Search - In Search of History: Frontier Doctors on DVD

Informative and Complete

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 06/14/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I thought this work was very complete. It spoke of how some men went to medical schools, but some learned as apprentices, and some were quacks. Medical practices that I thought were abandoned in the Dark Ages were still being practiced in the 1700s. Famous people came up: George Washington died of bloodletting; Lewis and Clark learned medicine before going on their journey. Still, common people were brought up as well. The work said frontier doctors got great experience working on isolated communities and wounded soldiers, but it also says many individuals operated on themselves due to the paucity of doctors. This work is diverse. It had male and female interviewees. It spoke of one African-American man who was recognized for his snake bite concerns. The work is honest in that it spoke of diseases wiping out Native Americans but also of how frontier settlers had to depend upon Native healing practices too. We moderns are so used to worshipping at the feet of doctors, so it is surprising to hear of a time when people were skeptical of them and often avoided them. This would be a great work to show young people interested in entering the medical field. My one critique is all the cheesy reenactments typical of this cable series."