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A CHANGING TRADITION

House Calls

Before World War II about 40 percent of doctors' visits were made by the physicians going to patients' homes. By 1960 the number of house calls had dropped to 10 percent; by 1970 they were rare occurrences. The reasons for this drop varied. Mainly, physicians considered house calls an inefficient use of their time. It was increasingly difficult for a doctor to do an adequate exam in a patient's home because all the proper equipment and drugs that had been developed and might be needed were impossible to carry. In large cities physicians were sometimes attacked for the drugs they carried.

The Public's Perspective

The public saw the change of tradition differently, and most were not pleased. They were accustomed to having the caring doctor at the bed-side when someone was ill. Now doctors were charging more and making people come to them.