A visit to the Doctors and Dentists
Do you remember the times you were taken along to the doctor and dentist as a youngster?
The days prior to Health Centres and medical partnerships being set up. Family doctors as they were known practised from their surgeries that were part of their homes. This equally applied to our dentists.
An appointment could be made in the morning and you would invariably be seen the same day.
Our family physician was Dr Walker who had his surgery in Wellington Place. On arriving at his door, you would be met by his housekeeper, it could have been his wife for all I knew, and then ushered into the waiting room.
Seats were arranged around the walls of this room with a table in the centre covered with magazines. These were almost without exception much out of date. Never a word was uttered between the waiting persons. As a child I remember talking in a whisper to my mother only to be chided with `wheesh`.
You always took note of the people arriving after yourself. This was the only way you knew when it was your turn. That, when it came, was when the door would be pushed ajar and the lady would enquire as to who was next. Arising you would be then ushered into the surgery where the doctor sat behind his old wooden desk covered with all his notes and instruments.
He never seemed to arise from his seat. He would listen to what my mother explained. At one time this was about my throat. Dr Walker then asked me to stand at his side with my mouth open. Still seated, he would insert a wooden spatula into my mouth and ask me to say `Aah`. "Just as I thought, swollen tonsils."
Diagnosis completed, he told my mother he would contact Leith Hospital to have them removed. Within a few weeks this was carried out. Children were never allowed visitors
A far cry from nowadays under the NHS. Now if you wish to make an appointment you sometimes have to wait days for it. To be fair, though, my own Health Centre here in Craigshill, Livingston can see you the same day if you phone in from 8.30 am a.s.a.p. Here we have eight doctors in the practice.
How about letting me know of your own experiences as a child attending your family doctor? At least, let me know who your doctor was and where he practised. It would be nice to attach a list of those medical men or women and where they were situated. All part of our local history. John
Send these to -
livvyboy32@hotmail.co.uk
My Doctors Address Sent in by
Dr Walker (pre 1957) Wellington Place John Stewart 19/03/07
Dr Somerville (pre 1966) Pilrig Street John Stewart
Dr. Simpson Trinity Road Carol Ford, Scotland 19/03/07
Dr. Simpson used to sit on your bed and ask lots of questions. He took a real interest in your life and, as my dad taught me to play the banjo when I was five, Dr. Simpson always asked me to play him a tune (if I wasn't too ill). They don't make doctors like that anymore! Carol
Dr McNair Ferry Road Linda Malcolm, Scotland 20/03/07
Hi John.
As you know I was born in 1953. However, our family doctor was Dr McNair in Ferry Road.
He was a lovely man who always wore a morning suit. He had a jar of sweeties in his waiting room and if you were good you got one as you went out. My father had gone to his father before him.
The good doctor was especially good to his elderly patients, often visiting even if he wasn't
asked, just to see how they were getting on. He often used to take a plant and tell them to look after it till he came back to see them. He had several partners over the years, but the ones I remember were Dr Strachan, whose wife taught at Newhaven Primary School. Dr McGregor who, I believe only recently retired and Dr Royle.
When my father became terminally ill with lung cancer in the late seventies, Dr McNair used to phone me at least once a fortnight to tell me how he was getting on (I lived in Essex at that
time). He was a real gentleman and knew most of his patients by name.
Yes, Dr McNair did used to live in the house in Ferry Road but this changed in the sixties when he took on more partners and this obviously caused disruption at home. I believe his daughter also became a doctor, so a real family tradition.
A funny moment for me was when in 1975 I went to see Dr Strachan, I suspected that I was pregnant, which I was. He said to me very gently "Do you know who the father is" and I replied, yes of course, it is my husband!" He had known me for so long that he hadn't looked at the name on the notes but we had a good laugh about it and of course his tone changed from sympathy to congratulations!
Hope you are well, John and have no need of the doctor. Linda
Dr. Angus Orr in Hope Street, Dr. Jack Stark and Dr. Bruce F.O.W. EWW. UK 22/03/07
Quite right too, Dr. Angus Orr in Hope Street, Dr. Jack Stark and Dr. Bruce next to Unionist Club foot of the Walk, all stalwarts, but in those days we had a proper health service.
Kind regards..................WLH................Isle of Wight. EWW
Dr Scott-Anderson, Ferry Road then Dr Robert McNair, Ferry Road Tom Wallace 22/03/07
Our first family doctor was Scott-Anderson on Ferry road. Later we changed to Dr Robert Macnair whose practice was on the opposite side of Ferry Road. My early recollection of Dr Macnair was seeing him in his Royal Navy uniform. I suspect he was on leave at the time and assisting his father during evening surgery.
