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Brian Morrow
Issue date: 4/8/05 Section: Campus News
Items of historical value have a way of turning up in dusty closets. In the case of pharmacy prescriptions dating back to 1878, a bound collection appeared in a storeroom at the ULM school of pharmacy.
Queenie Cascio, a ULM employee in charge of purchasing and managing the school of pharmacy stockroom, was sorting through the rooms contents and located the weathered volume. "I knew immediately who to call," Cascio said. "I called Dr. Sirmans."
Susan Sirmans is an associate professor and clinical coordinator at the school of pharmacy. She has also done extensive research on the history of pharmacy in Ouachita Parish. When her telephone rang, it was Cascio.
"I hope you are sitting down," Cascio told her.
Sirmans is well known in the school of pharmacy for her research into the pharmacological history of Monroe and Ouachita Parish.
"I knew immediately from the name on the prescriptions, McFee, that they were written by a local pharmacist who died in 1878," Sirmans said.
Sirmans also said that it is interesting that this particular record was started the same year that McFee passed away.
McFee's obituary can be found in the Nov. 23 edition of The Ouachita Telegraph. On Saturday, Nov. 9, 1978, as McFee was going home, he lost control of the horse pulling his carriage. He broke his leg and crushed his ankle after attempting to jump from the carriage. Despite having his ankle amputated, his leg became infected and he died the following Friday.
Sirmans also noted that McFee had practiced during the Civil War, preparing medicines for wounded Confederate soldiers as the war neared this area. Sirmans found records of a message delivered to McFee asking him to prepare medicine for 50 wounded soldiers. "He received closer to 200," Sirmans said. Sirmans also said that McFee conscripted several downtown Monroe buildings to serve as makeshift hospitals, though he took criticism for how the overflow was handled.
"He responded by saying something to the effect that fifty is not two hundred," Sirmans said.
Sirmans also noted that McFee's store was located on a portion of what is now a parking lot at the point where Walnut, South Grand and Desiard Streets intersect. She said that a fire in 1872 destroyed a good portion of downtown, including McFee's pharmacy.
Dr. Sirmans theorizes that the records are part of a collection that was donated to the school of pharmacy to be used in a display. "Due to the fragile condition of the records, they cannot be displayed, but we plan to scan them and make them available for viewing on the school of pharmacy's website," Sirmans said.
Queenie Cascio, a ULM employee in charge of purchasing and managing the school of pharmacy stockroom, was sorting through the rooms contents and located the weathered volume. "I knew immediately who to call," Cascio said. "I called Dr. Sirmans."
Susan Sirmans is an associate professor and clinical coordinator at the school of pharmacy. She has also done extensive research on the history of pharmacy in Ouachita Parish. When her telephone rang, it was Cascio.
"I hope you are sitting down," Cascio told her.
Sirmans is well known in the school of pharmacy for her research into the pharmacological history of Monroe and Ouachita Parish.
"I knew immediately from the name on the prescriptions, McFee, that they were written by a local pharmacist who died in 1878," Sirmans said.
Sirmans also said that it is interesting that this particular record was started the same year that McFee passed away.
McFee's obituary can be found in the Nov. 23 edition of The Ouachita Telegraph. On Saturday, Nov. 9, 1978, as McFee was going home, he lost control of the horse pulling his carriage. He broke his leg and crushed his ankle after attempting to jump from the carriage. Despite having his ankle amputated, his leg became infected and he died the following Friday.
Sirmans also noted that McFee had practiced during the Civil War, preparing medicines for wounded Confederate soldiers as the war neared this area. Sirmans found records of a message delivered to McFee asking him to prepare medicine for 50 wounded soldiers. "He received closer to 200," Sirmans said. Sirmans also said that McFee conscripted several downtown Monroe buildings to serve as makeshift hospitals, though he took criticism for how the overflow was handled.
"He responded by saying something to the effect that fifty is not two hundred," Sirmans said.
Sirmans also noted that McFee's store was located on a portion of what is now a parking lot at the point where Walnut, South Grand and Desiard Streets intersect. She said that a fire in 1872 destroyed a good portion of downtown, including McFee's pharmacy.
Dr. Sirmans theorizes that the records are part of a collection that was donated to the school of pharmacy to be used in a display. "Due to the fragile condition of the records, they cannot be displayed, but we plan to scan them and make them available for viewing on the school of pharmacy's website," Sirmans said.