We had sickly people. I think there were more miscarriages then, in a way, because people didn't rest the same. I suppose they didn't have the nourishment as they have today, and vitamins.

She lost a patient one time; she bled to death. She was very upset about it, but then again, the woman was advised not to have any more children. In those times there was no birth control or anything and she had the baby too quick. Mrs. Pittman was very upset over that because she really thought that she should have adhered to her advice. It was out of her control. The doctor was there. It was out of both of their control.

The baby lived but the mother died.

It was a Catholic belief or custom that the child had to come into the world for baptism, even if it meant losing the mother. However cruel this may seem, it was the rule. I sometimes think it was a very hard decision and one that was given a lot of thought. Imagine a mother with five children dying, and leaving them orphans. Families with many children suffered when this rule was adhered to.

I did hear a midwife say she had a case. Doctor Harris was there as well, and he came downstairs. He said to the woman's father, "I've done all I can, and I can't save the two of them."

The father said, "Save the child and bring it to the world for baptism."

Dr. Harris said, "I'll do my best." Fortunately he saved the two of them.

Religion was really a big part of the things that were going on. When he had difficult cases, Doctor Harris used to say to the husband and the family, "If you know any prayers, go on your knees and pray for that little woman."

Grandmother Pittman often baptized children. The child might be sickly when it would be born and she'd baptize it with ordinary water.

If anyone got infections, they'd do home remedies for that. If they had a cut, they'd put that together with turpentine.