History
Dr. Thomas & the Family Mansion Story & Photos by Terry Ommen As towns grow and develop, it’s important that they have a good blend of professions and occupations in the population. Laborers, merchants, builders and peace officers, for example, are needed, but probably none are more necessary than doctors. Without medical men and women providing care, life can be a challenge. Over its long history, Visalia has had a good supply of medical providers. In 1852, when the town began, Dr. Reuben Mathews treated the handful of people living here, and as the town grew, so did the number of physicians. Most served with distinction, providing necessary care to a grateful population. One such notable physician was Dr. Thomas Omar McSwain. The 35-year-old Iowa native came to Visalia in 1897 with his friend and fellow doctor, Robert C. Cranston. Both were graduates of the College of Physicians and Surgeons in San Francisco. It’s unclear why the two chose Visalia, but on July 9, the Daily Visalia Delta acknowledged their arrival, reporting that “they have cast their lot with our people and have already gained many friends.” By the end of the year, Cranston was back in San Francisco working at the California Medical College. But McSwain had immersed himself in the community, putting his medical knowledge to work. He arrived just in time to help with the physical exams of nearly 100 local boys in Visalia’s Company E, National Guard of California, who were preparing to go off to war with Spain in 1898. McSwain’s medical work steadily increased in the town of about 3,000 people. He set Joseph Lawrence’s broken leg after a heavy pipe fell on it. He carefully removed glass from the body of E.S. Phillips after the man’s Fourth of July firework concoction exploded prematurely. He even patched up 6-year-old Morse Gribble, whose horse had kicked him in the face. Although his practice was successful, his treatment outcomes were sometimes not. When Henry Reams fell under the wheels of his heavily-loaded fruit wagon, McSwain could not stop the internal bleeding in time to save him. He also failed to remove the malignant tumor that had spread throughout the body of J.T. Rogers. Despite these unsuccessful treatments, the doctor’s good reputation spread quickly. In 1901, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors named him the county physician. The same year, he was named medical attendant for the Visalia Fire Department. Later, he would be hired by the Santa Fe Railroad as its Visalia area company physician.
