Memories - I Miss Family Doctors

 

I was thinking of memories to write about and what was then. I realized that lately I have have been thinking how much I miss real doctors.  I am not saying I do not appreciate the advances in medicine.  Not at all, there have been lots of really wonderful things that have happened, just in the heart alone.  

I miss Dr. Gerhart, Dr. Knipf and Dr. Hudon.  They were my real doctors.  These were the family doctors (now called GPs) that knew you, knew your family and knew your history with barely a glance at your file.  They came to your home, when you were too sick to stop throwing up or get out of bed.  He would see his patients at the office until about 2 or 3 and then head out to see those who could not come into the office.  They checked you out, felt your throat, tapped on your chest, listened to your lungs and heart.  I always heard the story of when I was 2 I slipped on a pew in church and had

a deep cut on my cheek.  Mom and Dad rushed me to Dr. Gerhart's office and knocked on the door on a Sunday.  He stitched me up in his office.  The family doctors delivered babies, did minor surgeries either in his office or if it needed more, at the hospital.  You only saw a surgeon if the surgery was a bit more complicated.  

Your doctor would ask you how things were going, what was new in your life.  If you hadn't been in for your booster shot, his nurse would call you and make your appointment to be in for it as soon as possible, especially when the polio vaccine came out.  Pictures of kids having to be in iron lungs because of polio was enough to get you there pretty quick and everyone was thrilled that this could be prevented. 

You could trust your family doctor, he knew you.  He never listened only long enough to push you onto the next doctor/specialist.  He was your doctor from birth to grave and every moment in between.  He didn't give you a prescription as a guess but only if he knew it was going to make a difference or cure.  

All those doctors have passed on and due to government involvement family doctors have more patients that they could ever know, can only see you for 10 minutes and only for one or two items and then they push you on to the next one.  I can honestly say that my GP has no clue who I am, ever felt my throat, listened to my lungs or heart or actually looked into my eyes as she is too busy entering stuff on her computer.  The even saddest thing is that now that I am over 60 I am no longer listened to at all and treated like my mind is gone already.  

Yes, we have a shortage of doctors but who would want to take years of study, huge student debts just to barely listen to whatever patient is in your room just to send them off to someone else.  It was a caring vocation but now it is just a job on an assembly line, so yes, I miss those doctors and I miss the trust that I had in the medical profession because that really died completely this past year.