The Horse and Buggy Doctor
Arthur E. Hertzler, M.D.
322 pages // published in 1938 // medical memoir
BOOK DESCRIPTION
"The Horse and Buggy Doctor follows no conventional lines. In larger part it is a book rich in anecdotes, a lively and somewhat rough-and-ready depiction of the country physician's experiences in general and Dr. Hertzler's in particular. In part it is descriptive of medical methods of the period." -New York Times
"This is almost an autobiography. Certainly it is the complete picture of a man. And the man is worth looking at." -Saturday Review of Literature
"The Horse and Buggy Doctor follows no conventional lines. In larger part it is a book rich in anecdotes, a lively and somewhat rough-and-ready depiction of the country physician's experiences in general and Dr. Hertzler's in particular. In part it is descriptive of medical methods of the period." -New York Times
"This is almost an autobiography. Certainly it is the complete picture of a man. And the man is worth looking at." -Saturday Review of Literature
An interesting autobiography written by a country doctor, many decades back. The book is just filled with his wittiness, anecdotes, some surprising medical tales, and plenty of facts about the mundane day-to-day life of a gritty doctor who's been around the block a few times.
I couldn't believe some of his stories about kitchen surgeries, and his high success rates even in dingy surroundings. One of my favorite things he mentioned was how glad he was of the invention of automobiles, so that if surgery was desperately needed during the nighttime, they could park the automobile outside the window and utilize its bright lights.
You'll learn much of the backroad Kansas people -- their ideals, culture, opinions, and medicine. The standards of becoming a certified doctor back then weren't that high -- and Hertzler knew it, especially as the decades passed. He sure spent a good lifetime in tending to his patients well and expanding his curiosity and knowledge whenever he could -- or whenever unique specimens presented themselves for his continual research.
This doctor was dedicated to his patients and always performed his best for them. His autobiography is worth a perusal for readers who have an interest in either the historical or medical aspects of the book.
Minimum age to read: 15 and up.
Book #10 completed // From the Americas or Caribbean
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