Paullin Medical Office

William Paullin was a doctor who built and practiced medicine in this building until his death in 1880. While this was the epicenter of his business, he would also make house calls to patients. At the beginning of the 19th century, doctors would use herbs and trees to make medicine. In fact, many of the chemicals we use in medicines today are found in the plants used during this time period. Galen’s medieval concept of the four humors was no longer believed, but the use of bloodletting was one of the leftover signs of the medical philosophy that ruled for almost 2,000 years.

In 1842, Ether was used for the first time by Georgian Crawford Williamson Long. This made him the first person to use general anesthesia during surgery. During the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, America started to use ether for treatment on the battlefield. It was officially issued by the US Army in 1849 until its popularity was taken over by chloroform in the American Civil War. Neither are used as anesthesia today but can be found in cold medicine and mouthwash.

While these were important advances in the medical field that happened during our time period, American doctors and the public tended to not trust science. The use of for-profit diploma mills debased the trust Americans had in doctors. There were no FDA regulations at the time, which meant medicines weren’t regulated. As long as you held a patent for your bottle, you could sell pretty much whatever you wanted as medicine. The legacy of the snake oil salesman is a result of this.