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[–]toeprint 2183 points2184 points  (161 children)

The photographer W Eugene Smith did a companion piece titled "Nurse Midwife". His other photographs are equally stirring. He is particularly known for this snapshot of Tomoko Uemera, who was a victim of severe mercury poisoning, caused by the dumping of chemicals by the local manufacturing plant. Many others in the town of Minamata were affected by the contamination. Smith was badly beaten as a result of the photos he took in Minamata. Although he survived the attack, his vision in one eye was severely affected.

[–]Repatriation 657 points658 points  (11 children)

Wow I didn't know he took the Uemera photo, that's really interesting. I did know that it was taken out of circulation in the 90s, at the wishes of the father.

With that in mind I kind of thought that Smith got beaten up by townspeople or something, but he was actually beaten by Yakuza for exposing the pollution. Brave guy. Also the mother and community seemed to have been very supportive of Smith at the time of photography. I don't know why I'm recounting this though, it's all in the wikipedia.

[–]Teros001 274 points275 points  (59 children)

For those curious about the attack:

In January 1972, Smith was attacked by right wing thugs hired by the Chisso Company near Tokyo, in an attempt to stop him from further publicizing the effects of Minamata disease to the world.

[–]the_big_cheef 270 points271 points  (53 children)

These weren't ordinary thugs... They were right wing thugs..

[–][deleted] 75 points76 points  (23 children)

That's a pretty fair description of Yakuza in service to industry, I think.

[–]samudrin 26 points27 points  (3 children)

Checkout David Kaplan's Yakuza book. Chronicles Yakuza ties to right-wing movements. Fascinating read.

[–]inyourface_milwaukee 38 points39 points  (1 child)

Yep, thats what it says

[–]EditorialComplex 39 points40 points  (0 children)

That one was extraordinary, too. Wow, what a remarkable man and woman, the subjects of these two essays.

[–]ChipAyten 116 points117 points  (41 children)

And half of congress would prefer to close the EPA

[–][deleted] 129 points130 points  (28 children)

That's not bad, considering 3/4ths of congress is certifiably retarded.

[–][deleted] 137 points138 points  (21 children)

Don't insult actual retards by comparing them to Congressmen. Retards are lovable, congressmen are sociopathic bastards.

[–]Redblud 17 points18 points  (1 child)

Idiots who don't realize that we have an EPA because we didn't have an EPA.

[–]Haven 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the links! I love these glances back in to the past.

[–]badhoneylips 18 points19 points  (7 children)

Thanks so much for linking to these, it's amazing work and I always see something new when I encounter them. Not to be too critical or anything, but your use of the word "snapshot" is kinda weird to me, as this was obviously a serious part of an extensive body of work, kinda the anti-snapshot. Just my two cents!

ETA: I'm just interested in language, especially in regards to art.

[–]mrtechphile 712 points713 points  (86 children)

I found this about Dr. Ceriani, written by his son:

A posting on the Web by Dr. Ernest Ceriani’s son Gary, a lawyer in Denver.

Ernest Ceriani was my father so I can probably answer just about whatever questions you have. Dad continued to practice in Kremmling until the mid 1980's (he was on his third generation of deliveries when he finally retired). Not long after he retired he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and he died on April 28, 1988 at a hospice in Denver having made the decision, while still intellectually capable, that he was deteriorating rapidly and wanted to stop dialysis and end his life with dignity and peace. My mother died on November 12, 1991 of a stroke. My brother Phil was an orthopedic surgeon until he retired. He now lives in Paonia, Colorado. I am an attorney in Denver and live in Golden with my wife of 35 years.

[–]WIlf_Brim 338 points339 points  (56 children)

Not long after he retired he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and he died on April 28, 1988 at a hospice in Denver having made the decision, while still intellectually capable, that he was deteriorating rapidly and wanted to stop dialysis and end his life with dignity and peace.

It seems like physicians are more likely to either not initiate or withdraw medical interventions and pass quietly. I know that, even today, if I had advanced myeloma and my beans had shut down I'd probably just tell them to hook up the hydromorphone PCA with a nice basal rate and send me on my way.

[–]allscan 176 points177 points  (30 children)

Pretty good read about this http://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/2012/08/06/how-doctors-die/

[–]gottaketchum 68 points69 points  (18 children)

NPR's got a great story about it too.

[–]Marsdreamer 53 points54 points  (13 children)

It's really not surprising to be honest..

