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Oral History Interview with Carroll Lupton, April 2, 1980. Interview H-0028. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
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  • Abstract
    North Carolina doctor Carroll Lupton discusses his medical practice in Burlington, North Carolina, focusing primarily on the 1930s. Lupton returned to North Carolina to set up his general medical practice after completing his internship in New Orleans in 1933. He describes the economic conditions in the South during the Great Depression and offers anecdotes about the kinds of hardships people faced. Because of his interactions with his patients, Lupton's memories offer a unique lens for understanding the relationships and interactions among people in the working community. Lupton explains how he did his best to provide medical care to poor working class families in Burlington. He describes common medical procedures that he performed, such as tonsillectomies, and popular medical remedies that were typically used at the time. Special attention is given to the medical treatment of pregnant women and of venereal disease; Lupton describes the prominent role of Granny Lewis, the local midwife, in delivering babies in Burlington.
    Excerpts
  • Portrait of Burlington, North Carolina, during the Great Depression and the rise of religious revivalism
  • Health conditions in Burlington, North Carolina, during the Great Depression
  • Frequency of veneral disease in a working community during the Great Depression
  • Relationship between mill owners and working communities
  • Relationship between doctors, midwives, and religion in a working community
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  • Finding aid to the Southern Oral History Program Collection
  • Database of all Southern Oral History Program Collection interviews
  • Subjects
  • Physicians--North Carolina--History--20th century
  • Burlington (N.C.)--Social life and customs
  • The Southern Oral History Program transcripts presented here on Documenting the American South undergo an editorial process to remove transcription errors. Texts may differ from the original transcripts held by the Southern Historical Collection.

    Funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this title.