While many rural communities across the nation have faced acute shortages of doctors, dentists and veterinarians, Manning has been fortunate in having a good supply of people in the medical professions. From the beginning, when Manning's population was around 500 people, to the days when it had nearly 2,000 residents, the community has been served by highly trained and skilled professionals.

As of 1980, Manning had three doctors, three veterinarians, one dentist, and a chiropractor whose office was open three days per week. There was also an active movement underway to encourage two medical students to open offices here as they completed their training in 1981.

Patients from as far as 40 miles come to use Manning's professional services.

DOCTORS

Dr. T.S. McKenna was the first practicing physician in Manning. He also served as a dentist when necessary, pulling teeth at 50 cents each. The first stock of drugs consisted of a market basket, full of medicines, which the doctor brought with him in the summer of 1881. He died in 1908.

Dr. R.R. Williams was located in the vicinity of Manning since 1878, having an office on a farm a few miles east of the future town. He was stricken with a fever in the spring of 1881, or would have been the first practicing physician in Manning. He located his office above the first Mueller Furniture Store in the fall of 1881, and built a home at the corner of Third and Center Streets.

Dr. Williams was born in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, March 11, 1849. He was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin medical college and of Rush Medical College of Chicago. He married Emma Branson, a sister of Mrs. A.T. Bennett, August 12, 1884. He died in June, 1931, and she died two months later.

Dr. Williams served a a surgeon for the Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad for nine years.

L.P. Brigham and G.M. Barber arrived in 1882, bringing the total to four. Manning's growing population, plus the large number of railroad workers, kept the doctors in demand.

Others here before the turn of the century included doctors Hull, Stouffer, Eckmann, Louis Moser, who arrived in 1894, and Russian-born A.K. Resner, who came to the county in 1895 after graduation from the University of Iowa. J.E. Barber, D.O., arrived in 1899, the first from the American School of Osteopathy to practice in Manning. Dr. Moser died in 1916; some of his descendants reside in Manning today, including Mrs. Helen Pratt, a granddaughter.

Early doctors used a horse and buggy for transportation. People were treated with medications such as epsom salts and castor oil.

During these years, there were traveling medicine shows, drawing crowds who came to hear how they could remain healthy or be cured of almost any illness. The oratory of the traveling medical evangelists held the crowds spell-bound; many bottles of the "tonic" were sold as the aides went through the audience, holding the large bottles aloft and collecting money for them. The speaker usually depicted himself as a very healthy person, due to the tonic, of course; he would thump his chest and demonstrate his muscular ability. One such speaker was a man by the name of Vurpillat.

Dr. Amos W Carlile, a native of Underwood began his 75 rear practice in Manning in 1903. His first office was above the Schelldorf Drug Store (now the Coast. to Coast Store) and five years later he bought the one story building now known as The Dime store at 303 Main. He added a second floor to the building to house his office and hospital rooms.

He was one of the first local doctors to have a car, which enabled him to make many visits to country patients. When winter storms prevented auto travel, he would use a horse and sleigh.

At the age of 74, Dr. Carlile was honored by the medical profession for having served as a doctor for 50 years. "I enjoy my work, have had my ups and downs, but to me the practice of medicine with its continued advancement and far

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reaching possibilities cannot be equaled in any other vocation," he said at the time.

Dr. Carlile continued to see patients, who would walk up the long stairway to his office, until January 1979. He died February 28, 1979, at the age of 99.

Dr. Carlile had lived at his office after the death of his first wife, Grace Heywood, in 1909. Their large, two story home south of the Presbyterian Church, called the "Bucktown Castle," was sold and moved in its entirety to 403 Fifth Street.

February 1, 1937, he married Elsie Schroeder in Manning. She preceded him in death February 11, 1978.

