LYON COUNTY GENEALOGY
MEDICAL PROFESSION
Notwithstanding the vigor and strength of a majority of pioneers who go forth into new countries they are but human and have need of medical assistance, from time to time. So, hand in hand, with the little bands of early settlers, will be found a physician, who while usually like all others seek out their new liomes for the purpose of bettering their conditions--to make more money, in short. But while this may be true, the faithful family doctors who settled with the first homesteaders, had no easy life to follow. When we are well we care not for a physician, but when we ourselves, or some dear member of our family is stricken by acute or lingering and chronic disease, we call for his skill to assist nature in relieving pains and regaining normal health and strength.
It matters not how fierce the wintry blast, how bad the roads, how dark the night, the good family doctor must needs be on hand; he must watch by the bedside of those whose life hangs in a balance. It is then--at such trying hours, that the physician or surgeon, is duly appreciated and fully relied upon. Indeed the physician and surgeon is somewhat of a public servant. He is expected to go at every day or night call. Not to the homes of the wealthy and intelligent, but also, alas, many times to hovels, where his eyes meet the scenes of but poverty and ignorance. While he is in his profession for the remuneration there may be in it, yet every doctor has hundreds of some thousands of calls for which they know not a farthing of a fee will ever be forthcoming.
It is not the object of this article to go into a detailed account of the physicians of this country. but this volume would be less than complete unless its pages contained some brief record of such important factors as the skilled practitioners who have lived, here from the earliest days.
As near as can now be recalled Dr. Budge was the first man to practice medicine in Lyon County. About the same time came Dr. E.W. McCord, who came in 1874. All of the many different doctors who have practiced in the county were not well known to all parts of the county, but each one had his own special territory and friends, owing to skill and the medical school to which they belonged. The following named and possibly a few others have practiced here and their names and history, success and failure--for not all were highly schooled in the science of medicine, but many have been quite eminent. The "Regulars," or old school practitioners, included Drs. E. W. McCord, W.H. Budge, W.W. Norris, G.C. Wallace, W.G. Smith, Dr. McNab, A.M. Vail, G.W. McQueen, C.L. Gurney, J.R. Hamil, F.W. Walker, H.H. Stoner, Caleb Soper, W.R. Bates, W.J. Fogerty, H.F. Thompson, G.G. Cottam, James M. Stil, W.G. Griffith. All of Rock Rapids, some but a short time and others still here. Drs. Delemeter, Gleason and North (Homeopathic) also at Rock Rapids.
At Larchwood were Drs. S. Bean (Eclectic), A.J. Butler (Old School), Z.T. Holtzcan (Old School).
At the village of George, Dr. Thomas B. Ennor (Old School), Mrs. Ella Carter (Old School) and Walter Beubaugh (Old School).
At Doon, Drs. C.W. Gillen, H.J. Brink (Old School).
At Beloit, Dr. A. Monroe (Old School).
At Alvord, Dr. Samuel Blair (Old School).
At Little Rock, Drs. Ed. W. Elliott (Old School), O.M. McKinney (Old School), S.M. Bradshaw (Old School) and Allen Whetstone (Old School).
Webization by Kermit Kittleson - Aug. 2006