Creator: Tillman and Norwood ledgers, 1859-1868.
Collection number: 2901
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Abstract: James A. Tillman and John Norwood were physicians of Crawford, Russell County, Ala., who, in 1860-1862, appear to have shared a practice, called Tillman and Norwood. The collection is two ledgers relating to the medical practice of Norwood and Tillman. Volume 1 (126 p.) contains entries about Norwood’s practice, 1859-1866, with only a few entries for 1860-1862, the period during which he appears to have shared a practice with Tillman. Volume 2 (398 p.) contains Tillman and Norwood entries, 1860-1862, and Norwood entries, 1866- 1868, when the partnership seems to have been dissolved. Entries in both ledgers show dats of treatment and payment received, and, before and after the Civil War, notes of which patients were Black. Many entries, especially in Volume 1, consist only of “advice and medicine for self.” Other entries, however, list the patient’s complaint and the treatment rendered. Tillman and Norwood typically dressed wounds, delivered babies, lanced fingers, and prescribed morphine, quinine, and laudanum. Tooth extraction was also an important part of their practice; an entry on 26 August 1860 shows that Tillman was paid in whisky for “nicking [sic] out two teeth with a hammer and nail.”
Repository: Southern Historical Collection
Collection Highlights: The ledgers record date of patient treatment and payment received, and indicate which patients were African Americans (Folders 1 & 2).