Dr. A.F. Smith

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Using a part of their homes for medical offices were Dr. Henry Siever, who lived in the house at 422 Ann Street in the early 1920s; Dr. William Henry Esser, a physician and surgeon, a veteran of the Indian Wars, who resided at 353 Third and May Streets; Dr. Arthur F. Smith, who had his office in the basement of his home at 621 Third, the former residence of Dr. Robert R. Williams; and Dr. Charles C. Sullivan, who lived in the Parker House across from the old Catholic Church.

Dr. Smith graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1920, and practiced at Milford until 1928. He then purchased the practice of Dr. E.G. Grover, and first located his office upstairs in the C.H. Reinholdt block. He served as Carroll County Coroner from 1943 until 1945. He continued his practice at his home until his death in 1967.

Dr. Sullivan, a 1916 graduate of the Still College of Osteopathy, practiced in South Dakota until moving to Manning in 1927. He served as Carroll County Coroner from 1940 until 1943, and moved to Carroll in 1943. He died in 1945.

Dr. M.H. Lynch, married to Nellie Signall of Manning, had an office in the C.H. Reinholdt Block in the late 1930s.

Dr. W.R. Fink, optometrist, was located in the Lewis-Reinhold Drug Store from 1923 to 1960.

WYATT HOSPITAL

Doctors M.B. Wyatt and Orren W. Wyatt came to Manning in 1919, locating in the Lewis-Reinholdt block above what is now the LeBoutique Salon. Dr. M.B. arrived first, and began practice with Dr. Resner; his brother Orren was then completing a special course in the treatment of ears, eyes, nose and throat. After finishing the course, O.W. joined his brother in Manning and the two purchased the A.K. Resner business and fixtures.

Dr. M.B. Wyatt contracted the flue, and died October 22, 1918; he had the rank of lieutenant, and had received orders to report to the war area shortly before he passed away. Dr. O.W. Wyatt then moved into the upstairs rooms of the Schelldorf block, where Miss Amanda Sievers was his nurse and Tress Sievers was an aide.

In 1926, he erected the Wyatt Memorial Hospital on Main Street. He directed this institution alone until 1930, when Dr. Merlin Wyatt, his son, became associated with him. Dr. Merlin Wyatt was called into the army in 1942, shortly after his father's death February 3, 1942. Dr. Morton, a retired physician, volunteered to return to practice and was assigned to Manning. Dr. Morton first located upstairs in the Mueller building, and later practiced through the Wyatt Memorial Hospital. He stayed in Manning until 1952.

Doctors Carl Waterbury, R.B. Anderson, and Laurel Dietrick opened their practice at the Wyatt Memorial Hospital September 15, 1945. It was a difficult time, with the second World War resulting in a scarcity of nurses and essential medical treatments. Dr. Dietrick stayed seven months and re-entered general practice. Doctors Anderson and Waterbury operated the hospital on a partnership basis for three years and five months, at which time Dr. Waterbury moved to Des Moines to establish an obstetrical practice. It was found necessary to incorporate the hospital with the people of the community and the staff.

Dr. William P. Chandler, Jr., came to Manning in September, 1949, from Persia, Iowa, where he had practiced for seven years. During that time, he had used the Manning General Hospital extensively, and found it to be more than adequate.

"The care and atmosphere of this institution was friendly and was conducive to good recovery," he said. "The patient care was very personal, considerate, and in general most restful. The charges in my estimation were never excessive."

During his 27 years at Manning, Dr. Chandler conducted a general practice and delivered three generations of babies, as well as serving the hospital as an anestheseologist. He left in 1976 to open an office in Denver, Colorado, and to help care for the medical needs of a grandson.

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In 1956, the hospital staff included Chandler, J.C. Edgerton, R.B. Anderson, and J.B. Farnham, who together built the Anderson Clinic in 1956; J.E. Ankeny, Exira; W.W. Kielbaugh and G.D. Boyd, both of Earling; O.E. Bigsby, Coon Rapids; W.J. Nichols, Lake View; D.R. Hickey and R.P. Williams, Bayard; F.D. McQuirk, Carroll; and N.E. Parisis, Dunlap. O.R. Fink was hospital pharmacist.

