19th Century Medicine

America’s practice of medicine has drastically changed from the nineteenth century to the twenty-first century. The nineteenth century doctor’s bag exemplifies the maturing of the medicinal practice that has occurred over decades of countless studies and technological advances. Simple medical instruments have evolved into modern machinery that can determine a person’s life. The medicine bag that resides in The Museum of American Architecture and Decorative Arts represents America’s turning point into an advanced practice of medicine. The doctor’s bag, a bag used in the late nineteenth century by every respectable doctor in the country, was typically made with black or brown leather, metal hinged racks, and wooden

This brought about the medicine bag, which allowed physicians to bring their instruments wherever they would like. If a settlement did not have a doctor close by, the settlers had to spend days travelling to reach a doctor and without a doctor’s help, a simple ailment could lead to more deadly conditions. Rural family doctors were well respected in their settlement and well known. Those doctors were commonly paid with produce and many types of food, as well as other valuable items. Nowadays, there are over a hundred doctors per city and the medical profession is the one of the most highly paid professions in the country. The medicine practice in the 1900’s also gravitated towards a more aggressive approach. One of the most popular practices was bloodletting, which was the practice of bleeding a patient for relief, even if it did not cure their disease. It was a belief among patients that if a treatment did not make them bleed or sweat, it would not be effective. The understanding of germs and bacteria did not exist in those days, so if people’s skin was bothered, they would have it removed instead of treated as people do in the modern day. Anesthesia was not widely used until the late 19th century, so surgeries were limited to however long a patient could withstand the

Instead of traveling for days to find a doctor, people can drive down the block to the nearest hospital. Hundreds of breakthroughs have been made to identify, prevent, and cure diseases. Eventually, the need for the leather bag disappeared. Charles Krauthammer once said “In the middle ages, people took potions for their ailments. In the 19th century, they took snake oil. Citizens of today’s shiny, technological age are too modern for that. They take antioxidants and extract of cactus instead”. The medical field has grown to become the most respected profession of the 21st century. College students compete to be the top of their class so they could become a doctor or nurse, and only the most disciplined of students achieve that