The Annals of a Country Doctor

by Carl Matlock

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a country doctor in solo practice in the decade of the seventies—making house calls, delivering babies, comforting the dying, offering hope to the hopeless, meeting delightful and sometimes eccentric patients, and working sixty to eighty hours per week, often exhausted and in need of rest? If so, follow me as I work in a small town office and make hospital rounds in rural Indiana as a family physician. You’re unlikely to forget the experiences or regret the sharing.

Genres: Memoir, Medical, Nonfiction

322 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2017

Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another look at rural medicine

I enjoy reading stories of healing people and this doctor seems to be very compassionate and truly loves his work. It is interesting to read about compelling medical problems resulting in help for patients. Good read.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a suggestion based on my previous selections. I was not disappointed. I wanted Ann uplifting story of bygone days. I am old enough to relate to all the doctor tales. This is a book that should be related to our youth. Despite technological advances that we appreciate, the loss of doctor-family close connections, and the additional requirements of coding and long hours of record keeping doctors must perform is worth evaluating and analyzing its worth if doctors no longer have time for conversations with patients.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended to me by my daughter, I found that this book described the medical systems of my childhood. I only learned recently from my parents that there was no such thing as 911 in the 1970s in rural Ohio, and you didn’t just drive to the nearest emergency room. You had to call your family doctor, if you couldn’t wait until office hours, to ask about an acute illness or injury.

Family doctors today take turns being on call, and use hospitalists to see their patients who are impatient. But back then they were on call 24/7 except for the few weeks of family vacation each year. Anything that their patient needed, at any time, they were responsible for meeting that need. It’s astounding to me that we thought family doctors could work like that for over 40 years straight.

There’s a lot of paternalism in this book, which is true to the times that are being described. Doctors and nurses often treated their patients like children in many ways, thinking of them as unable to handle knowing the details of their care. It is certainly annoying to my feminist sensibilities, but it’s also a realistic portrayal of the 1970s in the rural Midwest.

Good book.

[William Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meet a real doctor

It was such a pleasure to go on this journey with this wonderful man of God, who has answered the call to be a family doctor. This is such a heartwarming, lovely book. This man knows what it means to be a true healer. He loves people and his patients are like family to him. A joy to read.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life well Lived

At times funny, at times heart breaking, this book is never dull. Scenes from a country doctor's everyday life will give any reader a new appreciation for his family physician. Highly recommend.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memoir of a midwestern doctor who practiced locally to me starting in the late 60's. I enjoyed reading about how things have grown here and how many Mom and Pop stores have closed forever. The many part of the journal focuses on his practice and shows how far medical technology has come in what could be seen as a short period. I loved reading this and am happy the author had it published.

[Karen Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding stories and writing

A few words missing or misspelled. Even so, extremely well composed. Hard to put this book aside, even temporarily. Would love to see more of his writing.

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful collection of memoirs by a small town country Doctor in the 1970s

Travel back to the 1970s and experience what it was like to be a small town country Doctor. Back when a Doctor still made house calls, and had a personal connection to most of the patients outside of the office as well. The more simple times before technology started coming between the Doctor/patient relationship. This collection of stories will make you laugh through some experiences, and cry as you understand some of the grief and heartache of others. But, most of all, you will see the understanding of service to others by a small town Doctor who cares about each patient individually.

[Malinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book !!!

I really enjoyed this book. I have work for doctors for 35 years and I can relate to so many of these stories. I can say I would be proud to call Dr. Matlock my doctor because he seems like not only a great doctor but a humble, kind and understanding man. There is never enough of those kind of people much less doctors left in our world today. He took an oath and he stood by it. God bless you Dr. Matlock for all you have done and for all the lives you have touched.

[Judy Zabolocky · Rating 1 out of 5]

This could have been so much better. Carl does not come across as a very warm individual. He also lacks a sense of humor. He lets us know about his Christian faith all too frequently. As a man of science, that part doesn't come across.

I kept hoping it would get better. It didn't.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the stories to be very interesting. Dr. Matlock has a nice style. However, I gave the book a 3 because of a number of editing mistakes that distracted from the reading experience.

[Rachel Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did he read James Herriot and hope to write a similar memoir? This book had potential to be much more entertaining than it was. Matlock's attempts at humor fell short, and his storytelling lacked Herriot's compassion and true understanding of his town's local characters. His arrogance and superiority showed through more than anything else. After an early chapter focusing on the author's disdain for a man coming to the hospital with mud on his boots, it was difficult to continue reading. The author kept mentioning this couple's lack of hygiene, but his only example of this was the husband's muddy boots. The man had come to the hospital straight from his job working outdoors when he'd found out Dr. Matlock had chosen to induce the wife's labor (don't get me started on his several agonizing comments on child birth and labor, even for the 1970s). I would have found it much more ridiculous if the man had gone home for a change of shoes. If there was more to the story, he didn't tell it. Many other chapters felt just as shallow. Nevertheless, it was a quick and mildly interesting read that was free on Kindle.