Dr. John C. Edgerton

Dr. John C. Edgerton was born and raised in Boone, and graduated from that high school. He received his professional schooling at the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery at Des Moines and graduated in 1941.

Dr. Edgerton began his practice in Onawa before entering the service in the Navy for three and a half years. Following his term in the service he entered graduate school for one year and then took four years of internship at Welden Hospital in Des Moines.

He established his practice in Battle Creek, Iowa, and then came to Manning in January, 1956.

His modern clinic is located in a recently remodeled building at 324 Main Street and includes eye examination rooms for fitting of glasses and contact lenses.

Dr. Edgerton and wife, Shoney, are affiliated with the Presbyterian church and are the parents of two sons, Michael of Chicago, and David, at Iowa State University at Ames.

He is a member of the Masonic Lodge, the Consistory and Shrine; a member of the Iowa Health Council for six years; a member of the State Department of Health for two terms.

Dr. John Hornberger

Dr. John R. Hornberger, M.D., began his practice in Manning in 19;10, in the office previously used by Dr. Merlin Wyatt upstairs over Schelldorf Clothing on Main Street. He built and moved into his present office building at 221 Ann Street in February, 1953. He is a member of the medical staff at St. Anthony Hospital in Carroll, Audubon County Hospital in Audubon, the Crawford County Hospital in Denison, and Bishop Clarkson Hospital in Omaha.

The newest member of Manning's medical fraternity is Dr. Philip L. Myer, a native of Beebeetown. He moved to Manning in August, 1973, and was associated in general practice with Dr. William P. Chandler in the Anderson Clinic until 1976; when Chandler moved to Colorado, the clinic at 310 Main Street was renamed the Myer Clinic. Dr. Myer is a member of the medical staff at Manning General Hospital in Manning, St. Anthony Hospital in Carroll, and the Crawford County Memorial Hospital in Denison.

Today, Manning has three doctors operating three offices. Also included are Dr. R. Dierwechter, Storm Lake, Dr. W.J. Nichols, Lake View, and Dr. Dennis Crabb, Denison, as staff members of the Manning Hospital. Thomas Crabb is the hospital pharmacist.

DENTISTS

Manning's earliest tooth extractors were Doctors J.B. Bishop and K.D. Backus, both of whom located here in 1882. The theory was that in order to relieve pain, one must remove the cause.

An Audubon dentist, A.T. Withers, ran an announcement in the 1882 Monitor that he would be in Manning every Thursday to see patients.

Dr. Hull arrived shortly after, and his drug stock was sold in the spring of 1884 to Dr. A.B. Stouffer. Other pre-1900 dentists here included J. Ronna, C.M.B. Boos (1897), J.C. Robinson (1896), Addison Blakesly (1898), and J.S. Osburn (1899). Dr. Boos advertised crown and bridgework as his specialties; he was located in the second floor of the Union Block. Dr. Osburn, a native of Denison, was a graduate of the College of Dental Surgery at Louisville, Kentucky. His office was in the front rooms over Reinholdt's buggy repository.

C.A. Easterly came to Carroll County in 1895, and established his practice in Manning in 1902. He was married to Elsa Studeman. In 1910, he left the dentist field to become postmaster at Manning.

Dr. J.J. Miller opened his dentist office in the upper rooms of the Carlile Building in 1903. He was married to a local girl, Amanda Hoffmann. They lived in Manning until 1919, when they moved to Denison. Miller's practice was sold to Dr. R.A. McFate.

Jens J. Sinn established his business in 1902. He continued his profession in Manning for 54 years in the same office, located upstairs over the C.H. Reinholdt Hardware Store at 402 Main Street.

Dr. Synhorst was located briefly upstairs in the former Rauch building at the corner of Third and Main Streets. Dr. Mason had an office over the Light, Heat and Power Company office. Mason sold the practice to R.B. Kelsey, who married Florence Meyers from Manning. Kelsey continued the office for many years, and was succeeded by Dr. Bruce Fenchel. Fenchel left Manning in 1958.

