Originally broadcast on The History Channel in 1998.
Summary:
In the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries, America's uncharted western lands were a place of both isolation and primitive conditions. At each step in the march westward, new settlers fought cunning and ubiquitous enemies in the form of deadly diseases and rampant epidemics. Where battle wounds, poor sanitation, and deadly animals were common, appropriate medical care was not. To survive in these harrowing conditions, the settlers had to find a doctor--or someone calling him or herself one.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.