Dr. Edwin Francis Baker, a general practitioner who retired from medical practice last month after providing more than 44 years of service to area residents, was honored by the Fulton County Medical Society at the Canton Country Club Friday. Baker was born in 1910 in Belvedere where he grew up and graduated from high school. As a young man, he was interested in pursuing three possible fields of professional endeavor: pharmacy, dentistry or medicine. He was a pharmacy assistant for three years but still was exploring other professions. He was acquainted with a few dentists who wanted to go to medical school but could not afford it. He decided medicine was the career in which he was most interested. He attended medical school, graduated and spent a year of internship at the University of Illinois. Then he returned to Belvedere in 1935 to practice medicine. In 1936, he moved to Dixon. In 1938, he married his wife, Mildred. When the doctor first started practicing medicine, the world was still reeling from the Depression o 1929. The U.S. Treasury had tightened the money supply. People had little money to spend for nutritious food and medicines. Penicillin had not been discovered yet and sulfa drugs were unknown. Infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, typhoid, pneumonia and dysentery were treated with hot and cold compresses. Baker faced the dire circumstances of the day with a general practiced which charged 15 cents for office fees. Office employees were paid $5 per week. At that time, a loaf of bread cost five cents and prime steak was a quarter. But money was scarce and there was no Medicare of Blue Cross-Blue Shield. In addition to his office practice, Baker had a sizable house-call practice. He used to make 10 to 15 house calls per day. In 1942, Baker joined the armed services where he served in the Air Force as an air flight surgeon during World War II. In 1946, his father bought a general store in Lewistown. He told Baker a position was available with Dr. Allen Welch’s practice there and Baker joined Welch’s practice. Once he settled in Lewistown, Baker decided Graham Hospital was the choice hospital for him. There were no specialists in the area at the time. At Graham, the medical practice was interesting and challenging and Baker held high esteem for the other physicians practicing there, men like Dr. E. P. Coleman and Dr. Allen Taylor. Baker moved to Canton in 1961. As a general practitioner, he delivered more than 3,000 babies. On more than one occasion he delivered baby girls and years later delivered their babies. Baker kept up with advances in medicine and treatments during the years. When the electrocardiogram became a standard of care and cardiology emerged as a recognized field, Baker returned to school to receive specialized training in those fields. When he returned, he read EKGs and conducted stress testing at Graham Hospital for years until recently retiring. Baker’s dedication to medicine has been exemplified in numerous ways. He was a part of many medical associations and actively participated in the Graham Hospital’s medical staff organization. He worked with the hospital Executive Committee for years. He practiced medicine for a total of 55 years and provided medical service to the area for more than 44 years. He also has shown his dedication to the community. He was on the Public Health Board for more than 13 years; he was a school board member for 12 years; he was on the Salvation Army Advisory Board for many years; and he is a lifetime Rotarian. He and his wife Mildred raised three boys, Ed, Lee and John. The couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1988.
Caption: Presents plaque: Dr. Linda Forestier (left), on behalf of the Fulton County Medical Society, presents a plaque honoring the distinguished service of Dr. Edwin Francis Baker (center), a general practitioner who recently retired from medical practice after providing more than 44 years of service. At right, seated, is Mildred, Baker’s wife for more than 50 years. The event was held at the Canton Country Club Friday.
