Today, it is completely normal that all doctors have a comprehensive medical education, hold an advanced degree, have plenty of clinical experience, passed a licensing examination, and are deemed fit by their state medical boards to practice. However, in the late 1800s, the field of medicine was a chaotic and unregulated profession filled with quack doctors, frauds, and bogus medical schools that handed out degrees in exchange for a sum of money. How did medical practice turn into the orderly, professional, and respected field that healthcare is in the 21st century? West Virginians, most notably a man named James Reeves, contributed to these developments in medical practice by advocating for and enforcing a strict licensure law that ensured doctors were indeed qualified to take care of their patients.
