Eugene M. Bishop (1876-1918) from Wilkesville, Vinton County, Ohio, graduated from Starling Medical College in 1901. His father, Hiram H. Bishop (1818-1897), was also a physician and graduated from Starling in 1848. After graduation Eugene M. Bishop returned to Wilkesville to practice medicine. When she was 82 his wife, Cora, recalled in a newspaper interview that he worked long hours and rode on horseback or drove a horse and buggy to see patients. She also shared that her husband never purchased an automobile, but sometimes hired a car and driver to take him to medical appointments. His office was adjacent to their home, and she sometimes accompanied her husband on house calls. Dr. Bishop’s death in 1918 is significant as it was the height of the 1918 influenza epidemic. He was working many hours and fell from his horse in exhaustion. He was just 42 years old. Dr. Bishop was buried in the Wilkesville Cemetery. Cora lived for 44 more years and died in 1962.
The Eugene M. Bishop Papers (2 linear feet) contains personal papers, loose sketches, sketchbooks, a postcard album and a portfolio. Personal papers were found inside the postcard album and consist of calling cards, invitations, an obituary, and programs for Middleport High School graduations dating from 1893 and 1896. Sketches are in pencil and pen, some are painted. The postcard album includes one postcard each of the St. Francis Hospital and Starling Medical College in Columbus, Ohio, and the St. Joseph Maternity Hospital and Infant Asylum in Cincinnati, Ohio. Postcards contained include tourist scenes from Ohio and other states, birthday cards and greeting cards for multiple holidays. Some postcards are photographs developed on postcard stock, known as real photo postcards. There are postcards depicting racist caricatures of African Americans. The portfolio contains more sketches of varying sizes.
Materials are arranged in alphabetical order.
The collection is open to the public and is available for viewing in the Medical Heritage Center. Materials do not circulate and must be used in the supervised reading room. Restrictions, including copyright, may exist and some materials may be too fragile to photocopy or digitize. The MHC charges for duplication services, which must be performed by staff.
[Identification of item], Eugene M. Bishop Papers, SPEC.202402.BISHOP, Medical Heritage Center, Health Sciences Library, The Ohio State University.