Several times a week I pass by a large older house on the northwest corner of 10th and Cherry Streets. That house holds a lot of memories for not just me, but many kids who grew up in Noblesville.
It was the office of Dr. Haldon Kraft, the town’s pediatrician. He was mine in the late 50’s and early 60’s.
This past week myself and several of his former patients did a bit of “remembering when” on Facebook. The memories went back some fifty to sixty years.
All of us had similar memories.
I remember walking inside his office and the first thing I noticed was the smell of antiseptics and medicines. Probably a few of them were Dr. Kraft’s lotions and potions.
In the waiting room, the first thing your eyes were drawn to was the clock. It was one of those cat clocks, where the eyes moved back and forth as did the pendulum tail. I think it must have had a hypnotic effect on all the kids in the office. I don’t remember any kids misbehaving in the waiting room. I think it calmed a few anxious mothers as well.
This was back before all the vaccines were given. On any day you might be in the office with a case of measles or mumps. I had them both. I also had croup several times. That really scared my mom.
Peg was Dr. Kraft’s gravely-voiced nurse, receptionist and office manager. She was a bit roly poly and always seemd so serious. Peg always wore a white dress uniform.I was always fascinated by the snow globe that she kept on her desk. Peg was great at giving shots. Dr. Kraft wasn’t as easy so you always hoped it was Peg giving the shots that day.
Mom said we saw Dr. Kraft and Peg a lot because I did not come with instructions. If Mercurochrome or Vicks Vaporub or Vaseline didn’t heal an illness or wound, Dr. Kraft would find one that did. He eased a lot of my mom’s worries.
I remember many bouts of tonsillitis and high fevers. Dr. Kraft would prescribe a nasty tasting antibiotic and then my mom would rub me down with rubbing alcohol to lower my temperature. Eventually I had my tonsils out. No more freezing alcohol rubs.
When I was about five I stepped on a nail at our next door neighbor’s house. Of course it was rusty and Dr. Kraft gave me a Tetanus shot right where it entered my foot. I believe it was the only time that I screamed in his office.
He always had a purple mixture that he put on injuries. Not sure what that was about, but it seemed to work.
Dr. Kraft always answered his phone in the middle of the night and never seemed to mind. Taking care of us Noblesville kids was truly his calling.
He would call and check on his sickest patients to make sure they were doing well. He knew them all by name. Eventually he took care of at least two generations of kids.
Dr. Kraft was truly one of Nobleville’s finest. Good memories of a good man. He sure seemed to have a cure for about anything. Wonder what he would think of medicine today.