Holy Land Healing: Practicing Medicine in Rural Wisconsin Reflections and Lessons from a Poignant Era

This book begins with one of the retired doctors sharing some stories from his practice, both with his children and with young nurses, during his own recent hospitalizations at St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac. As the stories were told, it was apparent there would be many more, both interesting and educational, from other doctors, nurses, and nuns who practiced in Fond du Lac during the 50 year span from 1965 to 2015. Some refer to those as the “Golden Years” of medicine. So much happened during that half century. There were astonishing advances in medical knowledge, techniques, equipment, prevention, and treatment strategies. That’s the good news. Yet, some of those, along with system-wide complex administrative changes, contributed to depersonalization of care and erosion of bedside manner, a regrettable tradeoff.These stories-- some enlightening, many inspirational, others humorous-- come from 24 doctors and Sister-nurses who served at St. Agnes Hospital during these years. Many stories come from the Holy Land, an affectionate term for a whole cluster of church-named villages surrounding Fond du Lac.These stories tell of the impact of both the advances and the threats to the good practice of medicine during these years. They describe the dilemma of practitioners reacting to those changes and yet wanting to preserve the fundamental mission of their efforts: “To cure sometimes, to help often, to comfort always”.Change is inevitable. Preserving that immutable “mission” is the challenge for the future. ~~Proceeds of book sales will go to The Treffert Center, 371 East First Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin 54935. The Treffert Center is on the campus of Agnesian Health Care, SSM. It is a worldwide library resource on savant syndrome and other exceptional minds. It provides assessment and treatment services and conducts research for autism, hyperlexia, and related conditions. Additionally, it houses the Treffert Academy, which is a strengths-based school for children with or without special needs.