Today is National Doctor’s Day, and try as I might, I couldn’t find a single female doctor known for something “famous,” or a medical woman of influence born on this day.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any out there, it means I was unsuccessful in my search.
If you can come UP with one, please advise in the (shameless plug a comin’) comments below.
There were plenty of women of influence born on this day.
I mean, there’s Mary Calkins, an American philosopher and psychologist and philanthropist Brooke Astor.
Singer-songwriters galore share the day; England’s Dana Gillespie, Canadian Celine Dion (Jan’s secret crush,) Tracy Chapman, and Nora Jones.
The day is claimed by actresses, aristocrats, educators, models, and many a ‘plain Jane,’ but not one single doctor!
What’s a blogger to do?
Well, he could say a bit about National Doctors’ Day although I’m sure they are all so busy they won’t have time to read what he writes.
Seriously folks, has lack of readership stopped me?
Alas, no.
In the United States, National Doctors’ Day recognizes the service of physicians and was dreamed UP by Eudora Brown Almond, the spouse of Dr. Charles B. Almond.
She chose the date because it was the anniversary of the first known use of general anesthesia in surgery. On March 30, 1842, Dr. Crawford Long used ether to knock out a patient, one Mr. James Venable, in Jefferson, Georgia.
Seems the honorable Mr. Venable had a tumor in his neck and Dr. Long was to remove it.
At the ripe old age of 26, the newly minted medico, Crawford Long came back to Jefferson to start a medical practice in his home state of Georgia.
The in crowd had started a new fad and began hosting ‘frolics’ at which they would inhale nitrous oxide.
Crawford was the hit of the gala as he not only participated in but supplied the soirees with the laughing gas.
While under the influence, he realized neither he nor the other guests were feeling any pain, and voila! anesthesia was born.
91 years later just down the road in Winder, Georgia, Mrs. Almond came UP with the idea of setting a day aside to honor the doctors of the community via gifts, acts of kindness, bottles of hooch, and tributes.
As the gals sat and gossiped, March 30 was deemed the appropriate day for such a fete.
It began simply, cards and gifts to doctors serving and retired. The graves of the deceased physicians were decorated with flowers, and one well-heeled couple hosted a formal dinner at their home.
Gradually it caught on.
In 1958, the House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing the day, and in 1990, George HW Bush signed Public Law 101-472 which designated it as National Doctors’ Day.
These days, doctors are a tad busy, so for most celebrations will have to wait. Plus, there’s that crowds of few than 10 suggestion; so, for now, cards must do.
Hats off to Mrs. Almond, the Georgia gal done good when she came UP with the idea of National Doctors’ Day is our Woman of Influence.
And, hats off to the doctors in my family UP in North Carolina!
And I suppose with the number of doctors I see; I should have started those cards in January!
Have a great Monday…and…
Hey, it was either that or Weird Al.