Horseback to hospitals

When the city of Cape Girardeau was founded by Don Louis Lorimier, finding a doctor of any kind on the western frontier wasn't easy.

In those days, each family took care of its own health-care needs, using manmade medicines and a variety of herbs and simple cures suggested to them by local Indians. Births were handled by midwives.

Those who became seriously ill in many cases didn't make it.

But as Lorimier's trading post village grew, doctors moved into the city, treating patients in their homes or making house calls on horseback or in horse-drawn buggies.

In 1911, Martin G. Lorberg of Southeast Missouri Undertaking Co. brought the first ambulance to Cape Girardeau. It was a wagon pulled by two horses.

Later, people sought medical care where they could find it. Often barbers -- with the help of shaving razors -- had to fill the medical gap.

"That's what the red and white barber poles meant," said Dr. Frank Nickell, director of the Southeast Missouri Regional History Center at Southeast Missouri State University. "They could lance boils, bleed people, they would do minor surgical procedures. Clearly, barbers in this town would have taken care of some of those minor problems, like boils and problems with skin."

Before long, the town realized that a hospital was needed. The first hospital in Southeast Missouri was established in September 1875 when Father Schmidt, the priest at St. Mary's Cathedral, asked an order of nuns to send three sisters to Cape Girardeau. In 1879, they erected Saint Francis Hospital on the northwest corner of Sprigg and William streets. The charge for a week's stay in the hospital was $3.

As the city grew, so did health needs. A decision was made to build a new and larger Saint Francis Hospital at the corner of Good Hope and Pacific streets.

In 1923, planning began for a second, nonsectarian hospital that was finished on Jan. 8, 1928. From that single building, the current Southeast Missouri Hospital has grown.

Growth of doctors

In the early 1960s, 39 doctors were practicing in Cape Girardeau. Dr. Tom Sparkman, who still practices today, was the 40th doctor.

"That's changed," said Sparkman, a family practitioner. "There are now 260 practitioners today."

In the early days, Sparkman said, he carried around most of his instruments in a medical bag, including a vibrating fork used to check hearing and nerve impulses. He also carried a stethoscope and a blood pressure kit as well as medicines for making house calls.

"Another big thing was that we delivered babies," Sparkman said. "I delivered hundreds and hundreds of babies. We didn't have that many obstetricians. Today, the delivery of babies is accomplished by specialists."

Sparkman remembers staying up all night at the bedside of patients.

"Doctors don't do that anymore," he said. "Nurses do that. I stayed up all night to do other things that I was trained to do that I would not do today."

He said many illnesses that were dealt with by general practitioners -- their name before family practice doctors were established -- are now dealt with by specialists.

Not all of the changes have been positive. Forty years ago, doctors decided what would be done at hospitals, he said.

"Today people who are not doctors frequently have replaced this function of handling patient care. Rules are made by national committees. Apparently, the only function of these rules being around is to justify the committee's existence."

Physicians don't work as closely together anymore either, he said.

"There's not that close-knit group of doctors working together on the hospital staff as there may have been 40 years ago," Sparkman said. "This may have been the cause of attitudes of apathy in our profession."

Cape Girardeau grew into a medical-care hub with the addition of Doctors Park in 1971. In 1975, the new Saint Francis Medical Center opened on Gordonville Road.

Both hospitals have seen amazing growth over the years -- especially in technology.

Saint Francis CEO Steven C. Bjelich said the medical center is a mission-driven organization.

"We are extremely proud of the organization's long history and proven track record of collaborating with area physicians to bring advanced medical technology and improved levels of care to the community with meaningful benefits to patients of all ages," he said.

Some of the technologies Saint Francis boasts are minimally invasive hip replacements, artificial disk replacement, endoscopic laser eye surgery, digital mammography, brachytherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery.

Jim Wente, president of Southeast Missouri Hospital, called the new medical technologies "awe-inspiring."

"Emerging technologies have improved the quality of life of people and given people hope," he said.

One of the technologies Southeast is proud of is its ability to offer Novalis shaped beam surgery. Novalis is used to treat patients with benign and malignant brain tumors as well as tumors in other regions.

Southeast is also especially proud of its Regional Cancer Center. The cancer center has a new Varian accelerator that offers unsurpassed capabilities when compared to other radiation therapy.

"There have been so many advancements," Wente said. "When we do this interview in five years, some of the advancements made will be just amazing."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137