This was during, or just after, World War 2 before the NHS. How did we pay for medical treatment at that time? Tom
Webmaster Note: Just asked my mother aged 99. Tells me that it cost 3/6d a visit before NHS.
Dr Walker Wellington Place Bill McPhillips. Australia 23/03/07
I’ve enjoyed the latest subjects discussed. Like yourself our family doctor when we lived in Leith was Dr Walker, a great character. He delivered six of my mothers eight children, five of them in our house in Baltic Street. One day he even wrote a note for my teacher Miss Douglespie? Explaining my being late for school because my mother was giving birth, I got treated well that day. Also like yourself he arranged to have my tonsils and adenoids removed at Leith hospital that was when I was 6yrs old in 1946. The morning after they were snipped my mother came up with a carton of ice-cream but was not allowed to visit me. So a nurse walked into the ward past my bed which was the first left and called out “I’ve got Ice-cream for Billy McPhillips. I could only croak out softly it’s me, I was not heard!! A witty fellow further up the ward yelled out loudly that’s me and he got my ice-cream. I last visited Dr Walker in 1955 shortly before we moved to Bingham. Bill
Dr Walker Wellington Place Peter Sellar, Canada 23/03/07
Hi John;
Just arrived home from Nova Scotia and saw your request for old family doctors that will be interesting, our family doctor was old Doctor Walker at Links Place. I think his son took over the practice. Old Walker took out a corn on mum's bunyan and she used to call him 'The Butcher'.
P.S. I really think dentist's would be a howl. Looking forward to looking at all the Doctor's.
Cheers matey. Peter
Dentists: Leith Links, Ferry Road Alex Sandie, Ca, USA 24/03/07
John,
Two Dentists, don't recall their names. One opposite Leith Links near the SCWS jam factory, the other at the fit o' Ferry Road opposite the Library.
I was eight or so, and crossing the road at the Links greetin' ma head oaf, takin' my Ma's hand, had just come from the dentist. An old Leither passing us says "what's the matter wi' the laddie?" Ma says he just come from the dentist and had a tooth taken out. Old Leither says, "nae need tae greet now son, it's oot!"
Other time, I recall vividly when I was twelve. The Ferry road dentist gave me an injection of Novocain, and when it took effect, he proceeded with the tools to try to get into my mouth but when I saw what was in his hands, I got kinda scared and kept pushing him away each time he approached. He even asked my Ma to try to hold me down. Well anyway, he finished up having to give me gas tae "knock me oot" ( the old breathe in the bag thing). To this day, (I'm a lot braver now) when I have to visit the dentist, I close my eyes and hold, like hell, onto the arms of the chair.
Cheers,
Alex Sandie
Sunny San Diego
Dentists: School one in Links Place, and Mr Arbuckle in Crown Place John Stewart 24/03/07
Always seemed to be a queue at the school dentists. Never a filling in those days. If it looked bad, out it came after a large whiff of the gas from the rubber mask. I hated it.
Later I would attend Mr Arbuckle. If ever a name conjured up to give you the creeps it was his. To be fair though he was nicer man than this would suggest. However it was the same procedure, out the teeth would come. I suppose in those days it was a waste of time to give fillings for teeth that would be replaced. Again at that time, braces were never fitted. Finally, on leaving, the inevitable scarf would be wrapped around your mouth. John Stewart
Dentist: Miss Cowie, Corrunna Place/Bonnington Road Nan Stewart, Dalgetty Bay 30/03/07,
Enjoyed reading about the doctors, but does anyone remember Miss Cowie, the dentist, who had a practice at the corner of Coruna Place and Bonnington Road. She was quite a character. Apparently she had a drink problem and was often giving treatment when she was tipsy.She never liked to give children an injection and would put the anaesthetic on to cotton wool and rub it all over the gums. There was no thought of hygiene then. Changed days eh?
Dentist: Miss Cowan, Corrunna Place/Bonnington Rd Tom Wallace Pacifica Ca. 31/03/07
John, The only dentist I ever visited in Scotland was Mrs Cowan on Bonnington Road at Corruna Place. I vaguely remember that she smelled of booze as she hovered over me. I recall seeing her hanging out on the corner talking to the bookie.
Dentist: Mr Burnett, off Broughton Road, Carol Ford, Broughty Ferry 15/04/07
My dentist was a Mr Burnett, off Broughton Road (Albany St. I think). He used to drill your teeth WITHOUT an anaesthetic! He used to get real cross when you jerked and ducked trying to get away from the drill. After the pain he used to let you open a drawer where you then chose some dolly mixtures. "You can keep your dolly mixtures"!
I heard he eventually was struck off and was an alcoholic - poor man - I think alcoholism was common in dentistry - does anybody know why?
Carol
