Bonner General celebrates National Doctor's Day

March 30 marks the seventeenth annual National Doctor's Day, but people have been observing this historic day in medicine for much longer.

Back on March 30, 1842 in Jefferson, Ga., ether anesthetic was used by Crawford W. Long, M.D., before surgically removing a tumor from a man's neck. The man was so pleased with the results he announced that he felt nothing during the surgery and upon awaking wasn't even aware that it was completed. Since then March 30 has commemorated the first day that anesthetic was used during surgery and has come to be known as National Doctor's Day.

One hundred and sixty-five years later, medicine and (thankfully) anesthesia have come far. In the 1800s, doctors did it all. There weren't yet many designated specialties within the field so they delivered babies, pulled teeth, performed surgeries and amputations, even provided veterinary services and countless other duties. In the cities back then, doctors might have made a decent living, but country doctors often provided their services in exchange for crops or dry goods.

Nowadays, the medical profession is so vast that most doctors specialize, concentrating throughout the length of their careers on one area of medicine. Some physicians devote their professional lives to the practice of family medicine, while others might spend their days in a laboratory, intent on finding a cure for cancer or heart disease.

In a small town like Sandpoint, physicians generally see a broader patient base than city specialists, so they have to be knowledgeable on a wider range of subjects and ailments. Doctors here work hard to stay informed on the latest research and treatments so that their patients can live the "rural life" and still have all the benefits of modern medical advances.

Small town dynamics have another effect on patient and doctor relationships. Sandpoint area physicians and their staff touch our lives on a more personal level than you might find in a big city. We find ourselves in a position to get to know our physicians and they get to know us and our medical and personal histories on a much deeper level.

Working at the hospital, one of the things that I hear over and over again is how wonderful our local physicians are. It is evident that our local doctors truly care about their patients and this community.

Our doctors chose to practice medicine in Sandpoint because they love this place as much as the rest of us. Where else would your doctor remember your name at each office visit? Here, you're as likely to bump into your doctor jogging on the Sandpoint to Dover trail or at a Saturday Farmer's market as you are in the hospital.

We are very lucky to have such wonderful, dedicated people working to keep us healthy. Bonner General Hospital and staff wish to thank and honor the physicians of our community not just on National Doctor's Day, but every day.