The Doctor’s Bag
- Leather Handbags
- Leather Briefcase
- Leather Document Case
- Leather Wallets
- Leather Purses
- Leather Handbags
- Leather Shoulder Bags
- Ladies Leather Briefcase
- Leather Backpacks
- Leather Attache Cases
For over 200 years, a doctor was most often identified by his doctor’s bag- usually well-used and softened by time, the smell of the rich leather a comforting reminder to patients that all will be well soon. A doctor and his bag were seldom apart. Before the advent of the modern doctor’s office with its clinical feel and cold steel examining tables, before open-back gowns and administrators and waiting rooms, there was only the doctor, ready to make a house call carrying nothing but his doctor’s bag.
But the doctor’s bag was so much more than just a bag. It was a miniature hospital and contained everything the doctor needed to assess and treat his patients. There were stethoscopes, tongue depressors, medications, bandages, ointments and- always- candy for the children. Families knew that healing would come from the bag, whether through a tonic or through a peppermint wrapped in paper with a twist. When the doctor came down the street with bag in hand, it was a sign that someone close by was ill and also that they were on their way to recovery.
The classic shape of the doctor’s bag hasn’t changed over time. Flat on the bottom, the sides come up to a closure at the top- a cross between a satchel and a duffel bag. The top opens with the aid of an internal metal frame that holds the bag open, making it easier for the doctor to rummage around inside. Leather has always been used for doctor’s bags as it is durable and can stand up to the daily abuse a family doctor on the go can give it. Black or brown are to this day the most popular colors. If the bag was a gift from family, often at graduation, it may have carried the doctor’s initials, stamped into the smooth leather. Rugged, practical, but beautiful just the same.
Doctor’s bags are still being manufactured today and are still as popular as ever with many groups of people, not just doctors. Their classic look and rugged design make them great overnight bags and they are becoming popular as large handbags for women. New doctors still receive them from family at graduation just like a century ago. They are still passed down from father to son at retirement.
While today’s fast-paced world has left doctors’ house calls in the dust, most doctors still carry a doctor’s bag. It is still a necessity for doctors in countries where hospitals or clinics may be miles away. Big city doctors are more likely to stow it in their car for those rare occasions when an emergency occurs in their everyday life and they need to assist. But most doctors still carry a doctor’s bag to remind them of a slower time when occasionally, all it took to make a child better was a peppermint.
