Making a Home
A Community in Conflict
Working for a Living
Farming in the Great Corn Belt
Abraham Lincoln in McLean County
Dr. Loren M. Boon (1917-1995) followed the footsteps of his father, a Pekin doctor. He earned a medical degree and served as a military physician in WWII. In 1947 he set up a general practice in Danvers, where he treated illnesses, broken bones, and other injuries, as well as expectant mothers. Like other doctors of the time, Loren also made house calls.
At that time it was not uncommon for mothers to deliver babies at home. Loren took along the obstetrics bag that his father had given him.
“Some children thought that [the bag] was what their baby brother or sister came in.”
— Dr. Loren Boon
1986
Loren still made occasional house calls, but they were rare by the time he retired in 1986
Loren was a skilled anesthetist on the staff of Brokaw Hospital. Administering anesthesia involved covering the patient's mouth and nose with a mask, topped with gauze, then dripping small amounts of anesthesia onto the mask for the patient to breathe in slowly. Loren monitored the patient's heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure to help gauge the depth of anesthesia.
Putting a patient under anesthesia was risky. If not administered and monitored correctly, a patient could wake up during the surgery or even die. Because of the risks involved, doctors who administered anesthesia were required to have liability insurance.
When Loren found the cost of his insurance increasing, he had to make a decision. Should he pay the premiums and continue this kind of work?
Loren had a lucrative practice without working as an anesthetist, so he stopped doing that type of work.
Anesthesia mask, circa 1950
935.488
In/Out sign, circa 1950
In the early years Loren did not have a staff. So when emergency calls took him out of his office, he flipped this sign, which hung on his office door, to let his patients know when he would return.
Donated by: Dr. Loren Boon
933.621
Syringe, circa 1950
Loren treated a variety of injuries, including stitching up large cuts and lacerations. When necessary he injected a local anesthesia under the skin in order to minimize the pain.
Donated by: Dr. Loren Boon
During Loren's career, traditional medical practices changed dramatically. Babies were born in hospitals, more doctors became specialists, and home visits became rare.
His patients' approach to illness also changed.
“People are better informed about their own health than they used to be, and more likely to treat their own minor ailments with over-the-counter remeedies. Today's patients tend to wait until they are acutely ill to visit a doctor.”
— Dr. Loren Boon, 1986
Pocket clip with thermometers, circa 1950
Donated by: Dr. Loren Boon
935.480
