Plot

This MGM short, part of John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series, tells the story of Dr. Ephraim McDowell. In Danville, Kentucky in 1809 McDowell wanted to perform surgery on a woman, Jane Crawford, with a large tumor. He was threatened with being thrown out of the medical profession if he operated, something that did not exist at the time. The townspeople felt opening up a living human being was against the will of God and were quite prepared to stop him by force if need be. The operation however was a success and surgery became acceptable.—garykmcd

In 1809 Danville, Kentucky, the most reviled man in town is arguably Dr. Eph McDowell, who has newfangled ideas about how to provide health care. Despite the townsfolk relying on prayers, tonics and traditional treatments instead of Dr. McDowell's suggestion of needing to operate - cutting open a human being as health care which had never been done - they still blamed McDowell for the death of one of their own, Jim Rakes. So when Jane Crawford is diagnosed with a tumor on Christmas, Dr. McDowell again advises on operating, something again he had never done and didn't know would work. If Tom Crawford allows Dr. McDowall to operate, the townsfolk, especially Jim's uncle Sol Rakes, are ready to lynch McDowall the second Jane Crawford dies on the operating table, which they see as a certainty.—Huggo

This Passing Parade short dramatizes the events surrounding the first invasive surgical operation performed in the United States, performed by Dr. Ephraim McDowell on December 13, 1809. Jane Crawford of Danville, Kentucky is diagnosed with a tumor and Dr. McDowell determines that surgery is the only treatment option. The townsfolk are against this and threaten to lynch him if he goes through with it.—David Glagovsky <dglagovsky@prodigy.net>