Alphabet File page 245

A man left Dr. Mac a bequest of $1,000 in his will and he used it to purchase a labor table to put in one of his rooms at the office where he and Rosemary delivered babies for black patients.

 

    Soon the new hospital was opened. His partners were Drs. Henry Maggio, Marion Dodson and John Levens. They were all so happy to have the new hospital where they could do surgery and deliver babies. He calls this period the "Golden Era of Medicine."

 

    There was no government intervention nor restrictions and you could just practice medicine. Later Drs. Maggio and Dodson returned to school to specialize - Dr. Maggio in psychiatry and Dr. Dodson in ear, nose and throat.

 

Dr. Mac spent his Wednesday afternoons (his day off) with

 

Sister Mary Ellen, a nun at Kiln, holding a clinic for the residents in a little shed where the nuns lived.

 

He would gather up his samples to carry to them. In such a remote area, it was difficult to get medical care or medication. A benefactor donated Sister Mary Ellen an electric golf cart so she could make her rounds and check on people during the week. If she found someone sick, Dr. Mac would make a house call.

 

  EMERGENCY WORK - He maintained his general practice until 1968 or 19698. He was mentally and physically tired. He went to Phil Wimberly, then administrator at Memorial Hospital at Gulfport, to discuss the need for coverage for the emergency room. Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula had already added coverage. He started working with the late Dr. Thomas Quigley on shifts from 3 p.m. to midnight and later 3 p.m. to 7 a.m. He discovered that he really enjoyed it so he started winding down his practice to close it in 1970.

 

  About the time the new emergency department was opened at Memorial, 24-hour coverage was initiated. Dr. Mac worked there for 19 years, serving as chief of the ER department.

 

In 1980, he became the first board-certified emergency medical physician. He retired in 1989. He employed 40 physicians during that period.

 

He has seen emergency medicine evolve from a simple job to a specialty. There is now a complete residency in ER. He says it is a stressful and dangerous job now, particularly in a large hospital. ER physicians assume the role of diagnostician, even though they only see the patient for a short time.

 

And, Dr. Mac says, there are tremendous liabilities, both professionally and legally. While Dr. Mac and one other physician provided the first 24 hour coverage on alternating 12 hour shifts, there are now 10 full-time ER doctors, who according to Dr. Mac, saw approximately 52,000 patients in 1994.

 

  Many hospitals have now added what is called "fast tract" where patients who have "clinic" symptoms are routed separately.

 

    Another thing that has evolved is "pre-hospital care" by what was formerly only transportation to the hospital. Dr. Mac feels that it may have gone too far and gotten too costly since many patients still only require simple transportation. But now, qualified paramedics are provided on every ambulance and even with these trained personnel, Dr. Mac says that it is vital to "cardiovert" (correct rhythm disturbances) of a heart attack patient within 6 to 8      minutes. In most cases the ambulance arrives after 20 minutes.

 

    And with trauma patients, Dr. Mac continues, getting the bleeding stopped is critical, so getting the patient to the ER as soon as possible is important.

 

Dr. Mac finds the work in Wiggins very rewarding. He can take more time with the patients. He is pleased with the Stone County Hospital operation and feels that the core of physicians who have now opened their practices in Wiggins and are supporting the hospital, will be just what the hospital needs. There is an internist, a cardiologist, a pediatrician and a surgeon.

 

THE FAMILY - The McFarlands have three daughters. A son is deceased.

 

                       Margo is married to Randy Keel and is an ER nurse at Hancock Medical Center in Bay St. Louis. They have two sons and live in Pass Christian.

 

                       Rosemary (Rosie) has been employed at the Leprosarium (where treatment is available for leprosy) for 15 years. She is married to George Heard and they have a son and a daughter. They live in Baton Rouge.

 

Sara Dale Leopold lives in Biloxi with her two sons and is a homemaker.

 

                       Dr. Mac vows that their house had a friendly ghost that stayed until the children all left and then it left, with a job well done. The children really believed in Mr. Picard and felt he took care of them. But their dear friend and family guardian has been Octavia Dunmore. A part of the family, she has been with the McFarlands for 40 years and is now involved with the grandchildren, making certain their clothes are fixed and picking them up when their parents are busy.

 

  Dr. Mac says that some days she comes to work and some days she doesn't, but they are always glad to see her. SURVIVING THE STORM - Their home was almost demolished in Camille. It is well over 100 years old. There was no road along North Beach in Bay St. Louis before the seawall was built, and the house sat closer to the beach.

 

                       Dr. Mac, his son and a friend had planned to ride out Camille and had lumber, nails, hammers and lanterns ready, but they realized it was going to be worse than they thought and set out through the woods for the hospital. As they got to the parking lot, the water was reaching them and cars began floating by like driftwood, with lights on and horns blaring. A few minutes more would have been too late. Their grand piano apparently washed out with the tide after the front walls were blown away.

 

                       Ironically, a lighted lantern left on the kitchen table, was still lit and on the table when they returned home.

 

When they rebuilt, they made the kitchen larger and made a glass enclosed porch where he keeps his "casual" collections such as shells of every size and description, large and small wood carvings from the Caribbean and other places, a pair of life-size bow maidens figures (bought locally), a gaze ball and many other fascinating articles.

 

But the highlight of the porch is the entrance to the rest of the house. The double doors are of heavy brass with beautiful etching and designs and a find after the hurricane.

 

A friend had brought four of the elevator doors from the Illinois Central Depot in St. Louis, Mo., and had one made into a table, one as a wall hanging and never completed work on the other two when Hurricane Camaille hit. He left the Coast, and when Dr. Mac and a friend found them among the debris, he called the friend to tell him.  He told Dr. Mac that if he wanted them, he could have them.

 

                       They make an elegant entrance and are made even more lovely by the long stained glass windows at each side of the door.

 

                       Inside their home, there are collections of china and crystal birds, flowers, plates and first edition Civil War miniatures that are all eye-catching.

 

                       LEISURE TIME - Rosemary used to sail and has won her share of prizes but her biggest job now is taking care of Dr. Mac. They enjoy each other. He works on his computers and watches CNN and CNBC. He has trouble understanding retirement, explaining that the usual reasons are to change places of work or live somewhere else.