The earliest record of a physician in Ulster County dates back to 1664. The record shows a physician named Gysbert Van Imbroch in court against Gerret Fooken for wages due for “shaving and a doctor’s bill.” It was common in the 1600s for surgeons to also perform barber’s duties. This profession was called “Barber Surgeon” and was the early predecessor to modern doctors. From the early Barber Surgeons of Wiltwyck (what is now Kingston) to our amazing medical professionals today, the evolution of healthcare has been nothing short of astounding.
During the late 1700s, doctors and physicians are more prevalent and become an absolute necessity during the Revolutionary war. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Ulster County Medical Society began to take shape as more and more cities started to open medical schools. Before this time, if you wanted to be in the medical field, you simply went to an experienced doctor for an apprenticeship. You would pay a fee and for a set amount of years you would receive a room and board in exchange for learning the trade. Only the elite could afford to go to Europe to attend the first medical specific universities.
During the Civil War, scientific methods became more standardized. By this time, we start to see the beginnings of modern anesthesia including laughing gas, ether, chloroform, and others. By the end of the 19th century the medical profession made groundbreaking discoveries, the biggest being the better understanding of germ theory eventually leading to the now practical use of handwashing. We also saw the modern hospital system begin in Ulster County. In July 1893, Kingston Hospital (now HealthAlliance Hospital) opened. The hospital was so well renowned that patients traveled from surrounding Counties seeking care. It remained the only hospital in Ulster County until 1923 when Veteran’s Memorial Hospital opened in Ellenville (now Ellenville Regional Hospital).
The 20th century saw the first prominent female doctors in Ulster County. There was also a substantial rise in women in the nursing field and also a rise in local pharmacies. Of course, the medical profession deals not only in physical health, but mental health as well. Ulster County has provided mental health care since 1901 when the Sisters of St. Benedict opened the Our Lady of Victory Sanitarium before later relocating to Benedictine on Mary’s Avenue. By 1977, the hospital incorporated the Benedictine Health Foundation to raise funds in support of mental health services. In 2012, HealthAlliance announced the consolidation of services and Benedictine became part of the main hospital as well as becoming non-denominational.
This exhibit aims to highlight the evolution from Barber Surgeons to modern medicine through the records found in the Ulster County Clerk’s Office Archives. We’d like to express our most sincere thanks to ALL health professionals through this time of crisis. The physical and mental toll of your work is enormous and words cannot express how much we in Ulster County are, and always will be, in your debt.
Exhibit Sources:
¨ Ulster County Clerk’s Archival Records Collection
¨ A.T. Clearwater, ed., The History of Ulster County New York: Kingston, N.Y., W.J Van Deusen, 1907
¨ F. Doherty, “The Revolutionary War Fleet Prison at Esopus” Hudson River Valley Review Autumn 2011, 106
¨ Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester, History of Ulster County New York et, al: Philadelphia, P.A., Everts & Peck, 1889
¨ Liu, Pauline. “Ellenville Regional Hospital Plans New $50M Facility.” Recordonline.com, Recordonline.com, 1 Nov. 2016, www.recordonline.com/news/20161031/ellenville-regional-hospital-plans-new-50m-facility.
¨ “Fleet Prison”, Olde Ulster Feburary 1906, 43.
¨ “Our History.” Benedictine Health Foundation, 30 May 2017, benedictinehealthfoundation.org/about-us/our-history/.
¨ Falvey, Kerry. “The Physician's Apprentice.” Yale School of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, 15 Apr. 2010, medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/the-physicians-apprentice/.
¨ Postcard and Photograph Collection, Friends of Historic Kingston Archives, Kingston, N.Y.
¨ Contributors to Wikimedia. “Main Page of a Wikimedia Project (Common for Wikipedia, Wiktionary and Other Projects).” Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page.
¨ Hudson River Valley Heritage. https://www.hrvh.org/.