I am requesting help in writing my three to four page essay. The era that I picked was Modernism (PPt attached). I choose a short story titled "A Night Among The Horses by Djuna Barnes and I am trying
Ahead of their time?
Century ago, group made medical care affordable
Dr. Allen sitting atop his horse, named Byrd. While the doctor had a car he drove to house calls, sometimes homes were too remote, or muddy roads were impassable, so he’d saddle up and ride Byrd to wherever he was needed.
Photo courtesy Mount Airy Museum of Regional History
Dr. Allen bandaging the hand of a young child while two others watch. For $18 a year, membership in the Stewarts Creek Doctor’s Association would cover every member of a household, not including servants.
Photo courtesy Mount Airy Museum of Regional History
A doctor’s bag from Dr. Allen’s time, circa 1920s-1930s. He most likely had a similar one with him.
Photo courtesy Mount Airy Museum of Regional History
This map shows the location of Stewarts Creek Township, where Dr. Moses Young Allen, of the Stewarts Creek Doctor’s Association, served for 17 years.
Photo courtesy Mount Airy Museum of Regional History
This medical bill from Martin Memorial Hospital in 1923 shows just how costly healthcare could be. This patient owed almost $300 for a month’s stay, a large sum for a person in those days.
Photo courtesy Mount Airy Museum of Regional History
Dr. Moses Young Allen, of the Stewarts Creek Doctor’s Association, probably had a medicine cabinet in his office much like this one, on display at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, full of early 20th century medicines.
Photo courtesy Mount Airy Museum of Regional History
In the early years of the 20th century, Stewarts Creek Township was home to a few hundred families who mostly made their living through farming. Many faced hardship and strife in the first few decades of this new century, regardless of occupation or location. The rural residents of Stewarts Creek Township faced an added difficulty, one that still remains a struggle for many today; expensive medical bills.
Many of the leading causes of sickness and death in rural communities at the time were preventable diseases, however access to medical care was usually too expensive for these families.
Adding to the community’s health care costs was the distance to the nearest doctor’s offices. This community, located in the western edge of Surry County, would have to pay extra to get their doctors to travel to them. This cost could be as much as a dollar for every mile, often amounting to a hefty sum just for the doctor to travel to them, even before the consultation fee and medication costs. This meant a simple doctor’s visit could damage their savings. A prolonged sickness, requiring multiple visits and extra medicine, could have extreme financial consequences.
The citizens of this area banded together to find a unique solution to this common problem. In 1922, 200 of the families joined together to create the The Stewarts Creek Doctor’s Association. The idea was that families in the area would pay a yearly fee for medical care which would cover as many visits as the doctor needed to make to their home that year and would do away with travelling fees entirely.
Each family that joined paid $18 annually. The fee covered medical care for the entire family and anyone living in their household (excluding servants.) During the Great Depression, with many struggling to make ends meet, the fee was decreased to $15 annually.
Two years after the founding of the association, a new physician moved to Surry County, Dr. Moses Young Allen. Born in Georgia, Dr. Allen studied at Mercer University in Georgia, completed medical training at Tulane University in New Orleans, and worked for a time in West Virginia. In the early 1920s, Dr. Allen accepted a position as a physician in Mount Airy. In 1924, Dr. Allen left Mount Airy for Stewarts Township to serve as the association’s doctor. For the next 17 years, Dr. Allen would be the only doctor available to more than 200 families in a 10-mile radius.
In 1993, his daughter recalled that the doctor never “pressed a man down on his luck to repay a note.” In fact, Dr. Allen tried to reduce the price his community paid as much as possible; he would purchase his medicines at cost and sell them to his patients at wholesale prices.
Dr. Allen’s dedication to helping his community is evident in his determination to reach his patients. In an era where roadways were only slowly catching up to the boom in the number of cars, local roads were rarely paved. Dr. Allen’s Chevrolet would often become stuck in mud while travelling to house calls, and he would keep a shovel and a hoe in his car in order to dig himself out. As a backup, Dr. Allen had his horse, Byrd, to transport him wherever he needed to go.
This scheme to lower the cost to their healthcare was a success, with three quarters of the bills being paid when due. Those who were late to pay were not left behind. Understanding the financial strain, if there was at least an effort to pay by those past due, they would continue to be eligible for care and no interest was charged on their late payments.
Though the coverage had restrictions (it did not cover dental or surgery) it made basic medical care much more accessible for this rural community. After the first decade of the association, 75% of the original families continued to be part of the scheme, and many new families joined.
The story of The Stewarts Creek Doctor’s Association is one of a community banding together to solve a problem that affected them all, and in turn, bettering their community as a whole.
Katherine “Kat” Jackson is an intern at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. Originally from Australia she now lives in Winston-Salem. She can be reached at the museum at 336-786-4478.
