"DOCTORS IN EARLY DAYS HAD HARD TIME MAKING MONEY,

(This story is taken directly from the Thursday, March 31, 1955, edition of the Lamb County Leader.)

"In the spring of 1913, Dr. Jeff Davis, who had pioneered for a number of years at Roby, felt that settlers were crowding him too much and that Roby was fast becoming a part of East Texas, so he saddled himself and came riding into the newly born metropolis of Lamb County. Desiring to share in the prosperity of the newly born west, Dr. Davis immediately selected a building site, in order to have his location made in advance of the great masses of population sure to be headed in this direction. He whistled and whittled with the pioneers for several months, until he had thoroughly counted and invoiced every settler here. As the cowboys were thoroughly skilled in the art of "Ride ‘em Cowboy," never falling off and breaking any bones, and as there was only one automobile here at that time, which would force the owner to run into himself to have a wreck, and as the owner was far too careful a driver for that, Dr. Davis decided that he would sojourn in his settling Roby for awhile, and he rode and whistled out.

"No doctor did we have then in our coming metropolis for a few years. ‘Twas quite a hardship on Dr. Overton and the rest of the Lubbock doctors, as a few times each year we would just have to have one of them, and we generally managed to have these Lubbock doctors in the middle of the night, and when snow and ice covered the cow trails.

"Dr. O. B. Lynch. In 1915 a young doctor from a state far north of this one came through here prospecting, and after hearing of the trips made out here by the Lubbock doctors, took pity on them, and felt it to be his duty to save all these hard trips, and the population of Littlefield increased right then and there, three souls; Dr. and Mrs. O. B. Lynch and baby daughter. Dr. Lynch was well supplied with grips and suitcases, and satchels, in which he carried the stock of drugs for this community. While Dr. Lynch was here, the writer of this contribution used his pocket knife on his corn, and the pocket knife not having been sterilized, the result was quite disastrous. The toe became several times its normal size, and when the toe was so warm it was near the blazing point, Dr. Lynch was called. The good doctor punctured and injected for several days until the toe and corn were thoroughly under control. When the doctor was asked the best way to cure a corn, he replied, "Get your shoes large enough and the corn will disappear."

"Since the entire population did not cooperate with Dr. Lynch in trimming their corns with their pocket knives, and the new settlers were wealth and not health-seekers, he decided that conditions were more hopeful at Hope, New Mexico, and Littlefield right then and there lost its doctor.

"Dr. W. H. Anderson. In 1917, a successful physician living in Forth Worth heard of our very healthy country, and thinking he would not have many calls to make, cast his lot with us, and the Littlefield population increased again. Dr. W. H. Anderson and daughter, Dorothy, and dog, Vickie, made the trip from their Forth Worth home to Littlefield in their car. Vickie, with her paws on the front door, registered a bark at every telegraph pole passed enroute, and still barked as they entered Littlefield.

"Dr. Anderson continued to serve the people of the community until his death in 1931. He had he distinction of looking the boys over in 1918, and telling us that we were just the type needed for service.

"Flu Epidemic. In the spring of 1923, this whole territory was visited by a terrible flu epidemic. Within a few miles of Littlefield, we had as many as a hundred cases. At that time a large percent of the population was afflicted. Dr. Anderson, in order to set a good example and show flu patients what to do, stayed in bed three weeks with the best case of flu in the country, during the worst part of this epidemic. This was a very serious handicap to the health of the community, but those who were up realized the need of the hour, and rallied to the cause as loyally as did the boys in ‘18. Miss Meodora Duncan, a nurse of Amarillo, was called and kept several weeks. The only assistance nurses were able to get from Dr. Anderson was conferences at his home while he was in bed. So wide-spread was this epidemic that all thought of regular work had to be cast aside for the time and those who were on their feet gave their time and their efforts to the sick. Flowers for the living would here be in place for all those who answered the call so willingly to minister to the sick. The organization of the nurses and the local people was so thorough that records were kept in order to equally distribute the burden. In many instances a person would be a patient one week and a nurse the next week. Such was the organization and cooperation that percentage of fatalities to the number of flu patients was very small indeed. The Lubbock doctors were called numbers of times, and Dr. Wagner was very faithful indeed.

"When our town became a metropolis, and our ranches and farmers increased, in 1924 and 1925, doctors came in proportion to other incoming population and enterprises. Some stayed, many left, more have since come to take the place of those who left. Today we have access to two modern hospitals here in Littlefield, each with a successful staff of doctors of whom we are very proud.