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Dr. Virgel Raymond Anderson came to Manning in 1921, and after serving in the dental corps during World War I. He succeeded Dr. McFate. Dr. Anderson, his wife Fern, and their two daughters lived at 333 First Street for 37 years. He died in 1961, after continuing his practice here for 41 years in an office located over the Hansen-Pahde store.

Dr. Richard Drennan purchased Dr. Fenchel's office in 1958; he moved to Denison July 1, 1968. While in Manning, the Drennan family lived in Dr. Sinn's former residence at the intersection of Highway 141 and Ann Streets.

In an effort to help attract another dentist to the community, veterinarian Robert Dappen remodeled the former Frahm Building at 215 Main Street into a combination dentist and veterinary office. Dr. G.L. Yarrington was the first to establish his practice in the facility; he served seven months, vacating the office in 1970.

In May, 1975, Dr. Marty Ahrens came to Manning with his wife, Carol. His office was opened in July, and he has been practicing general dentistry at 215 Main since then. Dr. Ahrens employs two full-time workers, one as a receptionist and the other as a chairside dental assistant.

Modern dentistry is vastly different from the tooth-pulling days of 100 years ago. Then, people would go to the dentist for the relief of pain, which often resulted in the loss of the teeth, the deterioration of the mouth, and the eventual need for false teeth.

Today, dentists put much more emphasis on prevention of problems, and curing the problem while it is still a simple procedure.

As we enter the 1980s, dentistry is seeing the treatment of gum diseases, which were formerly a "dead end" situation. There is also much more effort spent in performing dental work with the least discomfort possible to the patient.

It has become obvious, Dr. Ahrens notes, that by maintaining the mouth in a healthy condition through preventive dentistry, teeth can now be saved for a lifetime.

CHIROPRACTORS

The chiropractic profession was in its infancy when Manning was selected as a site for one of Iowa's first licensed chiropractors, a woman by the name of Fiena Fessler. Dr. Fessler was succeeded by two other women, Mae Delaney and Elizabeth Redig.

It was quite unusual to see a woman enter a profession in those days, especially a medical profession. According to Dr. Robert Vonnahme, who has practiced in Manning since 1976, female chiropractors are still in the vast minority. Dr. Vonnahme's graduating class included over 200 students, with only about a dozen women.

Dr. Delaney was located in the upstairs of the building razed to provide a place for the new Manning Trust and Savings Bank. She came to Manning from Carroll around 1915.

May Delaney was a graduate of the Palmer School of Chiropractic. In an advertisement of 1918, she recommended the chiropractic way to "avoid the Spanish Influenze."

Dr. Delaney became the center of a bitter battle between the chiropractic and medical professions in the spring of 1919. A patient died of pneumonia shortly after seeing Dr. Delaney, and she was criticized for not dispensing medications to the patient.

An ad in the April 3, 1919, Monitor, was headlined "Chiropractic Under Fire!" Throughout the half-page advertisement, Dr. Delaney defended her profession, and outlined treatments provided by her and other chiropractors. William Henry Esser, a local medical doctor, bought a similar-sized ad in the following week's paper, refuting her statements and questioning the chiropractic profession in general. Another half-page ad was found in the May 1 paper, headlined "Chiropractic vs. Medical" and written by Dr. Delaney.

The battle apparently quieted after that, as no further announcements were found. Later issues of the paper, however, contained business listings for both Dr. Delaney and Dr. Esser.

Dr. Elizabeth Redig, another graduate of the Palmer School at Davenport, occupied a number of rooms in the same building during the 1920s and 1930s. She lived there, had an office, and patient care rooms. She originally lived in Arcadia.

From 1936 to August 30, 1945, Dr. Ronald O. Masters had an office in the basement of the Trust and Savings Bank Building at 723 Third Street. In 1940, Dr. Masters furnished first aide at the football and basketball games at the school. He sold his practice to Dr. A.P. Fankhauser, of Mason City; after one year, the practice went to Dr. Helmut Dammeier.