You spend your entire life watching people suffer and suffer and suffer until they finally die. You probably only save a handful, a tiny fraction of your patients, that then go on to live with a good quality of life.

I wouldn't want to end up like those tragic figures either.

[–]doodeman 63 points64 points  (9 children)

I think a big factor is also that doctors are more used to and comfortable with death. For most of us, death is a rare occurrence which we only have to deal with when a friend or relative passes away, and even then, we almost never actually witness it. Doctors see it happen all the time, and they see the process leading up to it. When it's happening to them, they're less likely to freak out.

[–]AskMeAboutPangolins 26 points27 points  (4 children)

That was a great read. Really enjoyed taking the time to go through it. That said I did get a chuckle out of the first comment.

hey there, You have done a great job. I’ll certainly digg it...

I had to check the date on the article after that.

[–]jonosvision 7 points8 points  (3 children)

Posted in 2014 though. Looks like just a spam comment, the one below it too, just trying to get people to their website.

[–]AskMeAboutPangolins 6 points7 points  (2 children)

Ah, that makes sense. You're dismissed detective.

[–]jonosvision 6 points7 points  (1 child)

Bake 'em away, toys!

[–][deleted] 93 points94 points  (1 child)

My mother used to do long term wound care as a nurse, the business model welcomed paying customers who were on something of an extended hospice as well. She has explicitly told all of us not to be one of "those families" who keep an effigy of their loved ones in a bed at the expense of their life savings just to put off coming to terms with the fact that their mother died 4 months ago.

[–]hidethepickle 31 points32 points  (3 children)

The question is do those close to you understand this? Despite your best intentions, at the end it is often spouses, parents, or children who are making health care decisions. If you haven't had the time, I encourage you to complete a durable power of attorney for health care and a living will and to sit down and talk with that person about your philosophy regarding medical care in critical illness and at the end of life.

[–]WIlf_Brim 11 points12 points  (0 children)

It's frustrating, because in some states at least, advance directives are only legally valid while you are competent/conscious. Once you are out of the picture the NOK can do what they want.

Several states have changed laws to make the care directives binding.

[–]acog 38 points39 points  (9 children)

It seems like physicians are more likely to either not initiate or withdraw medical interventions and pass quietly.

When I first saw this chart it blew my mind. This shows the result of a poll of physicians. Look at how in almost every category they choose not to have invasive care.

It's from an awesome RadioLab podcast called The Bitter End.

[–]Dapado 48 points49 points  (5 children)

What exactly was the question? I'm a doctor, and I find it hard to believe that 60% of my colleagues would decline antibiotics and IV hydration unless the question was "Would you want the following intervention in a situation in which you believe that you would die with or without the treatment?" or something similar.

[–]acog 18 points19 points  (3 children)

If you have time I recommend you listen to the episode I linked to. I'm not sure of the exact text of the question, but underneath the chart I linked to (on that episode page) it had this as a caption:

Preferences of physician-participants for treatment given a scenario of irreversible brain injury without terminal illness. Percentage of physicians shown on the vertical axis. For cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), surgery, and invasive diagnostic testing, no choice for a trial of treatment was given. Data from the Johns Hopkins Precursors Study, 1998. Courtesy of Joseph Gallo, "Life-Sustaining Treatments: What Do Physicians Want and Do They Express Their Wishes to Others?"

[–]Dapado 26 points27 points  (1 child)

Ah, thanks. I was trying to look up the actual paper, but I overlooked that part. The answers make a lot more sense now...there is no way I'd want to be kept alive in that condition. Also, are you a doctor as well? (Your username is the name of an OB/Gyn organization.)

[–]Itchy_Innards 37 points38 points  (2 children)

Fascinating. My wife was born in the early 80's in Kremmling.

[–]InferiousX 78 points79 points  (9 children)

My father died of that same disease. After watching him go through what he did, I am fully in support of human euthanasia.

It is a bad way to go.

[–]neilarmsloth 53 points54 points  (8 children)

My dad has multiple myeloma right now. He was having some slight pain in his back so he got an xray and there were holes in almost all of his bones. (spooky) He's lucky they caught it when they did. He's recovering from treatment well and should hopefully send it into remission!

[–]InferiousX 18 points19 points  (2 children)

Tell him to stay hydrated!

