Henry "Buddy" Treadwell - Random PA

Dr. Eugene Stead of Duke University is often credited as the founder of the medical assistant profession nowadays, with the introduction and accreditation of his training course at the same university in 1965.

Dr. Stead always sought to point out that the idea was not only his. In fact, since the 1930s, the practice has been increasingly used, especially in rural nurses in the southern United States, in order for the physician to train “orderly” staff in the additional duties of medical assistants, other than simply bringing patients to the appropriate rooms in the center. The social conditions of the day dictate that surgeons had separate entrances for black and white patients. Steed became aware of Dr. Amos Johnson, who led a family practice fairly close to Atlanta in Garland, North Carolina.

Dr. Johnson had a large family health practice in the family that he spent with his wife. Due to the large number of patients to whom he was supposed to come, his wife did most of the administrative work. The building was designed to provide an entrance door for whites and a side door for black patients. The central consultation room was surrounded by seven rooms, each equipped with a bed, where orderlies who were not trained and therefore not considered to be medical assistants forced the patients to see Dr. Johnson. Once he has completed his round, Dr. Johnson will convene all the patients together for consultation in the community. Here, each patient was given a prognosis and instructions. During this consultation, the local pharmacist listened on the phone recipes, so that when each patient arrived at the pharmacy, their medicine was ready and expected.

The main problem for Dr. Johnson was that he did not have time to upgrade with medical advances or attend conferences and universities to continue his desire to see family practice gain more recognition and more targeted training. In 1940, he hired a high school graduate named Henry Treadwell to help care for children while their parents consulted, and to perform other organizational tasks.

Tradwell had an open and marvelous mind, and he soon learned that under the guidance of Dr. Johnson and his wife, to perform many tasks concerning both the clinic and the patients.

Treadwell was able to do an early diagnosis, take and process blood tests, perform stitches and start the practice. He became a lifelong friend of the Johnson family and the prototype of a modern medical assistant. He was awarded an honorary diploma as an assistant doctor in 1960 in recognition of his work. In addition to his daily work at the medical center established by Dr. Johnson and his wife, Treadwell even participated in the training of medical students who were sent by the university to study with Dr. Johnson.