The Unsung Heroes of the Frontier
This Guest Post was featured on the Petticoats & Pistols Blog on March 27, 2026.
Thank you for inviting me to be your guest! Though now a historical Christian fiction author, my first profession was an RN in cardiac critical care. Because of my nursing experience, medical subplots tend to find their way into my manuscripts. Researching physician education in the United States during the westward expansion has been enlightening.
When my husband studied to be a cardiologist, he invested fourteen years of post-secondary training between medical school, internship, residency, and fellowship.
In 1820, however, only four medical schools had been established in the US: Harvard, Columbia, Dartmouth, and the University of Pennsylvania. All four are located on the northern Atlantic Coast, and most graduates never strayed far from these medical centers. Those in the frontier who truly had an aptitude for healing and helping the hurting usually had neither the resources for the arduous and expensive journey east nor the connections to be accepted into one of the four prestigious medical schools.
In lieu of formal academic training (only two years of classes, by the way!), prospective frontier doctors would apprentice under a practicing physician, both observing and assisting, all while immersing themselves in copious amounts of reading. By necessity, their scope of practice was much broader than the academically trained doctors in the East, for they were often the only medical practitioners in their region. These doctors would treat everyday ailments, as well as pulling teeth, delivering babies, setting broken bones, performing surgery, administering various herbal and mineral remedies, and sometimes caring for livestock and other veterinary patients.
These doctors were the unsung heroes of the frontier, for they would be on-call day and night, ready to travel several miles if necessary. They willingly put themselves at risk during epidemics of cholera and influenza, tending the sick when no cure had yet been found. By necessity, much of their apothecary treatments were made from herbs, roots, and bark native to their region with the knowledge of the collection and administration gleaned from the experience of the Native Americans in their area.
One example of a plant-based medicine frequently found in historical fiction is willow bark tea, a treatment for fevers and minor pain for over 4,000 years (first recorded use was during the Sumerian civilization, then later in Mesopotamia, China, and Ancient Greece). In 1853, the isolated active compound was discovered to be acetylsalicylic acid, and the Bayer Company purchased the patent and mass produced it. When you read of a patient receiving willow bark tea, think Aspirin.
In my Rugged Cross Ranch series, the Harvard-trained doctor in Prairie Hills invites one of the brothers on the ranch with an aptitude for medicine to train under him. Watching Luke grow from an eager learner of veterinary medicine into a physician and surgeon made my author’s heart swell with pride. Luke’s compassion does not dim his fortitude to make the right decision even when it is the hard decision. He is intelligent and well-read with steady hands and neat stitches. He has great skill in determining a patient’s diagnosis—well, unless that patient is his wife. Then he is rendered utterly clueless. (Referencing a humorous moment in Heidi’s Faith)
Meet Luke Hamilton in Julie’s Joy, the first book in my Rugged Cross Ranch series.
Julie’s Joy on Amazon ~ https://amzn.to/4kwvprF
Many of the homeopathic remedies we have today have their roots (pun intended) in generations of well-tried tradition. The medical side of me is pleased that many of the most common remedies are now being included in well-constructed medical studies. One of my personal go-to natural medicines is a blend of elderberry, echinacea, zinc, and Vitamin C to boost immunity during cold and flu season. What is one of your favorite natural remedies? Was it recommended by a friend or passed down through your family? Be sure to chime in! I’d love to meet you!
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