Vigo County Historical Society

Doctor bag symbol of caring

I remember the tall giant of a man standing at the front door and hearing my mother say, "She in the little bedroom."

I could see him coming down the hall carrying the "black bag." I was out of the bed in a flash. I rolled underneath and lay scrunched against the wall. I heard him say, "Oh, no she went under the bed. If she were mine. . .!"

My mother told him to consider me his. In an instant the big wonderful giant of a man dropped to his knees, picked up the bed sheets, reached under the bed and grabbed me. He dragged me out, past the black bag and tossed me back into my bed.

He reached down to his feet, grabbed the black bag and flung it beside me on the bed. He then fumbled deep inside the bag and emerged with a thermometer. After looking at the thermometer, Dr. Gordon McLaughlin dove back into the black bag and in what seemed to take an eternity, came up with a small bottle and a menacing hypodermic needle.

It wasn’t long before the bag was snapped shut and with a smile, Dr. McLaughlin gave me the syringe, minus the needle, so that I could play "doctor" with my doll.

The black bag and the doctor appeared many times over the years. Even though the bag was regarded as menacing by many children, the parents were filled with relief and hope when the doctor and his bag entered their homes.

Although the bag on display at the museum predates Dr. McLaughlin, it brings back memories to me that most of the children of today will never have.

Years ago, doctors spent long hours traveling from house to house treating their patients, and by their side each carried a mysterious black bag. The "black bag" was a symbol of fear and wonder, as from deep inside miracle cures were dispensed.