Often Overlooked Records Part II - Medical Register

Another record not usually found online is the county medical register.  "An act to protect the citizens of this commonwealth from empiricism,"[1] approved 23 February 1874, stated that on and after the first day of April, 1889, "it shall be unlawful for any person to practice medicine in any of its branches within the limits of this State who has not exhibited and registered under this act exhibited and registered in the county clerk's office of the county where he is practicing ..."

In addition, each person shall have either a diploma from a medical school within the state or another state or an affidavit showing he is exempted from obtaining a diploma. The medical register contains the name of the physician, his age and place of birth and the name of the school granting his diploma. In addition, if the physician moved away or died, it was to be so noted at the bottom of the page.

If you have a doctor in the family, be sure to check to see if there is a  medical register in the county clerk's office in the courthouse. Not every county has a medical register, but if you have Crittenden County ancestors, be sure to check this valuable source.

The page below comes from page 3 of the Crittenden County Medical Register 1889-1893.

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[1] Medical and Surgical Register of the United States, (Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago: R.L. Polk & Co., 1890) 457, Google Books (http://books.google.com: accessed 1 November 2014).

Published 15 January 2015, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/