In my day in the country we had plenty of doctors a few miles away, but this is not so now, and I don't think it was in my grandparent's day, so they learned to do many things for themselves. Grandfather Wherry was often called on to "bleed" people.

I don't know what this is supposed to do for them, but I remember reading it was thought to have hastened George Washington's death, so perhaps Grandfather helped some on their way, especially since germs had never been heard of then.

Cal George's specialty was "cupping" people. This consisted of burning a piece of paper in a cup until the oxygen was exhausted, then clapping it onto the patient. As the cup cooled, a vacuum was created and drew the flesh up into the cup. I am not sure what all this cured, but I think lumbago and sprains were supposed to be greatly helped.

Of course, dentists were even scarcer than doctors, and the doctors pulled teeth as a matter of course, but Grandfather had a neighbor by the name of Dan Briny, who had a pair of forceps and rendered this service. One time, Uncle Jim had a decayed tooth and started to Briney's house to get it out.

One the way, it quit aching and his courage waned, so he rode up to a rail fence, cut a sliver of wood and prodded the exposed nerve until it was aching again, and then rode on. When he arrived at Mr. Briney's, Mr. Briney wasn't home!