In 1854, Iowa City had three years remaining as the state capital. Though the University had been created in 1847, it was still a year away from offering classes. These classes would be taught in the Mechanics Academy, which was on Linn Street, between Jefferson Street and Iowa Avenue. Old Capitol was called the State House, and several islands, as well as a public lumber yard and quarry, lay along the Iowa River. For information on how Iowa Citians regarded their city, read the Descriptive Statement in the lower left corner of the map.

2. Old Capital building, 1853, courtesy of the University of Iowa Photographic Service

3. State University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 1856, courtesy of the University of Iowa Photographic Service

When Iowa City was platted in 1839, only a handful of lots were drawn south of Burlington Street, and none west of the Iowa River. No rail lines ran through the city-major transporation took place along the river via steamboat. The first auction of lots in Iowa City was in August 1839. The first one was sold to L. D. Phillips for $330, and

In the mid-19th century, almost anyone who saw fit to call himself a doctor could do so. The field of medicine was wide open and free of governmental regulation, and malpractice suits were rare. Pioneer Iowans could choose from a wide array of medical systems. Practitioners included conventional doctors, homeopaths, Thompsonians, and the occasional spiritualist or "electrician."

Medical schools of the day often had difficulty obtaining patients and bodies for clinical study and dissection. Thus, hands-on training suffered. In 1847, the young American Medical Association suggested a longer school year and other reforms, but many colleges ignored them. Students who paid the tuition were awarded a diploma regardless of their grades.

Many pioneer doctors earned their credentials through apprenticeship. Under this system, the student lived with a practicing physician for two to three years, studying his books and going with him on calls. In exchange, the apprentice paid a yearly fee and did chores around the house.

Some physicians had no formal training of any kind. "Doctors" like Ottumwa's Paul Caster, a "corpulent, course [sic] and uncouth" man who claimed to heal by rubbing his hands over affected parts, were scorned by "regular" practitioners. However, the "cures" available to the regulars had many drawbacks. The purging, puking and bloodletting cures could leave patients dehydrated, scarred and worse off than before.

4. Corner of Clinton and Washington, 1907, courtesy of the University of Iowa Photographic Service

The widely-spaced settlements of the Great Plains and poor-to-nonexistent roads posed challenges to doctors whose patients were scattered over many miles of rough terrain. Early Dubuque physician Frederick Andros served a large area by traveling on horseback with his stethoscope and cigars stashed in his high silk hat. Dr. James Robertson established a practice "extending from Cedar Rapids to Keokuk, mostly by horseback." Part-time physician Isaac Galland, whose family settled near Keokuk around 1830, cut down on travel by distributing to his patients home medicine boxes containing commonly used remedies.

5. Map of Iowa, 1855, courtesy of the University of Iowa Libraries, map room

Frontier physicians sometimes fell prey to the epidemics they helped treat. Typhoid and cholera claimed several medics, and measles killed young New York native Dr. John Morse two years after he arrived in Iowa City. Delia Irish, one of the few female doctors of her era, is said to have worked during bouts of ill health because she did not want her "frail physical condition" to confirm the popular image of "woman's physical unfitness for the practice of medicine." Irish practiced for almost ten years in Davenport and New York before dying of consumption in 1878. J.M. Witherwax died, not from a disease, but from a "cure": his daily use of a hair restorer containing lead acetate resulted in lead poisoning.

Medicine in the 19th century was seen as "a profession, not a business," and many doctors did not charge for their services. Patients who could afford to, paid in cash or farm products. Even when fee schedules became standard practice, many patients did not pay on time. One Iowa doctor remarked that if

6. Intersection of Clinton and Washington viewed from the Pentacrest, c. 1900, courtesy of the University of Iowa Photographic Service

As more people turned to physicians for medical care, competition between doctors increased. Colleagues were seen as potential interlopers, so consultations between doctors were rare. Doctors were judged on their bedside manner as much as for their medical skills. An examination was expected even for

On Christmas Day, 1854, respected physician and surgeon Dr. John Bell of Wapello, Iowa, was presented with a most unusual case. Earlier that day, L.W. Bates, aged 32, had entertained his cohorts at a local bar by slipping a bar of lead up and down his throat. The intoxicated Bates lost his grip on the 10 and 3/4 inch lead bar, which slid down his throat and into his stomach.

Bates and a few of his companions called on Dr. Bell for help in removing the metal bar. Dr. Bell, unable to ascertain that there was, in fact, a lead bar in Bates' stomach, considered the case a hoax. Despite his skepticism, Bell consulted a colleague, Dr. Robertson. Upon examining Bates' stomach, neither found anything unusual. Bates was told to return if any symptoms should arise.

Four days later, Bates visited Dr. Robertson, describing sensitivity in the stomach area and vomiting of a dark, watery fluid. Robertson concluded that Bates had indeed swallowed a foreign object, and an operation was scheduled for the next day.

It took only twenty minutes for Dr. Bell to remove the 9 and 1/2 ounce bar from Bates' stomach by surgical incision. Over the next several days, Bates was bled and given enemas and painkillers, such as opium and morphine, to help him recuperate.

This was considered to be an extraordinary case, unique in the annals of medicine. Very little abdominal surgery was performed at the time due to the high rates of infection and patient mortality. Neither aseptic* nor antiseptic** methods were yet in use, and anesthesia had been discovered only in the past decade. Bell kept detailed notes on this surgical procedure and his patient's recovery. In his remarks, he describes "carefully examining the brief suggestions given by authors on this kind of operation." None suited this particular case. Apparently, this was a novel and daring operation, only undertaken after the presence of the bar in the stomach was confirmed.

After fifteen days, Bates was well enough to be dismissed from the hospital. During the Civil War, L.W. Bates was recognized as an inmate of the Missouri penitentiary by Dr. William Twig who had known him in Wapello. He was serving a term for horse stealing.

* Asepsis, discovered in 1851, is the killing or excluding germs before they enter a wound. Washing the hands is the most common aseptic practice.

** Antiseptic methods inhibit the growth and multiplication of microorganisms. For example, carbolic acid was sprayed on the surgical site and sterile rubber gloves were worn by all entering the operating suite.