DR. ROBERT VONNAHME

Dr. Vonnahme opened his office in Manning in July, 1976. First located on Highway 141 at the west end of Saunders Drive-Inn Motel, the office was relocated at 714 Third Street i n September, 1978. It is currently open three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday; Tuesday and Thursday, Dr. Vonnahme practices at 503 North Main, Carroll.

Dr. Vonnahme graduated cum laude in his class of 206 at Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport, in September, 1975. Double internship was appropriated at Palmer College, with clinical research and x-ray diagnosis /analysis comprising the two fields. He also took 120 hours of post-graduate study in physical therapy at Palmer College, and clinical post-graduate study in Chicago, Illinois.

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VETERINARIANS

M. Parish was the first veterinarian in Manning, coming in 1881. In addition to treating animal diseases, Parish was well known for his abilities in telling people "where to dig wells to be sure to find water."

Other early vets were Merritt Winter, 1882, J.P. Shephard, 1885, C.E. Arney, 1890, J.E. Williams, 1891-1896, and F.M. Roys, 1898.

W.D. Addison, a veterinary surgeon of Minden, purchased the business of Dr. Graf in August, 1908. He was a specialist in the diseases of chickens, doing tuberculosis testing, and was a breeder of the purebred Tamworth hogs. He first had an office on Third Street, where the library is today; later his office was at 216 Main Street, where the post office is now located. Dr. Addison died in 1935.

Dr. C.B. (Chauncey) Miller was located on Main Street from 1910 to 1927; Dr. C.L. Wilhite had an office in the Lewis-Reinholdt building from 1927 to 1948. During the war years, Dr. Wilhite was assisted by Dr. Nelson. Dr. Norden practiced here in the 1930's and 1940s.

Dr. Joseph Loucks, who was born in Quimby, came to town in 1942; he took time out for 32 months in the European theatre of action from 1943-1945, then continued his practice until 1958. His office was in a brick building he built in 1949 at the corner of Main and Second Streets, which is still known as the Loucks Building. Part of the 25 x 130 foot building was used by Loucks in the manufacture of his insecticidal sweeping compound.

In June, 1950, Dr. Robert R. Dappen, his wife Sara, and two small sons, Nathan and Nicholas, came from Iowa State University, Ames, to start his career in veterinary medicine. His office was located at 213 Main Street. Dr. Don Hemerson joined Dr. Dappen in June 1952, and after 16 months, left to practice solo in Sheldon.

Dr. Kunkel practiced in Manning from 1964 to 1968. His office was in his home at 64 April Street.

During the summer of 1976, the south half of the old Studebaker Garage building at 217 Main street was remodeled by Dr. Dappen for use as a veterinary office. At the invitation of Dr. Dappen, Dr. Rexanne Miller came to Manning from Kansas State University in August, 1976, and joined him at the "Veterinary Associates."

January, 1978, Rexanne married Curtis Struve, a Manning farmer. She continued in her profession of veterinary medicine, and later purchased the equipment and drugs from Dr. Dappen; he left general practice to be chief chemist and meal salesperson for Continental Soya Corporation.

Dr. Christopher Celania, an Iowa State graduate, joined Dr. Struve's staff in June, 1979.

The early days of veterinary medicine in Manning focused on horses, mules, poultry, swine, and dairy cattle. As late as the early 1960s, hog cholera demanded much of the vet's time and talents; today, that disease has been eradicated, but replaced with even more severe hog disorders.

Brucellosis was a major problem in cattle in earlier years. From 1950 to 1955, Dr. Dappen, his father, and brother-in-law led other veterinarians in the fight for legislation of statewide brucellosis testing. The disease is now almost non-existent: Dr. Robert Dappen was named the Veterinary of the Year in 1955 for his work.

Beef cattle, hogs; and small animals such as cats and dogs now are most frequently treated by the three local veterinarians.

W.D. Addison, Manning Veterinarian from 1908 to 1935.