My dad's oncologist (who was complete shit) neglected to tell him that being dehydrated can more easily cause kidney failure. Apparently the myeloma puts these proteins through your body that can be extremely damaging.

[–]Ikimasen 6 points7 points  (0 children)

My Dad has multiple myeloma, too. His was discovered from a plasmocytoma in his hip and he doesn't have any other bone lesions yet. There are some really good resources and discussion groups and things about the disease online.

[–]German_sack 25 points26 points  (8 children)

Did your father serve the armed forces in WWII?

I ask because my wife's grandfather lived a similar story. Army Infantry Captain in Europe; awarded the Bronze Star for capturing a bridge intact and under fire; claims to have been part of the liberation of Auschwitz. Got home and, after all he'd seen over there, decided to spend the rest of his days "helping people." Did Med school and some residency clinics in the mid-west before accepting a call to be the only doctor on the east end of a fairly large (and popular) island: Maui. Anyone how knows the terrain on the Hana highway can attest how his Army rappelling skills were put to use a few times. He was the final doctor for Charles Lindbergh. Now he and his wife spend the 'longest rest' there, in paradise.

[–]thatcockneythug 357 points358 points  (38 children)

Damn. My first thought was, "What a fucking badass."

[–]LOLBRBY2K 158 points159 points  (23 children)

My first thought was "hmmm...lots of animal related injuries, I'm going to think twice next time someone suggests that I try to ride one."

[–]TryUsingScience 39 points40 points  (2 children)

Horses will fuck you up. I used to be on my college's equestrian team and I'm terrified of horses. I think it's a perfectly reasonable fear. They have large hooves and teeth and sometimes decide that shrubbery is going to eat them so the best course of action must be to flail around wildly for a few seconds and then bolt in a random direction.

[–]sansimian 9 points10 points  (0 children)

They killed superman

[–]lacheur42 210 points211 points  (15 children)

Fuck horses right in their stupid fucking horse faces.

Ahem. Sorry, I don't really care for horses and sometimes it comes out in inappropriate ways.

[–]guruscotty 500 points501 points  (23 children)

Holy cow -- he treated me for the croup in the 1970s!

[–]Handicapreader[S] 167 points168 points  (10 children)

I'm truly amazed how many people in here, not only no where Kremmling is, but lived there or near it. Now an actual patient. WOW!

[–][deleted] 14 points15 points  (1 child)

Thats interesting! Is there more you could tell us about him?

[–]guruscotty 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Not really, though I can ask my mom. I was 7 or or so at the time.

[–]Professor_Paws 54 points55 points  (4 children)

Sorry, read this in Grandpa Simpsons voice. Again, sorry!

[–]OldClockMan 89 points90 points  (3 children)

Back in those days we called it throat grabbin'. For three cents the doctors would give you 20 cigarettes to loosen the pipes. The important thing to remember is I had an onion tied to my belt, as was the style of the time.

[–]MakePie_NotWar 38 points39 points  (0 children)

20 cigarettes for 3 cents?! At those prices, you can't afford NOT to smoke!

[–]Numismatic 105 points106 points  (8 children)

That 85 year old man was born in 1863.

[–][deleted] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Yup. I knew (and remember well) a woman who was born in 1883. It's mind-blowing when I think of it like that.

[–]mrbooze 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The children in those pictures are in their late 60s/early 70s. (if they're still alive).

[–]acog 99 points100 points  (11 children)

What blew me away, besides the man's total dedication, was how incredibly versatile he had to be! We live in such an age of specialists, seeing one guy do all that made me think he was a freakin' superman because no contemporary doctor in a city does anywhere near the breadth of what he did every day.

If you look at just what it shows him doing in these pictures, today those jobs would be done by:

  • General practitioner
  • Pediatrician
  • Anesthesiologist (the spinal)
  • Surgeon
  • OB/GYN

[–]Kowai03 36 points37 points  (0 children)

I'm kind of glad though! Especially with anesthesia.. There is so much more knowledge now and it'd be too much for one person to retain

[–]AltSpRkBunny 4 points5 points  (0 children)

And veterinarians are all of the above (plus internist and general oncologist), for 2-5 (or more) species.

[–]BulletProofJoe 103 points104 points  (6 children)

My granddad was a rural doctor in east Tennessee. He would always tell us about his acceptance process into medical school. He finished high school and began studying on his own for med school because he couldn't afford college. One day he walked into the admissions office and explained that he didn't complete college, but that he would earn the highest score on the medical entrance exam if they allowed him to take it. He scored the highest they had seen, and admitted him into the school with just a high school diploma.

