weights tied to herlegs, over a pulley, in the hopes that the adhesions would break down & the bone would get in place, but a faint hope. Sheila's leg was ¾ inch shorter than the other. It was tried & when they came again to operate 3 weeks later they were over-joyed to find that their fondest expectations had been more than realized, that what they had longed for as possibly might happen, did in fact happen and that the thigh bone- though not actually inside the socket - was yet in the proper position for this to happen in time. The 3 of them were like school-boys over the result but they had to make assurance doubly sure by taking another X-ray picture & when this was taken, it was found that the bone was in position. But the trouble is, that Sheila is not to press or kneel on the floor for 3 weeks again, until the sinews are properly knit - and this is the hardest part, for when the poor little thing found that her foot was not tied down with weights, she refused to stay in bed any more. She now wanders about the house on her bum, with the aid of her 2 hands & we can push her about on her pram. The 3 weeks will be up in about 10 days time. Roger McCracken > -----Original Message----- > From: Jim Saunders [mailto:Jim-Saunders@shaw.ca] > Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2003 5:27 AM > To: CARIBBEAN-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: Doctors of Physic and Surgery in the BWI > > > Hi. Just to add a little imformation to the medical dicsussion. I > come from > a long line of doctors (I'm not one though) in the UK, BWI and Canada. The > proper training for doctors in the new world was limited to a very few > places and both the New World and Old World med schools were very > expensive. > It was common-place to apprentice to a doctor for a year or two > and then you > could set up your own practise. The flaw in that method was you could only > be as good as the doctor who taught you and the medical profession did not > begin to be controlled until the late 19th century, although > country doctors > were still apprenticed until around the turn of the century. > Jim > > > > ==== CARIBBEAN Mailing List ==== > For information on individual islands, research aids, island > bulletin boards or history please visit the CaribbeanGenWeb project at > http://www.rootsweb.com/~caribgw/ > > --- > Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.483 / Virus Database: 279 - Release Date: 19/05/2003 > --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.483 / Virus Database: 279 - Release Date: 19/05/2003 ==== CARIBBEAN Mailing List ==== ROOTSWEB MAILING LIST HELP PAGES What is a Mailing List? http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/help/mail1.html