Arthur E. Hertzler papers, 1932-1946

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Title
- Arthur E. Hertzler papers MSHert78
- Hertzler, Arthur E. papers
PublisherSpecial Collections
RepositorySpecial Collections
Physical Description13.5 linear ft.
Date1932-1946
AbstractArthur E. Hertzler (1870-1946) was a doctor, professor, and surgeon famous for his popular 1938 autobiography, The Horse and Buggy Doctor, which recounted his experiences as a country doctor in Kansas. The collection contains manuscripts, drafts, and other papers of Arthur E. Hertzler, including drafts of several of his published works: The Grounds of an Old Surgeon’s Faith: A Scientific Inquiry into the Causes of War; Always the Child: A Scientific Inquiry into Causes which Harm the Child; The Doctor and His Patients: The American Domestic Scene as Viewed by the Family Doctor; The Horse and Buggy Doctor; and Ventures in Science of a Country Surgeon. The collection also includes drafts of speeches, articles, and other writings, as well as a small number of miscellaneous personal papers, newspaper clippings, and notes.
LocationPlease note that this collection is housed in the Special Collections and University Archives Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago Library of the Health Sciences, 1750 West Polk Street, Room 320, Chicago, Illinois, 60612.

This collection contains manuscripts, drafts, and other papers of Arthur E. Hertzler, including drafts of several of his published works: The Grounds of an Old Surgeon’s Faith: A Scientific Inquiry into the Causes of War; Always the Child: A Scientific Inquiry into Causes which Harm the Child; The Doctor and His Patients: The American Domestic Scene as Viewed by the Family Doctor; The Horse and Buggy Doctor; and Ventures in Science of a Country Surgeon. The collection also includes drafts of speeches, articles, and other writings, as well as a small number of miscellaneous personal papers, newspaper clippings, and notes.

Biographical/Historical note

Arthur E. Hertzler was born in West Point, Iowa in April, 1870. He came from a Mennonite background. While still young, he moved with his family to Moundridge, Kansas. Hertzler attended Southwest Kansas College in Winfield, Kansas, then enrolled at Northwestern University’s medical school, graduating in 1894. He also studied medicine in Berlin for two years and earned a Master of Arts degree from Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington, Illinois in 1897.

After his graduate and postgraduate work, Hertzler returned to Kansas to practice medicine in the small town of Halstead, where he later built a hospital. His experiences as a country doctor were published in 1938 as a popular autobiography, The Horse and Buggy Doctor.

Hertzler taught as a professor of histology and pathology in the University Medical College of Kansas City, Missouri from 1902 to 1907. He then taught at the University of Kansas School of Medicine for nearly 40 years.

Hertzler wrote numerous works on surgery and other medical topics. The themes of familial relations, science and religion, and war and peace are prominent in other writings. Hertzler retired in February 1946 and died in September 1946.