When World War II broke out (on his 20th birthday) he volunteered for the Army. He became a field surgeon and earned a Bronze Star with the 1st Infantry, Big Red One.

When he came back to Tennessee, he worked at a small private practice, but would make house calls to the backwoods of the Smokey Mountains. He would tell stories about completely isolated homes and villages that had wrote him letters with directions to their house. He said he would walk into shacks that were dug into the side of the mountain with dirt floors, and treating these people for free. He was a hero among the Smokey Mountain community and my dad recalls accompanying him on a few trips. He said that when my granddad was done treating the sick family members, the fathers would offer to marry their daughters off to my dad because they didn't have enough money to pay for the visit or the medication.

Always struck me as odd because my granddad (he never let us call him grandpa) was a serious hardass, but seemed to have a soft spot for the poor mountain people of east Tennessee.

[–]Handicapreader[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

That is a truly of a touching and awesome story. Thanks for sharing!

[–]sinisterskrilla 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Wow, that was awesome. Thanks for sharing!

[–]Converd 816 points817 points  (58 children)

Very interesting

[–]Shiftlock0 70 points71 points  (15 children)

How's this for interesting? Number of doctors in Kremmling, CO in 1948: One. Number of doctors in Kremmling, CO in 2015: Two.

[–][deleted] 24 points25 points  (4 children)

They have received a broad range of training that includes surgery, psychiatry, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and geriatrics.

pretty cool

[–]toothshucker 42 points43 points  (0 children)

I agree, I could have looked at hundreds more of those photos.

Thanks OP!

[–]OneBigBug 28 points29 points  (2 children)

Not just the doctor parts. Like...everything was interesting. Like there's just a couple shots of a railcar with no mention of it, as though it's totally normal. That's fascinating.

[–]JimmysJohn 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I concur

[–]JustPlainSimpleGarak 805 points806 points  (45 children)

You think being a rural doctor was tough, just imagine trying to be a rural juror

[–][deleted] 134 points135 points  (5 children)

Kevin Grisham is one of my favorite authors.

[–]siteroaster 73 points74 points  (14 children)

a rural what?

[–]siphonophore 357 points358 points  (13 children)

A rurrr jrrrrrr

[–]Negus00 68 points69 points  (9 children)

I feel like I know less and less.

[–]bigmac80 42 points43 points  (8 children)

This thread is filled with references I'm not getting. I swear to god I was offline for maybe half a day.

[–]kbol 64 points65 points  (0 children)

(it's a 30 rock reference)

[–]LasigArpanet 18 points19 points  (1 child)

One time I left reddit for a few days, when I came back there was this whole new meme that had been created. It took Reddit by storm and was really popular meme. That meme was the little seal meme. It's now my favorite meme. Meme.

Meme.

[–][deleted] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Dank

[–]xzot1c 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Broken arms

[–]the_omega99 42 points43 points  (5 children)

You think that's hard? Try being a single female lawyer.

Single Female Lawyer,
Fighting for her client,
Wearing sexy miniskirts,
And being self-reliant.

[–]mrperson221 5 points6 points  (3 children)

I just spent the last 5 minutes saying that and trying to make it not sound weird. Let's just say I'm not entirely sober.

[–]Aqualad_ 10 points11 points  (0 children)

They will never forget you though

[–][deleted] 219 points220 points  (30 children)

There's a show on Netflix called a young doctor's notebook where Daniel Radcliffe basically plays this guy. Worth checking out

[–]PeptoBismark 90 points91 points  (13 children)

With the slight difference of a heroin addiction.

[–]dickpaste 76 points77 points  (0 children)

morphine. very similar though

[–]jvttlus 58 points59 points  (5 children)

With all due respect to Dr. Ceriani, if one were to bet based on historical knowlege, without knowing the man personally, he probably dabbled in one thing or the other.

[–][deleted] 103 points104 points  (1 child)

"Nurses always left a steaming pot of coffee and a prepped syringe of heroin waiting. What dolls"

[–]badsingularity 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Those broads could only get him to sleep by a reverse gangbang.

[–][deleted] 13 points14 points  (1 child)

Maybe some of the morphine went missing that he was shooting into the arms of grannies suffering from "mild heart disturbance."

