Chapter XIX: The Baby Not Yet Arrived

I ARRIVED IN NASHVILLE on a dark, cold and drizzly day in mid-October, 1905. When the trolley turned up 8th Avenue on its way to Maxwell House I began looking out the windows on each side of the car and it seemed as if there was a board hanging in front of every house on the street, each board inscribed with the names of six doctors. Right then I had an impulse to get off the car and go back to Union Station and buy a ticket home. I felt that I would never be able to get started in this new place. I did not know a soul here. I did, however, have letters of introduction from three of my former teachers at Johns Hopkins to six well established physicians and surgeons, so I decided to go on to Maxwell House and try my luck for at least a while. As the trolley turned onto Church Street I happened to gaze to the right and had to ask myself if Tennessee had any game laws. Hanging in front of a meat market were deer, a bunch of rabbits, another bunch of wild ducks and 40-50 quail dangling from a wire stretched across the market's front.

Dr Osler had given me letters to Drs Wood and McGannon. Dr Finney had given me letters to Dr Richard Douglass, Dr Wm Haggard and Dr McPheeters Glasgow. From Dr Thayer I had letters to Dr JA Witherspoon and Dr EJ Sumpter. On the day after my arrival I began calling on these men and met all but one who was out of town. I soon learned that there were three medical schools in Nashville—University of Nashville, University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt—and that there was an intense rivalry between them. In fact, Dr Glasgow told me that the rivalry was so marked that it would be unwise for me to present my letter to any one and then approach another. I felt that the most important move for me to make was to decide on a school and then immediately pursue my license to practice medicine.

The Tennessee Medical Licensing Board held its examinations only yearly in April but permitted any of its members to test newcomers any time they wished to do so. If the newcomer passed the examination, the board member could issue a temporary license that was good until he had taken and passed the regular exam. I learned that the Nashville member of the board was Dr Harrell whose office was on 7th Avenue near Broadway. He arranged a time for me to come after office hours so that he could chaperone the test. The questions were simple and to me it seemed that they were not very thorough. In the examination in Obstetrics, the last question was "Give in detail the preparation and care of a woman during delivery." This was right down my line—I had had a number of patients to deliver in their houses during my 4th year and sometimes there was no nurse to go with me—I had everything to attend to myself. So I started in and wrote for two pages. As I was nearing the end of my second page, Dr Harrell looked over my shoulder and said, "Is all of that on preparation and care of a patient?"

I said, "Yes, but the baby has not arrived yet."

The old doctor said, "Well. Stop right there. You've written three times the amount I expected."

That ended my exam and I was granted my temporary license.

In April, 1906, I tested for my permanent license and passed without trouble. Evidently, the requiring of a license to practice medicine in Tennessee had not been in vogue very long—I was registered as doctor number 219, and now equipped to hang out a shingle of my own.


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