A Fascinating Chapter in Lynchburg’s Early Medical History
Dr. Terrell & The Pest House & Medical Museum
Before the Civil War
Dr. Terrell began his life in Lynchburg. His family were Quakers who became Methodist in the interest of keeping their slaves; a practice which was not allowed in the Quaker religion. His father, Christopher Terrell, was a doctor, and moved the family to Missouri, and then Pennsylvania for a time. In his early teen years, John Jay was sent to live with his devout Quaker aunt in Lynchburg where his Quaker faith was reignited, and he practiced the faith for the rest of his life. Education had always been a core value of the Terrell family, and John Terrell earned his first degree at Emory and Henry. However, he felt as though he had not received enough of an education in surgery, anesthesia, and other cutting-edge medical advancements. So he continued his education at Jefferson Medical College for additional, more specialized training. This was unheard of at the time, as the most common way to become a doctor, even for a person of means, was apprenticeship. He later returned to Lynchburg to open his own practice in 1853 as one of few doctors with a formal education.
Prior to the Civil War, he was, like most doctors of the age; a jack-of-all-trades in the medical field. He travelled on horseback to his patient’s homes and treated injuries and illness, delivered babies, extracted teeth, performed surgeries and provided just about any medical treatment a person may have needed. He prepared his own medicines from medicinal herbs that he grew near his practice, and was particularly interested in disease transmission and treatment. The little white house here at Old City Cemetery, where the Pest House & Medical Museum is now staged, was actually the building where Dr. Terrell ran his medical practice after the Civil War. It was moved to the Cemetery in 1987 from his farm in Campbell County, Rock Castle. The Southern Memorial Association restored the building to recreate and interpret medical science of the era. The medical office and Pest House exhibits have been joined in this museum to give a more complete picture of nineteenth-century medicine, while still telling two very separate stories.
Dr. Terrell’s Accomplishments
Dr. Terrell changed the landscape of medicine in Lynchburg and the surrounding area. Not only was he willing to use new and advanced medical technology of the time, he also developed tools and medicines specifically to treat certain illnesses. He was the first known physician to to make changes to the environment of smallpox patients to help ease suffering. He was also the first to recognize their need for a specific diet. Below are only a few of his contributions to medicine in Virginia and beyond:
- Boiling of Instruments Between Use
- Stringent Sanitation Practices
- Created Bullet Probe for Removing Bullets
- First to Use Hypodermic Needle in Lynchburg
- First to Use Chloroform for Anesthesia in Lynchburg
- First to Use Thermometer for Diagnostics in Lynchburg
- Cured the epizootic known as Glanders, effecting cavalry horses during the Civil War.
Glanders
During the Civil War, an epizootic known as Glanders was infecting cavalry horses, which were vital to operations on both the Union and Confederate sides of the conflict. The respiratory illness was fatal, and horses were dropping at an alarming rate. Dr. Terrell, along with Dr. John R. Page, were tasked by the head Quartermaster to research the illness and look for cures. The research was conducted in a special stable where the sick animals were quarantined, either on or very near to what is now the Old City Cemetery grounds. After conducting what became known as a landmark study, including examining the virus in both living and deceased animals, they determined that the illness was caused by the sharing of water troughs, nuzzling between horses, and the cramped conditions of the stables. The quartermasters were then able to take measures to reduce the spread of the disease, and save an unknown number of horses and mules.
To read our brochure on Glanders, Click here.