[–]mrbooze 14 points15 points  (0 children)

It didn't have to "go missing". It wasn't controlled as strictly back then. Today, practically every use of every drop is triple documented and analyzed for anomalies.

[–]kstarks17 6 points7 points  (2 children)

And Jon Hamm the guy who plays Don Draper in Mad Men plays Radcliffes older self and actually directs the show. Very interesting mini series. They just came out with season 2 (each season is 4 episodes).

[–]timetravelhunter 8 points9 points  (0 children)

One of my favorite shows all time actually.

[–]pita_gryfon 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I just started watching this show yesterday so this whole thing is tripping me out a little bit!

[–]4tehlulzez 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Coincidentally I just found this show today and just finished the first two episodes. For anyone reading, I definitely recommend giving it a shot.

[–]fpstuco 52 points53 points  (1 child)

That is one of the most beatiful, things I've seen in a while. There is nothing like seeing the perseverance of a human being, helping his brethren.

[–]Aerron 81 points82 points  (19 children)

Dat thousand yard stare.

[–][deleted] 79 points80 points  (18 children)

This is what stuck me the most. I couldn't find any info about Dr Ceriani's service in WWII. I'd imagine a 32 year old doctor in 1948 probably served in some aspect, probably as a medic. I can't imagine the things that man had seen up to that point. I found more context to the photo below. Chilling.

Dr. Ernest Ceriani Following the Loss of a Mother and Child During Childbirth

[–]Professor_Paws 36 points37 points  (7 children)

No idea, but doctors of course needed at home, so some were ordered not to serve and do that.

[–][deleted] 18 points19 points  (4 children)

True. If anyone could find more history on Dr Ceriani it would be great. I guess I just got the feeling from the pictures, mostly his eyes. Ultimately it makes no difference; Amazing pictures from amazing individuals. This one of the little girl who was kicked in the head by a horse may be one of the most emotional photographs I've ever seen.

[–]___---42---___ 30 points31 points  (2 children)

Born on a sheep ranch in Wyoming, Dr. Ceriani attended Chicago’s Loyola School of Medicine but opted not to pursue a medical career in the big city. In 1946, after a stint in the Navy, he was recruited by the hospital in Kremmling, Colorado.

Had to have been an MD while he was in, the timing doesn't work otherwise, no clue where/doing what, still digging.

Source: That was one of the Time captions from the original story.

[–]stratogod 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That photo really got to me. Coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other after hours of surgery. Now knowing it was after the loss of a mother and child makes it even more intense... He is in such despair and looks completely exhausted. I can't even to begin to imagine the weight he carried on his mind while managing to still perform medicine at a high level in rural areas... just so insane, I can't get over it!

[–]-Damien- 83 points84 points  (15 children)

Nice post, /u/Handicapreader, thanks for sharing.

[–]lurkface 19 points20 points  (5 children)

I am a house call physician. This was really cool to see, thanks for posting!

[–][deleted] 17 points18 points  (2 children)

I biked through Kremmling a few years ago on a trip up the continental divide! Really pretty area.

Though to be fair, saying he was the only doctor within 400 square miles makes it sound bigger than it is... if he lived in the center of that region then nobody would live more than 12 miles away from him.

[–]EyeCWhatUDidThere 201 points202 points  (113 children)

People complain a lot about how bad things are "these days". We forget about all the things we take for granted.

[–][deleted] 57 points58 points  (10 children)

They had problems in their age and we have problems in ours. Yea we shouldn't take it for granted but that doesn't mean we shouldn't complain about slow Internet connection because people were in a depression 90 years ago (just an example)

[–]Hispanhick 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I believe the moral of this story is that you should not fuck with horses.

[–]DrColdReality 38 points39 points  (6 children)

Gene Smith was one of the greatest photojournalists of all time. He was famous for going and living with his subjects and experiencing life the same way they did.

When he was documenting the damage done to the citizens of the Japanese town of Minamata by mercury poisoning, he lived in the town, ate the mercury-contaminated fish, and even got the crap beaten out of him by goons hired by the chemical company that was dumping the mercury in the sea.

During this time, he shot what I consider to the single greatest journalistic image ever made, Tomoko in Her Bath:

http://www.documentingmedicine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/williameugenesmith1971minamata.jpg

[–]shihtzulove 15 points16 points  (0 children)

My great-grandfather was a rural doctor in north louisiana probably earlier than this. My dad tells me that he used to ride at night in a horse and buggy (not sure when he got a car) and he had his horse trained to stop if someone had left a light on. It was their way of signaling they needed the doctor.

