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Category Archives: Medicine
Sister Jane Like & Carol Bressan: Unsung heroes of SIU Med SChool
The lecture title said it all: “The Early History of SIU School of Medicine: Not for the Naïve or Faint of Heart.” According to Glen Davidson, Ph.D, two women – Sister Jane Like and Carol Bressan – were unsung heroes … Continue reading
COVID-19 in Sangamon County: The first year
Sangamon County recorded its first COVID-19 death on March 19, 2020. A 71-year-old woman travelling from Florida to Springfield passed away from virus complications at Memorial Medical Center. The death occurred during a period of national uncertainty about the COVID-19 … Continue reading
Posted in Disasters, Local government, Medicine, Public health, Sangamon County, Science
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Stray dog eradication, 1935
Hoping to stop a rabies epidemic, authorities declared open season on stray dogs in Sangamon County in 1935. Police and dog catchers killed hundreds of dogs that year in what one Illinois State Journal headline called a “brutal” eradication campaign. … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Journalism, Local government, Media, Medicine, Prominent figures, Public health
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Andrew McFarland (mental hospital administrator)
Update: On Aug. 9, 2023, Gov. J.B. Pritzker renamed the former Andrew McFarland Mental Health Center the Elizabeth Parsons Ware Packard Mental Health Center. Read the news release here. This entry has been lightly edited to reflect the change, as … Continue reading
Posted in Medicine, Social services, Women
1 Comment
Covid-19: History in the making
At least three local institutions are documenting the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on individuals in Illinois as it happens. Representatives of all three gave presentations May 17, 2022, to the Sangamon County Historical Society. Results from two of the … Continue reading
Posted in Disasters, Medicine, Public health, Resources, Science
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Tapeworms and medical fraud, 1884
Dr. George Kreider “hates quacks as the devil hates holy water,” the Illinois State Register said in 1884, but he almost met his match in an 87-foot tapeworm. George N. Kreider (1856-1922) was a leader among Springfield physicians in the … Continue reading
Dr. Don Deal, surgeon and visionary
In the 1920s, Dr. Don Deal correctly predicted Springfield’s reinvention as a medical center. Springfield’s medical establishment “draws from a larger surrounding territory, in proportion to its population, than any other city in the United States,” Deal told fellow members … Continue reading
Posted in Medicine, Prominent figures, Public health, Science, Uncategorized
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St. John’s Hospital
Mary Lincoln may have been one of the earliest patients to benefit from care provided by what is now the Hospital Sisters Health System. The story was handed down by a Franciscan nun, Sister Francis Dreisvogt (1849-1933), who was among … Continue reading
Posted in Germans, Lincoln, Abraham, Medicine, Public health, Social services, Uncategorized
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The “divine healer” sensation, 1896
August Schrader, “the divine healer,” set up shop in Springfield for 10 days in 1896. Thousands of people, complaining of maladies ranging from arthritis to kidney disease to blindness, sought treatment. Crowds blocked downtown streets, and trains brought people to … Continue reading
Posted in Amusements, Journalism, Medicine, Spectacles
2 Comments
Polio vaccinations, 1955 and 1964
First- and second-graders topped the priority list when local public health officials prepared to deliver the first polio vaccinations in 1955. The program was a success, despite an unplanned delay in scheduled “booster” shots. Children were among those most susceptible … Continue reading
Posted in Children, Medicine, Public health, Uncategorized
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