NEWS FROM THE HILLS
My grandmother O’Dell was a granny woman. Well, she was actually a licensed midwife, but in the vernacular of her time, local women who delivered babies were called “granny women.” These were usually older women whose children were grown, and they had had plenty of experience delivering family babies.
Most rural babies of that era were delivered by midwives. There were very few country doctors, and they were generally called in to help with a difficult delivery. Sometimes a mother would be fortunate enough to send for a doctor who made it in time to deliver a baby.
I was Mom’s first baby. She was barely out of her teens when she and Daddy married, and they lived in her family home that was perched on the banks of Big Laurel Creek. Oil lamps provided light, and cooking was done on a wood stove. In winter, the house was heated by a big fireplace.
When Mom realized that her time had come, and I was about to make an appearance, she sent Daddy after Dr. A. A. Smith — Dr. Arthur Archibald Smith, the faithful country doctor who delivered at least half (or more) of Clay County babies. He was familiarly called “Old Doc Smith” although he wasn’t old when I was born.
My Aunt May and Grandma were there with Mom, waiting on the doctor. Dr. Smith had delivered another baby that same night, and was so tired he could hardly walk.
And walk it was—there was no road to the house, only a footpath down a steep hillside to Big Laurel Creek.
Daddy said that every time they came to a gate, the doctor would lean against it to rest for a few minutes. He stated once or twice, “I have a feeling that the baby will be there when we get there.”
He was right—I couldn’t wait. It was fortunate for Mom that Grandma was a granny woman. Mom was horribly embarrassed at the beginning to have her mother-in-law deliver her first baby, but before it was over, she was extremely grateful for her.
Mom said that Grandma had “healing hands” and was so gentle and compassionate with Mom that it earned her undying gratitude. In fact, Grandma delivered more of Mom’s seven babies, until her early death at 72. It was her calling that killed her. She was called to deliver a baby in severe winter weather, and had to walk miles through knee-deep snow. As a consequence, she developed pneumonia and passed away that January. I feel a great loss that I wasn’t old enough to learn the herbal lore and its usage that she was skilled in.
Our country doctors had it hard traveling the hills of West Virginia. An old Model-A Ford would take them part of the way, and then the route would veer up a steep hillside with only a path. Sometimes it wound through creek crossings and deep woods to end at a primitive home with a wisp of wood smoke curling up from the chimney. These old country doctors had to be dedicated to their profession, and have a genuine love for people. Snow didn’t get too deep, or nights too cold for them to make an attempt to answer an urgent call.
The medical profession has gone through drastic changes since that time. The era of country doctors answering house calls is past. Tremendous strides have been made in the field of medicine. Modern transportation has replaced the horse and Model-A, doctors are housed in comfortable offices, and most hospitals have state-of-the-art equipment installed. There are specialists for every part of the human body, and new medicines are developed every day.
Many people will argue that with such technology, the human factor has been erased. People have become merely case numbers, and the medical staff is cold and impersonal. Perhaps this is true in many places, especially in large hospitals, but I have found that there are still doctors and nurses who care about the patient.
In our little county of Clay, we have one of the finest doctors in the country. Dr. Leela Patel not only treats the body, but the whole person. She is genuinely concerned about her patients, and not only goes the first mile with them, but the second mile as well. It is evident that she has real love and compassion for those in her care, and for their families as well.
I have been hospitalized four times in the past year, and it has been my good fortune to be admitted to Thomas Memorial Hospital. I have had people tell me, “I hate hospitals!” True, no one wants to spend time there, but it is a good place to be when you need help.
There is a warm and caring atmosphere there, and the staff is concerned and helpful. I never encountered a cranky or impatient nurse there (and there could be one!) and the doctors were excellent.
I know that our Lord is the Great Physician, but I believe that he has endowed doctors with knowledge and skill to repair and correct. When Dr. John Chapman performed by-pass surgery on Criss, he told us, “I can fix the problem, but it is up to the Lord to do the healing.”
I am home recovering from hernia surgery now, but God will have to do the healing.
I have had inquiries from new readers concerning my books. I have copies of “This Holler is My Home,” and “Homesick for the Hills” that I can mail out from my home. They are priced at $15.33 each, which includes state tax and mailing costs, and can be autographed as you wish. Send orders to Alyce Faye Bragg, 2556 Summers Fork Road, Ovapa, WV 25150.
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