What did the Doctor's Office Look Like?

It was very difficult to obtain any information on an actual doctor's office. Most people interviewed had never seen the inside of a doctor's office. During the period of the Village, doctors were summoned in to the home rather than the patient travelling to the office. However, doctors' offices did exist. They were usually found in their homes, Dr. Campbell being the only exception found in Sherbrooke.

Mrs. Clyde (Densmore) Beggs, a daughter of Dr. L. D. Densmore, who practised in Sherbrooke from 1901 to 1920 remembers her family's time spent here in Sherbrooke. Her general description of her father's office was that it was sparsely furnished. It consisted of two rooms in Renova Cottage, a waiting room, an examining room / dispensary. All of the two rooms were wallpapered.

In the waiting room a few prints hung on the walls as well as the doctor's degree. As it is customary today, magazines were available for the anxious patient to read while waiting to see the doctor. Two that were mentioned where the Ladies Home Journal and The Eaton's Catalogue. In the waiting room there was also a cabinet for medical instruments. It was about 10" wide by 3" long. It was painted white and had glass doors in the front. The shelves were lined with green felt. The chairs were utilitarian in style, straight back kitchen chairs.

In his dispensary which was small and kept under lock and key, there was a side board or counter. It had cupboards underneath and on top were four shelves which held his medicine bottles. He also had his own labels. Children in the area would collect small bottles and sell them to him.⁽⁵³⁾

The only piece of furniture in his office that could be remembered was a desk. Whether it was roll top or flat is unclear. All the people interviewed surmised that he had an examining table, however no one remembered it. On the outside of the house was a small sign saying only, "Dr. L. D. Densmore, M. D." Dr. Silver's father had an examining table which he described as a drop leaf affair.⁽⁵⁴⁾ However, this was in a Halifax practice and not a rural area.