DR. THOMAS J. GAFFNEY

Dr. Thomas J. Gaffney was born August 7, 1873 in Minneapolis and was admitted to the practice of medicine on October 11, 1898. Dr. Gaffney and his wife, Madeline Keller, came to Lakeville in June, 1900. He was a true horse and buggy doctor and would administer to the ill any time of day or night in any kind of weather. He cared for patients in Lakeville, Burnsville, Eagan, Lebanon, Rosemount, Orchard Gardens and Orchard Lake.

All those who knew him have the same impression: "He was quite a man, rough, but very kind." An Orchard Gardens resident recalls the time she broke her arm and Dr Gaffney put on a cast, leaving just her fingers free. The young lady used her fingers too much, further injuring the broken arm. The doctor, seeing the damage, took off the cast, put the girl's arm over his knee and broke it again. In resetting the break he left no free fingers and it healed properly.

Dr. Gaffney was often assisted by Mrs. William Helkenn in the delivery of the newborns. They were always home births because there was no hospital nearby. He performed appendectomies on kitchen tables and stitches wee dealt with rapidly and skillfully.

There was no time for tenderness when a job needed to be done quickly. In one particular case a woman was overcome with exhaust t fumes from an old Maytag washer because she did not place the exhaust hose out a window. Dr. Gaffney was called to revive her and after administering to her, he left all the windows open for fresh air. Twice he returned to find the windows closed again. During his third visit, seeing the windows closed, he simply took off his boot and shattered all the windows in the house. "Now I know the damn things will stay open", he growled, and left. The lady recovered.

Another man using a circular saw and somehow managed to make hash out of his hand. He was taken to Dr. Gaffney and after a quick appraisal of the situation, he poured a quart of alcohol on the hand to clean the sawdust and dirt from the wounds. After pulling the cap over his eyes, the doctor began to sew up the damage. The injured man was so angry at not being able to see what was going on that by the time he was able to free the cap from his eyes, his hand was all cleaned, stitched and bandaged. His anger had been stronger than the pain and he had felt nothing.

Dr. Gaffney never sent a bill and he seldom received money. If cash payment was not possible, he would accept chickens, eggs, or anything of value. A fifteen year old boy broke his arm and was hurried to the doctor's office to have it set. The man who brought the lad assured the doctor that the parents would pay the bill later. "Good", replied the doctor, "if they do, I'll apply it on the boy's delivery."

Dr. Gaffney was a horse and buggy man, but later he owned a car. The last car was a 1930 Chevrolet which he never learned to drive properly, a fact which created much fear in the hearts of his many patients as they thought of him alone on his never-ending trips.

After 45 years of service to the area, he died on November 27, 1945. The pallbearers at his funeral were all men whom he had "brought into the world." June Dille

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