Dr. Donohue

He was an old time Doctor.  It was the 50’s and he made house calls. I can recall that when he came he checked us all, putting that black stethoscope up to our chests, checking out our throats and giving us the once over. It didn’t matter if only one of us were ailing; he went down the line, assuring mom that the rest of us were ok. I particularly remember our chicken pox episode. Mom had us on cots, the couch, and the floor, all in the living room. She would go to each of us with cotton balls and this pink concoction, applying it to our ugly sores. She was a loving nurse, dedicated equally to each and every one of us, with a great big smile, no matter how tired she was. When the Doc was called he always rounded the charge downward or said just forget it. It was before Medicine was a 9-5 job, with insurance companies squeezing everyone from all sides. It was when the Doctor treated the whole person, the whole family, and did not practice defensive medicine to avoid litigation. Dr. Donahue had a lot of experience, and a good deal of common sense. He knew our family, like he knew each family he treated. He took everything into consideration. He did not put medical decisions upon my parents, explaining all the possible ramifications. It was comforting to everyone involved. He also knew when the situation warranted calling in others, or hospitalizing us. He did just that when we all came down with the whooping cough. There we were, so many children, coughing up a storm; the germs whirling about like a windstorm. I vaguely remember being bored in the hospital and getting down from the bed and wandering along the corridor, barefoot. The nun nurse was furious, swooping me up into her arms and putting me back to bed. She washed my feet thoroughly, but behind it all was genuine care and concern. In fact in seemed that everyone that went into health care felt it was a calling to help and heal.

I know I speak like an old person, but it really was different back then. There was the human component. Now we are body parts, being treated by ‘specialist” who runs every conceivable test available. What happened to “experience”, prudence, and common sense? What happened to human interaction?  Our visits are short and to the point. We pay up front, wait inordinate amounts of time, and are limited to very short interaction with our physician, if we see a physician. Everything has been streamlined to maximize the monetary remuneration. I don’t doubt there are those of Dr. Donohue’s’ caliber out there but they are subject to the rules of the day. They over prescribe, under deliver on bedside manner, and rush on to the next patient.  I miss the days of compassionate physicians and caring nurses. I miss the experience of a Dr. Donohue in my life.