Everything from removing an appendix to delivering a baby, head colds to broken limbs the town doctor did it all! Small town doctors needed to be capable and resourceful. Family doctors today work out of offices and surgeons work in the sterilized hospital environment surrounded by support staff. Availability and advancements have allowed doctors to specialize where in the early nineteenth century the saying ‘a jack of all trades’ may have been more fitting to our family doctors. We are now privileged to be served by teams of medical professionals. All throughout history and into our current day, medical staff have our heartfelt thanks and appreciation. It is by their hands we were brought into the world, kept alive and thriving and they are with us at life’s end. They are considered trustworthy and a model of integrity having taken the Hippocratic oath to ‘do no harm’.
From 1909 until 1960, with the exception of 1951-1954, Morse had several different resident doctors. The first being Dr. Denovan who stayed from 1909 to 1918. After Dr. Denovan, Dr. Gavin practiced in Morse for about twenty years. Both of these gentlemen also operated drug stores. ‘Gavin Pharmacy’ was two buildings north of the current ‘Joe’s Restaurant’. We also had an ear, nose and throat specialist, Dr. Gordon, from 1908 to 1928. For nearly twenty-five years after Dr. Gavin left, Morse saw many resident doctors come and go including: Dr. Henry Funk, Dr. Shankman, Dr. Glen, Dr. Lauder, Dr, Hayter, Dr. McDonald, Dr. Minovitz and Dr. Sigel. After three years without a doctor, things started looking up and Dr. Morris Glassman moved to Morse. Dr. Glassman practiced from 1954-1960 and in those few short years, he became loved by our community. Patients would see not only Dr. Glassman but also his assistant and wife, Sybil, who was a trained nurse. And so, resident doctors in Morse ended on a high note. Dr. Glassman was considered an excellent doctor and was missed by his patients and friends. Since 1960, Morse has not had a resident doctor. Although medical services are offered one afternoon a week, day to day doctor and nursing care is found in Herbert or Swift Current. We have come full circle in two ways. Firstly, we once again find ourselves traveling for medical care. In the early days we would send someone on horseback for the doctor and now we travel by car to see one. The picture of the doctor arriving with black bag in hand is a distant memory and a treasured part of our past. Secondly, the doctor is once again arriving in our home but this time with the ringing of our virtual meeting software. With our current situation, more and more appointments and consultations are being held virtually. With every advancement and every change in this world our lives change with it. We adapt to the changes and accept the bad with the good. The world of medicine is no different. We can look at how far we’ve come and gain confidence for how far we have yet to go. You can see all our latest updates and posts by following us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MorseMuseumAndCulturalCentre/and Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morsemuseumsk/. Opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Morse Museum & Cultural Centre, its Board of Directors or sponsors.
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The second world war had ended and life was finding a new normal. The 1950’s was a time of transition from the old to the modern. As we watch I Love Lucy, Date with the Angels, and other 1950’s reruns our views are skewed the same way modern television falls short of our present reality. Although there were lots of good things about the 50’s; neighbors and community, stacks of flapjacks, mama waiting at home, stability and strength as fathers worked the same 9-5 Monday to Friday, life was not always easy. The thick veneer of the ‘perfect life’ certainly has some cracks. The following is taken from our 1950’s display and gives us a look into the life of a 50’s housewife.
In the 1950’s, as the war era came to an end, society saw many changes. Electricity became more available revolutionizing nearly every aspect of the home from electric irons to electric stoves to the television. With the men home from war, the ‘Baby Boom’ was booming and men re-entered the workforce. Many women, who had entered the workforce during the war, now found themselves back in the home. Home, with all its modern conveniences, wasn’t always easy. Women had many new societal pressures to deal with. It was no longer about keeping food on the table, everyone alive and helping with the war effort. With advertising, and other sources of social pressure, women began to feel meals should be attractive and exciting, the house perfect, their appearance always beautiful and their children well behaved. With a rise in the popularity of phycology, the 1950’s saw a shift in the discipline of children. Freud’s theories rose in prominence. Especially those speculating that children are a blank slate at birth and if they act out it’s a direct result of the parents’ ability. Dr. Spock’s popular book “Baby and Child Care” was released in the late 1940’s and it said that overly strict parenting could spoil your children. Dictatorial parenting was exchanged for democratic parenting. Mother’s were caught in a dilemma of guilt if the children acted out and fear if they disciplined too harshly. Some women had begun to enjoy the independence of working outside the home and started to fight against the idea that a women’s place must be in the home. This desire was generally not well accepted in the 1950’s. By the end of the decade a new drug came on the scene. One marketed to housewives as a cure for boredom and to calm them. Diazepam, or Valium, rose in popularity through the 60’s and 70’s. Being a relatively new drug, it was not well understood, especially the addictive properties. Housewives seeking to cope could end up living a sedated ‘zombie’ like existence. You can see all our latest updates and posts by following us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MorseMuseumAndCulturalCentre/and Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morsemuseumsk/. Opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Morse Museum & Cultural Centre, its Board of Directors or sponsors. The letter home spoke of wide-open prairie as far as the eye could see and beautiful sunsets. Sure, there were dangers and sickness, heartache and loneliness, but opportunity. Lots of opportunity. Uncle said he needed help on his growing farm and that he would pay a fair wage when the crop came in. They would help us settle and let us stay in their old soddy. Not the type of home a young husband hopes to provide for his new bride but it wouldn’t be forever, just a year or two. Before he knew it, the decision had been made, their few items packed in trunks and they were boarding the train. Setting out for the Canadian prairies. He would be part of a family farm. That sounded nice, reassuring, and safe. His fears slowly eased – family awaited him.
In the prairie homesteading days, not all newcomers were forging their own path into the great unknown. Some followed their kin to the family farm. Perhaps the timid, yet adventurous, hearts lacked means or courage to strike out on their own, but with the support of a settled family were able to arrive in the Canadian west. For it was far less intimidating to go where someone was waiting for you. Welcomed with grateful smiles they would be brought into a lifestyle of hard work but family comradery. The machinery may have changed, the weather is less deadly and there’s crop insurance but the family farm is still functioning today. Loving families still bring hot meals to workers in the field. Together they pray for rain and in the next breath plead for no hail. They come together to fix machinery and run into town for parts. They work as a unit sharing in each other’s successes and failures giving support and gaining strength. Today’s family farm is a throwback to the days of homesteaders and community. They are still working hard to provide food for their family and their world. Here at the Morse Museum we remember with fondness and respect those who came to tame the wild prairies and farm the land. We have displays showing different agricultural equipment and practices from the early days and a beautiful mural that shows the hard workers of a family farm. Both young and old pulling together to do what needs to be done; little ones collecting eggs and hauling water, the older working the fields and the elderly shelling peas and making quilts. The family farm transcends time and we send our thanks to these hard workers, both past and present, it is a privilege to share their story. You can see all our latest updates and posts by following us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MorseMuseumAndCulturalCentre/ and Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morsemuseumsk/. Opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Morse Museum & Cultural Centre, its Board of Directors or sponsors. |