A. Stewart MacDonald D.F.C., M.D. C..M.

Another stormy day, just after the family doctor of an adjoining area asked me to look after his practice for a week, I got a call to see a sick woman - the house was a long way from the highway. On the way there on a wood sleigh, the driver said, ”She could be having a baby.” We i turned around and I went back and got the bag I used at ‘ home deliveries, and when I got there, it was the worst condition of a house I ever was in. There was not even a chair to sit on, not even any clothes. The wife of the driver was present, and she sent her husband home to bring a basin, and some towels to wrap the baby.

I may say I never got any pay for my effort, as well as for numerous deliveries, as there was no Medicare. I guess I have done much less important things during my life for no pay, with less satisfaction than deliveries of babies.

I kept my own pharmacy in Eldon - is was not a very good financial source, as I had, on many occasions, not only not been paid for the call, but would be out the price of the drugs.

Many days when I finished for the day, I was considerably poorer than when I started in the morning. The experience helped me in later years when I had to look after the Department of Veterans Affairs pharmacy.

I always dreaded having a patient taking a stroke. When it was on the right side, if they were right handed - they were able to talk to me and tell what they remembered as to how the stroke came on, but I don't think I had anyone who had been working hard at the time of the stroke.

One of my saddest visits was when there was a crib death. One day, shortly after I started practice there were two crib deaths, and another sudden death. These were families I met for the first time.

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