So how did Doc Baker survive?

I was reading some interesting things about pioneer docs:

Like today, 19th century doctors usually charged their patients per procedure. They may have charged more for emergency evening visits or charged less for the treatment of a child. One major difference from doctors of today is that 19th century doctors were not often paid with cash, but rather “in kind” with whatever produce, services, or goods were available to the patient. This was especially true for rural or frontier doctors.

and this article about the medicine men that would come to town and get unsuspecting people (like Harriet and other on a LHOP episode)

http://www.squidoo.com/oldwestpatentmedicine

I know Doc Baker mentioned getting paid in eggs, chickens, etc. but how did you pay your bills? How did he buy medicine and supplies with that?
I guess if you had a few wealthy patients, it helped.
Also did he have a home or just live adjacent to his office? I wondered how he cooked, he wasn't much of a hunter/farmer as he showed in the episode where he "quit" for a while.

Interesting how far we've come in some areas but not others. We still have people try to have us buy things for "quick cures".

I just watched an episode where he got a lot of supplies, including morphine and only remember one episode where Doc Baker took money. I've seen pies, eggs, jam, etc.

I think that Doc Baker lived above his office. There are rooms for rent above the Post Office and I believe there's an episode where we see him in one of the rooms. How he cooked his food, I don't know! I guess we weren't supposed to think about it! :)

Prairie Dweller wrote:

I think that Doc Baker lived above his office. There are rooms for rent above the Post Office and I believe there's an episode where we see him in one of the rooms. How he cooked his food, I don't know! I guess we weren't supposed to think about it! :)

You are absolutely right. If you watch "There's No Place Like Home", he took care of Lars Hansen in his final days up there above the post office. Thats where Doc Baker lived. It was a boarding house.
He was paid many times in many episodes. Charles always said, I'll pay you at the end of the week. He took food from the people that couldn't.

I suppose the richer the town, the more the doctor would have in equipment too. At least he didn't have to bill the insurance companies and mail out statements. : )

Maybe he owned the boarding house?

Could be.................

My Great-Grandpa was a country doctor, like Doctor Baker was. He was payed with pigs, chickens, apples, flour and so on....But of course he also had "wealthy patients" who payed him with money...My Great-Grandma was the one who cooked, sometimes with the supplies tht "poor patients" gave to his husband, sometimes purchasing edible things at the local mercantile (yes! Here we hadthose too, and they were called "almacén de ramos generales" ).

One of my Greatgrandpa friens, was wealthy, but payed him with a COW, that was better than to be payed with money. Cows were very espensive...and he had milk enough to have butter, cheese, toffe cream, rich cream, buttermilk and of course milk for their two boys. They also gave what remained (and it was a lot), to sell to beighbros and even to give to poor patients...

Vanesa.

There's also an episode where Caroline goes with Doc Baker to visit a pregnant friend at a gold mining camp. He is paid in gold nuggets and says there is way more in value there than the medicine and supplies cost.