- Collection:
- Allen Thomas Oral History Collection
- Title:
- Rotary Club program with Dr. John Bell, Jr. in the late 1970s
- Creator:
- Bell, John Allen, Jr., July 24, 1910-December 7, 2001
- Contributor to Resource:
- Thomas, Allen
- Date of Original:
- 1975/1980
- Subject:
- Medicine
Dublin (Ga.)
Childbirth at home
Nurses - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Laurens County, 32.46366, -82.92224
United States, Georgia, Laurens County, Dublin, 32.54044, -82.90375 - Medium:
- oral histories (literary works)
sound recordings - Type:
- Sound
- Format:
- audio/mpeg
- Description:
- Abstract: In a program at the Rotary Club of Dublin, Georgia in the late 1970s, Dr. John Bell talks about the changes in medicine he has witnessed in his forty-three years of practice. Subjects discussed include doctors and practices in the city of Dublin, Ga., including Black doctors, and stories from Dr. Bell's own practice, including house calls for home childbirth. Synopsis: John Bell, in his 43rd year of practicing medicine, speaks at what he calls a "meeting of the minds" at the Dublin Rotary Club in date. He introduces another doctor, Jim Webb, and comments on the changes the field has undergone since he arrived in Dublin in 1935. | Bell identifies the state of medical practices and hospitals in the region and how Dr. Jimmy New of Dexter, Georgia encouraged him to come to Laurens. He details twenty-three physicians across Laurens and the surrounding counties, including four Black physicians for whom "some housing units" are named. | Bell discusses his general practice in Dublin, which took office calls and house calls for both white and "colored" patients, but often did not receive full payment for services, or was paid in goods rather than cash. He relates a lengthy story of a home birth during a storm and lauds the progress of modern medicine. | Bell discusses several more stories from his early practice in Dublin, making calls to assist in home births. These include multiple times where Bell is held at gunpoint and another instance where he witnesses a "kangaroo court" after an unmarried woman gave birth. | Bell relates a story of Newt Bussell's election to coroner and an event they investigated together involving a supposed burial on Honeysuckle Road. | Bell closes his discussion by reaffirming his belief that medicine has changed radically and that he has always loved his vocation, advising young people to choose a career they love.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:zhe_atohc_zhe-atohc-002-belljohnallen
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:zhe_atohc_zhe-atohc-002-belljohnallen
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Bell, John Allen, Jr. "Rotary Club program with Dr. John Allen Bell, Jr. in the late 1970s." Recorded by Allen Thomas. Allen Thomas Oral History Collection, Laurens County Library, Dublin, GA.
- Extent:
- 1 audio interview : 31 min., 1 sec., sd.
- Original Collection:
- Allen Thomas Oral History Collection
- Holding Institution:
- Oconee Regional Library System
- Rights:
-
