Anna Pierce Hobbs Bixby, sometimes spelled Bigsby, born Anna Pierce ( – c. 1870), was a

midwife A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; co ...

frontier doctor ''Frontier Doctor'' is an American Western television series starring Rex Allen that aired in syndication from September 26, 1958, until June 20, 1959. The series was also known as ''Unarmed'' and ''Man of the West''.TV Guide Guide to TV. Barnes ...

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the mouth, oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofaci ...

, herbologist, and

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...

in southern Illinois. Bixby discovered that white snakeroot (''

Ageratina altissima ''Ageratina altissima'', also known as white snakeroot, richweed, or white sanicle, is a poisonous perennial herb in the family Asteraceae, native to eastern and central North America. An older binomial name for this species is ''Eupatorium rugo ...

'') contains a toxin. When cattle consume the plant, their meat and milk become contaminated and cause the sometimes fatal condition

milk sickness Milk sickness, also known as tremetol vomiting or, in animals, as trembles, is a kind of poisoning, characterized by trembling, vomiting, and severe intestinal pain, that affects individuals who ingest milk, other dairy products, or meat from a ...

. One of the most notable and tragic cases of the "milk sickness" was that of

Nancy Hanks Lincoln Nancy Hanks Lincoln (February 5, 1784 – October 5, 1818) was the mother of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Her marriage to Thomas Lincoln also produced a daughter, Sarah, and a son, Thomas Jr. When Nancy and Thomas had been married for ...

, the mother of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, who died at 34 years old in 1818.

Early life

Bixby was the daughter of farmers, who had moved from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and in 1828 settled in southeastern Illinois, close to what would become the village of Rock Creek. After

finishing school A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the education, wit ...

, she traveled to Philadelphia to train in midwifery and

dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions o ...

, but on her return to Illinois she became the first physician in Hardin County and consequently, a general practitioner for her community. Bixby may also have been the first female doctor in the state of Illinois. Others claimed she was a midwife from Tennessee, married to her first husband, Isaac Hobbs.

Research on milk sickness

She did thorough research of milk sickness, which was causing a good deal of fatality among both people and calves, including Anna's mother and sister-in-law. Noting the seasonal nature of the disease and the fact that sheep and goat milk were not affected, she reasoned that the cause must be a poisonous herb. However, she was unable to determine the precise cause until she was shown the White Snakeroot by a medicine woman of the

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

tribe. Experiments on a calf confirmed the toxic effect of Snakeroot. However, despite her efforts, it was not until 1928 (55 years after her death) that research confirming her discovery was published.

Eson Bixby and his criminal activities

After Isaac Hobbs died, Anna Pierce Hobbs married her second husband, Eson Bixby, who turned out to be a notorious outlaw around the region of Cave-In-Rock, on the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

Death

Bixby died in

Rock Creek, Hardin County, Illinois Rock Creek is an unincorporated community in Hardin County, Illinois, United States. Rock Creek is north of Cave-in-Rock and northeast of Elizabethtown. Notable people *Anna Pierce Hobbs Bixby, midwife, frontier doctor, dentist, herbologist, ...

Legacy

According to local legend, Bixby left a treasure trove concealed in a cave named after her. The treasure is supposedly buried in Rock Creek, Hardin County, Illinois, and has never been found. A

historical marker A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...

has been mounted in Bixby's honor in Cave-in-Rock, Illinois, near her home. Also, in southern Illinois, the Anna Bixby Women's Center in Harrisburg, Illinois, gives shelter and services to area abused women and children.

References

External links

Anna Bixby: The Mysterious Southern Illinois Healer & Her Lost Treasure Cave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bixby, Anna Pierce Hobbs 1812 births 1873 deaths Physicians from Illinois People from Hardin County, Illinois