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Blogroll
Category Archives: Medicine
Prince Sanitarium
The David Prince Sanitarium opened in 1890 as a center for general surgery and eye, ear, nose and throat treatment. By 1978, when the building was demolished, it was a shabby apartment building whose tenants were the respectable (and elderly) … Continue reading
Posted in Buildings, Medicine
2 Comments
Malaria in early Sangamon County
The Sangamo Country of the early 1800s was an agricultural paradise in many ways, but it had one major drawback: the anopheles mosquito, which carried the malaria parasite. Virtually every early resident of central Illinois was exposed to malaria – … Continue reading
Posted in Early residents, Medicine
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Ben Victor (pharmacist, Thrifty Drugs chairman)
Benjamin “Mr. Ben” Victor (1908-88) was a Springfield pharmacist, founder and chairman of Illinois Thrifty Drugs, and philanthropist. The fall 2000 edition of Aspects magazine, published by Southern Illinois School of Medicine, gives a good synopsis of Victor’s business and … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Medicine, Prominent figures
2 Comments
Dr. Daniel Ottis (World War I surgeon)
Dr. Daniel M. Ottis (1870-1929) was a prominent surgeon in Springfield who also was known for organizing the Sangamon County-based Unit W of the U.S. Medical Service during World War I. The Illinois State Journal summarized Ottis’ career in his … Continue reading
Posted in Medicine, Military, Prominent figures
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Flu epidemic, 1918-20
This entry has been edited to correct the birth year of Geneva Casstevens. Thanks to Karen Forsberg (see comments) for the correction. Health officials closed churches, schools and theaters, barred street gatherings and set up a special hospital at the … Continue reading
Posted in Disasters, Medicine, Military, Public health
4 Comments
Measles vaccinations, 1966 (photo)
In February 1966, Illinois Department of Public Health officials predicted a major measles outbreak unless local agencies set up crash immunization programs. “We will have a severe epidemic with deaths and encephalitis … unless there is widespread use of the … Continue reading
Posted in Children, Illustrations, Medicine, Public health, Uncategorized
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Dr. Alonzo Kenniebrew (physician)
Dr. Alonzo Kenniebrew lived and died in Springfield, and his wife later became one of the most honored Springfieldians of her generation. His most notable achievements as a pioneering African-American physician, however, were accomplished elsewhere. Kenniebrew (1875-1943) founded the world’s … Continue reading
Posted in African Americans, First Citizens, Medicine, Prominent figures, Women
2 Comments
‘Poor House Rules’ — the drawings of Alfred S. Harkness
Alfred S. Harkness (1866-1941) was an artist, illustrator and engraver whose specialty — at least for part of the time he lived in Springfield — was public health illustration. Harkness had been a member of the artist staff of the … Continue reading
Sangamon County Poor Farm
Sangamon County first created a home to care for the poor, feeble, disabled and mentally ill in 1851, four years after famed social reformer Dorothea Dix wrote a scathing commentary about the county’s practice of keeping paupers and the insane in the … Continue reading
Elizabeth Brown Ide
Elizabeth Brown Ide (1873-1978), who was born into money and married more, could have been merely a socialite. Instead, she became Springfield’s most prominent children’s advocate during the early 20th century. Ide’s parents were Christopher Brown and Caroline Owsley Brown, … Continue reading