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Dr. Page Financial Records: Mathews Account

This excerpt from Dr. Page's ledger details his professional dealings with the family of William Mathews. On January 15, 1796, Martha Ballard delivered a Mathews child. Since both Mrs. Ballard and Dr. Page kept scrupulous financial records, we know that the Mathews family paid the doctor nearly three times as much for his services.

To the end, Martha Ballard kept account of most of her fees in the old style of pounds, shillings, and pence. In contrast, this fragment of Benjamin Page's account book shows that by 1804 he had embraced the new federal style of accounting in U.S. dollars and cents. The two systems may reflect Dr. Page and Mrs. Ballard's difference in education level, age, or temperament; we don't know.

 


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Questions to Ask these Pages:

1. What treatments did Dr. Page provide? What did he charge for each?

2. What members of the family did Dr. Page treat?

3. What evidence is there that Dr. Page acted as a man-midwife?


Reading Help

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  Sum Bro.t over 32.82
Aug.t 22 " Visit & medecines yr Daughter 1.00
  23 " Cathartic for Do 0.25
Sep.t 28 " Visit __ yr boy 0.50
  30 " Bottle nerve ointment, & [ ] Emp[ ]   1.25
Oct.o 8 " Delivery & after attendance yr Wife 6.00
  10 " Medicine for yr boy 0.50
  12 " Advise & [flies] for knee yr boy .25
  15 " Tinture [Guaine] for Do .25
  23 " Sundry Medicines & advice for Do .75
  28 " Phial Drops & advice for Do .50
  30 " Medicine & Do for Do .25

1807
"      
    "      
Feb.y 2 " Visit & medicines yr Children 1.33
May 21 " Visit & Do Daughter 0.50
  23 " Sundry medicines & advice for Child 0.75
June 4 " Calling & Lancing gums Child .50
  10 " Visit Do for Do .50
  11 " Drops for Do .25
July 22 " Visit & Do for yr.Wife & Child 1.00
Aug.t 1 " 2 Kinds of Drops for Do .50
  11 " Visit & sundry medicines yr. Wife 1.25
  24 " Visit & Do yr Son 1.00
  25 " Visit & Do Do 1.00
  27 " Sundry medicines & advice Wife 1.00
  28 " Medicine   0.12
Sept. 1 " Visit & sundry medicines & advice   1.25
Octo. 18 " Visit & lancing gums & med child 0.75
  21 " Visit & Do for Do 1.00
Nov. 7 " Visit & - Do for Do 0.75
Nov 18 } visit & Bleeding -- blistering & med. Wife 11.68
18 to 29 12 visits-4 bleedings & medicines Wife 11.68

1808
"      
Feb.y 4 " Worm medicines & advice yr Son 0.50
  9 " Visit & setting yr. Boy's Leg   4.00
    " cathartic for Child .25
March 2 " Large strengthening plaster yr. boy .50
April 24 " Visit_Lancing gums & medicine Child 1.00
  25 " Bon Pills yr. Wife 0.50
May 9 " Visit & advice for Do 0.50
    " Amt carried over  
$76.70




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