Medicine Men: Extreme Appalachian Doctoring

This book took me back to my childhood. While listening to it I could clearly picture in my mind the doctor’s office my parents took us to. I loved that doctor. He was so kind. In hearing of the kinds of payments received I remembered one time we went in and there were a couple of live chickens in the waiting room. They were payment from another patient. It makes me laugh now.I listened to this book on Audible. The narrator sounded a lot like some of my family when we would sit on the front porch and talk about life and what all was going on with our family, friends and community. I greatly enjoyed listening to him.The book isn’t a long read. It might sound a bit scattered to some, especially if they aren’t familiar with the porch gossiping. These are a collection of short memories from various good hearted doctors mainly in the Smokies, though I did note the mention of Harlan, Kentucky. There were also what I’ll call sound bites. Those little sentences or sayings possibly coming from the communities or others in the office, made me smile. I think though they might confuse some who aren’t used to the one sentence comments that would be made on the porch. There really wasn’t anything to set them apart from the short stories being told. Listeners might not readily grasp that they are just comments tossed out.While the stories are told with humor they are infused with the problems of Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, (probably elsewhere but I can’t speak for those places). Poverty, alcoholism, domestic violence are sprinkled throughout. Some might take issue but I saw it all there and just because some might not want to hear them spoken of doesn’t make the problems magically disappear. Sometimes when I hear people who want to erase things, (like not using certain words or talking about some issues that were normal occurrences), I feel like we are trying to sweep them under the rug. When you forget your history you open the door to it happening again. Realistically we are still dealing with the same issues regardless of all the cries of it’s unacceptable to use those words or to talk about those issues. If you are someone who is sensitive to hearing about the past in the language from the past, this might not be a good match for you. But if you are someone who accepts that we were not perfect then, (and are not now), you may find these stories a touching or humorous, (sometimes both at the same time), glimpse into the past.I haven’t come across a doctor who compares with Doc Acker from my youth. I wish I could because I could trust that he was giving me his best, regardless of my ability to pay, and allow me to keep my dignity. The doctors from this book, and so many who have worked in poor areas, brought something that I find lacking with many of today’s doctors. They knew the people they were treating. They lived among us. They may have treated our parents, cousins and our children so they knew not only our medical and family histories but our community histories. They knew who had addictions. They knew who was dealing with abuse issues or job loss. They combined that information to give us their best medical care even if we couldn’t afford it. This book with its memories shines a light on that.Oh, and the dog story ... have tissues ready. That black & white dog! I’ve got tears just thinking of that loyal friend!

Carolyn Jourdan's father was a country doctor in eastern Tennessee's Smokey Mountains. She was a lawyer for a U. S Senate committee. When her mother became ill, she went home to help out temporarily as a receptionist in his office. The couple of days she expected to be there turned into four years. Having grown up in that poverty stricken area, she realized that there were many dedicated doctors who were dedicated to helping the people living there and that they would have some very interesting experiences. This book is their stories. In "Better Late Than Never," a man who lived a solitary, self-sufficient life on his farm. When he was old and ill and confined to a hospital bed, he told his doctor about being a Marine in World War II. His story and the result of him telling it to the doctor is an amazing tale. "Uncle Eli" was a pharmacist who was asked to fill in for the local doctor when the doctor died. His story is how he was able to adapt his skills and accessible remedies to the needs of the people and, again, has a very unexpected ending. Another story is about a five-year-old girl who calls for help because there is smoke in her house and she can't wake up the rest of the family. She hangs up before telling him who she is or where she lives. Guns are involved in several stories. "Tennessee is nicknamed `The Volunteer State' because it consistently contributes a high percentage of volunteers to the military," Those soldiers "are more likely to be killed or wounded in battle than soldiers from any other state." The state also produces a large number of military snipers. Guns are part of life from childhood. A pharmacist told the author about what he had to go through to get help after a fall. No one was around and he miraculously had to get out of the woods and drive himself to the hospital. The conversation between him and the ER nurse when he tried to come in using his rifle as a cane is priceless. "Deliverance" is about a man who wanted to float down a river before the area was flooded by the TVA. He borrowed a canoe, though he had never been in one, and took a shortcut through a major white water area. Ingenuity and a lot of luck saved him and the canoe. "The Good, But Confused, Samaritans" was equal to the best of Tim Conway on the "Carol Burnett Show." It's about a courier from a pathology lab who has an automobile accident after picking up a lot of specimens and other things. He wasn't seriously hurt, but my side hurt from laughing as I read and pictured it. Sometimes country doctors have to make quick decisions. "Tough Choices" is one such example when the doctor was called because a twenty-three years old man fell 75 feet in a mine. Certain that he was dead, the miners called to have the doctor recover the body. When he finally reached him, the unconscious man was lying across jagged rock, still breathing but his lungs were filling with blood. He had probably suffered multiple broken bones, including his legs, back, and neck. He possibly had brain damage as well. If he lived, he would likely be a quadriplegic. The doctor's options were to let him die quickly and quietly or to try to save his life. A new doctor has to establish a reputation. Sometimes a life is saved even if the doctor isn't sure what to do. Sometimes a simple remedy works and impresses the people around who don't understand the science behind it. And sometimes all it takes if an accurate diagnosis and undoing what damage other people, with the best intentions, have inflicted. Jourdan writes about hospitals refusing to treat people because they were black and having a cross burned in their yard because her father helped a black man. Her father believed that "most of the truly disabled people were in no position to negotiate the complicated state bureaucracy, so only con artists had what it took to game the system persuasively and persistently enough to get declared disabled. Jourdan mourns the changes in the health care system which have distanced the doctor and the patient. Reading this well-written short book was a delight. This book was a free Amazon download. Having read it, I would have paid for it.

A witty book, looking back on stories written by the son of a local doctor and the tales of his surgery and house calls in America. They also incorporate tales sent in by other doctors of years gone by.I hadn't read the previous book to this one but it didn't matter. It made me sad, smile and laugh. I would definitely keep this book handy to dip into again on an ad hoc basis when I feel the need.

Just finished reading this book which is filled with short, entertaining stories or quotes about doctors experiences. Thoroughly enjoyed how it was written and the insight it gives into their unpredictable working lives

I originally thought "only four stars because I wanted more" but five is fairer; it's a great read.! This is a collection of super stories told without patronising the subjects. The doctors were - and are - deeply committed to their patients and it shows in their often philanthropic attitude towards them. Highly recommended.

Interesting. Enjoyed this book. Great insight into folks lives. Easy reading and would recommend. Makes you think how life was.

This book is a mix of humour and pathos. These Doctors were truly legendary and cared more for their patients than for money. I'm not sure how they survived or kept their family but they certainly looked after their patients