History of Lewistown's Medicine and Health Care.

              Medicine and Health Care
This chapter will attempt to cover the many aspects of
health care, medical treatment and allied subjects as they
developed over the history of Lewistown.
One immediately thinks of doctors, nurses, dentists,
drug stores, hospitals, ambulances and perhaps public
health officials and others when the subject medicine and
health care is mentioned. We will attempt to cover each. We
chose the hospitals first because it is the largest of the group
and perhaps more people came in contact with one of them
than with all the others.
Hospitals Start Small
The first hospitals in Lewistown were small. They were
usually established in a residential building, so they were
able to accommodate only a few patients at a time. The old
Parker House by the Great Northern Depot served as the first
hospital in 1903 with the Penwell sisters as nurses. (Florence
l. Penwell also advertised in Kendall offering her nursing
services.)
The Schroeder Hospital was founded in March 1904, at
the corner of Fifth and Spring Street. Miss Louise E.
Schroeder, matron of this hospital, was a graduate of the
Passavant Memorial Hospital, Chicago,
lllinois. The hospital was complete with
baths and sewer system, because it was
adjacent to Spring Creek. About four or
five cases could be cared for at a time.
Her hospital was advertised as: "A
home for surgical, gynecological, and
obstetrical cases." Miss Schroeder's
assistant was Miss Maja Herestrom, also
a graduate of the Passavant Memorial
Hospital, Chicago, and the Stockholm
School of Swedish Massage, Stockholm,
Sweden. Miss Herestrom specialized in "massage treatment
with Swedish movement."
Other Small Hospitals
From land and title records, Thelma Thomas of
Lewistownt Genealogy Society gleaned the following
information about the Brice Hospital:
It was built by George W. Taylor between the years 1914
and 191 7 and completed in 1919. The Brice Hospital was an
impressive two-story red brick structure with a day-lighted
basement and rooms on the third floor (attic).
It was located at 6i4 W. Pine St. situated in the middle
of the block between Sixth and Seventh Avenues (South). lt
was operated as the Brice Hospital until about 1922 try Dr.
Brice. His residence was next door, and he heated his garage
from the furnace in the hospital building. lt is said that he felt
it imperative that he be able to start his car in all kinds of
weather and that it was justifiable to use the heat from the
business for the garage.
This hospital took all types of patients, but maternity
patients seemed to out number all others. lt was not
discontinued as a hospital because of lack of patients but for
other unnamed reasons.
When the hospital was discontinued, the use of the
building was changed to that of an apartment house, called
the Brice Apartments. A short time later the apartments were
called the Pine Crest Apartments (about the latter part of
1 q??\
Small Hospital Run At the Corcoran Home
A very impressive brick home ar 120 W. Evelyn St. was
built by James Corcoran as his family home. He built it as an
exact copy of a home he had in New York. He is the same
James Corcoran who Corcoran Street was named after
because he built most of the houses on it.
According to Certrude Fischer Work, step
granddaughter of James Corcoran, the house
was leased to Dr. Brice for a hospital for a
couple of years starting in 1918. In 1919 the
family moved back into the house. The house
is still standing as of the printing of this book.
DR. BRICE'8 HOSPITAL
l2O W. Er.ltn tt
Lowlatown, Montlrtr.
lurglcrt, ll.tcrnltY end Non-Con'
trgaout Olaa3ot.
The hulldlo3 lr nodern and 8it'
uatad Itr rttractlve troundl, .{ecom'
modnllonr. rttendrnc" and nurslrrt I
are tlrrt{lua |l ovort respcct. I
nrtg| Ot r.|luoiL
Abwe b an adfmn Lewistoutn Democrat-
Ncus, &pt. 15, 1927
Photo courtesy of Montana Historical Society.
Buib b7 James Corcoran and ased for 2 yean as a hoEital for Dr. Bice,
Located on the north side of2nd Aae. N. betuteen Eae$n and Corcoran
Sneets.