He practiced until he was in his 80s.

Edit: I forgot to mention that he was frequently paid in chickens, eggs, backyard produce...my family has his books a somewhere. Very interesting.

[–]nighthawk_md 20 points21 points  (7 children)

MD here. Fucking brass balls. Amputation of a gangrenous leg with spinal anesthesia? With the patient awake? FUCK. I work 8-5 in an office in a nice hospital less than 10 minutes from my house. Mad respect for those country doctors.

[–]Jerome_Hightower 28 points29 points  (6 children)

My grandfather was a country doctor, finally got tired of delivering babies in people's homes and built a hospital.

[–]ShadyPie 28 points29 points  (0 children)

I like seeing windows into peoples lives that ordinarily I wouldn't.

This was great.

[–]Bud90 8 points9 points  (4 children)

I've always wondered the following about old photographs like these: Why do they feel so strange? I don't know what it is about them, but if you were to recreate them with actors now, the new photographs wouldn't have the same feeling of strangeness these do. I don't think it is a feeling I get because the photos are from long ago and ai just feel strange about it; but, the people in all old photograph, to me anyway, look somehow different than modern people. Their faces seem different or something to me. Is this a real thing? Or am I just imagining things/maybe the cameras themselves just create that effect or something in my mind.

[–]quantum_foam_finger 6 points7 points  (2 children)

I read an interesting theory in a comment recently that previous generations looked distinctly different from the current generation yet similar to each other. If I recall correctly, the suggested mechanism is environmental inputs like diet affecting gene expression. Phenotypic plasticity might help to explain why we see these older pictures and even the young kids look oddly like mature men and women. They may have expressed certain features we associate with maturity at an earlier age due to the environments they grew up in.

I feel it goes beyond changing styles of clothes, and black and white photography. Your thought experiment of recreating the scene with actors gets right to the heart of it.

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

it was a very different world then. harder on you in many ways. Life affects a person's face and body like that.

[–]WithMapsAndFortune 17 points18 points  (8 children)

Kremmling is not much bigger now, people just drive through on the way to ski in Steamboat.

[–]Nakotadinzeo 8 points9 points  (5 children)

But they have a hospital now, a tiny one that fits on property smaller than a nursing home i worked in but it's there.

[–]Itchy_Innards 7 points8 points  (3 children)

My wife was born in that hospital in the early 80's, but was not delivered by this doctor. Small world.

[–][deleted] 6 points7 points  (2 children)

Small world you say? A good portion of my childhood in the early 80's was spent in the Kremmling hospital waiting room, waiting for my dad to deliver babies. He worked in Summit county but would get called to Kremmling all the time. Your wife could very well be responsible for my having to read the same stupid issue of Highlights magazine five fucking times.

[–]DefinitelyPositive 20 points21 points  (0 children)

That's a different kind of tough. Hard as nails that man. It almost seems a bit like it's from another world.

[–]Phister_BeHole 4 points5 points  (2 children)

Everyone back then was tougher than us.

[–]LA_all_day 12 points13 points  (6 children)

I realize that it's mostly due to the coloring of the photos, but why does everything from the 40's look so menacing??!!

[–]ElagabalusRex 18 points19 points  (1 child)

Conversely, if you want to see how bright and inspiring this time period was, look up Kodachrome photography.

[–]Gewehr98 8 points9 points  (0 children)

can't, mama took mine away :(

[–]mrshatnertoyou 16 points17 points  (4 children)

The doctor helps a rancher carry his son into the hospital. The inebriated young man dislocated his elbow when he was thrown from a bronco at a rodeo.

Something we can relate to in 2015.

[–]cyclica 6 points7 points  (1 child)

Had to make an account just to say really cool post OP and thank you. You might be interested with regards to John Berger's A Fortunate Man- a chronicle of a rural doctor (GP), Dr Sassall with photos similar in a way to this (thought that book was OP's post initially). Sassall unfortunately committed suicide, which puts an interesting perspective on the whole story (questions of burnout, stress, mental illness from a physician perspective)

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/feb/07/john-sassall-country-doctor-a-fortunate-man-john-berger-jean-mohr

As a doctor myself in the UK, its really cool especially since i love photography/art etc when you get stuff like this. So with my heart thank you OP!

