Country Doctor and City Doctor: Father and Daughter

Country Doctor and City Doctor: Father and Daughter tells the story of Frank W. Brey, M.D., whose family practice covered the small town of Wabasso, Minnesota, and the surrounding area from 1910 to 1940. He was a pioneer in the practice of medicine, and his story begins with the pioneers who settled the Great Plains and the importance of the country doctor to his community. Working without colleagues or a nearby hospital, and without access to diagnostic x-rays, modern drugs, or new medical developments, he had to rely upon his own abilities, ingenuity, and courage. There was no talk of burnout in those days, especially as epidemics of influenza and poliomyelitis shook the nation. The local physician was expected to do his duty and be constantly on call, even when adverse weather conditions meant risking his life to reach his patients, but Dr. Brey always came when he was called.

Interspersed with the country doctor's story is the story of his daughter, Theresa Brey Haddy, M.D. Entering school in 1943, a time when women were not welcomed by their medical colleagues, she strove to succeed and helped to pave the way for a future in which women make up more than half of the students in some medical schools. She worked in city and community hospitals and dealt with discrimination as she practiced while raising a family.