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History of the area: The “Mad” Doctor

by SHEILA CHITWOOD | Jan 17, 2025 | Museum and History

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By SHEILA CHITWOOD/for The Herald  —  It was the 1850’s and Dr. William H. Hanchett served all of Lane County. He weighed 380 pounds and was very careless about how he dressed. People either loved him or hated him, but he was needed.

He was too heavy to ride a horse, so he kept a buckboard and a team of buckskin ponies. When a rider appeared at his home and banged on the door shouting that his wife was about to have a baby, the doctor rushed out to his stable, hitched the horses, threw his medical kit into the buckboard and climbed in.

Reports are that he could be heard for blocks as he yelled at the team and sped away at a smart gallop. On the unpaved street, someone would yell, “Get out of the way – here comes the mad doctor!”

When the doctor arrived, he vaulted up the steps, burst into the room and shouted “I may be here for a while. For dinner I want a half-dozen eggs, hog meat, a lot of biscuits and gravy, and a quart of milk.”

With that, he went quickly to see his patient. He jerked the covers off the bed, to her embarrassment, and with a few choice cuss words proceeded to give her tender care.

He changed from a human dynamo into a gentle-voiced, tender-hearted human being. His hands were gentle and his concentration complete. His patient soon felt at ease.

When the baby was born, he whooped with delight! If the baby was still-born, he shed tears and assured the mother that “the next time will be different.”

Mission accomplished, he bolted down the dinner that had been waiting and did not leave until his patient was doing well.

His fee was $5.00, but often he did not collect.

SHEILA CHITWOOD
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Sheila Chitwood is a retired accountant and treasurer of the Oakridge Museum.  She lives with her husband Dwight and their cat, Callie.  She can be reached at [email protected].  If you have any interesting stories about your local ancestors, please contact her.

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Written by SHEILA CHITWOOD

January 17, 2025

Alpine Stream Construction Highway 58 Oakridge Oregon

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