THE STATE
A Weekly Survey of North Carolina
Entered at tocond fU» matter. June I. 1033. at the 1‘oMottce at Rihllh. North
Carolina, under the
Лес
of March 3. 1379.
Vol.VI. No. 47 April 22, 1939
Fifty Years
in medicine
A country doctor tolls off his ex¬
periences in the practice of medi¬
cine in Eastern i\orlli Carolina
during the past lialf-century.
By DR. W. II. COBB
I T is a great privilege to have lived trcalnioul. a close association with "a
I anti on paced in the practice of doctor of the old school" and emula-
I medicine these past fifty years, t ion of his dignity, his kindness, his
fraught as they have I
юсп
with the courtesy and his consideration, would
great achievements and progress that lie fine training for our young doc-
have been made. tors, turned out of medical schools
I graduated from the Jefferson ns they are today without more than
Medical College, in Philadelphia, in a reference to medical ethics and
1880. There were 212 graduates, and with little preparation for practicing
of this number there arc living today
40 physicians whose addresses are
known. Three of these. Hr. J. P.
Highsmith. Dr. Win. G. Sutton and
myself are in North Carolina.
I studied medicine under my
father, the late Dr. W. W. II. Cobb,
who was my preceptor. I visited
patients with him. watched his
method of examinations, took mental
note of his bedside manner, assisted
him in the preparation of his medi¬
cines, aided him in his surgical work,
kept his books, assisted in the collec¬
tion of bis accounts and worked in
the drug store.
A Thorough Course
Perhaps to a modern medical stu¬
dent, this pre-medical course may
appear rather odd and unusual, but
I make bold to state that such a
course has much to commend it. even
today. Familiarity with diseases and
accidents, methods of diagnosis, the
meeting of emergencies, system of
HE DOESN’T KNOW IT
This is one of the few times a
man writes an article and
doesn’t know he is writing it.
Recently the Wayne County
Medical Society honored Dr.
W. H. Cobb of Goldsboro and
Dr. Wm. G. Sutton of Seven
Springs at one of the regular
meetings of the Society. Both
of these distinguished doctors
have completed fifty years as
practicing physicians.
Dr. Cobb read a paper at that
meeting. It attracted so much
interest that several people took
the trouble of telling us about
it. We managed to get hold of
the paper and arc publishing
most of it herewith, without Dr.
Cobb's knowledge. We trust
that he won’t object.
Dr. W. H. Cobb, of Goldsboro
the art of medicine. They have been
denied much.
Following my graduation on
April :t.
188!».
formerly having at¬
tended the Medical Department of
the Fniversity of Maryland. I took
the State Board Medical Examina¬
tion in Elizabeth City and began the
practice of medicine in Goldsboro,
which at that time had a population
of about 4.
<»()(>
people. It was hounded
on the north by the Atlantic and
North Carolina Railroad, on the east
by Xloeuinb Street, on the south by
Elm Street, and on the west by
George Street. In addition, there were
Webbtown. I.ittle Washington, and a
few houses north of the A. & N. C.
Railroad.
There were no paved streets or
sidewalks; no waterworks or sewer¬
age; in» telephones or electric lights.
Open wells, pumps and surface clos¬
ets were in general use. The town
was illuminated by gasoline lamps
at each corner. These lamps were
serviced by a man who rode around
