In early days, doctoring was very poor. The most common surgery was amputation. When a person's arm or leg was infected with disease, a doctor would have to amputate. This was done without anesthetic so the pain was unbearable. The doctor gave the patient liquor so he or she wouldn't fee so much pain.
Childbirth was dangerous, too. Sometimes a baby would die because back then there were no life support systems. The mother might die from infection or complications. All surgery was done at home so people were lucky to survive an operation.
Doctor Josiah Rice moved to Leverett in 1801. Dr. Rice was born to poor parents. He raised himself and became the doctor for the town. He taught himself medical methods for treating illnesses. Herbal remedies were used to treat bee stings, poison ivy, and headaches. Sometiimes they worked; sometimes they didn't. For payment, people would give a doctor food, tools, land, wagon parts or livestock to pay for a housecall.
In the 1950's Doctor Clapp would make a housecall for $4. He visited Gordon King's family when they were all sick.
Leverett's Poor Farm was established to care for people who could not support themselves. It began with a system of auctioning off those people in need. Their services were bought by townspeople and the paupers were housed with families in town.
Facts We Learned:
A pauper is a poor person.
Before the poor farm, paupers were auctioned.
Mrs. Cutter was auctioned for 66 cents, later for 83 cents.
Daniel Adams (blind and intemperate) lived at Leverett's Poor Farm for forty years.
Younger people were auctioned for less than older people.
Some poor families "hired out" a son to work for other people.
Rufus Richardson was suspected of "torching" the Poor Farm in 1889.
The Dorcas Society - churchwomen who checked on how paupers were being treated.
Most paupers stayed in other people's homes less than one year.
The Poor Farm was where Megan Black now lives.
Andrew Tiner's house is on the former Poor Farm pasture site.
After the farm burned, paupers were auctioned again.
The Poor Farm property was bought from Mr. Kellogg Graves.
TEMPERATE means a non-drinker of alcohol.
INTEMPERATE means an alcohol drinker.