Arthur E. Hertzler

Arthur E. Hertzler
Arthur E. Hertzler and his daughter Agnes Hertzler, c. 1896
Born(1870-07-26)July 26, 1870
West Point, Iowa
DiedSeptember 12, 1946(1946-09-12) (aged 76)
Halstead, Kansas
OccupationPhysician
Years active1905-1946
Notable workThe Horse and Buggy Doctor

Arthur E. Hertzler (26 July 1870–12 September 1946) was an American physician who, in addition to his lengthy medical career, which included the founding of a hospital, is now primarly known for two things; his bestselling book The Horse and Buggy Doctor, and his reporting of the term "barefooted and pregnant" in that book.[1][2] His work has been described as visionary and iconoclastic, and the medical historian Thomas Bonner described his personality as “colorful and distinctive”.[3][4]

Life

Arthur Emanuel Hertzler was born in 1870 in West Point, Iowa, the son of Daniel Hertzler and Johanna Maria Hertzler (née Krehbiel).[5] They moved to Moundridge, Kansas, where Hertzler spent his childhood.[4] Following his medical training, he moved to Halstead, Kansas and started a clinic there in 1895.[1] Since there was no local hospital, he founded the Halstead Hospital there in 1902.[6]

In addition to his medical practice, Hertzler joined the faculty of the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 1909.[4]

Hertlere published several books. In 1918, Hertzler published a medical manual, Surgical Operations with Local Anesthesia, which became popular among doctors at the time.[7] After his death, a letter of appreciation from Albert Einstein for his book The Grounds of an Old Surgeon's Faith was found amongst Hertzler's papers,[8] as was a letter from the author Margaret Mitchell in which she wrote about her appreciation of his work, citing his book Ventures in Science of a Country Surgeon.[9]

In his book The Horse and Buggy Doctor, first published in 1938, Hertzler related an anecdote, stating critically that:

"Some vulgar person has said that when the wife is kept barefooted and pregnant there are no divorces. Bad as this sounds, it is so because it is so near the truth; but it does not fit into our growing notion of what constitutes civilized society."[10][11]

The term "barefooted and pregnant" subsequently entered American poliltical discourse, in the context of debates relating to feminism, sexism and women's rights.[10]

After a medical career lasting over 50 years, Hertzler died in 1946 at the age of 76, in the hospital he founded in Halstead.[5][12]

References

  1. ^ a b Knapp, Jane F.; Schremmer, Robert D. (November 2011). "Margaret Mitchell's Lost Letter to a Kansas Horse & Buggy Doctor". Missouri Medicine. 108 (6): 416–419. PMC 6181720. PMID 22338733.
  2. ^ Willms, Janice. "The Horse and Buggy Doctor". medhum.med.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  3. ^ Rutkow, Ira M. (2002-03-01). "Arthur Emanuel Hertzler (1870-1946)". Archives of Surgery. 137 (3): 364. doi:10.1001/archsurg.137.3.364. ISSN 0004-0010.
  4. ^ a b c McCool, John H. "The Creation of KU Med". union.ku.edu. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  5. ^ a b "Arthur Emanuel Hertzler, MD b. 26 Jul 1870 West Point Iowa d. 12 Sep 1946 Halstead Kansas: Harvey County Genealogical Database". Harvey County Genealogical Database. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  6. ^ "Obituary: Arthur Emanuel Hertzler, MD". Harvey County Genealogical Database. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  7. ^ "The Technic of Local Anesthesia". Archives of Internal Medicine. 53 (2): 321. 1934-02-01. doi:10.1001/archinte.1934.00160080158007. ISSN 0003-9926.
  8. ^ Knapp, Jane F.; Schremmer, Robert D. (2012). "Kansas horse & buggy doctor receives letter from Albert Einstein". Missouri Medicine. 109 (1): 46. ISSN 0026-6620. PMC 6181679. PMID 22428445.
  9. ^ Knapp, Jane F; Schemmer, Robert D (2012-02-28). "Margaret Mitchell's Lost Letter to a Kansas Horse & Buggy Doctor". Kansas Journal of Medicine. 5 (1): 24–28. doi:10.17161/kjm.v5i1.11403. ISSN 1948-2035.
  10. ^ a b Jamieson, Katherine (2022-10-22). "How "Barefoot and Pregnant" Became a Dark American Joke". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  11. ^ Hertzler, Arthur E. (1970) [1938]. Horse and Buggy Doctor. University of Nebraska Press. p. 311. ISBN 0-8032-5717-1.
  12. ^ "DR. A.E. HERTZLER, A MEDICAL FIGURE; Kansas Surgeon Who Wrote 'Horse and Buggy Doctor' Dies--Goiter Specialist". New York Times. September 13, 1946.