Faith Healing, False Advertising, and Irregular Doctors

Todd L. Savitt, historian of medicine at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, discusses attempts at regulating medicine in early Montana. During its territorial and early statehood years, Montana did little to regulate healers of many varieties. In an effort to protect Montana’s citizens from what they saw as unscientific and unscrupulous practitioners, regularly trained physicians faced a variety of trials and tribulations as they passed a Medical Practice Act and established a respected Board of Medical Examiners.