|
Description/Analysis:
In 1860, after attending the Medical School of the University of New York, Dr.
George T. Hough moved to Martha's Vineyard. Upon his arrival, he placed an ad
in the Vineyard Gazette that read, "Having located permanently at Holmes'
Hole, will be pleased to attend to all calls, day or night." After becoming
a prominent figure on the island, he went on to enlist as Acting Assistant Surgeon
in the Union Army during the Civil War. Although never returning to the island
to practice, Hough's family connection to Tisbury exists even today.
The Martha's Vineyard Museum was given
a large collection that belonged to Dr. Hough, which
includes surgical instruments, microscopes, anatomy
textbooks, and prescription notes. These items illustrate
his role in the growing trend of research-based medicine
in the nineteenth century. Along with the professionalization
of doctors' training, came the development of more specialized medical
tools and equipment. The items highlighted here are
several cases of vials, containing pills whose ingredients
include older and more traditional forms of curatives
as well as new, mass produced remedies. One box contains
slim vials of morphine hypodermic tablets, and the others
hold a variety of cures including codeine (for pain
relief), arsenic (for bacterial and parasitic infections),
monkshood (a cold remedy that is still used today in
homeopathy), and deadly nightshade (for eye, bladder,
and kidney disease, sore throat, whooping cough, and
even at one point, cancer). There are even two bottles
of a very familiar cure-all: acetylsalicylic acid, otherwise
known as aspirin.
These medicines, along with the other items
in the collection, act as a kind of "snapshot" into the developing understanding
of medicine. Here we can see how a doctor operated: his notes, his references,
even some of his tools. It's rare that we are able to have such a complete look
at a profession, especially one as dynamic as that of a physician. Dr. Hough was
the first of four generations of doctors who had connections to the Vineyard,
which only adds to the significance of his collection.
*A small
exhibit showcasing a more in depth look at the life of Dr. Hough is currently
on view through the 2006 in the Huntington Reference Library, on the campus of
the Martha's Vineyard Historical Society.
Questions
to Consider:
1. As mentioned above, many older and more traditional remedies
still found themselves in the doctor's kits of the Industrial Revolution. Can
you think of any modern medicines that may contain alchemistic ingredients?
2. The containers pictured here are small and portable, most likely being part
of a larger kit. What other items might be necessary as a part of Dr. Hough's
kit?
3. The portability of these kits, along with Dr. Hough' ad in the Gazette
show us that he must have spent much of his time traveling to his patient's houses.
Going on this evidence, compare and contrast his roles as a doctor with the doctors
of present day.
4. Almost all of the medicines in Dr. Hough's kit are specifically
for pain relief. If you think about all of the reasons for visiting a doctor today,
is there anything missing from his medicine kit?
|
