By David Perkins

Some diseases and medical emergencies in early Prescott could be taken care of with home remedies and treatments. Other circumstances needed intervention and were much more serious. Along with venereal diseases and drug addictions, smallpox was another scourge of frontier towns. From 1876 through 1878 there was an epidemic not only in Prescott, but in all the territory. Even though an effective vaccine was available in the early 1870s, smallpox was ignored by an apathetic public and press until it reached epidemic proportions. Only after the epidemic was publicized could officials successfully begin a program of vaccination. The vaccine was applied by scratching the skin with a sharp piece of bone which had been dipped into the scabrous crust of a recently vaccinated individual. This program was not entirely successful, and to lessen the possibility of continued spread of disease, a "pesthouse" was built in 1877. City officials stopped every wagon train outside the city and examined all travelers in the group; anyone suspected of having the disease was sent to the "pesthouse." Because of this, people were extremely reluctant to report the disease in their household and, as a result, smallpox overtook the town in epidemic proportions.

During that same year, scarlet fever, diphtheria and typhoid afflicted many in the area. An effort was made to clean up unsanitary conditions in order to prevent further spread of typhoid fever. Generalized filth and polluted water were cleaned up. One possible source of disease discovered in 1875 was approximately one hundred rats found in the drain of a Prescott restaurant!

Another malady termed "mountain fever" appeared in the 1890s. Although not further defined, it was considered a combination of diseases characterized by sore throat, chills, pneumonia and death. A significant number of people died from it.

With so many medical men around, there were numerous successful surgeries. Amputations were common, as life threatening gangrene was often present by the time medical care reached injured people. In most cases, amputation was the only life saving treatment available. Other recorded procedures from that era include removal of a suprapubic cyst, skin grafting of a gunshot wound to the ankle, repair of a strangulated hernia, removal of a skull tumor, and removal of a piece of skull to relieve pressure (skull trephination)- the first neurosurgical procedure in Arizona.

After the fire of 1900, many of the businesses in Prescott were destroyed and the economy was in shambles. At that time there were about 4,100 people in here. The developing health spa and sanatorium industry became the major industry and thereby saved the town’s economy. From 1900 until the 1940s, Prescott was considered a health retreat specifically for tuberculosis patients. A significant number of doctors came to Prescott during that time because they themselves had tuberculosis. One of the most noted was John W. Flinn, an immigrant from Nova Scotia who arrived in Prescott in 1902. Because he was frail and could not withstand the demands of a regular practice, he opened and directed one of the first sanatoriums in Prescott. A strong believer in absolute bed rest for the first one or two months of treatment, he was affectionately referred to by his colleagues as "Bed Pan Flinn." Located on the corner of West Gurley and South Willow, his sanatorium was named "Pamsetgaaf", a mnemonic for the main elements of his treatment: pure air, much sunshine, equitable temperatures, good accommodations and food. Dr. Flinn later remarked that pulmonary tuberculosis had done more for Prescott’s economy than the mines, cattle and all other things put together and he suggested that the Rough Rider monument on the square might well be replaced by a monument to the tubercle bacillus! Some of the grey painted buildings of his sanatorium are still standing.

With the advent of antibiotics in the early 1940s, the TB sanatoriums closed and a new type of patient surfaced – the asthmatic. Many arrived in Prescott for relief of asthma symptoms. From the 1960s, Prescott also became known for its compassionate treatment of the disabled and mentally ill patients. Schools for the disabled and guidance clinics were formed. All of these developments had a profound influence upon the economic growth of the community.

In conclusion, one might say that medical care in Prescott, over the years, has paralleled that available in general. However, having military doctors from the very beginning as well as the "equitable" climate have made Prescott unique, yielding great benefits to the populace and to the economy.

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(po0112p) Reuse only by permission.

Dr. John W. Flinn and wife, Margaret, c.1920s, came to Prescott in 1902 and opened a sanatorium for TB patients at West Gurley and South Willow Streets. The cover of his business brochure is shown at right as well as a page from the brochure showing patients on a sun porch, the primary treatment being sunshine and rest.