Trying to find a new family practitioner (since our last one left town) got me to thinking about family doctors. The first one I recall was Dr. MIlazzo. I was told that he was the one who delivered me. Dr. Milazzo had an office attached to his home. we were not a very sickly family but i do remember some visits to treat a case of teenage eczema, Which then was treated with oatmeal washes and badges to prevent me from scratching. While I was not very sickly, however, I was bit accident prone. Frequently, I had to go to the office to receive or to remove of stitches. Dr. Milazzo had a pencil mustache and was a tall stately man. In his office waiting room I would thumb through the pages of the American Medical Journal. Because I had an interest in things medical he once introduced me to a friend of his. Frank Netter, unbeknownst to me at the time, was a famed anatomic artist.
The next family doctor was Dr. Calabra who cared for my grandparents in their elder years. I recall when my maternal grandmother came to live with us at the end of her life. His treatment regime was to give her a glass of brandy at night to help her rest. Medicine then was more humanistic. Dr. Calabra also taught me how to read EKG's when I was preparing for my paramedic certification. His principal advise was to "cherchez la P". Look for the P wave.
Just to remind myself and others. In the past these MD were called general practitioners. They delivered babies, removed tonsils, treated heart attacks, fixed hernias, and provided what is now called hospice care.
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