Before the Carrington Hospital opened in 1916 the residents in need of better diagnosis and treatment or surgical procedures went to Fargo, the Twin Cities or the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Often the local doctors referred their patients to certain specialists of whom they had confidence or association. Others went directly to the medical centers and hospitals in the larger cities and certain clinics developed a local clientele with certain physicians. Among them were the three Drs. Rindlaub in Fargo, Dr. Darrow also of Fargo and Dr. W.J. Humphrey in Moorhead. The Mayo Clinic was also a favored place to go for serious disorders. This tendency to go elsewhere for medical care has continued to the present day because the expensive facilities needed for treatment are not and cannot be available locally and these referrals are still necessary for the optimum medical care.
The local doctors who had the respect and confidence of the community were not the only source of medical assistance at hand. In the early days of the century the doctors not only made house calls but specialists from the larger centers would come from Fargo and the Twin Cities to assist the local physicians when they were uncertain of the diagnosis and the proper treatment or surgical skills beyond their capabilities or facilities. One such case occurred in 1910 when Dr. J. Ross McKenzie's son George became critically ill with pneumonia. Dr. Walter Ramsey of St. Paul was called in for consultation but the specialist was of no avail and the boy died. In another case, Dr. W.J. Humphrey of Moorhead was called to Barlow in 1916 to treat Mrs. Michael Greitl who was also ill with the same disease. When he came, accompanied by a nurse, he found that her condition was such that to tap her lungs, he had to remove a section of a rib. The emergency operation was performed at the farm home and had to be done without anesthesia. Mrs. Greitl was a long time recovering, but regained her health and lived many years; dying in 1928. There were probably many other undocumented cases of similar nature during these years before there was a local hospital.
In the early days there was still another source of medical aid in the county and surrounding area. Shortly after 1900 traveling doctors would advertise their coming to one-day stands at the Kirkwood inviting any and all with medical problems to come in for consultation, treatment and medication. The first of these for which there is a record came in July 1900, ‑ when a notice appeared in the Independent informing the public that Dr. E.J. Barnes of the Fargo Sanitarium would be at the Kirkwood Hotel Wednesday July 11, 1900 and stating that he "cures all kinds of diseases". This doctor never made a second appearance but on June 16, 1902 Dr. 0. Jacob Berg and staff of the same Fargo address were at the Kirkwood from Monday noon June 16 to Tuesday noon the following day. He and his staff will cure curvature of the spine, diseases of the brain, epilepsy, heart trouble, etc., etc.
Dr. Charest, also of Fargo started coming in 1906 and making a number of one-day visits until 1911.
Dr. Doran, "America's Popular Specialist", advertised, "Hypodermic injection fluid for the treatment and cure of cancer, tumors, tuberculosis, gland, goiter, variocele, hydrocele and other exterman abnormal growths". He was at the Kirkwood for one day only November 21, 1907. His tour covered these North Dakota cities: Neche, Cavalier, Langdon, Park River, Lakota, Devils Lake, Cando, Rugby, Carrington, Minot, Valley City and Jamestown. This same doctor came back again on January 23, 1908 but his name does not appear again in the press.
Dr. McLachlan, celebrated specialist, visiting North Dakota at Carrington, Kirkwood Hotel, Thursday January 12, 1905 until 12 o'clock January 13.
We cure quickly, safely, surely, J. R. Charest, M. D. formerly of Paris, T. M. McLachlan, M. D. formerly of New York.
We cure all curable cases including ear, eye, nose and throat, lung trouble, bronchitis, consumption, catarrh, stomach and bowel rheumatism, neuralgia, diseases of the brain and nerves, kidney, liver, bladder trouble, sore eyes, weak and running eyes, cataracts, granulated or thickened lids, female complaints and weaknesses, blood, skin and private diseases, diseases of men, dizziness, vertigo, lost memory, sexual weakness, drains and losses and diseases tending to permanent insanity quickly and permanently cured, cancerous tumors, warts, moles and all malignant growths quickly cured without the knife and absolutely without pain by an entirely new method lately discovered in Pans, France Electro Medical Institute and Hospital, Inc. 612 Front St, Fargo.
In 1911 and 1912 the United Doctors and the Associated Doctors made frequent one day stands at the Kirkwood. The visits slackened somewhat during World War I but a Dr. Mellinthin took over the trade in 1917. In the February 14th, 1917 Independent he lists all the conditions he can cure.
He came frequently during the ensuing years. Once or twice business was good enough for him to devote two days to his stay in town. Sometimes he advertised in the local paper the date that he would be in either Harvey or Jamestown when he omitted a Carrington visit. His last trip here as far as can be ascertained was in 1922.
The regularity and frequency that these doctors, quacks maybe, showed that they filled a need for the local and nearby residents.
There is no record in the newspapers, however, of any condition alleviated or cures affected.
Another kind of doctor, the eye specialists, made regular appearances during these years. Ordinarily they did not stop at the Kirkwood; their usual headquarters were in the Galehouse Drug Store. Among them were Dr. E.W. Brokaw, F.W. Soule, and O.B. Hayden, who tested eyes and prescribed glasses. They apparently performed well enough for they returned many times in spite of the availability at most times of either an optometrist, Andrew Lee, or for a while, Dr. Marsden, an ophthalmologist, or Dr. Goss, practicing in Carrington.
Source: A History of Foster County 1983 Page 225