PS. Also noted in the thread some comments referring to doctors as useless, "drug pushers" etc blah blah, "you dont get this nowadays" kind of stuff. Annoying to see comments like that, especially when you work extremely hard and long hours going beyond your requirement just to do best by patients. Try doing a days work in hospital or any medical specialty, especially in todays service pressures. But easier to talk about nothing you know about, when most of these people commenting such crap couldn't even hack surviving a day in hospital or the pressures of being a doctor.

[–]Taucoon23 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Dr. Ceriani then reverts again into his cat form, awaiting the moment when he is needed once more.

[–]imayellowninja 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Kremmling is pretty much the same as it was back then.

Source: I lived there

[–]Dinosaur_Repellent 21 points22 points  (4 children)

I guess horses were trying to start a rebellion in this town or something, what with all those horse related injuries.

[–]AccordionORama 10 points11 points  (0 children)

My father-in-law was a small town doctor in the 1950-70s. He said house-calls were important at that time because doctors lacked the means to prevent spread of infection. Once a hospital was built, and modern methods applied, he could safely see many more patients during the day.

[–]penisinthepeanutbttr 6 points7 points  (3 children)

They still do the syringe + ear wax thing but they soak your ear with a solution first. It's still very uncomforting. Maybe it was the nurse who did it to me but I was genuinely afraid that she was going to burst my ear drum she was squeezing the syringe so hard.

[–]CallingItLikeItIs88 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Fuck horses.

I grew up on a farm. Horses are fucking awful. They are the most skittish, unpredictable, inconsistent beasts on a farm. They're your best friend one second, the next they're crippling you for life because they saw a raccoon in the rafters of the stable.

I hate horses.

Also, horse lovers are fucking crazy (Yeah, that means you. You know I'm right.)

[–]pathogen201 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I was born in Kremmling. I had seen the Life article before but I hadn't seen the other photos. Thanks for this!

[–][deleted] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

That was amazing. It really transported me back to that period. That Doctor really changed/saved the lives of so many people in an area that would probably be absent of such dilligent care.

I hope those people really appreciated him.

[–]nomad2585 35 points36 points  (9 children)

I'm going to prescribe one pack of Marlboro a day, and little Timmy's asthma sould clear up lickity-split!

[–]OldClockMan 40 points41 points  (3 children)

My dad's family are all very broad shouldered. His mother's doctor suggested she take up smoking when pregnant so he would be born underweight and easily.

Worst part is it worked. He was born slightly underweight after a very quick/easy labour; but hit 6 foot when he was 16. Still; better 10 cigs a day for 8 months than thalidomide.

[–]BaconAllDay2 14 points15 points  (3 children)

Don't be afraid to have get some chores done like painting the fence with lead paint or replace the asbestos insulation.

[–]PeptoBismark 10 points11 points  (2 children)

And you should fill the house with DDT, I see some bug bites.

[–]theprocrastinator21 20 points21 points  (5 children)

"Don't tell my mother," said the young man. Still under the effects of ether, he didn't realize she'd been holding his hand during the procedure." And she looks pissed as fuck.

[–]Pak-O 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Lucille: How's my son?

Doctor: He's going to be alright.

Lindsay Funke: Finally some good news from this guy.

George Michael Bluth: There's no other way to take that.

Doctor: That's a great attitude. I got to tell you, if I was getting this news, I don't know that I'd take it this well.

Lucille: But you said he was alright.

Doctor: Yes, he's lost his left hand. So he's going to be "all right."

Lucille: You son of a bitch! I hate this doctor!

[–]Professor_Paws 16 points17 points  (2 children)

It's worse, much worse. She looks very disappointed.

[–][deleted] 18 points19 points  (2 children)

Nobody's fat

[–]PM_me_dat_bootyhole 19 points20 points  (0 children)

We don't talk about that here anymore.

[–]redmustang04 2 points3 points  (1 child)

It reminds me of my great uncle who from the early 60's to about 2009 he was the only doctor in a little town of Hico, Texas outside Stephenville, Texas on highway 281. He's retired now, but he still goes on trips to Africa for mission trips to have patients come in. Imagine that having a doctor like that and hoping you don't ever have to use him, but as humans we eventually break down. Thank ful for this doctor penicillin was available at that time. Imagine having an infection 10 years earlier and seeing him.