[Taylor O'Neal Long · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll start with the good: This was a quick and easy read that was interesting at times. But that's about all the good points I can come up with at the moment.

The bad: This just didn't live up to my expectations and had the potential to be a really interesting book... stories of a rural doctor in the 70's. But it just wasn't. The stories fell flat, not very entertaining and overall was a bit boring. The author also was very preachy with his religion, the dialogue seemed fake, and he comes across as "better" than his patients. I feel like he was constantly going on about how uneducated, unhygienic, and fat his patients were.

My last comment to make on this book would be: edit, edit, edit.

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Incredibly judgmental, arrogant and condescending doctor. He doesn't hold back. Pulls no punches. On top of that, the author has a roundabout, pecular style of writing. Made it kind of interesting to try to understand what he was saying.

I may go back and finish it just for the peculiar writing. Perhaps. However, the judgy way he writes about people makes me wary to think about the way health professionals and others may feel about other people. The more I read, the more self-conscious I started to think about how others may judge me.

[Pamela Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. I love how he brought the town to life. I'd have liked even more. Guess I miss Marcus Welby. There were times where I thought Matlock didn't go as in depth in story as he could have, so Matlock, I'm expecting a second book.

Best of all, the author isn't afraid to mention God.

Applause. You write another one, and I'll read it.

[Teri Pre · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would have been a lot better if Dr. Matlock didn't try to show us just how smart he is. For example...and there were dozens of them...he diagnosed someone with "hypertension and hypercholesterolemia". While I knew the first and made a correct guess at the second, why in the world didn't he just write "high blood pressure and high cholesterol"??

[Patricia Dorwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovely, lovely Read

This book reminded me of one of my all-time favorites, All Creatures Great and Small. Same delightful short stories of different incidents, the only difference is one is people, the other animals. A bit of personal story added in makes you feel acquainted with Dr Matlock. Thoroughly enjoyed the book.

[Gloria Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series of short stories about Carl Matlock's medical practice in the 1970's when he was first beginning his medical practice. It is interesting to note the changes in technology and behaviors of his patients of that time. I found it quite interesting and amusing and I do recommend this book.

[DBlodgett]

This is a gentle read. Dr. Matlock talks about his first experiences as a doctor. The writing is simple and easy on the eyes. The tales are interesting enough. I kept mentally comparing it to James Herriott's stories about vetting. I was looking for more to hold it all together I guess. His strong faith will be comfortable to other believers.

[Virginia Abshere · Rating 5 out of 5]

A voice in time.

Being a nurse who started my career in early 70's I could identify with many scenarios as Doc. I have enjoyed my nursing career and love for people and also see the handy work of God as he guided me in precarious situations where I could only breathe his gracious name Jesus and trust his guiding hand. I so enjoyed this Wonderful book. Highly recommended!

[Melanie Rowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should have been 300 more pages.

This book is fantastic reading. So glad to find it, I rarely read more than 4 or 5 pages due to poor writing, but this book was so enjoyable I read it in 3 nights. So sad to get to the end.

[Linda]

Great book that leaves me wondering if he treated my relatives

My dad's family has lived in Bedford, Indiana for several generations. Could he have been their Doctor? Talk about a small world.

[Sammie Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a diary of a country Family Practice physician in the late 1960's. Some of the cases are a little strange, others very rewarding. This is before the diagnostic developments which are common today.

[Peggy B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read!!

This book was easy to read.... The individual chapters were so very interesting as they depicted the mirages of situations doctors encounter....I enjoyed this book!

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way it was

I was one of those lucky ones to have my doctor for 52 years and even though he too had to go the way of new medicine, he always practiced like it was the 1970s. I enjoyed this authors stories and it's a very good read.

[Karen Grove]

Great book!

It makes you appreciate the hard work and dedication of physicians.
A wonderful read! It highlights how these dedicated individuals deserve every consideration and payment they receive.

[Bev Serik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely Interesting

Very easy to read with flowing language, not too technical for non-professionals. Enjoyed reading how country doctors differ from today's medical procedures.

[JT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

[Jack Toomey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

Very interesting account of a caring doctor who set up shop in a rural part of America and dealt with mostly uneducated and needy patients.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endearing casual read

Each chapter is self contained so it’s easy to pick up and read even if I only have a few minutes.