My great-grandfather W.A. Proctor, M.D., practiced medicine for more than twenty years in the late nineteenth century in Homer, Kentucky before settling in Auburn, Kentucky with my great-grandmother, Annie Chick and their eight children. While I never met either of them, stories of their lives were part of the oral history of my family. In the fifties, medicine was taking its rightful place in history as the Salk vaccine was introduced and children received the recommended vaccinations to prevent smallpox, polio, diphtheria and other debilitating diseases of the time. There was debate as there is now, but the realities of polio were severe and life-threatening and the eradication of the disease was a significant milestone for those of us living in the United States.

While the progression of modern medicine continued with each new discovery or drug, the reliability of homeopathic medicine solved many of the problems then, as it still does today and continues to have its remarkable place in history, alongside the advances in modern medicine.

In the 50’s there were no nurse advice lines or internet searches for the latest cure or treatment for the common cold, stomach ache, minor bumps and bruises, or the undiagnosed malady of the day. There were no urgent care centers either, so a trip to the doctor was reserved only for desperate situations, and home remedies were used for milder ailments.

When Sissy and I were sick with an upper respiratory infection, Mother generously rubbed camphor oil on a cloth, or quite possibly a rag, and safety-pinned the cloth to the inside of our pajamas against our tiny flat chests which rattled with fluid when we coughed. The coolness of the camphor against the skin and the mild anesthetic effects of its ingredients helped alleviate some of the discomfort of the illness. The continuous sound of mist escaping from the humidifier that rested on the floor, aided our breathing, as we relaxed into an easier sleep.

A camphor oil rub for a congested chest, baking soda for a bee sting and warm Jell-O® for a case of diarrhea; these were the remedies of the day. My favorite was the warm Jell-O®. Mother boiled water, poured the sugar crystals in a bowl and stirred in one cup of boiling water, followed by either a cup of cold water or a cup of ice, into the bowl. She stirred the ingredients until the crystals dissolved and cooled. Still warm, she then split the concoction in two; one serving for each of us.

Of course, that was if we were both sick at the same time. Inevitably, because we shared the same bedroom, and by virtue of our closeness in age, we often passed the virulent bugs back and forth between us. In the fifties, it was not uncommon for parents to want their children to pass communicable diseases between all of the siblings. It was much easier to deal with two kids with chicken pox at the same time than it was to have incidences of the illness spread out over days and often weeks.

Sissy always seemed to attract the disease first, which always left me with wanting to give her something. More than likely it was because she was older and went to school, and I stayed home with Mother, unexposed and uncontaminated. My eventual contracting of a disease was not an issue because once Sissy brandished the symptoms; I followed the same path with the identical rash, fever, lethargy or whatever symptom was typical for that disease. When Sissy contracted the mumps, I slept with her solely for the purpose of contracting the disease. I never came down with any symptoms, but years later when a job required proof of immunity, a blood titer revealed that yes, I had contracted the mumps at some point in my life. Once again, I was the victim of sisterly contagion.

Besides warm Jell-O®, bananas, milk toast and a broiled T-bone steak were on the menu when we  experienced an illness.  I have no idea why a broiled steak was on the menu, but from our sick beds, we smelled the mixture of odors coming from the kitchen as Mother prepared the steak and Jell-O® to settle our stomachs and to keep trips to the bathroom at a minimum.

Mother herself was rarely sick, but I remember once when she was confined to her bed and Daddy was off to work, the two of us were left to care for her. We were no more than five and seven at the time, and we certainly couldn’t re-enact the broiled steak, milk toast or warm Jell-O®, yet we repeatedly retrieved bananas from the kitchen and spent the day curled up beside her, our heads lying on her chest. Even sick, she seemed to be taking care of us, providing the protection, warmth and security that only a mother can give while passing the old wives’ tale from her generation to ours.

Since the fifties, medicine has changed greatly and many of those practices, old wives’ tales and homemade concoctions have been replaced by medications, treatments and cures. We have vaccines that protect us from many diseases, and today we do not urge the passing of one disease to another for any reason.  We have technologically advanced hospitals, urgent care centers, nurse advice lines, and even telehealth to keep us well. Most importantly, we have healthcare workers that are dedicated and committed to their professions and to the patients and families they care for when they are ill, injured, or dying.

Today’s COVID-19 brings us unprecedented times and challenges, and we need everyone’s contributions, creativity and innovation, and dedication to meet the task at hand. To that end, let’s honor and support our healthcare workers today as they continue to care for us and those we love. From the doctors and nurses, to the med techs, the therapists, the lab and radiology technicians, the person who cleans the hospital room, the person who prepares the food for the patients and visitors, and every other person who works in a hospital, let’s not take lightly the sacrifices they have always been willing to make for us. Let’s do what we can to keep them safe and healthy, so that if and when we need them, they will be there for us.

Dedicated to all of the people I have had the privilege and honor of knowing and working beside at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Miami Children’s Hospital, Kids Health First, the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, and the Medical University of South Carolina. Be safe and well.